KOTA KINABALU - Striving to keep his family together in their Christian faith, rubber tapper Jilius Yapoo will be transferring his 16-year-old daughter who allegedly “converted” to Islam without his knowledge and three other children to a new school by the end of the week.
With the help of well-wishers, Jilius has almost secured several spots for all four of his children, aged between 13 and 16 years, to SMK Tun Fuad Stephens in Kiulu, about 40 minutes away from here, in the opposite direction from his home in Papar.
“We are working on finalising the move. It’s a government school but the hostel is run by Catholic nuns.
“We still need the parents to write a letter to the school, but the school has been informed and it should be good to go,” Michael Frederick, president of non-governmental organisation Pertubuhan Angkatan Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (Agaras) told Malay Mail Online today when contacted.
According to Michael who has been spearheading efforts to help Julius, the transfer was made possible with the help of several politicians who asked not to be named.
He added that the sponsors have also offered to help Jilius with the school fees of all four of his children as well as added transportation costs.
“We are looking to have everything finalised and have all the school children moved in to the hostel by this week,” he said.
Jilius’s story came to light earlier this month after he filed a police report alleging his daughter was converted to Islam while at boarding school at SMK Kinarut.
The student, originally a Christian from the Sidang Injil Borneo church, had reportedly recited the “kalimah syahada” to declare her acceptance of Islam and donned the tudung, or headscarf, without her parents’ knowledge.
It was alleged that the incident was witnessed by school’s former hostel warden during her board, who has now been transferred to another school in the State.
The State Education Department director Datuk Jame Alip had absolved SMK Kinarut and the teacher involved, claiming the student had asked to embrace Islam on her own accord.
According to the law, a minor’s religion is decided by her parents. Under religious law, reciting the syahada suffices to make a person Muslim, but not under the constitution, which states that the under-aged child needs her parent’s consent.
State Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman had confirmed that the student, despite reciting the kalimah syahadah, and donning the tudung, she is not officially a Muslim because there are no official supporting documents.
Penampang MP Darell Leiking said Jilius is still contemplating legal redress from the school for not honouring his right as a parent to make a decision for the child’s religion.
“We are also seeking to make public the hostel warden’s identity for full accountability and to ensure the incident does not happen again,” he had said.
According to Michael, the girl who is the second out of eight siblings, is still wearing the tudung in public.
“Her father however said, she is now agreeable to the transfer, despite initially resisting,” he said, adding that all the other siblings were happy to change schools. - Malay Mail
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