Dead Man’s Religion Sparks Row: Malaysian Judge Says Law Inadequate

July 7, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Thaindian News

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/dead-mans-religion-sparks-row-malaysian-judge-says-law-inadequate_100214512.html

The row over Malaysian art director Mohan Singh’s religion following his death has led to a judge observing that there is “inadequacy” in the law over non-Muslims converting to Islam.

Judge Rosnaini Saub made this observation Monday while giving the ruling that Mohan Singh was a Muslim when he died and should be buried as per the Islamic custom.

In doing so, the judge rejected the appeal of Singh’s family against the ruling of a Syariah court that deals with Muslims.

The family wanted custody of the body of Singh, who died May 25. His body is lying in hospital since the Islamic authorities claim that he was a Muslim.

His family, including Singh’s three sisters - Baldev Kaur, Balbir Kaur and Jaswant Kaur - had insisted that Mohan Singh was a Sikh and he had performed their mother’s death ceremony as per Sikh rites.

The sisters’ case was that Mohan Singh had never told them that he converted to Islam, The New Straits Times reported Tuesday.

The judge said it was ‘unfortunate’ that they did not know about it and that this had no bearing on the case.

“It is unfortunate that the deceased did not tell them. The fact that the deceased lived a lifestyle inconsistent with that of a Muslim convert does not alter his status as a Muslim in the eyes of existing laws,” Judge Saub said.