>>Re: Malaysia to top it off, its Parliament is now considering passing a law that makes it apostasy (i.e., heresy) not to be a Muslim.<<
Doug,
Where did you learn about this? I'd be interested in locating the source. It's the first I've heard about the issue. I know that for a Muslim to renounce his religion (apostasy) is a big no-no (I don't know that it's illegal, though; maybe it is, or the powers that be are making it so).
But it's okay NOT to be a Muslim if you didn't start out as one. There are lots of Christians, Buddhists, Taoists, Hindus, Sikhs, etc. around, and no one's been arrested for their religious beliefs. I figure there are also a number of Jews in the country, although there are no synagogues that I know of. And earlier in the year, a hockey team from Isreal (first time in the country's history and to the dismay of some holdout Muslim fundamentalists) arrived to play a friendly match. This was a government endorsed event.
Then there was a movie on TV Tuesday night that I found reassuring in a strange kind of a way. I don't know if you have seen it, but "A Stranger Among Us" is about a NYC policewoman who goes to live among the Hassidic Jews to solve a murder. Nice movie starring Meredith Griffith and--here's the interesting part--showing much of the rich culture of the Hassids, which is centered around their religious practices. Lots of Yiddish dialogue and not a few quotes from the Kaballah (sp?). So, unless the screening of that movie on a national government channel !no less! was a big oversight by some ignorant, soon-to-be-unemployed burueacrat (NOT!), I have to believe that there is a high degree of religious tolerance in the government. Furthermore, at this time when the country is in deep financial doo-doo, the government is relying on the people to pull together to ride out the mess. I doubt if it is going to do anything so stupid as to pass a law that will alienate the 40% of the population that is non-muslim. Even the opposition parties--who usually live up to their name--are calling for unity in overcoming the economic crisis. The last thing anyone wants is a split in the populace.
BTW, I had a great Christmas-eve dinner with my wife, my folks and an aunt from Australia last night. We had tried getting to church earlier, but gave up on account of the horrible KL traffic (roads being dug up to construct a monorail); my folks are going to try again this Christmas morning. As for my wife and me, we're just going to putter around the house and visit a friend later in the day.
I hope you and everyone else on this thread are having a good and safe holiday. Season's Greetings, and may the New Year bring much $$$ cheer to all CREAF-ers! :)
Winston |
