Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Single mum hopes AG won’t oppose suit over children’s conversion

 

Single mother Loh Siew Hong has a genuine grievance and arguable case, says her lawyer.

KUALA LUMPUR: Single mother Loh Siew Hong, who is seeking a declaration that her former husband is legally unfit to convert their minor children to Islam, hopes that Attorney-General Idrus Harun will not oppose her leave application for a judicial review.

Her lawyer, A Srimurugan, said Loh had a genuine grievance and an arguable case.

“We hope the attorney-general will not oppose her application on grounds that it is frivolous and an abuse of the court process,” he told FMT

Judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh will hear the leave application via an online proceeding on May 17.

Srimurugan said sealed copies of court documents will be served on the attorney-general at his office in Putrajaya in a day or two.

The attorney-general, who is the guardian of public interest, could oppose a leave application, but eventually, the decision is with the court.

Loh, who filed the application in the High Court last week, is also asking for a declaration that a provision in the Perlis state enactment that allows a parent to unilaterally convert minor children is unconstitutional.

She also wants a declaration that her twin daughters and son are of the Hindu faith and were legally incapable of embracing Islam without her consent.

She named the registrar of mualaf, the Religious and Malay Customs Council of Perlis, state mufti Asri Zainul Abidin and the state government as respondents.

The names of the children and their photos cannot be published because of a gag order issued by the High Court two weeks ago.

On Feb 21, High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah granted Loh’s habeas corpus application to regain custody of her children from preacher Nazirah Nanthakumari Abdullah.

Loh contended that she had obtained a civil court order giving her custody, care and control of her children.

She claimed she came to know that her children were placed under Nazirah’s care and alleged that Nazirah refused to let her meet them. - FMT

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