Man was not forced to embrace Islam, says head imam

On April 18, the Facebook page of Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque posted pictures and video of the conversion that took place on April 13.

PETALING JAYA: There is no truth to the viral social media post of an Indian man who was forced to convert to Islam, says the head imam of a mosque in Putrajaya.

Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque head imam Jamali Mohd Adnan said the man had in fact been deepening his knowledge of the Islamic faith for over 30 years.

He added that the man’s name is Mohd Rafik Subra Abdullah, who works as an administrative officer in Putrajaya.

Earlier, social media post went viral alleging that Mohd Rafik was forced to embrace Islam after being caught in close proximity (khalwat) with a Muslim woman.

The alleged forced conversion was refuted by Jamali.

“The issue of Mohd Rafik converting to Islam was deliberately fanned into flames,” he said when contacted Monday (April 30).

“Islam has never forced others to embrace the religion, based on what the Al-Quran 2:256 says that ‘there is no compulsion in (the acceptance of) Islam’. We need to respect the principles and convictions of others, including their choice of religion,” he added.

On April 18, the Facebook page of Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque posted pictures and video of the conversion that took place on April 13.

The post also showed that Mohd Rafik was led to recite the affirmation of faith by Jamali at the mosque.