Members of the Sikh community has expressed concern over the unsubstantiated conversion of a Punjabi woman who died on April 1 after sustaining head injuries in Penang.
Pertubuhan Belia Sikh Pulau Pinang advisor Harjinder Singh said the community wants to clear the air and put the record straight about the matter as it does not wish to create havoc among the different races in the country.
“We just want to get the truth and we have come to an understanding with the Penang Mufti Department after we met their officials this morning,” he said at a press conference today.
Harjinder and several others have met with the head of the fatwa department Mohd Hanif Omar, and two other officers Mohamad Zaki Abdul Halim and Fakhrurazi Md Mahadzir in Komtar, today.
The meeting was positive and harmonious, as the Mufti Department officers were open for discussion, said Harjinder.
As Penang Mufti Wan Salim Mohd Noor was in Kuala Lumpur today, the Sikhs will be meeting him for a more "serious discussion" on Friday at 3pm.
“Firstly, we have decided that only we - the Sikh community and the Mufti Department - can issue statements, not anyone else so that there will be no hanky-panky in the matter," he added.
Harjinder said the meeting with the Penang Mufti Department is to ensure that a similar misunderstanding does not recur in the future so that religious harmony can be preserved in the state.
'No proof of conversion'
“If Surinder Kaur Bedi had truly converted to Islam, and there is proof, we have no issues with her being buried according to Muslim rites.
“However, if she is still a Sikh, we would like to exhume the body so we can bury her according to Sikh rites,” Harjinder said.
Harjinder noted that the Penang Islamic Department (JAIPP) had not registeredSurinder's conversion.
Asked what rights they have over Surinder’s family to claim the body, Harjinder said, “The family may have rights over her body, but not her religion.
“As Sikhs, we have the right to preserve our religion and protect our believers,” Harjinder said.
Asked if she was a practising Sikh, Harjinder said he cannot confirm but pointed out that she had stayed a Sikh for 37 years although her family - parents and siblings - have converted to Islam 20 to 25 years ago.
“We do not monitor who comes and goes into our temples, so we do not want to say if she were a practising Sikh or not.
“The fact remains that her new identity card carries her Sikh name, and there are no records of her conversion,” Harjinder told reporters in Bayan Baru today.
He said another proof she remained Sikh is that she was officially recognised by the National Registration Department in her new identity card.
Surinder was unconscious
Harjinder then highlighted several “doubtful” points that the Sikhs raised with the Mufti Department, including Surinder being totally unconscious from the time she was injured until her death in the Penang General Hospital.
Another point of contention is that Surinder's purported conversion was endorsed in the mufti's letter on April 1, the same day she had died.
Harjinder said the mufti’s department was also asked about Muslim conversion procedures and whether they had complied with it in Surinder's case.
He also queried whether Surinder's brother Imran Khan Mohamad Qurban Ali's testimony that his sister declared her faith in front of him can hold water.
“It is just their words against ours. There must be something in black and white, proper procedures to follow.
“She was unconscious, so how did she convert?” he asked.
Harjinder said he and two others had lodged a police report to seek a further investigation into the case.
He added that the police and told him that the body was released to Surinder’s family on basis of the mufti’s letter, and no one had since sought to claim the body.
Other than Harjinder, others present were Pertubuhan Belia Sikh Pulau Pinang president Hardeep Singh, and members Naamjit Singh, Sarvinder Kaur, and Shaarad Ram Singh. - Mkini
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