Thursday June 26, 2008
Jobless man challenges dead kin’s alleged conversion
GEORGE TOWN: An unemployed man has filed a summons at a High Court here challenging the conversion of his deceased stepbrother to Islam.
S. Selvam, 48, a former mee goreng seller, filed the summons at the High Court registry here yesterday, naming the state Islamic Religious Affairs Department, the Perak Islamic Religious Department and the Parit Buntar Hospital director as defendants.
He is seeking a declaration that B. Elangesvaran, 34, was a Hindu. Elangesvaran allegedly committed suicide four days ago.
He is asking the court for an injunction to restrain the defendants, their workers or agents, from claiming Elangesvaran's body.
Selvam also wants an injunction to stop the first and second defendants from interfering with the release of the deceased's body to him to perform Hindu funeral rites.
In his statement of claim, Selvam said Elangesvaran had committed suicide by hanging himself at a house in Bagan Serai, Perak on June 22.
He claimed that after the post-mortem, a hospital staff informed the deceased's family that the body could not be released to them as the deceased had converted to Islam.
Selvam said he contacted the Perak Islamic Religious Department for confirmation and proof of his brother's conversion but the department had failed to provide him with any official documents with the deceased's signature or thumbprint as proof of his conversion.
“I was only served with a police report alleging that my brother had embraced Islam at the Penang Islamic Religious Deparment in Lebuh Pantai and a letter with some scribbling allegedly done by Elangesvaran that he had converted.
“The letter, however, did not contain my brother's signature or thumbprint or the signatures of any witnesses to indicate he had embraced Islam as required under the tenets of Islam,” he said.
Selvam claimed that since the religious authorities could not provide him with the necessary documents to show that Elangesvaran had legally and rightfully embraced Islam, the defendants had no right to claim his brother's body, which is currently being kept at the Parit Buntar Hospital mortuary.
He is also seeking damages, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.
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