1. AsiaNews.it (http://www.asianews.it)
Islamic court “authorises” conversion from Islam to Buddhism, 8 May 2008
In Penang state an Islamic tribunal emits a rare sentence accepting the request of a woman to leave Islam. In recent years, Islamic judge’s closure on conversion cases has provoked strong political and social tensions.
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A Malaysian court has accepted the request of a woman convert to Islam to return to Buddhism, her original religion. The sentence is the first of its kind in recent months, which has seen progressive closure on the part of judges regarding cases of citizens who want to leave Islam, the nation’s majority religion. The case was reported by Ahmad Munawir Abdul Aziz, lawyer for the Council of Islamic Affairs for Penang state, in the north of the country. According to the lawyer, the tribunal granted permission to Siti Fatimah Abdullah to re-embrace Buddhism, which she had left in 1998 in order to marry a Muslim of Iranian origins.
Recently cases similar to that of Siti Fatimah have come to light, but have resulted in a ban on changing religions, creating strong ethnic and religious tensions in Malaysia. The most famous case is that of Lina Joy, an ethnic malay. Last year after a lengthy legal battle her conversion to Christianity failed to gain legal recognition. Despite guarantees of full religious freedom, Malaysia has established that all questions regarding the faith of ethnic malays – including their conversion – be judged by the Islamic courts rather than civilian law. In fact, two legislations exist in the country: Islamic law and constitutional law, which often are in direct opposition to each other. In the case of Lina Joy this is evident: the Constitution guarantees religious freedom; Islamic law prohibits conversion to another religion.
2. The New Straits Times (http://www.nst.com.my)
Judge: Council failed in duty to guide converts, 9 May 2008
GEORGE TOWN: Silence descended on the Syariah High Court here yesterday as judge Othman Ibrahim delivered a no-holds-barred decision in favour of a convert who wanted to renounce Islam. He chastised the Penang Islamic Religious Council for failing to ensure that new converts understood the teachings of Islam.
He said it was regrettable that the council had neglected its duties and did not act quickly enough to save Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah's akidah (faith).
"It is their obligation to encourage, support, help and ensure that new converts understand and follow Islamic teachings. However, in this case nothing was done until the last moment when it was already too late."
Othman said the council only entered its representations in Siti Fatimah's case at the end of the trial despite having been served notice at the start.
He said the council should establish clear procedural and supervisory guidelines on conversions "in and out" of Islam.
Othman said the Siti Fatimah case was similar to Nyonya Tahir's as it involved converts who never practised Islam.
In the Nyonya Tahir case, the Seremban Syariah High Court last year decided that the 89-year-old Malay woman was a non-Muslim when she died. It allowed her family to bury her according to Buddhist rites.
Nyonya was born in 1918 in Alor Gajah, Malacca, and was raised by her grandmother, who was a Malay married to a Chinese convert.
However, the court took into consideration evidence from Nyonya Tahir's family that she had been raised as a Buddhist and had never practised Islam.
She had consistently adopted the Chinese way of life.
In his judgment, Othman detailed the meaning of murtad (apostate) and kafir (non-believer) and how Islam dealt with the two.
He said becoming an apostate was a great sin in Islam and its punishment severe, to the extent that one who renounced the religion could be sentenced to death.
However, he said in Siti Fatimah's case she had not followed Islamic teachings from her conversion onwards and remained a Buddhist.
He said her husband, Iranian Ferdoun Ashanian, had failed to guide and assist her on her newly-acquired faith. This was compounded by the council's failure to follow up after her conversion.
Ahmad Munawir Abdul Aziz, who represented the council, said he planned to appeal the decision within the stipulated 14 days.
Copyright 2008 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.
3．Malaysiakini.com（http://www.malaysiakini.com）
Should they be allowed to leave Islam?, 8 May 2008
by Rahmah Ghazali
As expected, there were mixed responses on the suggestion to draw up a specific law to deal with apostasy from several MPs interviewed by Malaysiakini in Parliament yesterday.
MPs from the ruling coalition and the opposition had different takes on how the government should handle the apostasy issue which was raised by Mohd Puad Zarkashi (BN-Batu Pahat) on Tuesday.
The Batu Pahat MP made a call to implement a specific law following MCA president Ong Ka Ting's suggestion last week to allow non-Muslims who had converted to Islam to leave the faith if their marriage to Muslims ended in divorce.
His call was echoed by Nasharuddin Mat Isa (PAS-Bachok) who also stressed that besides having a law on apostasy, the authorities should make the Syariah law clearer on the subject.
Here are some responses from MPs when met at the Parliament lobby:
Fuziah Salleh (PKR-Kuantan): When someone embraces Islam, it is due to conviction. Not because the person wants to marry a Muslim and it's not out of convenience. This shows the contradiction that they're allowed to leave Islam now that they are divorced. If they embrace Islam because of conviction they should stay. Otherwise, I wouldn't blame the person who wants to leave the faith, but I'd blame the surroundings especially her/his partner for not educating him/her enough about Islam.
Liew Chin Tong (DAP-Bukit Bendera): If people embrace Islam by will of marriage, they should be given a choice to choose their faith when the marriage ends.
Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor): I think you have to go by the freedom of religion in the constitution. Whoever converts, they have the right to renounce the religion to go back to his or any other religion.
If they were to rehabilitate the apostates, that is putting an obstacle in the way of freedom of religion.
The Syariah court already says someone can leave Islam but with a green light from them. I think they're going on the principle: Once a Muslim, always a Muslim, which I think that's wrong.
Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena): It is up the Syariah court to decide whether they can renounce their religion or not. They have to obey the court's decision whatever the outcome is.
The people who embraced Islam through marriage, however, should whole-heartedly have faith in Islam and the responsible ones around them should educate them about the religion so in the future, their children will not be lost as to what religion they should be embracing.
Shafie Apdal (BN-Semporna): We cannot force someone to embrace Islam. Religiously speaking, they have to be willing to embrace Islam.
In Malaysia, the official religion is Islam, as stated in the constitution. It's not freedom of religion, but it's the freedom to practise any other religion besides Islam. But when it comes to apostasy, it is not spelled out clearly.
We need to make an in-depth research why they want to renounce Islam in the first place. Rather than stopping them to renounce the faith, it's better to help them by addressing the problems they have and help solve them.
Razali Ibrahim (BN-Muar): If someone wants to convert to Islam, they have to be willing to embrace it and not by force. If the time comes, and if the person feels like he wants to convert, it is not by law and it's between them and God. With a law, you can maintain the relationship with the community.
The problem in this Islam is, the people who renounce Islam after the marriage ends, converted to Islam in the first place to obey the law because they cannot have inter-marriage where husband and wife not embracing the same religion.
(End)
