We refer to your report https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/537178 where the Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) had lodged a police report against a Twitter account owner (Nicole Fong) who made false and baseless allegations about the Mukhayyam programme tailored for the Muslim lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.
We regret that the author had deliberately juxtaposed Mukhayyam programmes with western’s Conversion Therapy practices namely the electric shock therapy, forced marriage, and even corrective rape which, in our opinion has triumphantly painted a sinister picture of the religious programmes organized by JAKIM and other state religious authorities. The picture implies that JAKIM’s goals and their programmes with the LGBTQ community are in line with “conversion therapy” as widely understood, even when in truth JAKIM’s methods are different.
These allegations are wholly false, unsubstantiated and tantamount to misleading the public. What’s also shocking is that the author has started a movement to ban Mukhayyam based on these false premises. The author has not produced any shred of evidence or show substantive proof to back her allegations that the Mukhayyam programmes are purportedly “conversion therapy”. What we find are mere juxtaposition, subjective assessments and personal estimations by the author as well as other LGBTQ activists that the Mukhayyam are “conversion therapy”. The author has never attended nor participated in any such programmes to say if they are really so.
To the contrary, numerous representatives from the local LGBT communities who have participated in Mukhayyam programmes have gone on record to deny that the Mukhayyam programmes are violent in nature, forced upon them or that they were in any way pressured or compelled to attend such programmes because they purportedly felt criminalised, marginalised and stigmatised. These activists have in fact affirmed that JAKIM’s Mukhayyam programmes are education programmes aimed at promoting and educating Muslim LGBTQ people on the basic tenets of Islam. Most importantly, they have repeatedly attested that their participation in the programmes was completely voluntary with no elements of coercion involved.
This is far from the conversion therapy practised by other countries, which involves an element of forced participation. As such, some LGBTQ-based groups, namely Usrah Iqrak, Muhajirah WAFIQ, Pelangi Hijra, Hijrah Republique Network and Islah Movements, have also lodged their respective police reports to condemn the tweet published by the author.
The testimony of these representatives clearly rebut any assertions that the Mukhayyam programme harms the LGBTQ participants there. Their testimonies should neither be questioned nor doubted as it is from their own personal experiences and account. In the name of freedom of expression, the author and LGBTQ activists owe the basic decency to accord respect of such views, even if these views, testimonies and assertions are different from her own.
We further reiterate the tweet and campaign by the author has the cogent effect of unfairly curbing the religious rights or rebuffing the right to freedom of religion of Muslims and other religious adherence among the LGBTQ communities to seek religious and spiritual input, education, understanding and awareness.
In the case of JAKIM’s Mukhayyam programmes, these are education programmes aimed at promoting and educating Muslim LGBTQ people on the basic tenets of Islam. Participation is completely voluntary with no elements of coercion involved and is far from the conversion therapy practised by other countries, which involves an element of forced participation. In fact, Mukhayyam is a common name for any extended spiritual camps normally held by schools and higher institutional centres for the students as well as by government and private agencies for their Muslim staffs as part of team-building and motivational input. The Mukhayyam emphasizes non-discriminatory nature of the religious authorities in providing education and awareness building as part of Islam’s rich religious traditions.
JAKIM and state Islamic religious authorities have also been working closely with the Ministry of Health in addressing the escalation of new HIV/AIDS cases among LGBTQ persons especially for men who have sex with men (MSM). Participation in the Mukhayyam programme is also a way to tackle this concern. To silent the Mukhayaam programmes from being taken as a proper platform to address the health concerns among the LGBTQ people, especially those who have participated in the programmes, is discriminatory and oppressive.
Furthermore, to juxtapose and make subjective assessments upon the Mukhayyam programmes as nothing more than being in line with “conversion therapy”, the author had inevitably called upon Muslims within the LGBTQ communities to cease from seeking or discouraged them from seeking religious and spiritual education, when they voluntarily wish to do so. Such a call is against the right of freedom of religion for all persons to freely practice one’s religion or belief.
As Muslims, we make no apology for Islam’s religious beliefs and traditions and we believe that those among the LGBTQ communities who wish to be made aware, educated and even allowed to change have the right to do so in accordance with Islamic beliefs. They too have the rights to seek any form of help and assistance in this respect. Correspondingly, the Muslim community, its institutions and agencies have the duty and obligation in the name of Islam to offer such helps and assistance including education that are deemed necessary towards a change, if the person so desires.
It is regrettable that this endeavour have been met with suspicions and aspersions which alleged such religious and spiritual education purportedly would likely to bring harmful impact, including depression, suicidal ideation and attempts as well as self-harm. It has therefore been suggested such practices are forms of torture given the magnitude of alleged harm it has on the individual and their loved ones.
Such claims are unjustified and unfounded. The education manual and the contents as adopted and used by JAKIM are easily available for examination and are verifiable. There are now recommendations made that the government should take the opportunity to carry out an independent human rights impact assessment on JAKIM’s programmes and approaches in relation to LGBTQ issues. In this respect, we would further enjoin that the independent human rights impact assessment should consists of experts from within the various religious groups and religious communities who have enormous insights and are highly respected for their views in this field of study.
We have previously made a statement to support the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Religious Affairs, YB Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri calling on the Religious Enforcement Officers of Federal Territories’ Islamic Affairs Department (JAWI) to not simply arrest but also provide religious education to the LGBTQ groups through programmes such as Mukhayyam. This a welcome step towards upholding Islam’s religious and spiritual tradition on sexual relationship consisting of man-woman and its traditional family unit of husband-wife-children relationship. To this end, we welcome any efforts by the government to engage with LGBTQ-affirming groups that should not only uphold and defend human rights but to respect the diverse views and rights of all by way of a “practical concordance” so that all may participate in making Malaysia safe and equal for all.
JOINT STATEMENT BY:
Lukman Sheriff Alias, Founder of Malaysian Lawyers Circle (MLC) and Chairperson, Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations (MACSA)
Associate Professor Dr. Rafidah Hanim Mokhtar, President of The International Women’s Alliance for Family Institution and Quality Education (WAFIQ) and Co-Chairperson, Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations (MACSA)
MACSA is a coalition of civil society organisations with the specific aim and object to look into, as well as advocate, human rights issues in Malaysia for the UPR Process.
ENDORSED BY:
Eugene Yapp, Managing Director, RFL Partnership and Programme Director, GBM Coalition SB
* Also published in MalaysiaKini.
