YOURSAY | ‘Instead of banning unilateral conversion, you’re now trying to patronise the victims.’

Azalina to convert dads: 'Man up, don't hide behind syariah judge'

Quigonbond: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said has stated that the amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (LRA) would enable male Muslim converts whose marriages end as a result of their conversion to do the right thing by dissolving their union at a civil court. She said Muslim converts should not use Islam as an excuse to shirk their responsibilities.

This is a pointless exercise by the minister. The issue clearly isn't whether the convert wants to be heard in a civil court where the wife would get a fair chance at custody. The situation is one where the male convert abuses the syariah legal system to obtain custody of his child through unilateral conversion.

It has been clearly demonstrated that even the inspector-general of police will defy a civil court order to arrest that man for contempt of court when he refuses to surrender the child to the mother.

The convert has no wish or desire to be subject to civil courts. So why is Azalina chiding those male converts to "man up"? That's just sanctimonious nonsense to aggrieved mothers like M Indira Gandhi.

The prime minister recently said his government is not a "populist" one. This failure has just upended his assertion. At every turn, the government keeps assuming that Malay Muslims are inherently unappreciative of universal values of fairness.

SusahKes: 'Man up' you say, Azalina. The reason why there are men who shirk their responsibilities as such is because existing laws have loopholes that enable them to do so.

All you need is some conscientious tweaks to set things right. But then, doing it right is not what BN is known for, nor is it the main priority of Malaysian Official 1, is it?

Almost everywhere, we see BN applying a ‘tarik tali’ (tug of war) approach with Malaysians when it comes to religious sensitivities, from backpedalling on the 10-point solution issued on the use of the term “Allah”, to allowing two sets of laws on the matter for Peninsular and East Malaysia, creating a fuss about paint brushes, and raising anxiety levels with possible amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355).

Seriously, these issues are being allowed to be played up more for political expediency than anything else. In other words, justice be damned as long as the incumbent's political hegemony is maintained.

Legit: Azalina, it's like you are pinching the child and then singing a lullaby to him or her.

You have caused untold misery to M Indira Gandhi, Deepa Subramaniam and any future parents by removing the new Section 88A in the LRA, which would have banned unilateral religious conversion of a child by a parent, and now you are trying to patronise these people.

Would it not be a simple and a fair solution to incorporate Section 88A into the law, rather than asking these cowards to man up?

At the end of the day, it is all politics. You and your government have no compassion for the people whom you are supposed to serve. And PAS comes up with the ludicrous argument that the Muslim converts suffer too.

David Dass: This is the issue. “Man up,” you say. Then make these converts do the right thing.

No conversion without resolving issues relating to property rights, maintenance and custody.

These are irresponsible unfeeling individuals that do not deserve protection by the Islamic authorities.

Is it right that a mother should be deprived of her children because her husband has converted to Islam? Is she to be denied the protection that the law has accorded to her as a non-Muslim? This is as absurd as it is unjust.

MyMalaysia: May I say “man up” to all the MPs in BN? You talk like it is nuclear science to resolve this matter.

Hang Babeuf: Is this the best, Azalina, that you and the government in which you serve can do? If you think so, then you are clearly not up to the job you hold.

And if you see that one might do better, then you are not faithfully and honestly and responsibly discharging the public office that you hold. Which one is it?

Truthseeker: To be fair, there should be a law that compels would-be converts to declare their marital status and make sure they divorce their wives (with valid reasons) in civil court. Failing that, the Islamic authorities should not accept the request for conversion.

On top of that, the would-be converts should be made to be responsible for alimony and child care expenses. All should be done in a transparent manner. Otherwise, irresponsible fathers would use conversion as an escape route to abandon their families.

Kubang: My heart weeps for the young, innocent children whose lives have been irretrievably changed, and not always for the better, by a selfish, inhumane and heartless parent, facilitated by an uncaring, hypocritical and self-serving government.

Muslims converts do not suffer; the law will not permit this

David Dass: It is such a simple problem. The couple are non-Muslims who married under civil law. Their children are children born out of a civil law marriage. They are both Hindus. They raised their children as Hindus.

When the husband decides that he wants to become a Muslim, let him terminate his marriage pursuant to the civil law. That is the law under which he got married. That is the contract he made with his wife. It is both a civil law contract as well as a social contract. Let the civil court decide on the divorce, division of matrimonial property, maintenance and custody.

Custody will generally be given to the mother. And the children will be raised by her as Hindus until they reach the age of majority. They can then decide what religion they want to follow. Let the father then convert to Islam. The mother cannot lose her children when she is not at fault.

And it is wrong for minor children to be converted by the unilateral act of the father. The consent of the mother should be required.

Rick Teo: All these are a consequence of weak leadership. It is abominable that a child is forcibly converted at an early age and has no freedom to change his/her religion when they reach adulthood.

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