The Malaysian Gurdwaras Council (MGC) has described Negeri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department director Johani Hassan'sassertion that only one parent's consent is needed to convert a child to Islam as "morally wrong".
"This is not only unconstitutional but morally wrong and unconscionable, said MGC president Jagir Singh in a statement yesterday.
"Johani must search his conscience. How would he feel if his young children were converted without his consent?
"Justice and fairness do not allow you to apply one rule to yourself and another rule for others," he said.
If this was the case, Jagir added it would see each parent converting their children back and forth in a bid to win custody over them.
"Since the federal constitution is the supreme law and if you interpret to say one parent can convert (the children), then no one can stop conversions and reconversions taking place everyday. This would be absurd," he said.
He also echoed Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasageran's call for the government to uphold a 2009 cabinet decision to ensure that a one parent cannot convert a child without the consent of the other.
Jagir added that even the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) had in 2009 concurred that a child who has not reached the age of majority cannot be burdened with the responsibility of accepting something he did not understand.
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