GEORGE TOWN – The saga of a single mother seeking custody of her three children saw a twist when Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin uploaded an Instagram video showing that two of the children had apparently converted.
In the brief video, Asri was seen having a solemn chat with the two daughters aged 14, with the brief conversation centred on their alleged conversion to Islam.
The two teenage girls were clad in an attire associated with Muslim women and although the sound was unclear, Asri was heard as saying that he would work towards ensuring that the two girls would remain as Muslims.
He had implied that they were neither coerced nor forced to accept Islam.
Asri had reportedly also related that the children’s father had converted to Islam in 2020 and the religious authorities here had managed the children’s education and welfare, while being unaware that their biological mother Loh Siew Hong had custody of them.
The other child, a 10-year-old boy, was not featured in the video released by Asri.
Loh has since refused to give up the fight to regain custody of her children, asking how an alleged conversion occurred without her consent as the mother.
She also lamented how she was disallowed from meeting her children today on the grounds of new Covid-19 measures while Asri was permitted to do so.
Loh, who previously worked as a hotel chef, had met her three children briefly on Monday before they were scheduled to be transferred to a welfare home in Kedah.
She is waiting for the Kuala Lumpur High Court to hear her habeas corpus application on Monday to decide on the custody of the children.
Attempts to contact Asri were unsuccessful.
Loh had lodged a police report that her twin daughters and son were illegally under the care of a woman who manages an Islamic non-governmental organisation.
She had not met her children for the past three years as she was recovering at a domestic abuse centre, after a nasty break up with her husband, who is serving time at a prison in Kelantan for a drug offence.
Loh divorced her husband and received custody of their children last year, with the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordering police to ensure the return of the children to her.
The alleged conversion was feared by Bagan Dalam assemblyman M. Satees, who had earlier told The Vibes that two unfortunate circumstances could occur.
First was the alleged conversion, which can be disputed because Loh was not present to grant consent, nor were her views sought by the rightful authorities, said Satees.
Second, was the possibility that certain quarters may flee with her children because both Perlis and Kedah are border states so they could easily escape into Thailand, he added.
“We are worried as a precedent was set with Perak housewife Indira Gandhi’s case where until now, her eldest child and her estranged husband remain missing.”
Indira regained custody of her three children but her youngest daughter had allegedly disappeared with her husband, who converted to Islam. – The Vibes, February 15, 2022
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