RELIGIOUS groups are urging Putrajaya to reintroduce clause preventing unilateral conversions that was omitted by the former government.

They want clause 88A of the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (LRA) to be brought back.

The act states that a child should remain in the religion he or she was raised in before one parent converted.

Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism president R.S. Mohan Shan said that it was crucial because single parents were not allowed to convert their child.

“Previously, they (Barisan Nasional) amended the law without consulting us.

“Now that Pakatan Harapan is the government, they can make the amendments and bring the clause back,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Yesterday, former de facto law minister Azalina Othman Said challenged Putrajaya to reintroduce the clause to prevent the unilateral conversion of children by a Muslim-convert parent.

She said that PH can make amendments regarding the clause now they are in power.

Azalina said that PH had to be committed, as the move would resolve many misunderstandings over the issue.

Mohan said that they had been fighting for it for a long time, even before the M. Indira Gandhi case.

“Unfortunately, BN did not do it.

“There is no reason now for PH to not bring it back and get it approved, since Parliament is in session.”

One of the recent cases involved kindergarten teacher Indira, whose three children were converted to Islam by her ex-husband.

The civil and shariah courts had issued conflicting custody orders for the children.

Earlier this year, the Federal Court ruled that the unilateral conversion of the three children were null and void.

The decision drew mixed reactions from lawyers and Muslim groups. They said the judgment could be used by the government to bring clause 88A back into the LRA.

Amendments to the LRA were passed in August last year without clause 88A, drawing flak from PH, the then-opposition.

The clause was dropped from LRA because it was said to have contravened the federal constitution. – July 27, 2018.