1. ) Pendaftar Mualaf Negeri Perlis 2. ) Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat Melayu Perlis 3. ) Dato' Arif Perkasa Dr. Mohd Asri bin Zainul Abidin (Disaman Sebagai Mufti Negeri Perlis) 4. ) Kerajaan Negeri Perlis v Loh Siew Hong

08f-35-02-2024w Federal Court (Mahkamah Persekutuan) 13 May 2024 • 08(f)-35-02/2024(W) • 22 min read
13 cases cited (0 SG, 13 foreign)

Catchwords

Section 117(b) of the Perlis Administration of the Religion of Islam Enactment unilateral conversion of children to Islam whether the Federal Court case of Indira Gandhi a/p Mutho V Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Perak & Ors and other appeals [2018] MLJU 69 is limited to Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, and Labuan, and does not apply to Perlis Dahlia Dhaima bt Abdullah v Majlis Agama Islam Selangor and another appeal [2024] 5 CLJ conversion of minors the authoritative text of the Federal Constitution is the English version whether a Certificate of Conversion to the religion of Islam shall be conclusive proof of the facts stated therein reading of the word ‘parent’ in Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution a decision made by the Syariah Courts outside their jurisdiction can be set aside by the Civil Courts consent / agreement cannot confer jurisdiction upon a court or tribunal the distinction made in Rosliza bt Ibrahim v Kerajaan Negeri Selangor & Anor [2021] MLJU 105 between ab initio and renunciation cases

Judges (3)

Abu Bakar bin Jais Delivered Nallini Pathmanathan Delivered Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat Coram

Counsel (15)

Chambers of Zainul Rijal Firm Perlis State Legal Advisor's Office Firm Srimurugan & Co Firm Aidil Khalid Counsel Appellant Ainul Wardah binti Shahidan Counsel Appellant Ali Huzaifah bin Shariff Ahmed Counsel Appellant Danial Farhan bin Zainul Rijal Counsel Appellant Gunamalar a/p Joorindanjn Counsel Respondent Haniff Khatri Counsel Appellant Hariz bin Yusoff Counsel Appellant Mohd Radhi bin Abas Counsel Appellant Shamsher Singh Thind Counsel Respondent Srimurugan a/l Alagan Counsel Respondent Thian Yee Chin Counsel Respondent Zainul Rijal bin Abu Bakar Counsel Appellant

Parties (5)

Kerajaan Negeri Perlis Applicant Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat Melayu Perlis Applicant Pendaftar Mualaf Negeri Perlis Applicant Dato' Arif Perkasa Dr. Mohd Asri bin Zainul Abidin Applicant Loh Siew Hong Respondent

Case Significance

1. ) Pendaftar Mualaf Negeri Perlis 2. ) Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat... is a Federal Court (Mahkamah Persekutuan) decision dated May 13, 2024 (citation: 08f-35-02-2024w). <p>The Federal Court considered whether the unilateral conversion of children to Islam by one parent without the other's consent, as decided in the landmark Indira Gandhi case, applies to the state of Perlis under section 117(b) of the Perlis Administration of the Religion of Islam Enactment. The case involved Loh Siew Hong's children who were converted by their father without the mother's knowledge or consent. Leave to appeal was unanimously refused, with the majority affirming the principle th The panel comprised Abu Bakar bin Jais, Nallini Pathmanathan and Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat, with Abu Bakar bin Jais delivering the judgment.

Summary

The Federal Court considered whether the unilateral conversion of children to Islam by one parent without the other's consent, as decided in the landmark Indira Gandhi case, applies to the state of Perlis under section 117(b) of the Perlis Administration of the Religion of Islam Enactment. The case involved Loh Siew Hong's children who were converted by their father without the mother's knowledge or consent. Leave to appeal was unanimously refused, with the majority affirming the principle that both parents must consent to a child's conversion, while Justice Abu Bakar reiterated that apostasy matters fall within Syariah Court jurisdiction.

What was the outcome of 1. ) Pendaftar Mualaf Negeri Perlis 2. ) Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Istiadat...?

<p>The Federal Court considered whether the unilateral conversion of children to Islam by one parent without the other's consent, as decided in the la...

Statutes Cited

Courts of Judicature Act 1964 (Cap 91)
s 96
Federal Constitution
Art 12(4) Art 160(1) Art 160B
Perlis Administration of the Religion of Islam Enactment 2006
s 112(2)

Cases Cited (13)

MY (13)
[1983] 1 MLJ 175 [2007] 4 MLJ 585 [2016] 1 MLJ 585 [2016] 6 CLJ 562 [2017] 3 MLJ 561 [2018] 1 MLJ 545 [2019] 4 MLJ 1 [2021] MLJU 105 [2021] MLJU 211 [2022] 1 MLJ 653 [2022] 3 MLJ 356 [2022] MLJU 171 [2024] 1 MLJ 851

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Malaysia Courts portal.

Read on eJudgment

Source: eJudgment (08f-35-02-2024w)