WITH the case of unilateral conversion of Loh Siew Hong’s kids raging, PAS has now entered the foray and called for the children’s “faith and welfare to be protected”.
“I support the efforts made by the Perlis religious authority and their mufti to protect the children’s faith. At the same time, we cannot deny the mother’s right to visit her children.
“Therefore, I urge Syarie lawyers to study our laws to ensure the children’s faith and welfare are not neglected,” its youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said, in a Facebook post.
Loh, who has been granted sole custody of her children, has been disallowed from taking back her children by the Social Welfare Department (JKM) despite having an order from the High Court.
It was said that while she was being sheltered by the JKM following abuse from her ex-husband, Nagahswaran Muniandy, the latter had took away her children and converted them to Islam unilaterally.
Nagashwaran is now in prison for drug-related offences.
Perlis mufti Datuk Seri Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin had defended the unilateral conversion, citing it was in line with the state enactment.
However, it is to note that the Federal Court, in 2018, had ruled that a minor can only be converted only with the consent from both parents.
Loh had filed a habeas corpus on the matter, which will be heard by the High Court tomorrow.
On that note, Ahmad Fadhli criticised Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy for harping on the matter and urged him not to use “sensitive words”.
“Don’t incite racial or religious issues here. Nobody was forced, kidnapped or whatsoever in this case. I urge the Penang Deputy Chief Minister to not use such words,” he remarked. – Feb 20, 2022.
