Religious faultline Malaysia: Secret conversions
- 9 years ago
NOTE: June 25, 2013: We have spoken with Ustaz Zulkarnain who denied advising Puan Deepa to come back the next day to collect a reversal of conversion letter.
We have also attempted to interview the head of the centre, Ustaz Bukhari, who declined to be interviewed.
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This is yet another case of unilateral conversion of minors.
Deepa Subramaniam's husband Viran Nagapan converted to Islam over a year ago, apparently to marry a Muslim woman.
He left her and their two children and according to Deepa, without giving her any money for the children's upkeep.
Then in April this year, she went to the Paroi religious office to obtain proof of his conversion for proceedings to nullify the marriage, and by sheer coincidence found him and their children, Sharmila 8 and Mitran 5 in the process of conversion.
For an opinion by the President of the Muslim Lawyers Association, Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar, please go here: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/233589.
According to Zainul Rijal, the federal constitution provided for the consent of only one parent to convert a child to a religion other than that of the parents' at the time of marriage.
He further went on to say in a statement, that this was based on Federal Court judgments that state that the definition of 'parent' in the federal constitution referred to either the mother or the father, and not necessarily both.
"In the Subashini Rajasingam vs Saravanan Thangathory and others (2008) case, the Federal Court agreed with a previous judgment, Nedunchelian V Uthiradam vs Nurshafiwah Mah Singai Annal and others (2005).
"As such, in Subashini's case, the conversion to Islam of children under the age of 18 by a Muslim father was declared by the Federal Court as right and constitutional," Zainul Rijal said.
He added that the National Fatwa Council in 2009 had also decided that if one parent converts to Islam, any children under the age of 18 must be cared for by the Muslim parent.
However decisions
We have also attempted to interview the head of the centre, Ustaz Bukhari, who declined to be interviewed.
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This is yet another case of unilateral conversion of minors.
Deepa Subramaniam's husband Viran Nagapan converted to Islam over a year ago, apparently to marry a Muslim woman.
He left her and their two children and according to Deepa, without giving her any money for the children's upkeep.
Then in April this year, she went to the Paroi religious office to obtain proof of his conversion for proceedings to nullify the marriage, and by sheer coincidence found him and their children, Sharmila 8 and Mitran 5 in the process of conversion.
For an opinion by the President of the Muslim Lawyers Association, Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar, please go here: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/233589.
According to Zainul Rijal, the federal constitution provided for the consent of only one parent to convert a child to a religion other than that of the parents' at the time of marriage.
He further went on to say in a statement, that this was based on Federal Court judgments that state that the definition of 'parent' in the federal constitution referred to either the mother or the father, and not necessarily both.
"In the Subashini Rajasingam vs Saravanan Thangathory and others (2008) case, the Federal Court agreed with a previous judgment, Nedunchelian V Uthiradam vs Nurshafiwah Mah Singai Annal and others (2005).
"As such, in Subashini's case, the conversion to Islam of children under the age of 18 by a Muslim father was declared by the Federal Court as right and constitutional," Zainul Rijal said.
He added that the National Fatwa Council in 2009 had also decided that if one parent converts to Islam, any children under the age of 18 must be cared for by the Muslim parent.
However decisions