The recent decision by the cabinet committee on 'converts' and their matrimonial responsibilities is just apposite. The government should stick to this decision, affirm the law and educate the people to accept reality in life as much as having faith in God.

A marriage solemnised in the civil court must be nullified in the same court. To the people, let common sense prevail and let’s not allow certain murky dogmatic views cloud our sense of judgment. The converting of underage children should not be done unilaterally.

Among others,the questions in this situation: Is a case of conversion due of incompatibility and marital disharmony or one's earnest desire to convert and have faith in the newfound religion? Using conversion as a weapon to escape from one's personal problems and tacitly wriggle out of responsibilities is tantamount to faithlessness.

A converted parent should not unilaterally convert his or her children with the 'intention' of having custody of them. A parent should not 'run away' from his/her contractual knot, 'shirk' his/her responsibilities to pay alimony or maintenance by conveniently 'converting' to another religion.

A parent who has marital problem or who is irresponsible towards his/her spouse should not seek a way out of the mire by expediently converting to another religion. This is tantamount to deceitfulness. To be devious is also against the tenet of every religion.

Unfortunately, there are people in our society who make use of religion to escape from their marital responsibilities. There are also a small number of 'irrational' groups who condone this act-citing various superficial and sentiment-driven reasons to justify their arguments.

On the other hand, there are also people who want to be too academic about the whole issue and this usually ends up with the whole affair becoming mere academic rhetoric, which gives no added value to social harmony. Let's not insult our God-given intelligence to mankind by succumbing to all this nonsense.

We undeniably cannot tell the oblivious from the obvious. From the Islamic point of view, however, there should not be any form of coercion to make a person convert to the religion. The wholesome and steadfast intention should come from within oneself, not at all predisposed by any ulterior motives or selfish benefits. Coercion can be in the form of 'bad faith' or intentional means.

When the intention to convert is merely to 'run away' from responsibilities, which are dutifully and contractually bound in a marriage, the conversion thus becomes a coercion of sort and it is not done with sincerity. This is obvious and the society has to deal with this issue stringently.

Insincerity in conversion is tantamount to hypocrisy. God knows best what the intention is, but human beings are also given the right to determine what is right and lawful and what is wrong and unlawful for mankind. This is to ensure that there is order in society, especially in a multi- racial and multi-religious society.

For this reason, a system of judgment should include impartial elements of law and order as part of its role to ensure a peaceful life process. There has to be worldly justice to the aggrieved party and the underage children. Custody of children should take this factor into consideration. A child being breast-fed should rightly be with the mother no matter whether she has converted to another religion or not.

In the case of a daughter who has not 'attained age', the right of custody should be given to the mother -- if unless the mother refuses or she is 'unfit', as decided by an impartial judge, to take care of the child. In this case, the maternal grandmother should take custody of the child.

When children have attained maturity age, they can decide what is best for them. It is natural in all courts of justice that both parents are given their visiting rights in the case where parents and children decide to live separately.

As for professing a faith there should not be any form of compulsion. However, a convert to any religion should do it respectfully and with a clear mind and conscience. When the obvious shows that there are some ulterior motives for this conversion, the person’s intention should be 'scanned' for doubtfulness. If it is found to be logically unconvincing, no benefits should be given to him.

This does not mean that he should not be allowed to convert and follow the teachings of his new-found religion. He should first settle his old scores, no matter what his new faith's status is. This is a religious duty. A religious man honours his contractual terms and conditions.

He will only come out clean as a convert after he has dutifully settled his responsibilities under the contractual obligations of the civil marriage. For this purpose he has to go back to the civil courts to settle his disputes.

A marriage in any religion or culture is a contract entered into with mutual consent. A couple who enters marriage should know that they have tied a knot following the conditions and circumstances at that point of time. Never did they enter into an agreement with a 'blank cheque' that could be endorsed as that if one party converts to another religion he or she would have the right to also convert the children.

Thus, the act of justifying the act of converting the sired children does not arise. What more if this act of conversion is to justify having custody of the children and refusing to pay for child maintenance or alimony.

The cabinet committee on this issue has made a bold but wise decision in that no parent can unilaterally convert a child. It has to be done with the consent of both parents. No person should use religion to shirk their responsibilities towards their spouse and children. No person should use religion as a pretext to gaining custody of a child.

We are glad that the majority of Malaysians have endorsed the decision made by the cabinet. And also the opposition has come out to support this wise decision by the government. Let this be a lesson to all who want to shirk their solemn responsibilities in life.

No one stops anyone from converting to Islam, but settle your dues first and come out clean before you embrace the religion. The spouse and children should not be victimised in the name of conversion and religion.