LAW Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told Loh Siew Hong to take her fight to court, to find a solution to her three children’s unilateral conversion to Islam.

“That is the only way out. In Malaysia’s democratic process, arbitration is by the court (system),” he told FMT.

“As far as I am concerned, the final arbitrator is the court.”

His comment comes after Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin confirmed that the Perlis Religious Department registered Loh’s children as Muslims upon the request of the father three years ago – a move criticised by civil society and religious bodies.

The mufti said the conversion is legal under the state law, as according to a 2016 Perlis Islamic enactment, either the father, mother or guardian can convert their minors to Islam.

“Other states may be different, but Perlis requires only one parent,” he said in a ceramah, live-streamed on Facebook last night.

“And in this case, the children’s father wanted his kids to be converted to Islam.”

DAP’s P. Ramasamy, in response, said the enactment goes against a Federal Court ruling.

Not only is it contradicting the apex court’s decision, the state is also acting beyond the powers afforded to it under the Federal Constitution, he added.

“Religious conversion is not a zero-sum game; it is in accordance with the law. The Federal Court ruling must be adhered to in the best interest of Loh and her children,” he said in a statement.

The Penang deputy chief minister II is referring to the 2018 apex court decision to nullify the unilateral conversions of M. Indira Gandhi’s three children by her husband, saying that any religious conversion involving minors requires the consent of both parents.

Loh is Hindu and raised her children as Hindus. She claimed spousal abuse before separating from her husband.

Loh’s estranged husband abducted their children while she was in hospital in 2019. He is currently in prison in Kelantan.

She has full legal custody of her children, following a ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in March last year. – February 18, 2022.