30-11-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Gay rights activists are condemning Malaysia’s Johor state government for its proposal to establish a rehabilitation centre targeting individuals in same-sex relations. The widely discredited and ridiculed approach to altering sexual orientation is being labeled a “human rights violation” that infringes on constitutional rights.
The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of increasing politicization of Islam, Malaysia’s state religion, by political parties vying for the support of a Malay Muslim electorate that played a pivotal role in the last two elections.
During a session at the Johor state assembly on Wednesday, Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid, the state’s Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman, announced the allocation of 400,000 ringgit (US$86,000) for the rehabilitation centre, slated to open in July next year.
“This rehabilitation centre is established … for them to get back on the right path,” stated Mohd Fared during the assembly. In addition to same-sex individuals, he boasted that the centre would also accommodate those deemed “deviant” from the state-prescribed religious orthodoxy, including the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and Baha’i, among 42 identified groups.
In the previous year’s state elections, the multi-ethnic and progressive Pakatan Harapan was replaced by the monoethnic and conservative Umno party.
Responding to the news, transgender rights group Justice for Sisters argued that detaining individuals violated the Malaysian constitution, which safeguards personal liberty, privacy, dignity, equality, and prohibits gender-based discrimination.
“Detaining people on the grounds of changing their SOGIE – sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression – amounts to torture without a doubt,” emphasized the group’s spokesperson, Thilaga Sulathireh.
While the constitution designates Islam as the state religion, it also empowers each of Malaysia’s 13 states to prosecute Muslims for religious offences, including same-sex relations. However, sodomy remains a common law offence under federal jurisdiction.
Justice for Sisters highlighted the detrimental impact of so-called rehabilitation efforts on LGBTQ individuals, citing mental health strains, school dropouts, and an increase in suicidal thoughts.
“Conversion practices or efforts to change a person of any kind… have been rejected by medical and human rights bodies as it is not backed by evidence and is not rights-based,” stressed Thilaga.
Despite the election of a multi-ethnic and progressive administration in November 2022, Malaysia’s LGBTQ community continues to face scrutiny from enforcement agencies.
“We voted for this government because we are scared of the other side, but times like this make me question whether there is any difference between them,” expressed Jay, a gay man in Kuala Lumpur, who withheld his identity for fear of repercussions.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob previously stated in 2021 that over 1,733 Malaysians from the LGBTQ community had been sent to similar rehabilitation camps run by Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department.
The Asia-Pacific Transgender Network’s 2020 report on Malaysia revealed that conversion therapy practices are widespread, often perpetrated by parents, school systems, religious institutions, and the state.
In Malaysian society, homosexuality faces disapproval, with over 82% of the population against same-sex marriage, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. Among six Southeast Asian countries surveyed, only Indonesia showed higher opposition, reaching up to 92%.
The report also noted that Muslims in Malaysia report the lowest support for same-sex marriage of any religious group in any surveyed place.
In July, the British band The 1975 ended its Kuala Lumpur concert early after frontman Matt Healy criticized the Malaysian government’s treatment of the LGBTQ community and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald on stage as a form of protest. In response, the government cancelled the three-day music festival and has since advocated for a ‘kill switch’ at all major events.
