WorldWide Religious News (http://wwrn.org)
"Malaysia royalty defers ban on minors' conversion" , 1 July 2009
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) - A council of Malaysia's royalty has deferred a decision on whether to ban religious conversion of minors by one parent without the spouse's consent - a source of several interfaith disputes in this Muslim-majority nation.
A meeting of Malaysia's king and state sultans decided late Monday that they would consult Islamic authorities before deciding whether to approve a proposed amendment banning such conversions without both parents' consent.
The proposed amendment to the law was aimed at appeasing non-Muslim minorities, who feel their rights have come under threat and that they lose out in conversion disputes.
The hereditary monarchs have a largely ceremonial role in Malaysia but they are seen as the guardians of Islam, the official religion, and are revered by Muslim Malays, who make up 60 percent of the country's 28 million people.
The endorsement of the monarchs is necessary before the government can push any change in religion-related laws through Parliament.
Debate over conversions of minors flared again earlier this year when a Hindu man converted himself and his three young children to Islam and claimed custody in a Shariah court despite his Hindu wife's objection.
Malaysia has a two-tier court system - Shariah courts handle civil matters for Muslims, while secular courts rule on those for Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and other religious minorities, who make up 40 percent of the population.
It is unclear which court has the ultimate jurisdiction in disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims, and non-Muslims claim they often lose out.
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