The Sun (Sun2Surf)(http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=49398)
Conversion issue: Govt still waiting for feedback, 14 July 2010
by:Husna Yusop and Hemnanthani Sivanandam (Wed, 14 Jul 2010)
KUALA LUMPUR (July 14, 2010): THE government is still awaiting feedback from the various state Islamic Religious Councils on proposed amendments to three laws with a view to alleviate inter-religious conflicts arising of conversions.
The amendments will only be tabled in Parliament once the councils give their consent, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said in a written reply to R. Sivarasa (PKR-Subang).
"Since the proposed legislative amendments touch on the rights and interests of Muslims in the country, the government had agreed for them to be tabled first at a special meeting of the Rulers Council held in Istana Negara on June 29 last year.
"Following a decision of the Rulers Council, the government had forwarded the proposed amendments to all state Islamic councils to obtain their views and agreement.
"Only when the councils have agreed to this, will the amendments be tabled in parliament," he said.
The proposed amendments are to the Law Reform Act (Marriage and Divorce) 1976, Administration of Islamic Law Act (Federal Territories) 1993 and Islamic Family Law Act (Federal Territories) 1984.
Nazri said the amendments were proposed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) which has been tasked to study the matter following the government’s effort to comprehensively address the issues arising from religious conversions.
Sivarasa had asked whether the government was prepared to resolve disputes of non-Muslim families where the husband who had embraced Islam tried to convert the children to Islam without the consent of the wife by taking the case to the civil courts.
He also asked whether the right to determine the religion of a child if both parties cannot reach an agreement, will be given to the party given custody by the court.
Nazri said the government was aware that conversion to Islam by a spouse can raise various inter-religious conflicts, specifically in matters relating to custody and determination of religious status of children below 18 years old.
"The government is always giving serious attention to this issue and working to find the best formula to resolve disputes arising from religious conversions," he said, adding a special committee comprising Syariah and civil legal experts has been established by the AGC to specifically study, discuss and find the best approach to solve issues arising from religious conversions.
Its members include the state Muftis, Islamic Development Department, Syariah Judiciary Department, Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia, Syariah and civil legal practitioners, representatives from Umno, MIC and MCA, academicians, Bar Council, Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia, Movement for a Just World and the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism.
He added that the AGC had prepared the proposed amendments based on feedback received from the committee members. -- theSun
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