According to a report by The Malaysian Insider, a taskforce comprising eight Hindu organizations is now hoping to meet Prime Minister Najib Razak to highlight the matter.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam president R. S. Mohan Shan said the problem was widespread throughout Peninsular Malaysia and involved mostly practising Hindus from the lower income group.

He said the issue stemmed from cases of convert parents registering their children as Muslims generations ago, as well as those who have been erroneously registered by the Home Ministry.

“These are people who are afraid to take their cases to court, while the rest have no means and have placed their hopes in the cases of Indira Gandhi and S Deepa.

“But the decisions by the court have painted a bleak future for all these people who cannot move forward in life because of their religious status,” he said.

Mohan lamented that those who had been erroneously registered by the Home Ministry were told to resolve the issue in the Shariah court even though they were not Muslims.

Hindu Youth Organisation Selangor adviser Arun Dorasamy, who heads the task force, said there were currently 500 cases registered with them and the figure of 7,000 was a projected amount based on the enquiries and feedback the eight NGOs have received.

“There has been a system failure whereby Hindus have been declared as Muslims due to their parents’ actions in the past, but they have never practised the faith nor do they know anything about Islam.”

He said it was the taskforce’s moral obligation and responsibility to give those affected the chance to live the way they wanted and that they had met Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri, who assured them of a meeting with Najib.