JHEOA INVOLVED

IN ORANG ASLI CONVERSION

By Ding Jo-Ann
The Nut Graph
4 May 2010

PETALING JAYA, 4 May 2010: The Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) has been involved in the Islamisation of Orang Asli for decades, said Centre for Orang Asli Concerns coordinator Dr Colin Nicholas.

"One of JHEOA's main objective is to convert Orang Asli to Islam. They don't say it openly but their budget allocations and programmes lead to that.

"Their ultimate aim is to assimilate the Orang Asli into the Malay [Malaysian] section of society, although officially they say the goal is to integrate the Orang Asli into mainstream society," Nicholas told The Nut Graph in an interview.

Nicholas added that although JHEOA categorically denies involvement in conversion activities, they provide logistical support and other encouragement to missionary organisations to gain access to the Orang Asli. These groups include university students from Islamic faculties.

In the 1990s Anthropologist Nobuta Toshihiro, who conducted fieldwork in an Orang Asli village in Malaysia in the late 1990s, said there was a clear JHEOA policy to Islamise the Orang Asli.

"Former JHEOA director-general Jimin bin Idris stated in 1990 that he hoped the Orang Asli would become fully integrated into Malaysian society, preferably as an Islamised subgroup of the Malay [Malaysian]," said Toshihiro in his book Living on the Periphery: Development and Islamization of the Orang Asli.

Toshihiro added that the Religious Affairs Department and the JHEOA appointed and trained 250 Muslim missionaries known as "penggerak masyarakat" in 1991. It was also announced that a balai raya would be built in Orang Asli villages, which would include a surau.

JHEOA pressure
JHEOA's officially stated primary aim is to promote the progress, well-being and advancement of the Orang Asli community while preserving their identity and culture.

However, Nicholas told The Nut Graph that development aid was used as an incentive for Orang Asli to convert to Islam.

He said the JHEOA has been accused of showing favouritism towards Orang Asli who converted.

"There are reports of Muslim Orang Asli [getting priority in] receiving aid and houses. There was also an Orang Asli church that was deprived of basic facilities like water and electricity, to the extent that the Orang Asli had to go to court over it." Nicholas said while there were some Orang Asli who converted because of a genuine attraction to Islam, these were few. "Some convert because of pressure and some by trickery, without knowing they've been converted," Nicholas said.

The Nut Graph had earlier reported of Orang Asli who had been converted to Islam against their will. They claimed to have been given or promised financial incentives as a result of their conversion. In his book, Toshihiro noted that a suspicion towards conversion activities has developed amongst Orang Asli. "Resistance to Islamisation is not, in fact, resistance to Islam itself, but to being forced to convert to Islam," he stated. "It must be unbearable to be told by others how to live, no matter how politically and economically justified it may be."

Toshihiro observed that although Orang Asli were seen as poor, and in need of development projects and Islamisation to deal with their perceived poverty, their lives had in fact, been quite comfortable. As Ukal, an Orang Asli man quoted in Toshihiro's book stated, "Dulu susah tapi senang; sekarang senang tapi susah."

Shut down JHEOA
Nicholas said that JHEOA should have been abolished a long time ago. "They don't have the right motivation nor the competence needed to fulfil their responsibility towards the Orang Asli," he explained.

"They might as well be closed down and the work given to another competent agency. The positive effect of [doing this can be] seen when education and most of the health responsibilities of the Orang Asli were handed over to the respective ministries in the mid-1990s."

Nicholas said what was more damaging was how the JHEOA is used to control the Orang Asli.

For example, he said that JHEOA has purported to speak on behalf of the Orang Asli, without proper consultation with them.

"When it comes to issues like Orang Asli land being taken away, JHEOA always sides with the government. It sees itself more as a government agency, rather than one that is compelled by law to protect and advance the interests of the Orang Asli," he said.

The Nut Graph contacted JHEOA director-general Datuk Mohd Sani Mistam's office for a response to the allegations of conversion activities by JHEOA staff.

However, The Nut Graph was informed that he was attending a Kursus Kempimpinan Pengurusan Utama from 26 April to 17 May.

The Nut Graph is awaiting a response to a request for deputy director-general Nisra Nisran Asra Ramlan to respond on the director-general's behalf.

By Ding Jo-Ann
The Nut Graph
27 April 2010


KUALA LUMPUR, 26 April 2010: Staff at the Orang Asli hospital in Gombak have systematically attempted to convert Orang Asli to Islam regardless of the "converts'" willingness to do so, several Orang Asli have revealed.

