JHEOA denies conversion activities
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.
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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.
