Malaysian 'Muslim' woman battles to be declared Hindu...

A Malaysian woman who was converted to Islam as a child is battling to be recognised as a Hindu, in the latest conversion dispute to erupt in Malaysia.

S. Banggarma, 27, has said she was made to convert to Islam at the age of seven when she was placed at a children's home in Penang state.

She was given a Muslim name and her identity card -- a critical document in Malaysia -- declared her to be a Muslim. But as a teenager she rediscovered her identity and later married a Hindu man in a religious ceremony.

However, she cannot register the marriage due to their different religions -- Malaysian Muslims are not permitted to marry someone of another faith, unless the spouse converts to Islam.

She is also unable to name her husband as the father of their two children, aged eight and two, on their birth certificates. More...