YOURSAY | Wrong to ‘manipulate’ children in conversion row

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BobbyO: How can children below their natural intelligent age understand the consent to change their religion?

How can Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin resort to such an activity by trying to “bribe” the young children (14-year-old twin girls and 10-year-old boy) to change their beliefs?

They should be returned to their mother, Loh Siew Hong, and when they reach the age of a consenting adult, then only should the question be put to them.

Even God won't approve of such an act. He had created humans to think freely and give them the ability to decide for themselves.

The mufti should have known better than to manipulate young children.

Dr Raman Letchumanan: The children were held “captive” or “protected” by the authorities from anyone, not even the mother, who has custodial rights, could visit them without permission.

All of a sudden, a man turns up, brings food, asks the children questions which they are not capable of understanding, apparently getting them to answer in front of a video camera (not sure if the answer was coerced), and broadcasts it to the public.

No decent human being would do such a despicable act to children. If he is man enough, he would have done it in public in the presence of others and also accord the same opportunity to the mother who is denied meeting, hugging, feeding or talking to the children.

Malaysia could answer for this at the UN Human Rights Council next. Meanwhile, let decent human beings judge this act.

Hrrmph: What is the point of the Perlis mufti asking the children if they have been coerced into becoming Muslims? Are the children old enough to know what religion they wish to profess?

Children cannot convert without the consent of their parents, so asking them and posting the video online is beyond unconscionable.

Would these Muslims agree to it if the same thing was done to their children in another country, such as conversion to Christianity without their consent?

Except that this kind of nonsense is not imposed anywhere else in the world. Only in Malaysia and some other Muslim countries.

Once converted, willingly or by subterfuge, one cannot convert back without being hounded out of the country.

Even when these people have no faith. If such a Muslim professes that God is Almighty, these conversions are doing Him no service. He sees what’s in our hearts.

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Children’s conversion legal in Perlis, says mufti

GEORGE TOWN: The conversion of single mother Loh Siew Hong’s three children is legal under Perlis law and hence, was unquestionable, the state’s mufti Asri Zainul Abidin said today.

Asri said under the Perlis Islamic enactment, either the father, mother, or a guardian can convert their minors to Islam.

He also took aim at his detractors who accused him of going against the law when they did not get Loh’s consent to convert the children.

“I want to tell them that in 2016, the Perlis assembly passed a law that allows those wishing to pass down their Islamic faith to their children can do so with the agreement of either the father or the mother.

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Multi-faith body joins calls for children’s conversion to be reversed

PETALING JAYA: A multi-faith council has called on the Perlis religious department to quash the unilateral conversion of three children to Islam, highlighting its “negligence” for allowing it to go through.

Earlier yesterday, Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin confirmed that the department had registered Loh Siew Hong’s three children as Muslims upon the request of their father, adding that the department did not know, or investigate, Loh’s whereabouts.

In a statement, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism (MCCBCHST) stressed that the Federal Court had made a landmark ruling in the M Indira Gandhi case in 2018 that consent from both parents was mandatory when it came to the conversion of minors.

“In view of the Federal Court’s decision, the conversion of the three children (should) be null and void as the mother’s consent had not been obtained,” it said.

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Loh upset with Perlis mufti over ‘kids dislike mum’ remark

GEORGE TOWN: Loh Siew Hong today said she is upset with the Perlis mufti, who claimed that her estranged children now dislike her and did not want to return to her.

She admitted that there was some hesitation by her three children, aged 10 to 14, when they first met last Sunday after three years.

“I spoke to my children earlier on the phone. I knew they were a bit cold towards me when I met them.

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Let courts decide on children’s unilateral conversion, says law minister

PETALING JAYA: The court system is the best avenue for single mother Loh Siew Hong to find a solution to her three children’s unilateral conversion to Islam, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said today.

Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin yesterday confirmed that the state’s religious department had registered Loh’s three children as Muslims upon the request of their father three years ago, a move which has been decried by civil liberty groups and religious bodies.

“As far as I am concerned, the final arbitrator is the court,” Wan Junaidi told FMT.

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Of conversions, justice and compassion

From Adnan D

In most Malaysian families, even mine, there are mixed marriages. There are different religions, relatives of different faiths.

While growing up, we used to visit each other during festivals, we attended weddings of different faiths, we sat and ate at the same table. I saw no problems then, unlike what I’m seeing today.

This letter is not about the law. It’s not about the Perlis Islamic Enactment, passed in 2016. This is not about the Federal Constitution.

