G25 concerned with govt’s ‘paranoia’ against Sajat
The G25 group has spoken out about the recent news of local authorities seeking the extradition of cosmetic businessperson Nur Sajat Kamaruzzaman after the latter was arrested in Thailand for using an invalid passport.
This came after Sajat, 36, was believed to have escaped to Thailand to avoid arrest by authorities.
She was charged with dressing as a woman at a religious event and has a warrant out for her after she skipped a Syariah High Court hearing.
“G25 notes with concern the hysterical attitude of the Malaysian government towards Sajat for being a transgender and dressing as a woman to openly display her good looks and exerting her fundamental rights.
“The authorities are becoming paranoid that Sajat may be an inspiration for other transgenders to assert their human rights to be what they were born into,” the group said in a statement today.
G25 accused the government of disrespecting the fundamental rights of Sajat and other transgenders which are guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.
The group also argued that the charge made against Sajat was unfounded as the act of cross-dressing is not an offence of Syariah law unless it was done for an immoral purpose.
Sajat was charged under section 10(a) of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995 for cross-dressing as a woman at a religious function.
G25 said Section 30 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment provided the mere act of cross-dressing is not an offence.
“The section respects the right of cross-gender persons to cross-dress. In the case of Sajat, being a transgender, the act of cross-dressing is not for an immoral purpose,” G25 said.
The group urged the Selangor Islamic religious authority to consider withdrawing the charge against Sajat.
Religious enforcements undermine democratic principles
Meanwhile, G25 also criticised recent calls in Parliament to subject lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals to conversion therapy, saying it is unethical and potentially harmful.
It added that existing discriminatory laws, attitudes and practices towards the LGBT community in the country can potentially put their lives in danger by inciting harmful acts and even violence towards them.
The group reiterated its long-standing scepticism towards the application of Islamic laws in the country.
“In our very first open letter on Dec 7, 2014, we stated, among others, that religious bodies seemed to be asserting authority in ways which undermine the country’s commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law, which in turn was affecting the peace and stability of our nation.
“G25 still believes that the Syariah Criminal Offences (SCO) laws of Malaysia, which turn all manner of ‘sins’ into crimes against the state have led to confusion and dispute in both substance and implementation,” it said.
The group believes that SCO laws conflict with Islamic legal principles and violate fundamental liberties, as well as allowing state intrusion into citizens’ private lives.
“Malaysia, as a multiracial, multicultural country cannot allow itself to be held hostage to the strict interpretation of Islamic doctrines if we are going to become a fully developed country, as envisaged in the government’s development planning policies,” G25 added.
On Monday, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Abd Jalil Hassan said Sajat was arrested on Sept 8 by immigration authorities in Thailand.
She was soon released by a Thai court after she paid a fine. Thailand is still considering whether to deport Sajat.
Media reported that Sajat, who is currently still in Bangkok, had applied for refugee status from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and is eyeing to move to Australia.
Nur Sajat go into hiding, becoming an inspiration to other transgenders like Telly-ban is an inspiration to our leaders, soon Malay-sia may ikut Afghanistan... ha ha ha...
ReplyDeleteBut Bully say "don't interfere, leave Afghanistan alone, not foreigners business, just watch from the side-lines...."
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/sep/20/taliban-lgbtq-afghans-go-into-hiding
QUOTE
‘The Taliban will have no mercy’: LGBTQ+ Afghans go into hiding
Ritu Mahendru
Mon 20 Sep 2021
....The Taliban are carrying out door-to-door searches to identify anyone they feel poses a threat to their “Islamic emirate”. Many LGBTQ+ people are now constantly shifting their locations and changing identities to protect themselves and their families, scared that their neighbours and extended family will report them.
Some transgender women are growing beards, while some lesbians have said they are feeling under pressure to be “more feminine”. They were previously able to maintain their identity under the guise of bacha posh, a practice in Afghanistan where a family without sons will choose a girl to live and behave as a boy, allowing them to move around more freely.
“I don’t think I can pretend to be a bacha posh any more. Taliban don’t like this. If they found out that I am a girl and lesbian it will make them angry. I am also a Hazara [minority Shia Muslims, who are often targeted by extremists], so it’s even more difficult for me. They can rape and kill me,” says Sunita, a lesbian.
A group of Talibs came to my house after I left home. They told my family to [reveal] my whereabouts, otherwise they'd punish everyone
Sunita
“A group of Talibs with guns came to my house after I left home. They spoke to my family and told them to [reveal] my whereabouts, otherwise they will punish everyone. They found out about me through a neighbour who never liked me.
“We are ordinary people, very, very normal,” she said. “We don’t know how to have a gun; we have never had gun in our lives.”
Nemat Sadat, an Afghan LGBTQ+ activist now living in the US, said: “The Taliban are going to have no mercy on LGBT people when they fully implement sharia law, and this scares the daylights out of the community.”
Life was already difficult for LGBTQ+ Afghans before the Taliban took power, amid widespread stigma and discrimination at social, institutional and policy levels. However, since the Taliban takeover, most gay Afghans have gone into hiding.
Rehmat, a gay man, said: “We don’t hang out together any more the way we used to. We are scared that we will get caught if we meet, have a party or sing songs.”
Laila, a transgender woman, says her family have lost everything. “My mother was working for the women’s affairs ministry, but Taliban closed the office,” says Leila. “I am the only earning member of the family; I was a schoolteacher. Now, I do what I can to provide food and pay my rent.
“Sometimes, I can’t find work and stay hungry. I’m banned from working because my employer also fears for his life.”
UNQUOTE
It is good that the G25 is making its voice heard. Unfortunately for those hypocrites who claim they are doing God's work, the G25 is only an irritant that can be dismissed.
ReplyDeleteI see that ultimately Malaysia will be fully talibanised. Nons should really plan for their off springs to exit the country.