Yep, I’m sidelining the “me agreeing with Billy Graham” blog again! That’s because there is some tentatively exciting news out of Malaysia! Yes, it’s back to Malaysia! Those of you who haven’t been reading my blog for very long may not realize that almost a year ago I wrote a lengthy blog, called “The Malaysian Conundrum”, which detailed how Lina Joy, a Malay Muslim wasn’t allowed to officially convert from Islam to Christianity. Take a minute to read it and refresh yourself on the topic. I’ll wait.
Back? Good! Hold onto your hats folks because on May 8, 2008 a Malaysian religious court granted a woman’s wish to formally renounce Islam! So, how did Siti Fatimah get so lucky? It might have helped that she wasn’t originally a Muslim. She converted to Islam so she could marry her Muslim boyfriend, because in Malaysia non-Muslims must convert to Islam before they are allowed to legally marry a Muslim. Their marriage ended in 2006, and she requested to have her conversion annulled saying that she had only converted for marriage and had never been an actual practicing Muslim.
And it worked! “It’s a landmark case”, the attorney who represented Fatimah is quoted telling Reuters.UK. Unfortunately, Reuters explains that Islamic affairs are governed at state level, so the ruling does not necessarily set a precedent for sharia courts in Malaysia’s other states. The Penang religious council has already signaled that it is likely to appeal the ruling.
That’s why I had to write about this so quickly…the victory may be short lived.
