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Malaysian court to rule on right to abandon Islam
Lina Joy has been disowned by her family, shunned by friends and forced into hiding -- all because she renounced Islam and embraced Christianity in Muslim-majority Malaysia. After a seven-year legal struggle, Malaysia's highest court will decide Wednesday whether her constitutional right to choose her religion overrides Islamic law that prohibits Malay Muslims from leaving Islam.The verdict will have profound implications in a country where Islam is increasingly conflicting with minority religions, challenging Malaysia's reputation as a moderate Muslim and multicultural nation that guarantees freedom of worship. Joy's case began in 1998 when, after converting, she applied for a name change on her government identity card. The National Registration Department refused to drop "Muslim" from the religion column. She appealed to a civil court but was told she must go to Islamic Shariah courts. But Joy, 42, argued she should not be bound by Shariah law because she is a Christian. Subsequent appeals ruled that the Shariah court should decide the case. About 60 percent of Malaysia's 26 million people are Malay Muslims, whose civil, family, marriage and personal rights are decided by Shariah courts. Minorities -- ethnic Chinese, Indians and others -- are governed by civil courts. If Joy loses her appeal and continues to insist she is Christian, it could lead to charges of apostasy and a jail sentence. "Our country is at a crossroad," Joy's lawyer, Benjamin Dawson, said. "Are we evolving into an Islamic state or are we going to maintain the secular character of the constitution?" Malaysia's constitution describes the country as a secular state but recognizes Islam as the official religion. Many Islamic nations have similar laws. Saudi Arabia neither permits conversion from Islam nor allows other religions. Jordan, considered one of the most tolerant countries in the Middle East, convicted a Muslim man for converting to Christianity several years ago, taking away his right to work and annulling his marriage. Posted by: ryuge 2007-05-28 |
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