Sharia Conundrum from modern, moderate Malaysia: ethnic Malays are deemed to be Muslim from birth, but what about a Chinese man who was switched at birth? Was he born Muslim? Can the modern, moderate Malaysian state possibly survive his conversion to Buddhism?
From Reuters, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian Muslim man switched at birth in a hospital mix-up wants to change his name after being reunited with his ethnic-Chinese biological family and become a Buddhist....Sales executive Zulhaidi Omar, 29, was raised in an ethnic Malay family, and discovered his true origins only after a Chinese woman at a supermarket where he worked noticed his features were similar to those of her father, newspapers said.
"The girl who was always looking at me was actually my elder sister who suspected that I was her brother because of my striking resemblance to our father," the Star newspaper quoted Zulhaidi as telling reporters.
Three visits by the girl and her parents convinced him to take a DNA test that confirmed the ties, he added.
Zulhaidi, who unwittingly spent 20 years just a few miles from his real family, now lives with them in Batu Pahat in southern Johor state. But it took him six months before he began to call his parents "Mum" and "Dad"....
The other changeling, Tian Fa, 29, was brought up by the Teos, married a Chinese woman, and has no intention of seeking out his biological parents, the Star said.
Now Zulhaidi wants to renounce Islam and take a Chinese name.
Whether Muslims can convert to another faith is a tricky legal question in Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion, although freedom of worship is a constitutional right.
Ethnic Malays are deemed to be Muslim from birth, but the country's highest civil court has yet to rule on whether they have the right to convert to another religion.
Somewhat of the same problem will eventually face Barak Hussein Obama if he is to be the Democrat Party presidential nominee. His birth father and step father were both Muslim....by Muslim law, he is Muslim. Yes, he voluntarily joined a Christian church a number of years ago. So, is he an apostate, waiting, perhaps unknowingly, for violence against him because of his rejection of Islam? Or, will the Muslim community just claim him as a revert and begin to expect certain issues be settled in their favor? He already seems to be moving in that direction, calling for ending security procedures against Muslims and warning of punishments for those engaged in 'racial profiling' of Muslims. Behind closed doors, are Americans already be prepared for a Muslim president...therefore the closing prayer by the radical Shiite imam at the Democrat Committee meeting yesterday? I can't worry too much about Mr. Omar's problems in Malaysia. I hope things turn out well for him. I am more worried how things might turn out for me and my family if a Muslim president is elected in the country of my birth.
Speaking of "Switching religions". It is interesting that many Americans on the left think that the Muslims will probably like us better if we elect Barak Hussein Obama (yes that is his middle name) our next President. He has stated the he belongs to the United Methodist Church in Chicago and that is fine with me and other normal thinking citizens in the civilized world. Here is where it get's a little sticky. The late Barak Obama Sr. was a Muslim, which of course we all know means that Junior was born a Muslim. Whether he is aware of it or not. He is an apostate if he is indeed a Christian or any other religion. I am sure the leftees that love him will overlook this as a minor issue.....which it is to rational thinkers...But are we dealing with rational people. Off subject. I am sure Barak(a) Hussein Obama's fan club will dissapear when they realize that he smokes cigarettes.
"Was he born Muslim?"
-- from Robert's comment above
You know perfectly well we are all born Muslims. And then something terrible happens -- bad parents, bad environment. We innocent little Muslims-at-birtg are separated from the One True Faith, the faith that takes care of everything, by bad parenting, bad environment, bad everything. Then the lucky ones, the enlightened ones, can make it somehow back -- "revert" to Islam. Of course he was born a Muslim. He should thank his lucky starts, and grin, and bear it.
He wasn't of Moslem parents (despite the mixup) therefore he is not a Moslem ...
Whether he will be allowed to change without charges of "apostasy" is another matter ..
Interesting case that will be worth following.
Of course the most interesting facet of the case is that under non-Sharia law I can choose to be whatever religion I want to be - and even choose several times if I want to - so nobody thinks twice if I am born Christan, switch to Hare Krishna, move on to Shree Bhagwan Rajneesh, attempt Buddhism and Paganism and finally end up an evangelical Christian ..
The best thing about this story is that neither of the two want to be Muslim or ethnic Malay for that matter. That is despite some of the social perks it has. I guess it is better to be Chinese and Buddhist than Malay and Muslim. This should show how many Muslims are dying to escape Islam if only they had the chance.
And how about "the other changeling, Tian Fa?" Is he an apostate?
Another conversion:
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=43209&theType=NB
But lay off on Obama - or are we no longer a land of laws and just a land of suspicion? Or is this just a way at attacking anything not right wing enough? God, how disgusting...
Bonncaruso, you are a reader here to the point that you have registered your email. My question to you: Are you kidding me?
