Yesterday 06/12/2010, HRP Central Executive Committee Member S. Thiagarajan led the victims of forced conversation Ranjina a/p Krishan to collect her son Tinash a/l Mahendran’s birth certificate which denied the hindu fathers name to be included in his birth certificate upon birth by the UMNO National Registration Department NRD simply because Rajina who has lived all her life as a hindu but her father carries a muslim name.Rajina’s two-year-old son Tinesh has been denied his proper birth certificate, As the NRD office in Johor had at the birth of her son refused to include the name of his natural father Mahendran a/l Habimanan and his religion as Hindu in his birth certificate.
HRP had accompanied the family with another seven (7) forced conversation to Islam victims to apply for their birth rights on 22/09/2010.But the racist UMNO NRD Director of Birth Deaths and Adoptions Mohd Azmin Hassan had on 13/08/2010 in the presence of his ten various heads of departments,legal officers promised to approve all such cases
This application was submitted by the family but the UMNO NRD top Director abused his powers and violated Section 6 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Special Provisions) Act 1975 which provides“A registrar (of births) shall record such particulars as may be prescribed in a report book in the prescribed form concerning any birth or death given to him by any person qualified to do so.This NRD Director’s job is only to register and not to determine the religion of the baby against his parents wish .Article 11 of the Federal Constitution provides “Every person has the rights to profess and practice his religion “and the religion of a child below the age of 18,his or her religion shall be determined by his or her parents/guardians
The NRD Director’s job is only to record the birth of the child.Instead he determines the religion of the child which is not his job and makes miserable Rajina and Mahendran’s peaceful lives by implementing UMNOs’ racist and religious extremist policies.
HRP encountered resistance from the officer in charge who handled the application who after perusal of the documents, rejected the applications on the grounds that these three cases should be brought to the Syariah Court for the change of name and religion to Hindu.Why must a practising Hindu be forced to go to a syariah court?Where they will never get Justice anyway!The NRD officer said that only after obtaining the Syariah Court order, only then can they apply for changes in their identity cards and birth certificates at the NRD.
The NRD is meant to be an independent government authority. But from what we experience, the NRD officers are actually abusing their powers and purposely denying the rights of the child and violating the Federal Constitution by making things so difficult and pushing the buck back to the victim to appealed to the Muslim authorities (Syariah Court,Jakim,etc)before proceeding with the application. This is not the duty of the NRD.It is up to the Islamic authorities if they want to initiate any action.
Upon questioning by Thiagarajan to the officer Syukri bin Abdul Rahman(counter 8). explained that any marriage relating Muslim and other religion, than the marriage is determined by the Mufti.And he did say that in this Regina’s case the NRD will always follow the status based on the mother ‘s religion because the the child’s religion is based on the mother.
Thiagarajan then asked another question where he switched the scenario ie where if the father is a muslim and the mother is hindu than who will the NRD follow to determine the child’s religion.The officer was speechless and immediately replied that he is just following the instructions (of UMNO Prime Minister Najib Razak)as per the script given.He applied the supremacy and racist agenda by UMNO and for further details, he requested HRP to appeal to the higher authorities.
We left the NRD office without accepting the birth certificate under protest as it has Islam as the status and disappointed with the cruelty by the UMNO NRD who even forced the 2 year old baby to forcefully convert into Islam.
Happy Maal Hijrah
