Clear Disrespect: Who Do You Think You Are?

We first read about this on someone's status update on Facebook. Tried to follow the tinyurl link but it didn't load. Then when minishorts posted about it we got to read a bit more on what it was about, and even see the article scan.

In a gist, Muslim reporters have gone undercover to spy in a Catholic church and even participated in the Holy Communion.

Total. Disrespect. For. Others.

Now we're not getting riled up because it's an attack on our religion. God knows how we are with regards to our faith, but faith is always a personal matter. Plus it's a Catholic church here, and we're not Catholic. Still, it's the idea of you, of one religion, entering incognito into another religion's place of worship, participating in their ceremonies and rites that not all would participate in unless they were ready, leaving only to write an article that is both disrespectful and insulting.

Yes, you've also been told already that, if the roles were switched and that if another religion would enter your place of worship and do the same, you would have caused an uproar and your followers would be out on the streets creating a ruckus. We remember how you got uptight over the use of the name of your god in another religion's magazine.

We wouldn't have minded the intrusion much if all you did was go in and look around without participating much. There's no need for you to act like a Catholic and participate in the Holy Communion even when there are Christians who aren't prepared for it.

We wouldn't have minded if you've acted decently and upon receiving a 'tip' that there's been Malay teenagers going to Church, you had gone to request permission to send someone to investigate during service one fine Sunday? After all, people do bring their friends to church and they are not expected to do things a Christian would do. You don't have to sing hymnals just because everyone else is singing them. You don't have to join in the ceremonies or feel forced to because everyone around you is doing it. After all, you'll be a guest and you're not coerced into it. You just have to respect your hosts and the things that they do.

We're also put off by the way you treated the accusations bought to you - you've heard of Muslim youths forsaking Islam and embracing Christianity, and better still, that the cause for this is that Christians get paid to 'recruit' believers? And get paid more should they get Malays to convert? And that should people convert, they are offered incentives or rewards like a cash allowance? This is a serious accusation indeed - an accusation that a religious establishment of being a multi-level marketing organization.

And we don't see how your sneaking into a church would help matters. Yes, you might probably find out if there were Muslim apostates (and you did not). Are you hoping to see, in some room, members of the church being paid money along with verbal communication of how they have brought others into the fold?

But no, you didn't stop there. You can write about how impressed you may be at how the congregation treated each other with respect and goodwill, but clearly in your article you don't do the same when it comes to the Christian traditions and ceremonies. Instead, you choose to write your article in an offensive style, twisting things such that to say, "They do this and this which which is correct, as it is how we do it and is how it should be done, but they do this and this which is wrong and deviant and misleading!"

Is this how you write your articles? Push that your religion is better than others? Make fun of another's religion? Couldn't you just report your observations without comparison?

In what is suppose to be a multiracial, multicultural nation, you're grossly disrespectfully spitting in someone's face in front of everyone.

And we gather you know that what you are doing is wrong, because as you write, you feared discovery while in the church.

Again, what we're ranting here is the sheer disrespect you've treated another establishment. You've painted a bad name for yourself.