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Wednesday, March 02, 2022

Nazri says he’s ‘not proud’ of unilateral conversions; Muhyiddin is still thinking about it



Nazri says he’s ‘not proud’ of unilateral conversions


Former law minister Nazri Aziz said Islam is about being fair and it’s not fair if one of the parents changes the religion of their child without the other parent’s permission. (Bernama pic)


PETALING JAYA: Umno’s Nazri Aziz said as a Muslim, he was “not proud” about the controversial unilateral conversions in the country as they were unfair.

Debating the King’s address in the Dewan Rakyat today, the Padang Rengas MP highlighted the case of Loh Siew Hong and M Indira Gandhi — both mothers who had children converted to Islam without their permission.

“As a Muslim, I am not proud of this,” said the former law minister.

“For me, Islam is about being fair. And it’s not fair if one of the parents changes the religion of their child without the other parent’s permission.

“Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you.”

Loh’s case has reignited a debate on the matter despite a 2018 Federal Court ruling in Indira’s case which stated that conversions require the consent of both parents.

Some, like Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin, who defended the conversion of Loh’s three children, argue that state laws allow for unilateral conversions.

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PN yet to take a position on unilateral conversions, says Muhyiddin


PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said this was a sensitive matter and the PN leadership needed to ‘properly’ discuss what position the coalition should take.


TANGKAK: Perikatan Nasional (PN) has yet to take a position on the issue of unilateral conversion of children, according to its chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.

This is despite PAS’ ulama wing calling on all state religious authorities to amend the terms for conversion so that children can be converted unilaterally rather than requiring the consent of both parents.

This is already the practice in some states.

Muhyiddin, the Bersatu president, acknowledged that it was a sensitive matter and said the PN leadership needed to “properly” discuss what position the coalition should take.

“We haven’t taken any position yet (on this matter). We will have to really look into every aspect from the point of view of the Federal Constitution, the law and what not,” he told reporters after meeting members of the Chinese community in Bukit Gambir town today.

The former prime minister noted that freedom of religion was the people’s right, but said Islam had its own particular laws.

“While that is so, of course, sometimes we go back to the Federal Constitution, whether there is something that is agreeable … But we have not taken a position yet.”

The issue of unilateral conversions had resurfaced again following the controversy over the recent case involving single mother Loh Siew Hong and her three children.

Loh’s three children were registered as Muslims by the Perlis religious authorities without her being present, Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin had said.

This was despite a Federal Court ruling in 2018 that the consent of both parents was needed for the conversion of any child under 18 to another religion. The Federal Court is the highest court in the land.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court had granted Loh’s habeas corpus application for the release of her three children. In response, Asri said he was looking at other measures under the law to protect the children if they wanted to remain Muslims.

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