Malaysia's slow descent into Sharia

[ScottSA]

Malaysia is the showcase nation which supporters of "moderate" Islam point to in claiming that Sharia can co-exist with secularism. Aside from almost daily beheadings and killings, Malaysia has been slowly succumbing to the encroachment of Sharia.

A Malaysian Islamic court has extended the detention of a Muslim-born woman living as a Hindu in defiance of the law after she refused to be rehabilitated, an opposition leader said Wednesday.

[]

Revathi married Suresh in 2004 according to Hindu rites but the marriage has not been legally registered because Suresh would have had to convert to Islam first. Revathi's official identification documents state she is Muslim because Malaysians who are born as Muslims cannot legally change their religion.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull

[Chuck U. Farlie]

Aside from almost daily beheadings and killings, Malaysia has been slowly succumbing to the encroachment of Sharia.

Are you sure about this?

I lived in the region and have been to Malaysia more times than I remember and I don't seem to remember many reports of beheadings there.

There were some school girls beheaded in Indonesia... on the island of Sulawesi...Central Sulawesi, somewhat near Poso... where Muslims kill Christians and Christians kill Muslims fairly regularly... maybe that is what you meant.

I think the non islamic non sharia world has a lot more to worry about in Indonesia than they do in Malaysia... Certain places in Indonesia are already adopting Sharia law, such as:

City of Padang, West Sumatra, school girls of any religion must wear head scarves.

City of Tangerang, West of Jakarta and the area containing the international airport: Women must be off the street after dark... in 2004 a pregnant school teacher was arrested for suspicion of being a prostitute because she was waiting for her husband to pick her up in the early evening...

There are many many more examples... but I don't feel like finding them... just saying... Indonesia is much more of a worry than Malaysia in regards to adopting sharia law...

[Guest chilipeppers]

A lot of countries are, even in the U.S. and Canada we are heading towards it. Not overtly of course but a gradual creeping in. Whatever happened to non demonination public schools and separation of church and state. How far do we go in accommodating various religions before there is an established practice from which other parts of the religious law can spread.

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http://www.startribune.com/191/story/1122449.html

Katherine Kersten: Ritual-washing area for Muslims at MCTC may be only the beginning

Last week, I wrote about Minneapolis Community and Technical College, which is planning to install facilities to help Muslim students perform ritual washing before daily prayers. It's a simple matter of extending "hospitality" to newcomers, says President Phil Davis -- no different than providing a fish option in the college cafeteria for Christian students during Lent.

MCTC is apparently the first public institution in Minnesota to enter this unfamiliar territory. Where is it looking for guidance?

Dianna Cusick, MCTC's director of legal affairs, is overseeing the project. She referred me to the Muslim Accommodations Task Force, whose website she is using as a primary resource (www.startribune.com/2617). "They've done all the research," she said.

On the site, I found information about the handful of public colleges that have "wudu," or ritual bathing, facilities.

But I also discovered something more important for colleges seeking guidance on "accommodations": Projects like MCTC's are likely to be the first step in a long process.

The task force's eventual objectives on American campuses include the following, according to the website: permanent Muslim prayer spaces, ritual washing facilities, separate food and housing for Muslim students, separate hours at athletic facilities for Muslim women, paid imams or religious counselors, and campus observance of Muslim holidays. The task force is already hailing "pioneering" successes. At Syracuse University in New York, for example, "Eid al Fitr is now an official university holiday," says an article featured on the website. "The entire university campus shuts down to mark the end of Ramadan." At Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Mich., "halal" food -- ritually slaughtered and permissible under Islamic law -- is marked by green stickers in the cafeteria and "staff are well-trained in handling practices."

[bush_cheney2004]

A lot of countries are, even in the U.S. and Canada we are heading towards it. Not overtly of course but a gradual creeping in. Whatever happened to non demonination public schools and separation of church and state. How far do we go in accommodating various religions before there is an established practice from which other parts of the religious law can spread.

Agreed...where did all those Catholic schools come from? Ontario was even financing them until 1998!

[Guthrie]

slow descent into Sharia

is that like a slow descent into Halakha

or like a slow descent into Hermeneuticalism

or like a slow descent into Canonism

?????

[leonardcohen]

slow descent into Sharia

is that like a slow descent into Halakha

or like a slow descent into Hermeneuticalism

or like a slow descent into Canonism

?????

Then we should ignore the warning signs?

[Jerry Galinda]

argumentum ad absurdum

Woody - you aren't naive - you are islamofascist.

[PolyNewbie]

What about our slow descent into martial law ?

[scribblet]

Agreed...where did all those Catholic schools come from? Ontario was even financing them until 1998!

They still are up to the end of high school and that is because is was guarranteed in our BNA act and is enshrined in the constitution, so it would I think require some major changes that no party is willing to tackle. Personally I don't agree with it as it gives other denominations a case for wanting financing. Tis a conundrum.

[Guthrie]

slow descent into Sharia

is that like a slow descent into Halakha

or like a slow descent into Hermeneuticalism

or like a slow descent into Canonism

?????

Then we should ignore the warning signs?

no, you should go to Malaysia and open secular schools -

the way to fight ignorance is with education -

hate is ignorance

[Jerry Galinda]

What about our slow descent into martial law ?

Terrifying.

practical the same news in TV, in newspapers, censorship. ban of strikes, jails full of people, no controllable tapping, curfew and so on .

Compassion.

Run away.

[jbg]

A lot of countries are, even in the U.S. and Canada we are heading towards it. Not overtly of course but a gradual creeping in. Whatever happened to non demonination public schools and separation of church and state. How far do we go in accommodating various religions before there is an established practice from which other parts of the religious law can spread.

It's time to stop the madness. My views here.

[Jerry Galinda]

„hate is ignorance”

It means that Talibans are ignorants.