Malaysia braces for ruling on Islam conversion
MALAYSIA: Malaysia is expecting a court ruling any day now that could
shake society to its foundations: does a Muslim have the right to
convert to another faith?
A Muslim by birth, Lina Joy decided to become a Christian, marry and
raise a family. But in Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion,
this is an affair of state, not conscience.
The 42-year-old has asked the Federal Court, the country's highest
civil judicial authority, to acknowledge her decision to convert to
Christianity and is now awaiting a verdict.
Whatever the outcome, the decision could pose a headache for a
government that is trying to meet the demands of the majority Muslim
population and the sizeable minority of non-Muslims.
"The fundamental question in Lina's case is whether Muslims in this
country can convert?" said political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda.
It's a tricky legal question in multiracial, multi-religious
Malaysia. Ethnic Malays, who make up just over half of Malaysia's 26
million people, are deemed Muslims from birth.Azlina Jailani was one of
them. She was brought up as a Muslim but at the age of 26 she decided to
become a Christian.
In 1999, the National Registration Department allowed her to change
the name in her identity card to Lina Joy but the ID entry for her
religion remained as "Islam".
Until the entry is deleted, she cannot legally marry outside the
Muslim faith. The legal wrangling began when she took the department to
court over the anomaly.
Joy could not be reached for comment. Constitutionally, freedom of
religion is guaranteed. But in reality, conversion out of Islam comes
under the ambit of sharia or Islamic courts. And under sharia law,
renouncing the Islamic faith is punishable by fines or jail. It isn't an
option.
Muslims who leave Islam end up in legal limbo, unable to register
their new religious affiliations or to legally marry non-Muslims. Many
keep quiet about their choice or emigrate.
A court victory for Joy could be explosive. "It's political dynamite.
It will create instability," Abdul Razak said. "For decades, the
position of Malays and Muslims have been guaranteed.
Kuala lumpur, Sunday, Reuters |