Inspector-General of Police ( IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar ‘s advice to S. Deepa and her Muslim convert husband Izwan Viran Abdullah to settle their problem privately as well as his announcement that Police will not act on Deepa’s report against her husband for abducting their son is most shocking and totally unacceptable.
Izwan committed clear cut abduction and the Police have no reason whatsoever not to act.
The existence of two court orders cannot be an excuse for Police inaction.
I want to ask the IGP if he was not aware of the Cabinet’s decision against unilateral conversion announced by the former de factor law minister Datuk Seri Nazi Aziz in 2009.
On 23 April 2009, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz announced that the Cabinet had decided that in the event of any dispute, a child must be raised in the faith professed by both parents at the time of marriage.
He said any individual who wanted to convert to another religion must resolve all problems regarding his responsibilities before converting, to avoid innocent parties, especially the children, becoming victims.
He added that the Cabinet also decided that if a marriage was done under the civil court, it could only be dissolved under the civil law. The minister also said conversions will no longer be retrospective, meaning that people could not use a change in religion to escape alimony and custody rulings ordered by a civil court.
Nazri made it very clear that any individual who wanted to convert religion must resolve all problems before converting; Izwan had obviously gone against this. How could the IGP “condone” his kidnapping action after he had unilaterally converted his children?
Although the government has not amended the laws, the Cabinet has made a policy decision which is clear enough and is an added reason for the Police to swiftly act.
The IGP must not see the issue in a different and wrong context. He should therefore not delay any further and must do his duty as the nation’s top police officer.
Nazri had also then said the Attorney-General’s chambers would be asked to look into all relevant laws that needed to be amended, excluding the syariah law which were under the power of the rulers.
Unfortunately, till today the government has not amended the necessary laws.
Deepa’s case certainly calls for urgent government‘s action to amend the laws to enforce the Cabinet’s decision against unilateral conversions.