KUALA LUMPUR, 4 May 2009: A meeting involving several ministries and religious departments will be held soon to iron out issues regarding the religious status of a child when a parent converts to Islam.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Maj-Gen (R) Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom said that the closed-door meeting might also involve religious associations.
He said he would meet his colleagues in the prime minister’s department — Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz who is in charge of legal affairs and Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who is responsible for issues on racial relations — to get their opinion on the meeting.
The ministries involved are the Human Resources, and Women, Family and Community Development, he told reporters after opening the “Integrated Leadership: Issues and Challenges in the Public Service” seminar, at the National Institute of Public Administration here today.
He was asked to comment on the cabinet’s decision pertaining to the religious status of a child, which sparked a debate among Malaysians.
The cabinet decided on 22 April that a child’s religion must be in accordance with the common religion at the time of marriage between the parents if the was any dispute regarding the issue. — Bernama
