Midtopia

Midtopia

Friday, June 01, 2007

Lina Joy may leave Malaysia

Lina Joy, the Malaysian Muslim who is being prevented from officially becoming Christian, is talking about leaving the country -- something of the standard solution for high-profile cases of religious persecution.

"I am disappointed that the Federal Court is not able to vindicate a simple but important fundamental right that exists in all persons: Namely, the right to believe in the religion of one's choice," Joy said in a statement released through her lawyer, Benjamin Dawson.

"The Federal Court has not only denied me that right but (denied it) to all Malaysians who value fundamental freedoms," she said....

[She has] the option to leave the country. Asked if she will take that option, Joy, 43, said in her statement: "It would be extremely difficult to exercise freedom of conscience in the present environment." Dawson, her lawyer, said the media are free to draw their conclusion from the statement.

So it's more a suggestion than an actual plan. But it's hardly surprising. Countries that deny freedom of conscience deserve to lose people, who will vote with their feet rather than live under injustice.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The court ruling has actually done a disservice to the quality of the Muslim population in terms of faith. A population of diverse range of faiths is in the making.
Throw away the garbage, or the place will be like a runaway garbage mountain where quality has no place.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sir,

I am a Malaysian Chinese and I believe in Christ. I love Malaysia and I am proud to be a Malaysian. It is not easy to have peace everyday in a country that has multi racial community. I see China, where all are chinese, yet I dont sense the same freedom I enjoy in Malaysia. I see Indonesia,where everyone look a like, but yet, diverse religion........Again, I dont sense the same level of peace and calm that I enjoy in Malaysia.

So let me begin to share my perspective as a Malaysian about Lina Joy. Lina Joy is a Christian. She is not denied from receiving Christ as her personal Savior by the courts of Malaysia. So, lets stop focusing on differences and aggrevating the differences to pain. We live in a multi racial country. Such discussion, in the tone of divinding people and sowing mistrust with each other will only hurt everyone.

The bible does not say that we will loose our salvation if we are lable as a non believer by man. Man is not greater than God. No where in the bible that says, we will loose our passport to heaven if we are burried in a wrong burial ground. All these arguement are waste of time for Christians. We matured Christians look at the spiritual realm of life. We worship our lord in Spirit and in Truth. Spiritually, Lina Joy is abundant of joy in Christ. The Truth, she has her full blessing and joy to worship Christ as her personal savior.

Jesus never advocate confrontational ways to fight for titles or lables. He is against all forms of confrontation with non believers. He is only confrontational towards our own kind ( pharasees )......... never towards a non believer. If we live by the sword, we die by the sword..........says Jesus.

Lets focus on building bridges and stop running down our fellow Malaysians. I am proud to live in Malaysia and we should do what it takes to make it work in Malaysia.

Malaysia is for all Malaysian.

( Some facts that need to be highlighted in regards to Article 11..........everyone can profess and practise their freedom freely, but the Constitution also added that this is not entirely so for the ones professing Islam.

Below is the First and Fourth Clause in Article 11 of Malaysian Constitution

Article 11

1. Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject to Clause (4), to propagate it.
4. 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.