Justice for Revathi

This happened in Malaysia, a moderate Muslim country as claimed.





Revathi Masoosai, a born Muslim but brought up as a Hindu had suffered mental torture during her six-month detention for trying to officially change her religion (Islam) to Hindu. Revathi, 29, who is a practising Hindu, was detained by religious authorities for 180 days after applying in an Islamic Syariah Court in Malacca (Malaysia) to have her Muslim name and religion changed. Although her parents are Muslims, Revathi was raised as a Hindu and married her Hindu husband in 2004, a marriage that was never registered as Muslims cannot marry non-Muslims under Malaysian law.





http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/06/AR2007070600377.html





During her arrest in the Islamic rehabilitation centre, she was allegedly forced to undertake extensive counseling and suffered mental torture during her ordeal. Worse still, she was served beef which Hindus do not consume and also made to attend numerous Islamic religious activity. The Islamic religious authority had insisted on rehabilitating Revathi to become a Muslim.





The Islamic authorities also seized her daughter from her husband and handed the child to Revathi's Muslim mother. This horrendous act by the Islamic religious authority violated the fundamental right of a child to be together with the mother. The religious police and the Syariah Courts have now given their views on the matter of her personal faith. To them Revathi is and always will be Muslim.





In this petition, we want to stress freedom of religion is a fundamental right of a human. The blatant disregard for the right of an individual to profess their religion of choice is unthinkable. Faith should be willingly and honestly professed. Coercing one into a religion that is not of their choice is akin to sentencing one to life imprisonment. It will not just be a physical imprisonment but an imprisonment to the soul. Happiness in their life will become history. Without happiness is akin to death. This kind of soul torturing is unimaginable and indescribable.





As a human, we must respect human rights. As a mother, we must oppose any attempt to separate us from our children. As a husband, we must protect our wife from the aggression of inhumanity. As a son or daughter, we ought to weep for the ordeal of our beloved mom. As a Muslim, we have the responsibility to portray the true virtue of Islam. Surely, there is no compulsion in Islam!





Its time for all of us to hold a peace march for Revathi. We would like our Prime Minister (Abdullah Badawi) to listen to our appeal to release Revathi from this ordeal. As a human, Revathi has the rights to live happily ever after. We hope that our beloved Prime Minister will not deprive Revathi of her rights. May the justice to Revathi through Malaysian Constitution be served.