The Cabinet decides: Children should follow the faith that the parents had agreed on at the time of marriage.
Dr Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad, writing on human rights and religion in IKIM Views, comments “One must know for example that freedom of religious conversion enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is antithetical to Islam.
Islam has its own way of dealing with such an issue. No one has the right to interfere in matters they do not understand.”
“In Islam, when the father or mother is a Muslim, the child automatically becomes Muslim unless the child is above 15 years old and can choose his own religion.” said Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria, Perak mufti.
Majlis Amal Islami Malaysia (MAIM) Chairman, Datuk Mohd Nakhaie Ahmad said the interference of non-Islamic consultative councils, especially in the case of M. Indira Gandhi and her husband, Ridhuan Abdullah, who converted their three children to Islam without her consent, will complicate matters and create tension in the relationship among all religions.
Mohd Nakhaie said the non-Islamic consultative council is not qualified to uphold justice in this case because its stand on religious conversion is unfair and biased.
He said one of the best ways to overcome the problem is to give Mohd Ridhuan a chance to persuade his wife to also convert to Islam and settle their problems created by the conversion.
These three responses are certainly negative! In such a situation we are reminded of how Jesus Christ taught us to pray: ‘Our Father in heaven…your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ (Matthew 6: 9-10)
The Micah Mandate is a Christian-based public interest advocacy ministry that seeks a transformation of our nation through justice, mercy and humility.
