A woman in Sabah has filed a fresh police report, claiming her identity was fraudulently used to register her as a Muslim more than a decade ago, without her knowledge or consent.
Marni Pangeran, 38, said she was shocked to discover her name listed as a Muslim earlier this year.
She claimed she had never converted, never signed any documents, and was not present when the conversion was allegedly processed in 2009.
Marni named three individuals in her police report, including Datuk Sangkar Rasam who is former Sabah PKR chief.
Pertubuhan dan Kebajikan Murut Malaysia president Raymond Ahuar who accompanied Marni in lodging the police report said the case could point to a wider pattern of fraudulent conversions involving rural communities in Sabah.
“We believe Marni is not alone. There could be at least ten or more individuals whose names have been used in the same way,” Raymond said.
Raymond is Sangkar’s nephew.
Marni said the conversion form included a photograph of her wearing a headscarf, believed to have been taken years ago when she was working at a Muslim-operated canteen.
“I have lived as a Christian my entire life. I never converted, never signed anything, and I never gave my thumbprint. I was never even there,” she said.
Marni also claimed that the phone number listed on the form was not hers, but belonged to Sangkar’s wife, Rufinah Pengeran, who was her former workplace manager.
The case has also sparked questions about possible political motives.
Rufinah, it is understood, had defeated Raymond in the race for the Pensiangan division leadership during the PKR party elections, while Sangkar reportedly won the Keningau division.
When asked whether making the matter public could be politically driven, Raymond dismissed the suggestion.
“This is bigger than party politics. This is about justice. Whether or not they are connected to me or anyone else, if these allegations are true, wrong is wrong. Justice must prevail,” he said.
Marni’s lawyer, Sazalye Donol, described the case as serious document fraud, calling on police to investigate the authenticity of the thumbprint and documents.
“This is not a clerical error. This is document forgery. The law must be allowed to take its course, and those responsible must be held accountable, regardless of who they are,” Sazalye said.
The lawyer maintained that Marni never signed the required statutory declaration, and now faces the legal burden of applying to the Syariah Court to correct her religious status.
Raymond said those involved must be investigated, regardless of personal or political ties.
Marni filed her first police report in February, after learning of her alleged conversion. The second report, filed on Sunday, names the three individuals she believes were involved.
The Vibes also reached out to Sangkar for comment but received no response at the point of writing. – May 18, 2025
