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"Changing to ‘bin Abdullah’ is awkward and did not happen in the history of Islam," Asri said (Reuters)
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KUALA LUMPUR — Dismissing the widely-propagated practice as nothing but a tradition, religious authorities in the northern state of Perlis issued a fatwa that reverts do not need to drop their family names to become true Muslims, the state-run Bernama news agency reported on Sunday, March 11.
"When non-Muslims convert to Islam, their name is followed by 'bin' or 'binti' Abdullah," said Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.
"The Perlis Fatwa Council unanimously agrees with the decision not to allow them to change their father’s name or surname when converting to Islam.
The 13-strong council asserted that those who embrace Islam are not required to change their family names.
"They can change their own names if they want, but they must retain the names of their fathers or their families," Asri said.
After being enforced in Perlis, the smallest of Malaysia's 13 states, the fatwa will be brought up for further discussion at the Islamic Religious Council and the National Fatwa Council, he added.
Multicultural Malaysia is home to a sizable community of reverts from Chinese and Indian decent.
Muslim Malays make up nearly 60 percent of Malaysia’s 26 million people.
Ethnic Chinese and Indians - most of them Buddhists, Hindus and Christians - make up about 35 percent. The rest are indigenous people and Eurasians.
Misguided
Asri, Malaysia's newest and youngest Mufti, asserted that the fatwa came to clear a widely-propagated misperception.
"Changing to ‘bin Abdullah’ is awkward and did not happen in the history of Islam," he said.
He pointed out that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had never forced people to change their fathers’ names when they became Muslims.
The scholar, whose opposition to long-cherished taboos has made him a well-known figure in Malaysia, maintained that the tradition violates Islamic tenets which stress fairness, equality and respect for one's parents.
"They are actually being denied justice and their right, besides affecting what had been upheld by Islam, that is nasab (descendants)."
Asri said the practice has caused problems and confusion for many reverts, especially with respect to their family lineage.
"Their families also felt that they had lost a son or a daughter, as he or she no longer carries the name of the family or the father."
But the scholar believes changing one's name after embracing Islam is different, though still it is his/her own decision.
"I feel, by changing to a Muslim name, it will make the new converts more at ease when mingling with fellow Muslims."
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