No one should underestimate a mother’s love for her children, because when she is faced with a threat which will undermine her family, she will do anything to protect her children.

Single mother Loh Swee Hong, whose three children had been unlawfully converted by her former husband, has enough challenges bringing up her children on her own without being harassed by the state government of Perlis and various state religious bodies.

She has been in and out of court numerous times, trying to challenge the unilateral conversion of her children.

Although the determined Loh has managed to overcome many obstacles to nullify the unlawful conversion of her children, the state government and its religious bodies have been equally relentless in their efforts to reverse all that Loh has successfully achieved.

They keep dragging her to court, time and again.

The state is abusing its power by its heavy-handed actions on a single mother, whose only weapons are her faith and her courage.

It is disgraceful that the religious might of the state is pitted against the rights of one individual.

This state sanctioned bullying must stop. Why has no minister or religious person spoken up about this harassment?

This conversion may be a state issue, but the Madani administration or the Minister for Religious Affairs, Naim Mokhtar, should warn the state about flexing its religious might against law-abiding citizens.

On the 8th of April, the rakyat’s faith in the judiciary was restored when the Federal Court rejected the bid by the Perlis government to reinstate the religion of Loh’s children to Islam.

In 2020, they had been unlawfully converted by their convert father who failed to seek his former wife’ permission for the conversion.

Despite lodging an application at the High Court to declare that the conversion had violated Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution, Loh failed in her bid. The High Court upheld the conversion.

A determined Loh refused to give up. Her persistence and determination finally yielded results when on 10 January 2024, the Court of Appeal judged that the conversion had violated Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution.

This did not stop the Perlis government from continuing its bid to uphold the unilateral conversion.

Its officials lodged an appeal at the Federal Court, but on 14 May, 2024, the Federal Court rejected the state’s leave to appeal.

Undeterred, the Perlis state government again sought a review at the Federal Court to rehear the leave application.

Yesterday, the Perlis state administration was denied its review.

The state government of Perlis, the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council, the State Registrar of Converts and State Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, were determined to exercise their religious might over the rights of the individual, Loh.

They wanted to dictate to her the terms of how her children should be brought up; but their efforts were halted when yesterday’s three-person panel of the Federal Court bench, chaired by the Chief Judge of Malaya Hasnah Mohammed Hashim and her fellow judges, Nordin Hassan and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, dismissed the review by the Perlis government.

Judge Hasnah said that there had been no miscarriage of justice.

The Perlis state officials wanted to nullify the Court of Appeal’s earlier ruling of 10 January, 2024, which had nullified the unilateral conversion and restored the religion of Loh’s children religion as Hindu.

The action of the Perlis state government is deeply concerning.

They refuse to leave Loh and her children alone, and let her rebuild their lives without any further intrusion.

Conversion is not a numbers game. Did Loh’s convert husband sincerely want to become Muslim, or was he attracted by alleged benefits which were probably denied him as a non-Muslim?

Was he seduced by the preaching of errant muftis who falsely claim that Muslims are fast-tracked to heaven?

For taking on the state and the powerful institutions, Loh deserves our utmost respect. She took on a powerful institution and influential people in Perlis.

She has limited funds and resources, but armed with her grit determination and persistence, and empowered by the goodwill and support of many Malaysians, Loh had no qualms about challenging the state.

Malaysians may have overlooked one other equally important issue in Loh’s case.

In 2019, her abusive former husband attacked her with a hammer, resulting in serious head wounds and broken bones in her hands.

During her hospitalisation, he abducted their children, converted them, and kept their whereabouts secret.

Was her former husband ever punished for the domestic violence assault?

Sources:

1. New Straits Times: Former husband of single mom in unilateral conversion case claims trial to domestic violence charge
2. The Star: Apex court rejects Perlis govt’s review bid to reinstate Loh’s children as Muslims

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)