KANGAR: The Perlis government today stressed that its amendment of a piece of legislation on the conversion of minors to Islam, did not change any aspect of the existing law, except in name.
Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man said the Administration of the Religion of Islam Enactment (Amended) 2016, passed in 13th state assembly sitting yesterday, was merely to standardise the language of the law in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.
He said that in the original legislation, the English version had contained the word ‘parent’ while the Bahasa Malaysia version bore the word ‘ibu dan bapa’.
With the amendment, the Bahasa Malaysia version now contains the word ‘ibu atau bapa’, in line with the previous English version, which describes ‘parent’ in the singular.
Azlan said that as such, state assembly did not pass a new law but merely amended the words in the enactment so that it tallies with the existing law.
He slammed several quarters which he accused of spinning the issue.
“They are spinning things out of context,” he said.
Uproar erupted today when a news report emerged, accusing the Perlis government of going against the Federal Constitution by allowing only one parent to consent to a minor’s conversion to Islam.
Barisan Nasional leaders had also reacted strongly to the report, accusing the Perlis government of permitting unilateral conversion of minors to Islam.