Malaysia court quashes Hindu kids’ conversion to Islam
KUALA LUMPUR | AFP | 25 July 2013 :: A Malaysian court on Thursday ruled against the 2009 conversion of three Hindu children to Islam without their mother’s knowledge, a verdict welcomed by non-Muslim groups.
A high court in the northern city of Ipoh
declared the conversion of Indira Gandhi’s children, now aged five, 15
and 16, by their father to be unconstitutional, said Indira’s lawyer K.
Shanmuga.
The judge ruled that the father had
failed to take the mother and children to Islamic authorities for their
consent to the conversion, in a rare verdict in the multiracial but
Muslim-majority nation, Shanmuga said.
“It is the first time ever that a child’s conversion certificate has been quashed by a high court,” he told AFP.
Indira, a kindergarten teacher in her
late 30s, faced losing custody of her children after her husband
converted himself and them without her knowledge.
Under Malaysian sharia law, which governs
civil matters for Muslims, a non-Muslim parent cannot share custody of
converted children.
Indira, a Hindu, got a 2010 high court
verdict to award her custody. But her husband went into hiding with
their youngest daughter and the conversion remained in dispute.
Earlier this month Malaysia withdrew an
Islamic law which allows one parent to give consent for a child’s
conversion, after an outcry.
Opponents said it discriminated against minorities despite government promises to address their grievances.
Religious groups welcomed Thursday’s verdict.
“We are very happy about that decision.
But it must be accepted by all the Islamic and other government
agencies,” said Mohan Shan, an official with the Malaysian Consultative
Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.
Conversions of children and
“body-snatching” cases — in which Islamic authorities tussle with
families over the remains of people whose religion is disputed — have
previously raised tensions.
More than 60 percent of Malaysia’s 28
million people are Muslim ethnic Malays, but it also has sizeable
Chinese and Indian minorities who are non-Muslims. [eFox News].
Malaysia court dismisses conversion of three Hindu children to Islam
Kuala Lumpur | PTI | 25 July 2013 :: In
a landmark ruling, a Malaysian court on Thursday dismissed the 2009
conversion of three Hindu children to Islam without their mother’s
consent. Judicial Commissioner Lee Swee Seng at a Hight Court in the
northern city of Ipoh ruled the certificates of conversion null and void
because it was unconstitutional, against the right of natural justice,
and it was given without hearing the mother or children. He also said it
was unlawful as Sharia law in Perak state itself says that the children
must be present to utter the affirmation of faith. Read more here… [eNDTV].
Malaysia withdraws bill allowing unilateral conversion
Kuala Lumpur | PTI | 8 July 2013 :: Malaysia
on Monday withdrew a controversial bill that allows one parent to give
consent for the conversion of a child, following an outcry over two
minor ethnic Indian Hindu children embracing Islam without their
mother’s permission. The controversial Administration of the Religion of
Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 was withdrawn from parliament
following a motion by Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Jamil
Khir Baharom. Mr. Baharom moved the motion to withdraw the bill for its
second third and fourth reading and from being debated on. The bill was
tabled for the first reading in Parliament on June 26. On Friday, Deputy
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had said the bill would be withdrawn
until an agreement was reached with all stakeholders. He said the
Cabinet decided to withdraw the bill from the current parliament meeting
following concerns from various quarters, including the ruling
coalition Barisan Nasional’s component party members. The component
party include Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian
Congress (MIC). Read more here… [eThe Hindu].
Non-Muslim school children forced to eat in bathroom during Ramazan
Kuala Lumpur | HJS | 23 July 2013 :: The
report gives us an account of a Muslim dominated school in Malaysia
where children eating in the bathroom are taken from Facebook and they
were posted by a mother whose kids go to the same school. As the mother
claims, all these school children are non-Muslims and they are forced to
eat during breaks in bathroom during the month of Ramazan (the Islamic
month of both fasting and feasting ). Read more here… [eHJS].
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