Hindu Conversion Action Team (Hicoat) head Arun Doraisamy said, based on their records, more than 7,000 Hindus were registered as Muslims despite not being adherents of the faith.

Arun said according to Hicoat’s research, most of the cases were due to divorced parents listing their children as Muslims, despite living as Hindus.

He also urged anyone who encountered similar problems to reach out to the committee for help.
The Malaysia Muslim Lawyers Association (PPMM), Arun revealed, would help the coalition address the issue on a “case by case” basis.

“This is a sensitive issue, but if we approach it rationally, it can be resolved.

“Every time a problem like this crops up, the entire nation gets dragged into two camps, Muslim and non- Muslim,” he told a press conference at the Malaysia Hindu Sangam Association office here today.

Arun said the technical committee would work on a solution to avoid the same problems from recurring.

Meanwhile, PPMM President Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar described today’s meeting as “historic” as, for the first time, Muslim and Hindu NGOs sat together to address a very sensitive issue that had previously divided the country.

The association, he said, would either go to the Syariah Court, Mufti Department or National Registration Department (NRD), depending on each case.

“We will make our decisions together.”

Both Zainul and Arun also refuted media reports that more than 7,000 Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam.

Conversion is a contentious issue in the country as Muslims are not allowed to leave their religion, while non-Muslims are barred from proselytising Muslims.

In the last few months, the country witnessed two interfaith custody battles between a Hindu mother and their Muslim convert ex-husband after the fathers unilaterally converted their children.

This sparked a debate among lawmakers and the legal fraternity as to whether the civil courts or the syariah courts had jurisdiction over the matter.