After Perak mufti’s remarks, Speaker says outsiders should mind their own business
(MMO) – Non-lawmakers should not meddle in Parliament’s affairs, said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia following remarks by the Perak mufti.
Pandikar reportedly said the federal government would have given careful consideration and consulted legal experts as well as religious experts before tabling a Bill or proposed changes in Parliament.
He added that once a Bill is included in the Order Paper, external parties including the judiciary should no longer try to intervene in the lawmaking process.
“But in Malaysia, it is our culture (to interfere),” he was quoted saying to local daily Berita Harian.
He was commenting on Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria’s call for the federal government to postpone the tabling of a proposed law amendment that will prohibit the unilateral conversion of children to Islam.
Yesterday, Harussani claimed that the proposed amendment was unconstitutional and against Islamic laws.
Putrajaya is expected to table the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) Bill 2016 for second reading in Parliament this meeting, the highlight being the inclusion of a new Section 88A that explicitly states that “both parties” in a civil marriage must agree for the conversion of a minor into Islam.
Specifically addressing the “Religion of a Child” in civil marriages where one spouse has converted to Islam, the amendment also said that the child will remain in the religion of the parents at the time of marriage until the child is 18 years old, when he may choose his own religion.
Custodial tussles in cases of unilateral child conversions have been a growing concern over the years and provide a high-profile glimpse of the concerns of Malaysia’s religious minorities over the perceived dominance of Islam in the country.
It also highlights the complications of Malaysia’s dual legal systems where Muslims are bound by both civil and Shariah laws, but where only civil court rulings apply to non-Muslims.
