Teoh, a 38-year-old mother died at her apartment in Jalan MaCallum on Saturday.
On Monday, Teoh’s funeral ceremony was stopped when the Penang Islamic Religious Department (JAIPP) officers arrived at her apartment to "claim" the deceased's body.
The deceased is said to have converted to Islam 17 years ago and been using an Islam name, Nora Teoh Abdullah
Read more at:http://english.astroawani.com/news/show/syariah-court-decides-teoh-cheng-cheng-is-not-a-muslim-37622?cp
“We spent close to RM20,000 on the wake and funeral arrangements and we also bought a niche for her ashes to rest so it is really uncalled for them to come and take her away in such a manner and even to insult us by telling us the Muslim burial will cost us nothing,” she said. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/family-of-chinese-woman-in-race-to-stop-muslim-style-burial#sthash.qm4vzsAp.dpuf
Teoh, 38, was found dead in her Macallum Street home last
Saturday morning after a row with her live-in Muslim
boyfriend. She is believed to have hanged herself
. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/come-clean-on-body-snatching-penang-mp-urges-cops#sthash.w1A9nKXw.dpuf
From The Malay Mail, 10 June 2014
Family of Chinese woman in race to stop Muslim-style burial -
GEORGE TOWN, June 10 ― The family of Teoh Cheng Cheng is now seeking legal loopholes to stop Penang’s religious authorities from burying the 38-year-old Chinese woman the Muslim way.
Teoh’s mother Tan Mah Suan and her sons met with state executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo and state assemblyman Lau Keng Ee at Komtar this morning, hoping for legal advice on what they could do to stop the burial.
Speaking to reporters, Tan said the family is very unhappy with how the state’s religious affairs department (Jaipp) had taken Teoh’s body from the wake yesterday.
She pointed out that her daughter had died early on Saturday morning and they were permitted to take her body home for a Taoist funeral, which included the three-day wake.
Jaipp should have claimed Teoh’s body on Saturday instead of waiting for the final day of the wake, she said.
“We spent close to RM20,000 on the wake and funeral arrangements and we also bought a niche for her ashes to rest so it is really uncalled for them to come and take her away in such a manner and even to insult us by telling us the Muslim burial will cost us nothing,” she said.
Teoh, whose Muslim name was Nora Teoh Abdullah, had hung herself after a quarrel with her live-in boyfriend at their home in Macallum Street at about 3.30am on June 7.
Tan said Teoh left behind four children, three of them with the boyfriend who is a Muslim.
“Cheng Cheng never told us that she had converted and I've never seen her identity card that stated her as a Muslim as Jaipp had claimed,” she said, sobbing.
She said she has been taking care of all her grandchildren, whose religious statuses are now in question.
“They are innocent children, so if my daughter was a convert, what will happen to them now? Will they take away my grandchildren too?” she asked..
The family met with Jagdeep for about an hour before they left together with Lau.
“They came to me to seek legal advice but since I am not a practicing lawyer anymore, I referred them to a lawyer so they are now on the way to see the lawyer,” Jagdeep said.
Yesterday, a policeman interrupted Teoh's funeral rites and told them that the funeral could not go on as she was a Muslim convert and must be buried the Muslim way.
They loaded her coffin into the Jaipp hearse and took her body to the Penang Hospital mortuary at about 4pm yesterday.
Due to the dispute, Cheng Cheng was not buried yet and her body is still in the mortuary.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/family-of-chinese-woman-in-race-to-stop-muslim-style-burial#sthash.qm4vzsAp.dpuf
Ramkarpal Singh Deo shows the Penang Shariah Court ruling order that Teoh Cheng Cheng was a non-Muslim at her death as they claim her body from the mortuary, June 12, 2014. — Picture by K.E. Ooi -
Medelyn Teoh, who is Teoh Cheng Cheng's eldest daughter is seen leaving the Shariah Court after the judge's decision, June 12, 2014. ― Picture by K.E. Ooi - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/woman-in-penang-body-snatching-row-not-muslim-shariah-court-rules#sthash.ZWmAnU2u.dpuf
“The deceased's eldest daughter, who is 17 years old, told the court that from the day she was born up till her mother's death, her mother had practiced Buddhism and even taught her the Buddhist way of prayers,” he said.
Shariah Court declared Teoh Cheng Cheng a
non-Muslim today after finding discrepancies
in her conversion documents and hearing
testimonies that the woman was born and
raised a Buddhist.
Teoh Cheng Cheng’s brother takes a last look before Teoh is cremate at the Batu Gantung crematorium in Penang, June 12, 2014. — Picture by K.E. Ooi -
Teoh Cheng Cheng’s children, her mother and her Muslim boyfriend (in mask) take a last look at her casket at the Batu Gantung crematorium, June 12, 2014. — Picture by K.E. Ooi - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/my-daughter-is-finally-coming-home-says-mum-in-body-snatching-row#sthash.dTgXguyi.dpuf
MORAL of this incident is “STAY AWAY FROM MUSLIMS N ISLAM’
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/come-clean-on-body-snatching-penang-mp-urges-cops#sthash.w1A9nKXw.dpuf
After religious tumult, Penang woman laid to rest Taoist way - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/come-clean-on-body-snatching-penang-mp-urges-cops#sthash.w1A9nKXw.dpuf
