Activist Decries Alleged Harassment Of Mum In Conversion Suit

---

 



Activist Arun Dorasamy has urged religious authorities in Johor to stand down after its officers allegedly harassed a plaintiff involved in a lawsuit to overturn unilateral conversion laws.
He said it is the plaintiff’s right as a Malaysian to file a case in any court of her choice, and the Johor Islamic Religious Department should let the court hear the case’s merits and deliver its judgment on the matter.
“This is harassment and is uncalled for; it is illegal and amounts to tampering witnesses. This is also utterly in contempt of court.
“They should know this very well,” he told a press conference in Petaling Jaya, Selangor today.
Arun (above), who is chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Action Team, is one of 14 plaintiffs in the lawsuit to nullify unilateral conversion laws in the Federal Territories and seven states including Johor.
The issue of unilateral conversion made headlines in recent years after the children of Hindu mother M Indira Gandhi were unilaterally converted to Islam without her knowledge or consent by her Muslim convert ex-husband.
Yesterday, five officers from the Kota Tinggi Islamic Religious Council supposedly visited one of the plaintiffs in the suit (name withheld for safety reasons) to scold her and question her role in the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiff claimed to practice Hinduism and that she was a victim of unilateral conversion.
The officers also allegedly interrogated her three children - aged four to nine - about whether they knew about Islam.
The Johor Islamic Religious Department has yet to respond to the allegations.
Arun said the woman was shaken by the incident and another plaintiff had expressed concerns about her safety.
Nevertheless, the woman in the Johor incident has lodged a police report about it today.
Arun said he will meet the woman soon, while their lawyer aims to file papers to initiate contempt proceedings against the Johor Islamic Religious Department on Monday. - Mkini

---