KOTA KINABALU, Feb 6 ― Authorities here are investigating the alleged “islamisation” of a Christian student in SMK Kinarut near here by the school hostel’s warden.
State crime investigations department chief Datuk Salehhudin Abdul Rahman said police received a report from the parents of a student who claim their child studying at the school was “converted” into Islam without their consent.
“We received a police report and are investigating the case. We spoke to the school authorities and will be referring to the state religious authorities for assistance,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail Online yesterday.
State Education Department director Datuk Jame Alip also said they have spoken to the school’s principal and will be releasing a report soon.
According to the allegation making its round via text message here, the matter was first brought up at a Parent Teacher Association meeting at the school, during which the principal had referred the matter to the teacher in charge of student affairs.
In it, a Christian teacher at the school said that a teacher transferred from “KL” was responsible for converting the student.
When the parents asked the warden to reverse the conversion or not to declare his entry into Islam, the warden refused, claiming the boy had recited the shahada, the Islamic declaration of belief, and was now a Muslim despite being “underaged”.
The parent then lodged a police report.
Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) church president Reverend Datuk Jerry Dusing said he received information about the case and will look into the matter.
“We are not clear as to what happened at the moment but we will have a meeting with the relevant people involved,” he said.
Christians in Sabah have long alleged of furtive attempts to convert Bumiputera followers of the faith to Islam.
A school teacher near SMK Kinarut said that this was not the first time such a case has occured.
“It has happened at my school, too, where Christian students in the hostel were invited to join in Muslim prayers and told that their religion was not as worthy.
“Sometimes they get them to join in the prayers and then they recite some declaration unknowingly and are unwittingly converted without their knowledge. The students are often at a loss but nothing can be done,” said the teacher who spoke under the condition of anonymity.
In January 2014, a group of indigenous Sabahan villagers from the remote Pitas district were reportedly deceived into embracing Islam for RM100 by a Muslim welfare group.
The police, however, have passed the case to the Sabah State Islamic Affairs Department.
Another point of contention is the National Registration Department that classifies some Christians with “bin” or “binti” in their names as Muslims in their identity card.
In another reported case, the Sabah Council of Churches as well as the Roman Catholic Church of Sabah had complained officially to the Education Ministry last year of a covert ploy to convert under-aged Christian students at the residential Labuan Matriculation College to Islam.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sabah-cop...d-islam-school-015900482.html?linkId=12234105
State crime investigations department chief Datuk Salehhudin Abdul Rahman said police received a report from the parents of a student who claim their child studying at the school was “converted” into Islam without their consent.
“We received a police report and are investigating the case. We spoke to the school authorities and will be referring to the state religious authorities for assistance,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail Online yesterday.
State Education Department director Datuk Jame Alip also said they have spoken to the school’s principal and will be releasing a report soon.
According to the allegation making its round via text message here, the matter was first brought up at a Parent Teacher Association meeting at the school, during which the principal had referred the matter to the teacher in charge of student affairs.
In it, a Christian teacher at the school said that a teacher transferred from “KL” was responsible for converting the student.
When the parents asked the warden to reverse the conversion or not to declare his entry into Islam, the warden refused, claiming the boy had recited the shahada, the Islamic declaration of belief, and was now a Muslim despite being “underaged”.
The parent then lodged a police report.
Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) church president Reverend Datuk Jerry Dusing said he received information about the case and will look into the matter.
“We are not clear as to what happened at the moment but we will have a meeting with the relevant people involved,” he said.
Christians in Sabah have long alleged of furtive attempts to convert Bumiputera followers of the faith to Islam.
A school teacher near SMK Kinarut said that this was not the first time such a case has occured.
“It has happened at my school, too, where Christian students in the hostel were invited to join in Muslim prayers and told that their religion was not as worthy.
“Sometimes they get them to join in the prayers and then they recite some declaration unknowingly and are unwittingly converted without their knowledge. The students are often at a loss but nothing can be done,” said the teacher who spoke under the condition of anonymity.
In January 2014, a group of indigenous Sabahan villagers from the remote Pitas district were reportedly deceived into embracing Islam for RM100 by a Muslim welfare group.
The police, however, have passed the case to the Sabah State Islamic Affairs Department.
Another point of contention is the National Registration Department that classifies some Christians with “bin” or “binti” in their names as Muslims in their identity card.
In another reported case, the Sabah Council of Churches as well as the Roman Catholic Church of Sabah had complained officially to the Education Ministry last year of a covert ploy to convert under-aged Christian students at the residential Labuan Matriculation College to Islam.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sabah-cop...d-islam-school-015900482.html?linkId=12234105
