Why do these things keep happening? Anguish. Anger. Helplessness. Imagine your child being ripped away from you by an official decree that says that your son is now a Muslim and there's nothing you can do about it. I have always believed that religion is an intensely personal choice, certainly not a public forum where politically-motivated religious officials can dip their hands at will across respected human boundaries and yank back a "convert" kicking and screaming. Without this Malaysiakini report, there would have been virtual public silence and apathy about what happened to 20-year-old C Ragu. His lawyer has rightly made the argument that more non-Muslim parents will be reluctant to send their children for National Service if there is an hidden force intent on converting naive youths to Islam by coercion. An appeal has been to the Prime Minister. Will he take make things right?

This all too familiar scene is being repeated yet again in Malaysia, with the government not showing any political will nor leadership to stop this dangerous trend. We have had enough of the Moorthi and Rayappan cases, still questioning why are such actions being perpetrated when unity, already a national illusion, becomes even more of a distant dream. Don't these government officials see that actions carried out on the banner of Islam, continue to make many non-Muslims equate Islam with these suspicious actions? So much for the Prime Minister's much-publicized Islam Hadhari. We Malaysians continue to be far apart as ever because of religion and race.  ¶ 11:38 AM