Malaysian Law
Last week, news broke on a decision made by the Malaysian Supreme Court. The case involved Christian convert Lina Joy, who was raised Muslim but became a Christian at the age of 26. Since that time, she has been trying to remove the "Islam" designation on her identity card.
Like many of the nations that are more recent converts to Islam, Malaysia has a dual system of law. The Constitution is secular and applies to all citizens, regardless of religion. On the other hand, Malaysia has a highly developed system of Muslim courts, which operate using Shar'ia law, and apply only to Muslims. Shar'ia is the body of law that has been developed from the Qur'an and the hadith (sayings of Muhammed) by Islamic theologians, philosophers, and judges over many centuries. It mandates a number of Muslim religious practices, including punishing "apostasy."
Lina Joy brought her argument before the secular civil court, arguing her religious freedom under the Malaysian Constitution. That court, however, denied her claim to change her religious status. In light of Malaysia's ostensible guarantee of religious freedom, their decision is amazing. The court decided that apostasy is a Shar'ia issue, and must therefore be dealt with by Shar'ia courts.
In short, the Malaysian Supreme Court decided that a person who wants to convert from Islam must get permission from the courts whose responsibility is punishing those that try to leave. This decision is a huge setback for Malaysian Christians, and will operate as a precedent for a number of other conversion cases.
Let's pray for our Malaysian brothers and sisters, and for Malaysia's government!
For more information–