Bonncaruso: I would have the exact same concerns had Mr. Obama been a Republican. This issue goes beyond political parties, at least US political parties. The fact is that Mr. Obama's father was a Muslim and, therefore, Mr. Obama is considered a Muslim, as much as I can understand Islamic law. Of couse, he had no control over the circumstances of his birth, but he certainly has control over his actions and words now, as an adult. At some point, I believe that he will have to address the issue.
As to whether Barak Obama is a muslim: Just because his father is a muslim doesn't mean that he is one himself.
A muslim man can marry a christian woman, and have christian children.
If I'm wrong, please let me know.
As to whether Barak Obama is a muslim: Just because his father is a muslim doesn't mean that he is one himself.
A muslim man can marry a christian woman, and have christian children.
If I'm wrong, please let me know.
Yes, it was a rhetorical question.
Other questions:
Aren't we all sick of this shit? Sick of every day reading the latest horror stories on Jihadwatch & Dhimmiwatch...
Don't we all have children to raise, gardens to tend, books to read or write? Lives to live? A million better things to do than allow the mental depredations of Islam into our lives?
What will it take? Really, what will it take?
Well Dane....how about another 9/11? Just because an ostrich buries it's head in the sand doesn't mean the lion won't bite it on the ass. This makes it easy for the lion, because now it is attacking prey that is not even willing to defend itself.
Voltaire: I do believe that a Muslim man determines the religion of his children. If a Muslim man marries a Christian woman, their children are Muslim. There have been several cases in Jordan where a male Muslim convert from Christianity has tried to claim guardianship over his deceased Christian brother's children; Pakistan also has had similar cases. Islam presumes superiority. That is why it is especially dangerous for non-Muslim women from the West to marry Muslim men and then move to their husband's Islamic country. They have no rights, but, of course, that has to do with religion and gender bias of Muslims. Another feature of Islam is that a person choosing to leave Islam for another religion or no religion at all is subject to death according to shari'a law. In Islam, no exit visas are allowed.
Voltaire
Under Islamic law, a Muslim can only marry another Muslim, or a dhimmi who converts to Islam. Therefore, Barak Obama was technically a Muslim at some point. That said, there is no reason to disbelieve him when he states that he is a Christian.
However, that doesn't mean that he shouldn't be asked about his views on Islam, such as whether one should be allowed to apostatize, whether Muslims deserve special considerations during profiling, etc. Of course, if he happens to be a closet Muslim, and someone like Hillary ferets that out, he should be challenged on it, not on religious grounds, but due to the fact that Islam has too many elements that are directly in conflict with both our constitution, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
American_soldier
I noticed that too - both men want to remain Chinese Buddhists, and neither wants to stay/become a Malay Muslim.
I'm rooting for a civil war in Malaya - Malays vs. Chinese and Tamils.
This is interesting. A lot of adoptees or changelings elsewhere have a hard time breaking with the families that raised them when they discover their birth families. This in itself does not speak well about Islam.
DebV: Barak Hussein Obama is a liberal Congregationalist--and this differs from Unitarianism only in that Unitarians think that the United Church of Christ is still Trinitarian Christian. Modern, liberal Protestantism has female clergy, teaches goddess worship, blesses homosexuality, and will probably start sacrificing children every Thanksgiving (after birth rather than in abortion) as soon as someone makes cannibalism trendy again. Its adherents see Christianity as so private that they wouldn't dream of imposing its tenets on anyone, especially themselves.
I don`t believe in re-incarnation but if it did
i never wanted to come back as a fly or a dung beetle.
But now i would rather come back as one of those
rather than a muslim.
Barak Hussein Obama actually went to SDN Besuki in Jl. Besuki, Menteng.
SDN Besuki is a public school, not a moslem school,or Madrasa as claimed here
Since most of the students are moslem, in Indonesian public school, they teach Islamic religion, but the non-moslem can still learn their own religion separated from their moslem friends.
To his credit it is amazing how far he has come,considering his family could not afford to go to the international school that most expatriate children attend
It is also amazing that some-one of his back-ground can advance like he has in the USA,something he should remember,because in Indonesia,he would be regarded as a second class citizen due to his skin,and being a muslim would not help
I think there needs to be some research and thought before labelling the schools that Obama attended as Madrassas. The news agencies that reported this did not do a credible job of validating if the school he attended was actually a Madrassa. Just a bit of irresponsible reporting on their part. Not all schools in South East Asia are Madrassas.
Also, to label Obama as a Muslim, even after he joined a Christian church and embraced the religion, is idiotic. Are we going to reject all individuals who were not born as Christians as non Christian-even after converting? Does that mean a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish born person can never consider themselves Christians if they converted? Should we reject all the 1st century christians just because they were not born as Christians??? How many generations should pass before we consider somebody as a "legitimate" Christian?
I think some of the thinking in this thread gives credence to why most countries consider Americans as ignorant and misinformed.
I do think though that it is more than appropriate to ask Obama his views on Islam as it pertains to Shariah law vs. Common law