Another so called Multi-religion Malaysia

(AFP) - A Hindu family in multicultural Malaysia on Monday lost a court battle with Islamic authorities over the rights to the body of their relative who a religious court declared to be Muslim.

In the nation's latest dispute over Islamic conversion, the family of Elangesvaran Benedict, who committed suicide last month, said he remained a Hindu and should be buried according to the rites of the religion.

But their lawyer Karpal Singh said the High Court backed a Sharia court's decision and said Elangesvaran should be buried as a Muslim.

"The Sharia court has already declared him a Muslim. And he should be rightly buried as one," Karpal quoted judge Balia Yusuf Wahi Balia as telling lawyers in chambers.
Officials said religious authorities will claim the body from a local hospital and perform the burial ceremony late Monday.

The Islamic authorities last Friday secured an order in the Sharia religious court -- where the family was not represented -- that said Elangesvaran had converted to the religion.
The deceased man's brother, Selvam, said the family was saddened by the decision.
"We are extremely disappointed. But what can we do? We intend to appeal this decision," he said.

The case is the latest in a series of allegations of "body-snatching" by Islamic authorities, who have seized remains against the objections of non-Muslim family members.
The cases have fed accusations over the growing "Islamisation" of Malaysia, where the population is dominated by Muslim Malays living alongside ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.

Malaysia's government has proposed new rules on converting to Islam, in a bid to prevent the wrangles that have split families and incited racial tensions in the country.
Issues related to religion, language and race are sensitive matters in multi-racial Malaysia, which witnessed deadly riots in 1969.

Malaysia practices a dual court system where civil courts handle civil matters for non-Muslims while Sharia courts decide on such matters for Muslims.