KUALA LUMPUR – A witness in the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) public inquiry into the missing of Pastor Joshua Hilmy was said to have been baptised unknowingly when seeking “spiritual treatment”.
Iqbal Mirza Mohd Jalaluddin said he and his wife Fadzlina Amran were introduced to Joshua in late 2014 by a friend, after the pair fell “spiritually ill” following their marriage in 2001, with previous efforts to seek treatment with several ustaz failing to cure their sickness.
Among other things, he said he was constantly disturbed by evil spirits and was also experiencing physical pain.
Iqbal and Fadzlina eventually met Joshua at his house in Petaling Jaya on the night of January 1, 2015, where the couple shared their problems. Also at home was Joshua’s wife, Ruth Sitepu.
The witness said during the meeting, he and Fadzlina were “bathed” by Joshua, who at the time had read to them several verses which included the name “Jesus”.
Asked if Joshua had used the term “baptise”, Iqbal replied: “Yes, he did mention 'baptise', but I told him I only wanted my pain to go away. There are no other reasons. We (Iqbal and wife) just wanted to cleanse ourselves.”
“However, Joshua did say that I have been baptised. At the time, I just carried on. I just wanted to be cured,” he said.
When asked to confirm if he had converted to Christianity, Iqbal said is still a Muslim and that he had no knowledge of the baptism conducted by Joshua then.
Iqbal said following the meeting, he only met Joshua twice in the same month, to update the latter on his slightly improved health.
The Suhakam inquiry is to look into the disappearance of Joshua, who himself converted from Islam to Christianity, and Ruth, who both have been missing since November 2016.
Asked if Iqbal knew Joshua was a Malay-Christian, he answered in the affirmative, but said he merely met the pastor for treatment.
Following the treatment in January, Iqbal said he and Fadzlina later met with Pastor Raymond Koh – who also went missing in February 2017 – to receive advice on their spiritual problems.
He said in the meeting with Koh, the pastor had conducted Christian prayers supposedly for the well-being of the couple.
“At the time, I didn’t know he was a pastor. I regard him more like an uncle to me,” he said.
The inquiry then noted a certificate of baptism in the name of Iqbal and Fadzlina which was supposedly uploaded on social media by Ruth, with a caption that included: “We baptised them in January, and in February he asked to be baptised again with a Chinese pastor.”
Iqbal said to have no knowledge of the certificate, which was signed by Koh, adding that he only saw it for the first time when he was called in by the police for questioning last October.
“I feel it must also be ascertained if the certificate is authentic. To my knowledge, such documents can only be released by the church, and not a pastor,” he said.
Iqbal said after receiving treatments from Koh and Joshua in early 2015 and with no signs of major improvement to his health, he decided to take up the al-Quran once again and started visiting the mosques more often.
He added that only recently, after getting new medications for high cholesterol from his doctor, that he has physical and spiritual health has improved. – The Vibes, January 5, 2021