Mohd Zaki Abdullah, an Orang Asli Muslim convert who still goes by his Orang Asli name Angeh, told The Nut Graph how he was converted, against his will, to Islam when he was barely an adult.

Angeh claims two officers were involved in his forced conversion. One was Saidon Ishak, a Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) officer based at the hospital, and Sharifudin Ishak, who works in the hospital pharmacy.

According to Angeh, both men visited him at his uncle's house where he was staying about eight years ago. He said he thought they were trying to help him apply for his identity card, which he had lost.

Angeh, now 26, said he was given something to recite, which he thought was part of his IC application. "I asked them, 'Apa benda ni?' They said, 'Syahadah ja, cakap ja.'"

Angeh said he did not know at the time that reciting the syahadah meant he was converting to Islam. He only found out after his uncle told him he was now a convert. "I never asked to convert. I had no intention, none," Angeh said.

He said he was shocked when he found out and wondered how to tell his adoptive father. "Bapa aku sembahyang Cina. Saya pun sembahyang Cina," he said.


Jamuan makan
Angeh is not the only one with such a story. An Orang Asli staff at Gombak Hospital told The Nut Graph how he was invited for a "jamuan" at the Selangor menteri besar's residence, then occupied by Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo from the Barisan Nasional, several years ago.

At the jamuan, the staff, who did not want to be named for fear his job would be jeopardised, said he was converted.

"I received a hospital memo shortly after I joined the hospital which said I was chosen to go to the menteri besar's house for a banquet," said the staff member. "I asked (hospital director) Dr Saaiah Abdullah and Saidon, 'How come I'm invited and others not?' They told me it was a random selection by name."

He said he and a few other Orang Asli colleagues were brought after work to a JHEOA officer's house. "I was given baju melayu to wear," he said. "I asked them, 'Why do I have to wear baju melayu?' They told me, we must follow custom." He said he was then brought to the menteri besar's Shah Alam residence where food was served. "At about 8pm, during prayer time, they brought us to the big surau in Shah Alam. There were lots of others there, some from Sabah and Sarawak. They told us to recite [the syahadah]."

The staff member said he was shocked. "I told them, 'I don't want to convert to Islam, my family doesn't know about this. If you had told me earlier, I would not have come.' Saidon told me, 'You've already come here; we'll teach your family to follow you. Just recite.'"

The staff member, who is now in his 30s, said he was in a difficult situation. He said due to the pressure of the situation, he recited the syahadah. But he had to do so four times because he found it difficult to say the words. He claimed he was then given some food and RM250.

He added, "I reached home about midnight after the event and told my family what had happened. My wife was furious. She told me, 'You said you were going for kenduri. How did you end up converting to Islam?'"

The staff member said, however, that as there was no record of his conversion with the religious authorities, he does not consider himself a Muslim and lives life as before.

"Niat kita, hati kita, tetap tak ada nak masuk [Islam]. Kalau nak masuk, keluarga mesti ada, boleh tanya - nak ikut ke tak nak, mesti dari hati kitalah. Kira ada niat, kita masuklah. Ini - niat pun tak ada. Saya diperguna macam itu," he said.

Financial incentive
The staff member said he believes Saidon and other hospital personnel received financial benefits for bringing in converts, even though he had no way of proving it.

Angeh, however, confirmed that financial incentives were involved in the conversion of Orang Asli. He claimed that Saidon and Sharifudin told him that if he was married, he would receive the RM1,000 allocated for a Muslim couple.

According to his story, Angeh, then 18, agreed to marry his 20-something-year-old bride, Wak Chin. He said they were brought to Tambun, Perak and married together with nine other couples.

His wife had to convert to Islam as well to get married. "Her Muslim name is Aminah," Angeh said.

However, Angeh claimed he and his wife did not receive any money after their wedding.

He further claimed that Saidon had also told him that as a Muslim, he would be able to get a job at the Gombak Hospital. However, this never materialised, and today Angeh works as a grass cutter.

Hospital involved
Another staff member, who is not Orang Asli, confirmed that hospital staff were frequently involved in conversion activities.

She recounted how Dr Saaiah repeatedly asked her to convert: "Every time I went to see her, Dr Saaiah would ask me, 'What do you think of Islam? Why don't you convert to Islam? Don't you think Islam is a good religion?'"

She added that the hospital was constantly used for Islamic talks.

The staff also spoke on condition of anonymity so that her position would not be jeopardised.

Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) volunteer Puah Sze Ning said she had attended a JHEOA-organised Islamic talk at the hospital in 2009, after being informed by hospital staff about such activities.

"It was held during office hours in the afternoon. The hospital set up a tent on their grounds," she told The Nut Graph in a phone interview. "There were about 60 people present, including hospital staff. A visiting imam expounded on part of the Quran."