It’s not about the argument whether Malaysia is an Islamic or secular state. This is not about the Federal Court decision on Indira Gandhi and other similar cases in Malaysia.

This is about justice, fair play, compassion and love.

We now read about how a single mother, Loh Siew Hong, 34, was briefly reunited with her children, 14-year-old twin daughters and a 10-year-old son, who had been taken away and hidden from her since 2019 by her ex-husband and later by a third party.

Everything changed after Hussein Onn left office as prime minister. The ministry in charge of religious affairs became very powerful. The politicians let them be. Billions of ringgit were allocated for religion instead of education and health. Leave it at that. Water under the bridge.

Let’s talk about justice, logic and compassion.

How can you deprive any parent from seeing their children? How cruel is that? Imagine if someone does that to you? When did Malaysia become like this?

Don’t quote the law at me. If it’s a bad law, change it.

What’s going on, Malaysia?

Are children allowed to be converted without the consent of both parents? Why are religious agencies interfering with private decisions of individuals? Why, despite their mother having legal custody, were the children kept from her? Why must all these cases get highlighted in the media before action is taken?

The mother says she is desperate to have her children back home, and that she would even embrace Islam if necessary. Seriously? What are the authorities doing?

Where is the minister for women, family and community development in all this? Where is the special envoy to the Middle East? Is he still looking at assisting the Taliban? Why not assist here, in your own country?

What does the prime minister say? Does he ever say anything? Why the deafening silence?

Don’t turn everything into a religious issue. Have empathy, compassion and common sense. People in power are clearly lacking in common sense. Something is seriously wrong.

In the last few years, there have been some moronic decisions that have made Malaysia famous for the wrong reasons. A recent video by the deputy minister for women, family and community development, on how to “gently discipline” your wife, is the butt of jokes in the international media.

Before that we had two sitting MPs who were not accepted as ambassadors because of the Vienna Convention and other reasons.

In another case, the Court of Appeal referred to a former prime minister as a “national embarrassment”.

Where is our longest serving former prime minister? Any comments?

Is Malaysia competing to be the worst in managing its affairs? If that’s the case, the country has won, by a wide margin.
 
Adnan D is an FMT reader.

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Mother in kids’ conversion saga answers critics over ‘3-year absence’

GEORGE TOWN: A single mother whose three children were converted without her permission has responded to criticisms over her “three-year absence”, alleging that it was due to domestic abuse.

Loh Siew Hong said she lodged numerous police reports between 2017 and 2019 on the injuries sustained allegedly at the hands of her now ex-husband M Nagahswaran during their marriage.

She told FMT that the abuse was so bad at times that she ended up in a hospital twice, including for a fractured wrist and foot in 2017 and a broken ankle joint two years later.

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Mufti’s statement ‘no longer relevant’ in Loh case, says MP

PETALING JAYA: An MP has criticised as “weak” and “hard to defend” a Perlis mufti’s contention that the conversion of Loh Siew Hong’s three children was legal under Perlis law.

Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin of Amanah said the statement by mufti Asri Zainul Abidin was influenced by sentiment rather than arguments based on facts and law.

Asri had said that under the Perlis Islamic enactment, either the father, mother, or a guardian can convert minors to Islam and the children had agreed to convert.

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Reform laws and change attitudes on conversions, says ex-minister Mujahid

GEORGE TOWN: Urgent reforms to family law must be pushed forward by the government, given the case of Loh Siew Hong’s three children who were converted to Islam by their Muslim-convert father without her consent.

Former religious affairs minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa said unilateral conversions would continue unabated if the laws were not harmonised and fixed.

“But, ultimately, these laws must be compassionate, especially in the case of child custody when a parent converts. That is in the spirit of Islam,” he told FMT.

“Or else, we will always hear of children being converted by their convert father without the mother’s consent. This paints a negative image of Islam, which prides on compassion and the love of the mother,” he said.

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Let single mum have kids, but they must remain Muslims, says Penang mufti

GEORGE TOWN: The mother in the centre of a unilateral conversion case, Loh Siew Hong, should be given custody of her three children but their conversion to Islam must not be reversed, Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said today.

He said cancelling the children’s conversion was “impractical” and might “further complicate the situation”, adding that they should remain as Muslims for the good of all.

The mufti was commenting on the call by Indira Gandhi Action Team’s Arun Dorasamy, who is reportedly pushing for the children’s conversion to be cancelled.

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