Malaysia rules against right to choose religion

[MH1]

Source: Financial Times

Malaysia’s highest court on Wednesday ruled that Islamic law took precedence in cases of apostasy in a case seen as a key test of religious freedom in the multi-ethnic country.

Lina Joy, a former computer saleswoman disowned by her Muslim family for converting to Christianity, had appealed to the federal court seeking government recognition of her conversion. Malaysia’s Islamic law courts, whose jurisdiction applies to more than half the country’s 27m population, consider conversions a crime.

The latest court ruling suggests that people born as Muslims in Malaysia do not have a choice of religion in spite of constitutional guarantees. It could thus strengthen fears among Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities about what they believe is the increasing Islamisation of the country.

The federal court in a 2-1 decision concluded that secular courts could not interfere with decisions made by Islamic shariah courts on issues of Muslim family law. The court’s lone non-Muslim judge dissented from the majority decision, saying Ms Joy should have the freedom to choose her religion.

Read more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1e23689e-0f07-11dc-b444-000b5df10621.html

[mike_c]

1. the religiously insane are going to destroy civilization....

:nuke:

[seriousstan]

2. So it's official, at least in Malaysia, Islam is a gang and not a religion.

[Warpy]

3. Funny that the Sharia court should have had a say, at all

since she declared she was no longer a Muslim. I guess if you're born in Indonesia, the religion assigned to you by your parents is your identification for life, even if your conscience has led you to anything but Islam.

I know how I would feel should our wonderful fascists insist on forcing me to be a Catholic. I'd do everything I could to get excommunicated.

[LiberalFighter]

4. That is where all the religious right Christians should move

[Igel]

5. Well, yes.

Isn't there a similar kind of case in Indonesia? A woman was 'born' Muslim (since her mother was Muslim), but was raised Hindu and is functionally Hindu, and later married a Hindu man and had a daughter, who she was raising Hindu.

Then, because the woman was 'born' Muslim, her child must necessarily be Muslim, and her marriage invalidated (because in the great secular, tolerant state called Indonesia, it's illegal for a Muslim to marry a member of an 'inferior' religion). Since the woman was *not* raising her Muslim baby as a Muslim, the baby was taken away and turned over to the tot's grandmother.

However, this is Malaysia, another secular and tolerant, Muslim-majority state, that's just as theocratic and intolerant as Indonesia. How much more intolerance and theocracy we tolerate in 'secular and tolerant' is a mystery, personally speaking. If it were illegal for a Muslim woman to marry a Xian in the US for religious reasons, I'm fairly sure no DUer would either call the government endorsing such a practice either 'secular' or 'tolerant'.

[kestrel91316]

6. This is insane. I REALLY hate religious insanity of all stripes......

[Igel]

7. Yes. And agreed. n/t

[9119495]

8. If I were her, I guess I'd eat a juicy pork sandwich right there in the

court. I'd also place a Buddha idol on the table in front of me.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Now is not the time to antagonise the courts

Ms Joy, who has said she fears for her life due to publicity over the case, could now be subject to punishment for apostasy if the Islamic courts decide to pursue the case.

In Malaysia, the offence is punishable by fines and jail sentences, with some offenders sent to rehabilitation centres.

[Warpy]

14. Buddhism frowns on eating meat.

since animals are seen close to us in sentience.

Maybe she should just drink a beer.

[9119495]

19. Better idea. I bow to you.

[SlipperySlope]

9. Sharia court needs to have a say because she is a Muslim.

Here is the logic:

1: She was a Muslim at some point in her life.
2: Being a Muslim subjects you to Sharia law.
3: Sharia law provides penalties for leaving Islam.

Therefore, if she wants to STOP being a Muslim, she has to go through the Sharia courts to do so. I'm not sure what sort of fine and imprisonment she would be facing.

Anyhow, not endorsing it, just explaining it.

[seriousstan]

11. offenders sent to rehabilitation centres

In Malaysia, the offence is punishable by fines and jail sentences, with some offenders sent to rehabilitation centres.

[Crayson]

18. reeducation centers rather...

much like the Khmer probably...

Same with all sects.
Easy to get in... hard as hell to get out.

[youngdem]

12. Religion is a mental illness. n/t

[sam sarrha]

15. actually it is a phenomenon. in certain situations where the mind is faced with a situation it isn't

structured to work with, digital/analogical shifts ..things like perspective, it just makes up shit to fill in the blanks.. they can "See" it quite clearly although it is illusionary.. it is hard to argue with them about it

[youngdem]

16. Yeah. Religion is just the fear of death

People fear death and fear the world they don't understand and fear each other because people are violent, so they invent an invisible friend that says that you don't die, explains the unexplainable phenomenon of the day, and scare other people into behaving by threatening eternal suffering and damnation.

It's a primitive form of medicine, science and government.

It is wholly a human construct to take 'control' from situations in which man had none.

Many anthropology/archeology types say that religion began with the burying of the dead. That is pretty telling, to me.

[Crayson]

17. agree partly...

... it's something our brain developed to cope with extreme situations.
It can help to survive.

The same could be said about "love".
It's a feeling that helps procreation and protects your offspring.

So my opinion:
Religion is just another type of feeling. Something that our brain creates for us to "better" handle reality...

[The Stranger]

13. Can we send Quirk Cameron and Ray Comfort to Malaysia?