Hindu mum ecstatic over return of son

PETALING JAYA: S Deepa's (pix) heart almost burst when she saw her six-year-old son, Mithran, yesterday after an absence of nearly a year.
"I am especially happy to be able to have Mithran back as I have been longing to see for so long,' said the 30-year-old clerk who had handed him to her estranged husband, Izwan Abdullah, last year after a Syariah Court order that the child stay with his father.
Deepa, who gained custody of Mithran, 6, on Monday after the Seremban High Court ordered that custody of the boy and his sister, Sharmila, 9, be given by their Muslim father to their Hindu mother, is ecstatic that she can finally see him daily and do the things for him that a mother should.
"I am looking forward to raising both my children. I will do my best for them,' she told theSun, adding that Izwan had only taken custody of Mithran and left Sharmila with her.
Deepa's first priority is to admit Mithran in a school in Jelebu where she lives, adding that Sharmila is in a Chinese vernacular school in the same town.
She said her children are equally happy to be with her, adding that she will be having a thanksgiving ceremony for her extended family soon to celebrate Mithran's return.
Seremban High Court Judge Datuk Zabariah Mohd Yusof on Monday also allowed Deepa's application to dissolve her civil marriage as Izwan, a Hindu when he married her, had converted to Islam.
Deepa claimed that both Sharmila and Mithran were converted without her knowledge last year.
Deepa said she was trying to file an application by the end of the month to obtain a declaration that the conversion of her children was illegal and unconstitutional.
Women's Aid Organisation advocacy officer Sally Wangsawijaya said the organisation, which have been helping Deepa in her legal battles, will provide emotional support and advice on what to do next.
Sisters in Islam programme manager Suri Kempe applauded the court decision, adding that Zabariah's decision spoke volumes about the misuse of unilateral conversions to Islam to secure custody of children.