1 INTERFAITH MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS CONVERSION: A CASE STUDY OF MUSLIM CONVERTS IN SABAH, MALAYSIA Suraya Sintang (PhD) 1 , Khadijah Mohd. Khambali @ Hambali (PhD) 2 , Azizan Baharuddin (PhD) 3 , Mahmud Ahmad (PhD) 4 Abstract - This paper highlights the interconnection between the phenomenon of interfaith marriage and conversion into Islam at the study area of Sabah, Malaysia. The study shows the interfaith marriage is commonly practiced by most native people of Sabah. As a result, it is a leading factor to the conversion into Islam. The paper then describes further on how the Muslim converts negotiate their status with their families of origin after becoming Muslim. The focus of discussion is on the interaction within the private domain of family when Muslim converts change their religions into Islam to marry the Muslim partner. The data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews with selected Muslim converts in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The study shows that there are four types of interactions between converts and their family of origin. These are categorized as contentious, neutral, accommodative and supportive interactions. The study analyzes that interfaith marriage leads to social integration which help for nation building of Malaysian society. 1 Suraya Sintang currently works as a senior lecturer at the Center for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Skill, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Locked Beg 2073, 88999, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. (phone: +60198801607; fax: +6088435708; email: suraya@ums.edu.my). 2 Khadijah Mohd Hambali currently works as an Assoc. Professor at the Department of Aqidah and Islamic Thought, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (email: ijamh@um.edu.my). 3 Azizan Baharuddin is a Professor at the Department of Science and Technology as well as the Director of the Centre for Civilizational Dialogue, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (email: azizanb@um.edu.my). 4 Mahmud Ahmad is a lecturer at the Department of „Aqidah and Islamic Thought, Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (email: drmahmud@um.edu.my) Keywords – interfaith marriage, Muslim converts, religious conversion, social integration I. INTRODUCTION EVERY marriage will have some stumbling blocks, but interfaith marriage has a few extra challenges. In Malaysia, where there is a stark division of jurisdiction in family law between civil and syariah courts, non-Muslims can only marry Muslims after conversion to Islam. This effectively means that the issue of marriage is intricately mixed with the issue of religious conversion. Although the issue of religious conversion is actually independent of marriage issues, the reality is that these two sets of issues are linked for persons who wish to contract marriages across the Muslim-non- Muslim divide [1]. On the basis of Malaysian society [2], a new convert always feel that he is a marginalized man as he could not fit into the society of his own community of previous religion and he cannot also easily integrated into the new Malay community. His religion is no longer with his own previous ethnic group and he has become only a new member in the Islamic ummah The process of conversion has traditionally stirred controversies in various social spaces, such as the family, friendship circles and religious institution [3]. Hence, this article aims to elucidate on how the Muslim converts negotiates their status with their families of origin after becoming Muslim. The focus of discussion is more on the interaction within the private domain of family when Muslim converts change their religions into Islam to marry the Muslim partner. Several case studies of married Muslim converts and the reactions of their family members are highlighted in this paper. Four types of interactions between convert and family members are proposed, ranging from the most volatile to the most harmonious. These are categorized as contentious, neutral, accommodative and supportive. II. INTERFAITH MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS CONVERSION IN MALAYSIA It is quite interesting to highlight that in Malaysia, the conversion into Islam is always associated to marry Muslim partner. A study done by Sebastian and Parameswaran [3] stated that a large number of Chinese in Malaysia converted to facilitate intermarriages with Muslims. The same argument given by Osman Chuah [2] that mixed racial marriages of converts that leads to the conversion into Islam are quite frequent. It is a common phenomenon to highlight that conversion to Islam due to marriage not only related to the Chinese society but also the other non-Muslim ethnic groups such as Indians, Orang Asli and the natives of Sabah.