Perlis Mufti Finding 'Other Legal Ways' To Maintain Islamic Conversion Of Hindu Mum's Kids
In a video uploaded on Facebook, Asri said Loh's children were "wholly immersed" in the Islamic faith and wanted to remain Muslims.
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Perlis mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has said he is looking for 'other legal means' to maintain his state's unilateral conversion of single mother Loh Siew Hong's three children
He made the statement following High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah's ruling earlier today, 21 February, to immediately release Loh's children to be reunited with her.
"We are not surprised by the decision on the custody rights," Asri was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
"What we are defending is the Islamisation of the children, if they want to continue to embrace Islam. We are looking at other measures in terms of the law," he said.
Loh, her children, and Bagan Dalam assemblyman Satees Muniandy (left), lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind (back), and Seberang Perai councillor P David Marshel (right).
Image via David Marshel (Facebook)
In a video uploaded on Facebook, Asri said Loh's children were "wholly immersed" in the Islamic faith and wanted to remain Muslims
"We were previously told that if the children returned to Loh, they could remain Muslims," he said in the video.
"She didn't mind as long as she could spend time with them."
"If they give up Islam of their own accord or feel betrayed by their father who converted them, that is beyond our control."
Asri added that he did not want this to be a case where a parent promised to keep their children as Muslims only to flee to a foreign country or "water down" the children's faith.
The Perlis mufti also claimed that the children refused to go back to their mother
Asri again stressed that, despite the children being brought to the Kangar police station to be handed over to Loh last week, they refused to follow their mother.
"Then Loh agreed that they be cared for by the Social Welfare Department, and they were taken to Kedah instead of Perlis," he said.
"We never stopped their mother from meeting them."
On Sunday, 20 February, Loh's attorney Shamsher Singh Thind said that the children's conversion would be challenged by a judicial review, according to Free Malaysia Today.
Besides the fact that they were converted without the consent of their mother, who had full custody over them, Shamsher said there would be further problems if their conversions were not quashed.
A video clip posted by Malaysian Tamilar Kural showed the children saying that after three years being separated from Loh, they wanted to return to their mother.
Image via Malaysian Tamilar Kural (Facebook)
This morning, Loh was granted a writ of habeus corpus, which allowed the single mother to regain custody of her children after three years of separation
Loh's application named Islamic non-governmental organisation (NGO) Hidayah Center Foundation operator Nazirah Nanthakumari Abdullah as the respondent for the alleged unlawful detention of her 14-year-old twin daughters and 10-year-old son.
It was reported that the children had been handed over to the respondent by Loh's estranged husband, who is now in prison over a drug offence.
Read more about the case here:
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