Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia - Ten siblings are seeking to have their religion currently listed as Islam changed to Hindu.
The 10 – five men and five women – are children of a Muslim man who married a Hindu but grew up practising Hinduism and eventually got married to Hindus.
On Feb 16, the 10, all of them with Muslim names and listed as Muslims on their MyKad, submitted individual sworn declarations at the magistrate's court in Jawi, South Seberang Prai, claiming that they had been practising Hinduism since birth and prayed at Hindu temples.
In their declaration, they said that they wanted to change the status of their religion from Islam to Hindu.
They also said they were married to Hindus – although none of them had their marriages registered – and took part in Hindu celebrations, including Thaipusam. Their children were also given Hindu names.
They related their predicament to newsmen during a press conference at Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng's service centre here yesterday.
Their father, Ibrahim Noyah, 67, said he first married a Muslim woman known only as Sabariah but she died in 1958. He then married M. Nagamah but did not require her to convert.
“Nagamah was my neighbour and I fell in love with her when she took care of me after my wife passed away,” he said.
Ibrahim and Nagamah, 60, have 10 children and 30 grandchildren. Three of the grandchildren do not have birth certificates, while some have only one parent's name in their birth certificates.
V. Rathiga, 27, an athlete married to Ibrahim’s son, Kamis, 27, said she left out Kamis' name in the birth certificates of their daughters – three-year-old Prami and one-year-old Sakti – as Kamis wanted them to be recognised as Hindus.
Chong hoped the authorities would settle the matter quickly.