‘Hindu' bride DOES NOT need parental consent to leave Islam - experts

PETALING JAYA - Legal experts have come out in support of the Hindu bride, whose wedding was recently disrupted by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS), following her father's claim that he would not allow her to change her name or religion status.

Association of Women Lawyers president Meera Samanther told theSun today Zarena Abdul Majeed does not need either her father's or mother's consent to change her name or religion as she is now an adult.

Furthermore, Meera said, Zarena's father, Abdul Majeed Gulam Kader, had unilaterally converted his daughter to Islam when she was a child without her mother's consent.

Zarena, 32, had claimed that she and her siblings had been secretly converted by her Muslim convert father when they were children, but they have long been practising Hindus, since he divorced their mother and abandoned the family over 20 years ago.

However, Abdul Majeed had contradicted Zarena's statement, claiming she was born to Muslim parents after her mother converted to marry him in 1979.

Meera said despite Abdul Majeed's allegations, under the law, the conversion would need to include the mother's consent as she has equal rights over their daughter's upbringing and guardianship "which includes deciding the religion of the child".

"The NRD (National Registration Department) also has no jurisdiction to stop Zarena from changing her status as the organisation is a government agency, not an Islamic body," she said.

Lawyers for Liberty founder Eric Paulssen was also of the view that although Zarena is declared a Muslim, "it should not stop her from taking up matters with the NRD or the syariah jurisdiction, regarding her predicament".

He said Zarena could file a petition in either the civil or syariah courts on the basis that she has never been a practising Muslim. -Sundaily