Anti-khalwat men terrify elderly foreign couple
In yet another sign that the 20th century secular Malaysia is going down the path of religious extremism, it was reported that members of the Islamic Affairs Department raided the apartment of an eldery American couple for alleged khalwat.
If the conduct of the Islamic Affairs Department affects the civil rights and liberties of non-Muslims, shouldn’t they be required to acquire authorization from a competent officer of the judicial system (such as a judge)? This conduct would be clearly illegal otherwise in any other context. Why are they allowed to run loose without any regulation? Why are citizens and guests in this country treated as criminals and the onus put on them to prove their innocence? Doesn’t this run contrary to the established course of law?
From the perspective of a law-abiding citizen, I can’t help but think that if the members of the department can treat foreigners who are guests in this country without a modicum of respect, what hope is there for citizens of this country? Their unruly behaviour is surely an infringement on the rights of the citizens and guests in Malaysia and they must be held accountable for it.
The Tourism Minister, Tengku Adnan, has stated that he will ask the Tourism Board to investigate the incident. This measure is surely insufficient by any account. Stricter legislation must be introduced to regulate the future conduct of the Islamic Affairs Department to ensure that the civil rights and liberties of citizens and guests in Malaysia are not infringed. Furthermore, a system of suitable compensation to victims of unjustified conduct by the department must be established to ensure that the actions of the department are kept in check. An extract from the newspaper article:
Barnhart and his wife were asleep at 2am when there was pounding on the door and male voices shouting in Bahasa Malaysia.
Fearing an attack or robbery, Barnhart told the men to go away or he would call the police.
One of the voices, speaking in English, identified the group of men as Islamic Affairs Department officers and ordered him to open the door immediately….
“I told them we were Christians and they were not to come in. They then demanded to inspect the apartment.“They were threatening and aggressive. Again I said no,” he said.
He said the men then demanded to see his “woman”.
After another heated exchange of words, he allowed the men to see his wife. The men, he said, then demanded to see their marriage licence.
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A ministry spokesman said the minister is upset and has ordered the tourism board to look into the incident.