KUALA LUMPUR: Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said it would hold no more open forums on Muslim conversion after one was cut short by protesters yesterday.

The forum, titled "Conversion to Islam: Article 121(1a) of the Federal Constitution: Subashini and Shamala Revisited", scheduled for half a day from 9am, lasted for an hour.

Midway through the second session, Ambiga announced that she was submitting to police advice to call off the event.

"Due to security concerns, we have been advised by the police to wrap it up by 10am."

By then, three women had narrated their experiences including the legal implications of their family members' conversion to Islam.
In the second session, lawyers Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla, K. Shanmuga and Ravi Nekoo spoke on the legal wrangles in the R. Subashini and S. Shamala cases after their husbands had converted to Islam without their knowledge.

The forum was moderated by Zarizana Abdul Aziz of the Women's Centre for Change.

Police allowed in three representatives of the demonstrators led by lawyer and Kulim Bandar Baharu member of parliament Zulkifli Noordin of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

They demanded a stop to the forum on the grounds that it touched on religious sensitivities. Heated words were exchanged between some members of the floor and the trio before police cooled the situation.

Before closing the forum, Ambiga said it was never the council's intention to upset any party.

"We have no issue or quarrel with anyone who has a different point of view.

"We respect everybody's views in this building and that is what the Bar Council is about."

She later said the organisers had expected the representatives to engage in discussions when they were allowed in.

"Instead, they turned emotional and we are disappointed."

There were no plans for another forum in the future, she said.

"Even if we do have one, we would prefer to hold it behind closed doors."

Over the previous two days, political leaders from both government and opposition had cautioned the council that an open discussion of such a sensitive subject would spark a backlash.

The council ignored the warnings and proceeded with the forum.