At the JHEOA talk in 2009 (Pic by Puah Sze Ning)

Denials
Saidon and Sharifudin both denied any knowledge about any conversion cases. Dr Saaiah did not respond to any of The Nut Graph's calls or text messages.

"Tak ada, tak ada. Itu bukan urusan kita," said Saidon, when contacted by The Nut Graph by telephone at JHEOA and informed of the allegations against him. He declined further comment, saying this was something his superiors should answer.

"I only work to dispense medicine, I don't know anything about [any conversions]," Sharifudin told The Nut Graph. "People can say whatever they want, it doesn't mean anything. They can say I raped someone, they can even say I raped you, it's just talk."

JHEOA DENIES

CONVERSION ACTIVITIES

The Nut Graph
9 June 2010



The Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) has denied allegations that a hospital in Gombak has been involved in the conversion of Orang Asli to Islam.

"The Gombak JHEOA hospital functions as a medical and health centre for the Orang Asli community.

Allegations that the hospital was a centre to systematically convert Orang Asli to Islam are entirely untrue,"

JHEOA's public relations unit said in a press statement e-mailed to The Nut Graph.

The department, which falls under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, stressed that conversion activities by hospital staff were "personal actions".

"[These actions] cannot be linked with JHEOA involvement," the 20 May 2010 statement said.

"Furthermore, it also does not contradict Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution, which states that Islam is the official religion of the federation."

JHEOA also stressed that if Orang Asli were being converted to Islam against their will, this was against Islamic teachings. "As stated in the al-Quran in al-Baqarah 2:256, 'There is no compulsion in religion.'"

The Gombak Hospital for Orang Asli is run by the JHEOA.

When asked to comment, Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) coordinator Dr Colin Nicholas said the Gombak hospital staff's conversion activities could not be classified as "private".

"How can such activities be called private if it is held during working hours and requires staff to be present?

Surely that goes against any government department's regulations," Nicholas said in a phone interview.

Nicholas added that Islam was not the religion of the Orang Asli, and the  constitution does not allow anyone the right to impose Islam on them.

Several Orang Asli had earlier claimed that hospital staff converted them to Islam against their will. COAC and other researchers have also documented instances where the JHEOA was involved in supporting conversion activities.

The Orang Asli who spoke to The Nut Graph claimed there were cash incentives for those who converted and those who brought in new converts.

The Nut Graph then approached the JHEOA on 27 Apr 2010 to get its side of the story. However, we were told that director-general Datuk Sani Mistam was uncontactable as he was on a course from 26 April to 17 May 2010 and on holiday thereafter.

The JHEOA finally responded to The Nut Graph after more than three weeks. Even then, their press statement did not reach The Nut Graph until 2 June.

When interviewed on the Orang Asli's allegations of being converted against their will, Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) assistant secretary Suhaimi Ismail was doubtful.

"It is impossible for converts to be registered without filling up or signing any documents," said Suhaimi. "In Mais, the convert has to sign or thumb print the registration form in the presence of an official."

Suhaimi denied the possibility that registration forms could be obtained and signed on someone's behalf without their knowledge.

"We do not issue these forms loosely," he said. "It is a restricted form, with a serial number and photocopies will not be accepted.

"If [Orang Asli] are being registered as converts without their knowledge, I do not know what forms are being used. For Mais, we control who is able to have access to these forms."

Suhaimi said registrations were also conducted at the various district offices.

"What occurs outside Mais's office is outside my scope of knowledge. For Mais, we follow our procedures and all officials are trained to conduct conversion activities according to a prescribed manual."

When asked about financial incentives for converts, Suhaimi said, "We do provide assistance, but not monetarily. We provide items such as prayer mats and cloth for women to use for praying."

Suhaimi also said no financial incentives were given by the Selangor religious council to those who brought in new converts.

Suhaimi said a thorough explanation of Islamic principles and a Muslim's responsibilities was given to all potential converts before they were led to recite the syahadah.

"We also explain the converts' responsibilities to continue caring for their non-Muslim family to avoid any misconception that when a person converts, it separates them from their family."

Suhaimi explained that non-Muslims who wished to convert to Islam should understand the basics before they enter the religion.

"It would be sad if converts entered Islam without understanding its principles or because they were forced to do so. This we must try to avoid," he said when met at the Mais office in Shah Alam on 26 May.

Suhaimi stressed the importance of there being no element of compulsion for anyone who wanted to enter Islam.

"We wouldn't want anyone to be forced to convert and then be a bad testament to us," he said.