KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 ― A Momogun group told the National Registration Department (NRD) to stop changing the religious status of poor and illiterate Dusun and Murut villagers in Sabah without their knowledge.

The Borneo Post reported Momogun National Congress (MNC) president Datuk Henrynus Amin as saying that he was deeply disturbed by reports of NRD officials allegedly changing the religious status of Dusun and Murut villagers on paper even though they did not convert.

"There are numerous reports of families facing difficulty due to their religious status as Muslim in their identity card when in fact they are not Muslim.

"While religious conversion from one religion to another is quite common in Sabah, illegally changing the religious status of poor, illiterate and unsuspecting villagers without their consent is serious a crime,” the former Member of Parliament for Kinabalu (now Ranau), reportedly said.

He also called for immediate and stern action to be executed against NRD officials allegedly engaging in the illegal move.

Sabah has seen cases of illiterate indigenous people alleging that they were deceived into converting into Islam.