Palu (ANTARA News) – At least 31 residents of Banpers village in Palolo sub-district, Donggala district, Central Sulawesi, have converted their belief in Islam into that in Bahai.
Head of the Religious Affairs Office in Palolo sub-district, Nuyyun Nur said here on Sunday that the Bahai faith led by Mulahi, a former marriage counsellor for the first time entered Banpers village in the 1990s, and had persuaded 31 local residents to convert into the new belief.
Those who have embraced the Bahai faith were former moslems, so that the community in Banpers Village, 50 km east of Palu City, became worried about the apostasy.
Read the rest of the report here.
Omid, a Persian-American Baha’i, says in a comment:
It is so annoying when journalists get it all wrong. First of all its not “Bahaist” or “Bahaism”. The Baha’i Faith does not have a leader, we have democratic institutions as guidance, elected from among the Baha’is to serve one year terms. Second of all, secrecy has nothing to do with it. Our obligatory prayers are to be performed alone, yes. But that is as closed as it gets.
Marco, a Portuguese Baha’i blogger, notes:
This seems to me like and alarm bell against apostasy in a Muslim country. After persecutions in Iran, religious apartheid in Egypt, are we going to receive bad news from Indonesia?
We certainly hope not. It is an individual right for people to choose their religious paths, there should be no punishment or harassment concerning other people’s belief systems. We hope that the Indonesian government realizes this and strengthens their laws to protect religious minorities within the country.
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Behrooz
31 October, 2007
In this period of history that so much truth about the reality of things have come to light and knowledge has become the common property of people in every corner of the world, how is it that there are laws and even institution in place to ensure that we don’t progress in most aspects of our religious believes?
As a father i wants the best of education for my children and often I tell them don’t become like me, go out and learn as far as you can, learn new things and equip yourselves with new skills, when it comes to learning about other religions why i should not follow the same approach? Why I shouldn’t encourage my children to exercise their free will and based on their knowledge make an informed decision ? I am not insulting my religion if I impose it on my children? And if I believe that my religion is true, then what is there to fear? Those who impose a religion on children and take away from them the right to chose a different religion even when they are adults, seems are nor so sure about the truth of their religion. God has stated that he has created us in His own image, which indicates that He has bestow on us some measures of his divine attributes. Hence is it not in conflict with the wish of God when we are prevented from choosing a new religion? When we are prevented from exercising our free will? If we should not follow a new religion, why there is a succession of Messengers of God? If those who have accepted Baha’i Faith in Malaysia are punished by Muslims that would justify the conduct of those who opposed Mohammad the prophet and His followers in the early years of Islam.
The Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights » Baha’is mistreated in Indonesia
22 December, 2007
[...] the past, we have alerted our readers that such abuse was possible to take place Indonesia, which will hopefully not follow the lead of [...]