Malaysia woman told by court she can not renounce Islam

From Malaysia News Online comes the sad story of a woman trying to escape Islam and being told flatly that there is no way out — by a court of law. Sound crazy? That’s called Islamic (or Sharia) Law, and it’s binding for life. “You can check in, but you can never leave” Islam:

KOTA KINABALU: A 24-year-old Muslim woman yesterday failed in her application to renounce Islam on the grounds that she did not practise the religion and was never given religious education.

Syariah High Court judge Jasri @ Nasip Matjakir said the applicant did not submit any concrete evidence that she was no longer a Muslim in action, behaviour or deed that could expel her from Islam.

In her affidavit, read by counsel Hamid Ismail, the Sino-Kadazan said her non-Muslim lifestyle would cause society to look down on her and she would be subjected to the judgment of the syariah court.

The applicant�s father was a Muslim while her mother, a Sino-Kadazan, converted when the couple got married.

Hamid said the basis of her application was under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution � that she had the right to choose her religion and must not be prevented from doing so by anyone.

This is as held by the Su- preme Court in the case of Minister of Home Affairs, Malaysia and Anor v Jamaluddin bin Othman, 1989 1 MLJ 418.

The second basis was that Islamic law on apostasy is not applicable in Malaysia because there is no total application of Islamic law in Malaysia.

There is no “total” application of Islamic law in Malaysia, and yet the Malaysian court is siding with Islamic rules against apostasy in its verdict. Imagine what would happen if Islamic law was in “total” control. The woman would be beheaded, most likely, or raped and burned or stoned or any number of punishments that have been cast upon would-be apostates and especially women under the rule of Sharia.

Religions of Malaysia (source: CIA World Factbook): Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia.

Jasri, in his judgment, said although the Federal Constitution did state that every individual deserved to choose his or her religion, it did not give authority to the syariah court to allow Muslims to renounce their religion. “The court can only decide whether one�s action is permissible according to Muslim laws.

“The reasons given by the applicant are based on fear of punishment which is against the teachings of Islam. Is fear a good enough reason?

“The court finds the reasons given are weak and not one that can be used as permissible to murtad (leave Islam).“

When a religion is feared, that should say more than enough. This idea of being forced to stay within a religion is alien to American and Western thinking, but it is absolute law in most Islamic nations, and as you can now see, even in nations where Islam does not yet hold a majority. Fear is a powerful weapon and the Muslims know it well.