KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - A council of Malaysia's royalty
has deferred a decision on whether to ban religious conversion of
minors by one parent without the spouse's consent -- a source of
several interfaith disputes in the Muslim-majority nation.

A meeting of Malaysia's king and state sultans opted to consult
Islamic authorities before deciding whether to approve a proposed
amendment banning such conversions without both parents' consent.

The proposed amendment was aimed at appeasing non-Muslim minorities, who feel their rights have come under threat and that
they lose out in conversion disputes.

Hereditary monarchs have a largely ceremonial role in Malaysia but are seen as guardians of Islam, the official religion, and are revered by Muslim Malays, who make up 60 percent of the population.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)