[Episcopal News Service]
Moderate Muslims, Christians and other non-Muslim minorities are expressing horror over attempts to impose full Islamic Shari'ah law in Malaysia's Terengganu State.
The opposition PAS party wants to see the country, traditionally one of the modest Muslim nations in the world, transformed into an Islamic nation under the strict Islamic law. The party already controls two of Malaysia's 13 states but its attempt to impose Islamic law has been blocked by the federal government in the past.
The attempt in Terengganu is being vigorously opposed by women's groups and minority groups, as well as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Christians are concerned that he has announced that she will step down in favor of his deputy in 16 months, creating a power vacuum that could fuel tension. An organization of Muslim lawyers has taken the matter to court, seeking a ruling that would stipulate that only the federal government, not individual state governments, has the authority to pass criminal laws.
Christians and other non-Muslims fear that under Shari'ah their rights and freedoms would be eroded. The law prescribes harsh penalties. Converts from Islam to another faith, for example, would be put to death. It also counts the evidence of non-Muslims and women as worth only half that of Muslim men in legal courts, in some cases discounting their testimonies altogether.
Christians look at the example of Nigeria, a nation similarly divided between Muslims and non-Muslims, where attempts by states in the north dominated by Muslims to impose Islamic law have led to savage violence that has killed an estimated 2,000 people and left many homeless. Despite repeated promises that the law would be applied to Muslims only, vigilantes are enforcing the law's dress codes on Muslims and Christians alike. Christian churches have been threatened and some closed in the states under Islamic law.
For more information check the Barnabas Fund on the Web at www.barnabasfund.org.
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