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In my view, it is Mrafee that has not correctly reflected Malaysian reality in his letter, Inter-religious marriages: Sacrifice your love , and not Khalid J ( M'sian Muslims should see other viewpoints ).

Mrafee stated that "To my knowledge, a non-Muslim Malaysian who marry a Malaysian Muslim always convert to the Islamic religion. This has been the standard practice. This is also to maintain the harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims."

Conversion of the non-Muslim partner is standard practice in this country not because the parties desire to maintain harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims but because in Malaysia, a Muslim cannot be married under civil laws ( i.e, registering at JPN) and a non-Muslim cannot be married under Muslim laws (i.e undergoing akad nikah before an imam).

Therefore, a Muslim and a non-Muslim partner cannot contract a legally-binding marriage unless one party converts. We are all familiar now with the problems associated with a Muslim converting out of his or her religion. To do so officially, i.e, to have the status changed on your identity card is virtually impossible at this juncture.

Therefore, in many cases, the non-Muslim partner converts to Islam. In the light of these circumstances, this conversion is not done to 'maintain harmony' as so glibly put by Mrafee but because if these two people want to be married and want to remain in this country - they have no other choice.

Mrafee believes that non-Muslims who do not want to convert should sacrifice their love to save the country from unnecessary problems and that people should 'think and behave rationally'.

I for one do not think that it is 'rational' to compel any individual to convert to another religion so that they can be married to another individual. I also do not think that it is 'rational' to force couples to migrate from their homeland so that they can be married. I think that it is rational to believe that 'men and women have the right to marry and found a family' and that the state should not fetter this right for whatever reason, such as to maintain the ethnic and religious composition in the country.

I also believe that forcing a non-Muslim to convert before he or she can marry a Muslim partner does not promote harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims but instead can create tension and resentment as the non-Muslim family may feel that their daughter/son is being forced to embrace a religion that is not of their own choosing.

Although there are difficulties when people of two different religions marry, these should be personal difficulties that are to be surmounted by the couple themselves. Aren't there always differences when two people commit to one another for life? Does the state intervene when a person from a rich background marries a person from a poor background? Or when an ethnic Indian marries an ethnic Chinese?

The happiness and freedom of the people of Malaysia should not be subject to the political manoeuverings of the state. I think it is Mrafee who should be 'sensitive' to the suffering and hardships caused by these laws on ordinary rakyat who fall in love.

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