Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always!
I feel impelled to write to you about the legal implications of conversion to
Islam. There are Catholics who convert to Islam for whatever reasons but they
are hardly aware of the legal consequences of their actions. They fail to
consider seriously the implications of their decisions. If you become a Muslim,
there are important changes in your legal status and what you can or cannot do.
Hence, as your Bishop I need to inform you of the following:
1.
When you marry a Muslim, you are required by law to convert to
Islam.
2.
If you beget a child out of wed lock with a Muslim, you are
liable to be judged by the Syariah law and not by the Civil Law and therefore
punishable like a Muslim even though you are not a Muslim
3.
Your conversion to Islam will be registered with the Religious
Department and the National Registration Department. As it is recorded in the
computer, access to this information is available throughout the country.
4.
You will be given a new Identity Card with a new Muslim Name. In
it, will be recorded your conversion to Islam. If you choose to return to
your former faith, you will not be issued a new I.C. nor will your old I.C. be
returned to you
5.
As a Muslim, you cannot marry a non-Muslim. If you decided to
divorce and attempt to relinquish Islam, you will lose custody of your children
because they are Muslims; you will have not legal rights over your children.
6.
Even if you are no longer practicing Islam, you may be fined,
whipped, detained or imprisoned for violation of Syariah Laws, such as
praying in Church, eating in pubic during fasting month, khalwat, etc
7.
Conversion back to your former religion is not allowed under the
law, It is a criminal offence, which means that you may be fined, whipped,
detained or imprisoned under Islamic Laws.
8.
Upon death, your non-Muslim relatives will lose their rights to
any property, money etc, that you want to leave to them. Your non- Muslim
children cannot inherit any property or money from you.
9.
The corpse of a convert to Islam will be taken away from his or
her non-Muslim family for Islamic rites and burial even if you have not been a
practicing Muslim, or you have secretly returned to your Christian faith for
many years (as in the case of Munggai Gotud, reported in Star Tuesday 16August
2005, p. Nation23)
10.
If you are under 18 years of age, you required your parents’
permission to convert to Islam. This is the Civil law, but Syariah law says no
need.
11.
If your spouse converts to Islam, all your children
automatically are considered Muslims and therefore as a non-Muslim, you have no
right to your children or your spouse’s property.
This is not to say we are against Islam or the freedom of
religion. Article 11 of our Constitution guarantees all Malaysians the right to
choose freely his or her religion. But to choose correctly, you need to know
clearly what you choose and the consequences of your choice.
Jesus said, “Every one who acknowledges me before men, I will
acknowledge before my father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before
men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)
Let us pray for one another to remain faithful to Jesus. God bless you all
Yours in Christ and Mary.
Original signed by
Bishop Anthony lee Kok Hin
Bishop’s House, Miri
20th August 2005
