YOURSAY | Wrong to ‘manipulate’ children in conversion row

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Court rejects Maips’ bid to intervene in Loh Siew Hong’s divorce proceedings

KUALA LUMPUR – The high court has thrown out an application by the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maips) that sought leave to be made a party to the divorce proceedings of Loh Siew Hong and her incarcerated ex-husband Nagashwaran Muniandy.


Judge Evrol Mariette Peters’ ruling on the matter effectively bars Maips from access to Loh’s three underage children, who were unilaterally converted to Islam by their father.

According to Malaysiakini, Peters noted that Maips had failed to prove that it is an interested party concerning the children’s well-being and that the religious body failed to seek the views of Nagashwaran in their attempt to modify Loh’s custody order over her children.

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Ordeal not over for single mum whose children were converted unilaterally

KUALA LUMPUR: Loh Siew Hong says her husband brutally abused her, battering her over the head and breaking her ankle, before running off with their children and converting them to Islam.

After a long legal battle, Loh was finally reunited with her 14-year-old twin daughters and 11-year-old son in February when a court ruled in her favour.

But the ordeal has taken a heavy toll.

“It was torture for me,” the 35-year-old told AFP of the long period separated from her children.

“I used to wonder whether my children had enough food and enough sleep. I used to worry whether my ex-husband was beating and torturing them like he used to do to me.”

It is the latest case in multi-ethnic Malaysia of a so-called “unilateral conversion” to Islam — one parent converting a child’s religion without the other’s permission.

The issue has become another battleground between increasingly vocal Islamist hardliners and those seeking to defend the rights of minorities.

While the communities mostly live harmoniously, critics say decades of policies favouring Malays have strained relations, with the country’s traditionally moderate version of Islam losing ground to creeping radicalisation.

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Loh Siew Hong allowed to proceed with bid to quash her kids’ unilateral conversion

KUALA LUMPUR – Single mother Loh Siew Hong can proceed with her bid to quash the unilateral conversion to Islam of her three children, the Kuala Lumpur High Court has ruled.

Malaysiakini reported that the court today granted leave to Loh’s judicial review application to nullify the conversion of the children by her former husband, Muhammad Nagashwaran Muniandy, a Muslim convert.

Judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, in allowing the leave, said Loh was within the time period to file her judicial review. She had filed the action on March 23, after receiving confirmation about her children’s conversion on March 4. – The Vibes, August 1, 2022

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Loh Siew Hong allowed to initiate committal proceedings over kids’ unilateral conversion

KUALA LUMPUR – The high court here today granted an ex-parte application for leave by single mother Loh Siew Hong to initiate committal proceedings against her ex-husband Muhammad Nagahswaran Muniandy, who has been accused of abducting their three children and registering them as Muslim converts without her consent.

Judge Evrol Mariette Peters allowed the application after hearing arguments by Gunamalar Joorindanjn, who was representing Loh as the petitioner.

Earlier, Gunamalar told the court that Muhammad Nagahswaran, the respondent, violated a court order when he abducted their three children – a pair of 14-year-old twin girls and a 10-year-old boy.

He said Muhammad Nagahswaran has known from the beginning that Loh had been given sole custody, care and control of their children, but they ended up being taken from the mother without her consent.

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Maips may intervene in custody of Loh Siew Hong’s unilaterally converted kids: CoA

KUALA LUMPUR – The Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maips) is allowed to intervene and variegate the custody order granted to single mother Loh Siew Hong for her three unilaterally converted children, the Court of Appeal ruled today.

In a unanimous decision, judge Datuk Has Zenah Mehat who led a three-member bench, said the law on intervention is governed by Order 15 Rule 6(2) of Court 2012 read with Section 96 of the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976.

“A reading of these two provisions would confer upon the applicant (Maips) a legal right to intervene, premise upon their power pursuant to Section 7 of the Perlis administration of Islamic Enactment.

“We will, therefore, allow the appeal and set aside the order of the high court on June 15, 2022,” she was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini when delivering the verdict at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya today. – The Vibes, February 7, 2023

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Loh Siew Hong’s ex-husband gets fined RM20,000 for contempt of court

KUALA LUMPUR – The high court here has fined Muslim convert Muhammad Nagahswaran Muniandy, who was accused of abducting his three children and unilaterally converting them to Islam, RM20,000 for contempt of court.

Muhammad Nagahswaran has been given 14 days to pay up, otherwise, he will face two weeks in jail.

Justice Evrol Mariette Peters also ordered Muhammad Nagahswaran to pay former wife Loh Siew Hong RM6,000 in costs.

The judge said he had interfered with the administration of justice, reported Bernama.

She made the ruling after allowing Loh’s application to initiate committal proceedings against Muhammad Nagahswaran.

In the application, Loh claimed that there was a court order that granted her sole custody over her three children – a pair of 15-year-old twin girls and an 11-year-old boy – on March 31, 2021, which was violated by her ex-husband. – The Vibes, April 5, 2023

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Loh Siew Hong loses bid to quash kids’ conversion to Islam

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today dismissed single mother Loh Siew Hong’s attempt to nullify the unilateral conversion of her three children to Islam by their father.

Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said there was no evidence that the three children had stopped professing Islam.

“The applicant did not deny the assertion (by her former husband) that the children continued professing the religion of Islam in performing daily ‘subuh’ prayers when they were in custody,” Wan Farid said.

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Court dismisses MAIPs’ bid to provide Islamic education to Loh’s kids

KUALA LUMPUR – The High Court here today dismissed the application by the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPs) to have access to Hindu mother Loh Siew Hong's three children.

MAIPs had wanted access to the twin girls, aged 15, and an 11-year-old boy once a fortnight for them to be provided religious education and to participate in religious celebrations.

Family High Court judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz said the ruling was subsequent to the findings from interviews she had conducted with the children in person on Sept 27.

She also said MAIPs's application was not in the best interest of the children.

It was reported that Loh's former husband and Muslim convert Muhammad Nagahswaean Muniandy converted their three children in 2020 without her consent.

The judge also said the children wished to stay with their mother and that problems began when their father got involved in drugs and abused Loh.

“They were separated from their mother for almost three years. They are very happy going to school now and undergoing co-curricular activities.
“They told me they do not wish to be Muslim,” she said in her ruling.

J. Gunamalar appeared for Loh, while Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla appeared for MAIPs. - The Vibes, October 11, 2023