Perlis conversion Bill a step backward - MIC
Suganthi Suparmaniam
December 9, 2016 14:33 MYT
December 9, 2016 14:33 MYT
He said the MIC considered the amendment as acts against the fundamental rights of the child.
MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam condemned the Perlis State assembly’s amendment yesterday which would allow unilateral conversion of a child to Islam.
Dr Subramaniam said the amendment is a major step backward to religious harmony in this country.
“The Perlis state government has now opened the door for breast feeding infants to be snatched from their mothers and be rushed to the religious department for conversion and be deprived of the mothers’ love and attention,” he said in a press statement.
He said the MIC considered the amendment as acts against the fundamental rights of the child.
“Every child has a right to the mothers love as well as to the mother's milk. Why is the Perlis State digging a grave to this and denying the child of the love of both parents?,” he questioned.
He said the issue of unilateral conversion of minors has been a thorn in the inter-religious relationships in the country.
On Nov 22, the federal government had tabled an amendment to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act which will put an end to the unilateral conversion of children.
The amendment, tabled by Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, specifically states that both parents must give consent for their child to be converted to Islam.
The second hearing of the bill will be tabled next year.