AN Indonesian woman will still speak at the “Understanding Christology” seminar although the organisers have decided to omit the words “mantan rahib” (former nun) from their promotional posters.
According to the organiser, Nur Fitrah, the decision to amend its posters came after public outcry over the description “former nun” used to describe speaker Irene Handono.
The “Understanding Christology” seminar will be held at Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor (KUIS) from December 9-10.
Nur Fitrah said it was under the impression that a person can be called a “former nun” if she had undergone postulancy or pre-training.
In the Catholic tradition, priest and nun candidates have to undergo a period of one or two years acquiring knowledge of religious life before entering the novitiate.
Nur Fitrah caused a stir yesterday when posters advertising the “Understanding Christology” seminar surfaced on social media.
In the poster, Irene was described as a “former nun” and would speak on the subject of Christology.
Irene and another Indonesian speaker L.S. Mokoginta had sparked a controversy in 2014 when they spoke at a seminar organised by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) on the subject of Christology.
Besides Christian bashing, the two had claimed to be a former nun and priest from Indonesia. But a check with the Bishops Conference of Indonesia (BCI) revealed that Irene and Mokoginta’s claims were fake.
Nur Fitrah said the confusion was due to different interpretations.
“Our interpretation, however, is in conflict with the Christian meaning that nun candidates who have quit or candidates who did not fulfil their conditions or ordination cannot be called former nuns.
“But in order not to prolong this argument, Nur Fitrah will drop the words ‘former nun’ from our promotional posters for the event.”
Nur Fitrah said the event is restricted to Muslims and other targeted groups.
“The official letters and materials have only been sent to the programme’s targeted audience. We invited Ibu Irene based on her capacity as a Muslim who has knowledge about Christology to share her information and experience with us,” said Nur Fitrah.
“The programme is targeted at Muslim students who are studying comparative religion and Muslim evangelists in Malaysia,” it added.
“We apologise if our poster has offended anyone.”
A check on Facebook showed that the original event page with the poster has been deleted.
Meanwhile, Nur Fitrah did not answer questions on whether it has obtained the relevant approvals for the event from the Selangor Islamic Council (Mais).
It was reported today that KUIS will be asked to investigate whether Nur Fitrah has applied to Mais to hold the event.
“I have been told that Kuis is checking. They told me that the organiser (Nur Fitrah) has to get approvals from Mais,” Selangor executive councillor Ahmad Yunus Hairi told The Malaysian Insight. – November 24, 2017.
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