Illegal: the most simple description of my month in Malaysia.
In order to tell you why, I’ll first need to explain some very important things to you. I hope you’ll track with me for just a few minutes.
ehem.
Malaysia has 4 major people groups: the Indians, the Chinese, the Malays and the natives. While all are born in Malaysia, each group celebrates a very different background, belief system, and even skin tone to the others.
Despite Malaysia’s clever advertising slogans that boldly declare, “One Malaysia,” and its national flag which mimics that of America in hopes of emphasizing unity, it doesn’t take long to figure out that not all groups are considered equal.
While three of these people groups enjoy freedom of religion, one group does not.
You see, according to the Malaysian constitution, all ethnic Malays are automatically defined as Muslim and are forced to follow the Islamic religion.
Did you catch that? The Malaysian government is dictating what its people can and cannot believe.
The result? Laws that are designed to greatly favor the Malays as long as they remain under Islam, and hugely punish them if they do not.
So what happens if a Malay converts to Christianity?
Since a Malay is defined as a Muslim by the constitution, converting to another religion means forfeiting his ethnic status altogether. In addition to that, the Malay becomes a complete social outcast, disowned by his own family and instantly fired from his job, giving him no way to support himself or his children. The Malay is also required to legally change his religion in order for it to become official, which is nearly impossible because, by law, the Islamic court is the only one with the authority to determine whether a religious conversion has occurred. This means that most cases are simply denied. It is not uncommon for the new Christian to be taken against his will to a “rehabilitation” center for one year where he is restored back to the Islamic faith. Horror stories of the torture and electrocutions that take place in these facilities are common.
Consider this:
If you are a Christian Malay and your father passes away, leaving you a large sum of money, in order to receive the inheritance that is rightfully yours, you will have to convert back to Islam. If you refuse, the money will be considered government property.
Similarly, a Christian Malay that has a child has no say in the child’s religion. By law, the child is born Muslim and now falls under Islamic law. To avoid this, many Christians feel the only option is to give up their children at birth in the hopes that they will be able to adopt them back years later.
So what does the church think about all of this?
The government has done everything it can to build a hedge around the Malay people. They are, for all practical purposes, untouchable. All Christian literature and Bibles are required by law to carry the caption “for non-Muslims only” and Malays are forbidden from attending any Bible Knowledge classes, despite other ethic groups having no restrictions on attending. There are huge consequences for anyone caught trying to “convert” a Malay, and the few who do, do so knowing that it they will face certain imprisonment, torture, or even assassination. Because of this, Indian and Chinese Christians are terrified to reach out to the Malays and as a result, Malays have become one of the most unreached people groups in the world.
The most dreadful part of all of this is that even when a Malay chooses to accept Christ, it is virtually impossible for him/her to find a place to worship and fellowship with other believers. No church readily welcomes a Malay through its doors for fear of what the government will do.
Do you realize what that means? It means that SEVENTEEN MILLION people are going to Hell while the only ones who could do something about it sit back and watch, paralyzed by fear.
So why was my month illegal? Well for starters, I met some people who weren’t scared to risk it ALL for the sake of the gospel. I met some people who refused to be paralyzed by fear of a government, understanding that the One they answer to has far more authority than ANY government ever will. Meeting them has wrecked my life for the ordinary.
Curious? Check out my next blog as I explain just what we got up to in the Malaysian jungle.
