Shiism Should Be Democratically Practised in Malaysia

بِسْــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِالرَّحْمَنِ اارَّحِيم

As'salamu Alaykum Ahlul bayt (Alayhis-salam) Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

PRAISE BE TO ALLAH (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala), LORD OF THE WORLDS, AND PEACE AND BENEDICTION BE WITH OUR PROPHET MUHAMMAD (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) AND HIS PURE PROGENY (AHLUL BAYT Alayhis-salam).

O Allah! Send blessings on Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) & on the children of Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).

Allah Huma Saley Ala Mohammed Wa Aley Muhammad

I am a Malaysian Chinese converted Muslim and married to a Pakistani Punjabi Syed Shia Naqvi. We are not able to find any Imam Bargah in every corner of Malaysia as the Malaysian Shariah law has barred us the Muslims to practise any shiism here. Shiites are subject to prosecution in Malaysia under the Internal Security Act of Malaysia (ISA). Therefore the Shiites in Malaysia are under Taqiya. This is a huge problem for the Azadaris here.

I am sending this petition to withstand the discrimination of the Shia faith in Malaysia. Malaysia is a multireligious and multiracial nation and I did not see why we the Shiites did not have the freedom to practise our own faith in Malaysia. This is totally absurd and beyond the human rights in any sense.

Since October 2000, we have information that six persons have been arrested under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA). Two people have been released since then in which one has been released on condition. Out of the remaining four, three have been sent to Kamunting detention center on a two year detention order whereas one more person is undergoing the initial sixty days detention period.The actual reason of their detention in not known and there has been no press news on this detention. Family members contacted say that they do not know anything about their detention order. It is believed that they have been arrested under the ISA because they are followers of the Shia teachings, a sect within the Muslim community. We are led to believe that these people were detained purely on the grounds of their faith.

In this part of the region and countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, most Muslims belong to the Sunni mazhabs. Shia in Malaysia only amount to around two to three thousand people. The crackdown on the Shiite community is not the first one. In November 1997, 10 people were arrested under the ISA for alleged grounds of practicing Shia Islam. Those who were released early in 1997 were told to renounce their Shia faith and to revert to the Sunni Sect as a pre-condition of their release from ISA. The reason of arrest according to the police then was " activities prejudicial to national security and Muslim unity".

The Shia mazhab has never been declared as illegal nor its teaching deviationist in Malaysia. If it was deemed that their teaching are deviant, then they should be tried in the Syariah court (Islamic court) and not the ISA.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 10: Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his right and obligations and of any criminal charge against them.

Malaysian Charter on Human Rights

Article 12: Rights to personal security Everyone has the right to live in peace and free from fear of arbitrary arrest and detention without fair and public trial.

Article 18: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this rights includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief of teachings, practice, worship and observance.

Action required:

Please send letters, emails, faxes and telegrams or sign this petition to allow Shiism to be practised democratically in Malaysia.

1) Express your concern on the continuous use of the
ISA (Internal Security Acts)

2) Stop all kind of harassment against the Shiite
community in Malaysia.

3) Urge for the immediate release without condition of
the four persons from ISA detention and charge them
in an open court for any alleged offences.

4) Urging the release of full information to the public on
the grounds off their detention.

5) Calling the Government to repeal the ISA and all
other laws allowing for detention without trial.

Please Kindly Make Your Appeals To:

Tan Sri Hasmy Agam,
Chairperson Malaysian Human Rights Commission
29th Floor, Menara Tun Razak,
Jalan Raja Laut, 50350 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Email: humanrights@suhakam.org.my
Fax: 603-26125620

or

Ms Mary Robinson
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Palais des Nations 8-14 avenue de la Paix,
CH 1211Geneve
Switzerland
Email: webadmin.hrch@unorg.ch
Fax: (41) 22 9170213

Jazakallahu khayran, May ALLAH Bless You !