In an Islamic nation
I read on Mark La Roi's blog that two Americans were arrested in Putrajaya (Malaysia's administrative capital) on Apr 25, for allegedly distributing Christian literature. [Click for more]
The arrest was apparently reported in one of our local papers too but with details left out -- such as what kind of "religious materials" they had been distributing. "Religious materials" is such a delightfully vague term. Could be Buddhist, Taoist, New Age, Hindu, Christian, Mormon, Bahai, etc...
This incident reminds me of the recent hoo-ha about the supposed ban on the Malay translation of the Bible. During a Q&A session in Parliament on Apr 12, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz said that Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Indonesia could not be circulated in the country as this would be seen as an effort to spread Christianity among the Malay Muslims. He said the ban had been in force since Independence and was in line with the Constitution. [See here, and if you can read Bahasa Malaysia, this is an excerpt from the Hansard]
A week later, our Prime Minister had to step in and clarify the matter:
KUALA LUMPUR, April 19: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Tuesday there was no ban on Bibles published in the Malay language but they must be stamped with the words "Not for Muslims"... and can be distributed only in churches and Christian bookshops.
-- No ban on Malay-language Bibles: PM
So all Malay Bibles must be marked "Not for Muslims". This brings me to an observation by fellow blogger Aizuddin Danian. He saw Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ DVD on sale at a local bookstore with a sticker saying, "Warning: This film is not suitable for Muslims" pasted on the cover. Aizuddin, who is himself a Muslim, was troubled by this.
In fact, The Passion of The Christ nearly did not make it to Malaysian theatres but in the end the government approved its screening -- although only at designated cinemas, and only for Christian viewers. Tickets were sold through churches and no publicity was allowed. [See here]
Statistically, our population stands at nearly 26 million, about two thirds of whom are Malays. Indians, Chinese, and other minority races make up the rest. Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution defines a "Malay" as "a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom". Therefore, in Malaysia, to speak of a Malay person is to speak of a Muslim person.
Islam is the country's national religion but Article 3(1) and Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution both grant freedom of worship to all. Propagation of one's religion, however, is subject to Art 11(4), which states:
State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.
[The full text of the Federal Constitution can be found online here]
UPDATE: US Department of State International Religious Freedom Report 2004 on Malaysia