Speaking during a press conference at the Parliament lobby, he said the proposed amendments addressed the shortcomings in the existing Act.

“Finally, the amendments to the Law Reform Act were presented for its first reading today.

“I welcome the contents of the bill and would like to congratulate in particular Azalina, whom l have met a few times before, and who is pushing for the presentation of the bill.

“From my initial reading of this bill, I feel that controversial issues have been addressed,” said Kulasegaran, who is also the counsel for M Indira Gandhi, who is challenging the unilateral conversion of her three children by her Muslim convert ex-husband.

The bill, which was tabled earlier today, aims to resolve conflicts arising from the interfaith custody battle between Muslim and non-Muslim parents.

The amendments will include a new provision in regards to the religion of the child with Section 88A(1) stating that if a parent converts to Islam, the religion of the children remains the same unless both parents have agreed to the conversion of their children.

However, Kulasegaran expressed concern over the lateness of the bill, which is scheduled to be debated in the parliamentary session in March.

“I’m hoping for Azalina to fast-track this bill so it can assist the many who are caught in this ugly situation.

“Many Malaysians are suffering in silence, especially unfortunate children who have been converted to Islam by a parent.

“Many are also unable to move on from this predicament and with their lives.”

In May, Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government aimed to resolve grievances between Muslim converts and their non-Muslim spouses over the religion of their child.