KOTA BHARU: The government has asked a Malaysian woman, Illi Najwa Saddique, who is married to Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh Pawar, to come forward and explain their religious status.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Ahmad Marzuk Shaary said the government was very sensitive about the matter and the woman would be summoned as soon as she returned home.
He said so far the ministry was still waiting for the official decision from the Johor Islamic Religious Department on the religious status of the woman.
“We understand that she is from Johor. According to preliminary information we obtained, she is still a Muslim and so far the government has not received an application from her to marry abroad.
“In fact, from what I have read on social media sites, it was also said that the woman is still a Muslim and the man is said to have converted to Islam at the end of last year.
“But we will wait for confirmation when she returns,” he said after distributing aid to fishermen and farmers here today.
Commenting further, Ahmad Marzuk said the government had not received any application from the woman to leave Islam.
“Currently, we are thinking positively that the woman is still a Muslim but the customs she went through there contradict our religion. If she is still a Muslim, then she must repent,” he said.
Earlier, the media reported that Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh Pawar wed his Malaysian lover, Illi Najwa Saddique, in Mithapur, near Jalandhar, Punjab.
Manpreet, 28, wore a Punjabi wedding suit complete with turban, while Illi Najwa was attired in a Punjabi wedding dress when they exchanged vows. This raised questions among netizens about the woman’s religious status.