However, the new bill will be tabled without Clause 88A which stipulates that the religion of the child should remain the same despite the conversion of one of the parents.
“The amendments needed to be done to avoid conflict with the provisions under the Federal Constitution,” Azalina Othman Said said in a statement.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department also said the fresh amendments would be in line with the courts’ decisions on the interpretation of Article 12 (4) of the Federal Constitution, which states that the religion of a person under the age of 18 shall be decided by his/her parent or a guardian.
“Therefore, the government hopes everyone will look at this positively to protect the multiracial principle in our community.
“I hope all parties can support this new bill without having to politicise it,” she said.
Earlier today, the government withdrew the bill, which aimed to resolve conflicts arising from interfaith custody battles between Muslim and non-Muslim parents.
The bill, which was presented last November, was initially expected to be debated at this sitting.
The amendments included 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 agree to the conversion of their children.
This followed Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement in May last year that the government aimed to resolve grievances between Muslim converts and their non-Muslim spouses over the religion of their child.