In his letter Have zero tolerance for apostasy , Mohamad Elfie Nishaem Juferi betrayed his extreme intolerance bordering on fanaticism towards Malay Muslims whose only crime (if that indeed is what it be called) is to follow the dictates of their hearts and leave their religion.

In the eyes of Elfie, these people stigmatised as apostates or 'murtad' are even worse than Muslims who are rapists, murderers or people who commit incest.

But what many people are not aware of is that Elfie has all along been harassing and intimidating these apostates, many of whom have fled overseas to escape the wrath of the Malaysian religious authorities with whom he has apparently been liaising with.

He does this under the pseudonym of 'Menj' which is the abbreviation of his name. One Malaysian apostate, at the website mentioned by Shairul Fazleena , complained that Elfie, through cunning and deception, had somehow managed to get her to reveal her true identity.

He then exposed her at his own personal website with what one can only assume to be a sinister motive - to get Muslims to hate her and other apostates even more. It is highly possible that Elfie is either part of the apparatus of the Malaysian religious affairs authority or works closely with them to harass and intimidate apostates.

These apostates are then forced to leave the country of their birth, which they love and cherish, and seek refuge in faraway countries.

In this era of globalisation and respect for human rights - which include the basic freedom to profess a religion of one's choice - Elfie and his ilk are behaving like the Gestapo of Nazi Germany, breathing heavily down the necks of all those who dare venture out of Islam.

The problems faced by apostates have been around for a long time but because of the media blackout, not many people are aware of them. These apostates only want to be left alone to follow the religion of their conviction.

They do not want to be forced to blindly embrace Islam from birth onwards. In other predominantly- Muslim societies like Indonesia, apostates are treated just like any other of their citizens with no discrimination.

But in Malaysia, not only are they treated like outcasts by their community, they are also harassed and intimidated, thanks to people like Elfie and his ilk But is must be said that there are many people, including Muslims, who sympathise with the plight of the apostates.

It is high time human rights organisations, both local and international, do something to alleviate the plight of unfortunate Malaysian apostates who have fled overseas to enable them to return to their country of birth.

They should be allowed to return here and live as proud and equal citizens without having to convert back to Islam. In the meantime, people like Elfie and his ilk should be condemned for harassing and intimidating them.