KUCHING – A human rights activist has called on the Unit for Other Religions, a special panel in the state Chief Minister’s Office, to urgently step in and help Sarawakians facing problems due to wrongful classification of their religion in their identity cards (ICs).
Peter Jaban characterised the problem as a gross misunderstanding by the National Registration Department (NRD).
He was responding to a report dated January 21 by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) that highlighted difficulties faced by indigenous children in Sarawak, who are being forced to observe Islamic practices even though they have not been raised in the religion, following the divorce of their parents.
He called on the department to do its proper “due diligence” on the background of each applicant so that their religious status can be correctly reflected in their ICs.
He said as an activist, he has been dealing with this issue for many years, adding that the number of cases that he receives now is escalating.
According to Jaban, NRD officers automatically assign Islam as the religion of Mycard applicants who have “bin”, “binti” or “bte” in their birth documents.
“These acronyms are not exclusive to a particular race or religion.
“If they were, then why don’t the Arabs use ‘bin’ instead of ‘ibni’?”
Jaban said the problem has its source in a practice under the former British colonial administration.
He said “bin” stands for “belong in name” when the child is a male born to a known father.
He added that “binti” means “belong in name to initial” when the child is a female, and “bte” means “belong to Eve” when the father of the child is unknown.
According to him, this practice has been kept up even though it has lost its original purpose and meaning.
“In Sabah for example, Kadazans, Dusuns, Muruts and Rungus may bear ‘binti’ if the baby is a female, but will profess the Christian faith. The same goes for a Sarawakian Melanau.
“We hope this revelation will enlighten the masses and create awareness on the proper and original intended usage of ‘bin’, ‘binti’ and ‘bte’.”
Jaban cited the case of Haribong binti Mahsin, an Iban whose birth certificate and IC list her as being “without religion”.
“Her husband Snap anak Ahok is also listed as being ‘without religion’, and yet three of their children have Islam tagged in their identity cards in the column for religion.”
On another note, Jaban highlighted the issue of religious conversion, especially to Islam, upon marriage, which has caused widespread concerns and conflict among Sarawakians.
He pointed out that the requirement to convert to another religion upon marriage is not part of the federal constitution.
“Does shariah law take precedence over indigenous cultural practices (adat laws) in Sarawak?”
Yesterday, Sarawak PKR slammed the state government for failing to defend non-Muslim folk, and protested against forced conversions into Islam, allegedly carried out by the NRD.
Party information chief Abun Sui had told The Vibes that the recent disclosure by Sarawak Suhakam commissioner Datuk Madeline Berma of forced conversions of non-Muslim natives is a serious issue the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak must deal with. – The Vibes, January 26, 2021
