Malaysia conversion laws not enough, lawyer says

[Coventina]

Source: Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia needs to enact a law to ban forced conversions, a controversial issue in this mainly Muslim country, rather than just relying on rulings from ministers, according to lawyers for a women fighting custody.

An ethnic Indian Malaysian woman, Indira Gandhi, whose estranged husband embraced Islam and converted their children to the religion, is fighting to get them back.

Malaysia's law ministry last week said that it had banned forced conversions, saying the religion of the parents when they married applied to children, but Gandhi's husband has said that civil laws do not apply as the conversions were approved by a sharia court.

"If they (Muslims) do not submit themselves to the civil court, where is the remedy for the non-Muslim? where is the equality in law?," Gandhi's lawyer, A. Sivanesan, told a press conference.



Read more: http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-39346420090430

[msongs]

1. non-equality IS THE POINT in this sort of thing - "their" religion is better than yours nt

[bertman]

3. Not to mention that Gawd is on their side AND making the rules.

[get the red out]

2. How horrible

being forced by law to have the same religion as your parents no matter what.