Why is this even an issue ?
People convert for all sorts of reasons; monetary incentives, the promise of a better future, philosophical consonance with a belief system or emotional fulfillment in believing in something - I don't think that a State - any state - ought to concern herself with this too much otherwise it may set a dangerous precedent by allowing a given State to appropriate greater rights for herself in the future by taking further rights from the 'individual' and giving it to the 'society' !
Religion will always be part and parcel of a religious society and it would be unreasonable to expect those in power to have a completely unbiased view of things and be emotionally detached from the sensibilities and sensitivities of their belief systems and those of the society as a whole, when governing. But I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that even when allowing religion or any belief out there (even if it be purely secular) to influence governance, a liberal and not the conservative approach ought to be taken which accommodates various view points and at the very least tries to conform to the golden principle of not doing to others what one does not wish to be done to oneself, most of the time if conforming to it all of the time would be impossible.
I think in Pakistan we made the same mistake by allowing the Orthodoxy a greater say in whatever religious imprint they wanted to have over governance and legislation while at the same time ignoring the Progressive elements from the same religious circles because the former was exponentially more vocal and organized than the latter. Ironically enough most of these Orthodox elements like the Majlis-i-Ahrar who became the champions of an Islamic State - as they envisioned it to be in their parochial view - were ferociously against the creation of Pakistan to begin with.
Religion (like anything else) should have a positive and inclusive impression on a State's culture and values. If it starts having an exclusive, reactionary and divisive effect you end with the states that Pakistan and India find themselves. No wonder as per PEW social hostility involving religion index we have found ourselves in the top 10 most socially hostile states with respect to religion for the past decade.
What do you think
@scorpionx ?
