KUALA LUMPUR – Parties claiming that unrest could occur if police enforce a Federal Court ruling in a unilateral conversion case must consider if they are upholding the Constitution with the warning, said a federal lawmaker.
Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, who represented Hindu mother M. Indira Gandhi in successfully reversing the unilateral conversion of her three children, said loyal citizens would respect the decision made by the country’s highest court.
“Individuals or groups contending that giving effect to the Federal Court’s decision of January 29 would invite violence must pause to consider whether their stance accords with a citizen’s duty to uphold the constitution,” he said in a statement.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Association of Muslim Scholars (PUM) warned that religious violence could erupt if authorities hunt down Indira’s ex-husband Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, who is currently in hiding with the couple’s youngest child Prasana Diksa, despite an existing court order.
“Several years ago when the apex court ruled against Lina Joy in the matter of her renunciation of Islam, the then Prime Minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in a public reaction, urged all citizens to respect the law. In other words, he urged citizens to accept the court’s decision, thereby adhering to the constitution,” Kulasegaran said.
“No loyal citizen could do otherwise and stay faithful to the constitution,” he added.
In a unanimous judgment on Monday, the Federal Court ruled that unilateral conversions are unlawful and that a matter being under the jurisdiction of Shariah Courts does not exclude the jurisdiction of civil courts on the same issue.
Kulasegaran also asserted that the overall judgement validates the interpretation that the constitution is secular in nature.
– http://www.themalaymailonline.com/
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