YOURSAY | Wrong to ‘manipulate’ children in conversion row

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We want to live with Mummy, say Loh’s children

PETALING JAYA: The three children of single mother Loh Siew Hong have said that they want to return to their mother.

A video clip posted by Malaysian Tamilar Kural group spokesperson David Marshel showed the children saying that after three years being separated from Loh, they all wanted to live “with Mummy”.

The brief video, captioned “there is nothing as strong as a mother’s love and more healing than the souls of children”, showed Loh and her three children smiling happily and sitting cozily together.

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Loh will challenge kids’ conversion in court, says lawyer

GEORGE TOWN: Loh Siew Hong will challenge the unilateral conversion of her three children through a judicial review, her lawyer said today.

Lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind said while there were calls for the children’s Islamic faith to be retained, the fact remained that they were converted without the consent of their mother, who had full custody over them.

“The Federal Constitution states that the faith of the child will be determined by both parents of the children, not by the wishes of the children or other third parties,” he told FMT.

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Children ‘rebelled’, didn’t want to return to Loh, says Perlis mufti

GEORGE TOWN: Loh Siew Hong’s attempt to reverse her children’s conversion to Islam remains a top concern for Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin.

Loh’s lawyer had said yesterday the children’s conversion will be challenged through a judicial review.

In a video message uploaded on Facebook, Asri said Loh’s 14-year-old twin daughters and 10-year-old son were “wholly immersed” in the Islamic faith and wanted to remain Muslims.

“We were told earlier that if the children returned to Loh, they could remain as Muslims. She did not mind so long she could spend time with them.

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Loh custody case: overzealous religious officials caused the problem

From P Ramasamy

It was overzealousness on the part of the religious authorities in Perlis to push ahead with (the conversion of Loh Siew Hong’s children to Islam) that is the source of the problem.

If only the religious authorities had exercised caution, investigated the family situation and ascertained her whereabouts, the matter could have been resolved.

It was not that the religious authorities in Perlis were not aware of the law on conversions of minors. They knew but decided to go ahead with the conversions thinking that the mother might not show up.

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Loh gets High Court’s nod over custody of children

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today granted single mother Loh Siew Hong’s bid for habeas corpus to recover the custody of her three children.

Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah allowed her application after hearing submissions from her lawyers and counsel appearing for preacher Nazirah Nanthakumari Abdullah.

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Whether children love Loh or not is not the issue, says lawyer

KUALA LUMPUR: The question of whether Loh Siew Hong’s children love her or not does not arise as she has sole custody, says her lawyer.

Shamsher Singh Thind said the authorities can only interfere if she abused her children.

“The issue is that the High Court has granted the biological mother sole custody and control,” he told reporters.

“After the court first issued the custody order, she didn’t get to exercise her rights.

“Certain quarters asked the children whether they love their mother (Loh). This question is non-existent.

“The parent has rights over her children (minors) unless she abuses them. That’s when the police can interfere.”

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Ensure state laws in line with Federal Court ruling, AG urged

PETALING JAYA: Attorney-General (AG) Idrus Harun needs to ensure that state laws uphold the Federal Court’s ruling against unilateral conversions, says Klang MP Charles Santiago.

Santiago said this was needed to prevent more cases of unilateral conversions by “husbands who do it out of spite”, citing the recent case involving single mother Loh Siew Hong and her three children.

“We need the AG, who has kept silent, to look into ensuring state laws are in compliance with the Federal Court order,” the DAP MP said in a statement today.

He said the Perlis religious authorities were defending unilateral conversions because it was allowed in the state’s enactment, but many were pointing out that this was unconstitutional.

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Loh’s case shouldn’t become a ‘communal contest’, says NGO group

PETALING JAYA: A coalition of more than 20 NGOs has urged all those who have commented on the unilateral conversion of Loh Siew Hong’s three children to refrain from viewing the matter as “a communal contest to determine one’s faith”.

In a statement today, Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM) warned that doing so could affect relations among the various races in the country and undermine Islam’s image.

“Loh’s children returning to their mother does not close the door to them becoming Muslims when they are adults,” said GBM chairman Badlishah Sham Baharin.

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Unilateral conversions wrong by any moral standard, says don

PETALING JAYA: The unilateral conversion of children is not just unconstitutional but also unethical, says a sociology professor following the recent case involving single mother Loh Siew Hong and her three children.

Islamic intellectual Syed Farid Alatas, a sociology professor at the National University of Singapore, said he believed many Malaysians were tired of recurring reports of unilateral conversions.

Unilateral conversion is wrong by any standard, he said, and particularly erroneous in a multiracial and multireligious Malaysia, where there was a need to maintain cordial relations and mutual understanding among different religious communities.

“Unilateral conversion is not just wrong because it goes against the Federal Constitution, but it’s wrong by any universal standard of morality. It’s unethical because children are not in a position where they can make such decisions.

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Cops probe Ramasamy’s ‘provocative’ post on Perlis religious authorities

PETALING JAYA: Police are investigating an alleged “provocative” Facebook post by Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy which linked Perlis religious authorities to various issues concerning Loh Siew Hong’s children, after receiving six police reports on the matter.

According to Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department (CID) director, Abdul Jalil Hassan, the Feb 13 post “is said to be provocative” resulting in “dissatisfaction among various parties”.

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