KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA has banned the religious conversion of children without both parents' consent, news reports said on Thursday, in a major step to ease interfaith conflicts that have strained race relations in this Muslim-majority country.
The announcement by new Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration follows a string of high-profile legal spats in which people who embraced Islam also changed their young children's religion despite protests from their estranged non-Muslim spouses.
The disputes have sparked complaints of discrimination by non-Muslims because Islamic Shariah courts typically rule in favor of Muslims, while secular courts that preside over family matters for non-Muslims say they have no jurisdiction over such cases.
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