The recent decision by the High Court that a non-Muslim mother must seek redress in a Syariah Court on the issue of the children's conversion to Islam by a father who had embraced that faith smacks of tyranny and duplicity.

In short, the High Court says that non-Muslims are defenceless and cannot seek reprieve from civil courts of the land on matters where inter-faith is concerned.

To say that a non-Muslim should go to the Syariah Court is laughable when it involves a petition by a non-Muslim. Why should a non-Muslim be required to seek redress in a court meant for Islamic jurisdiction?

After all, the mufti concerned had commented on this matter to the detriment of the petitioner (who happens to be the mother of the children). Perhaps, under Syariah, the will of men may be imposed on women but for non-Muslims the law governs us differently.

When the mufti concerned cannot give an unbiased view and when a civil court closes its eyes to the detriment of non-Muslims, how could anyone ever dream that a Syariah Court could rule in favour of non-Muslims? Not in this land anyway.