http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20977254-2702,00.html
"Lina Joy was once a Muslim but has converted to Christianity. She didn't do so to make any broad point or to lead any social movement. It was entirely a private decision. But in Malaysia the state takes official notice of your race and religion.
Lina Joy tried to get herself deregistered as a Muslim and reregistered as a Christian. As a Muslim she is not allowed to marry a Christian man and any children she has must be brought up as Muslims.
When the state authorities refused to accept her conversion she appealed to the courts on the basis of Article 11 of the Malaysian constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion.
The case, in which judgment could be given at any time, has polarised Malaysia. Many Muslims believe apostasy - changing your religion - is not only a sin but should be punishable by death."
Malaysia is supposed to be one of the laid-back tolerant muslim countries. 'Deregistered as a Muslim and reregistered as a Christian'? Huh? Ok, let me get this right... if an English County Council want to put up a Nativity scene in the lobby of their headquarters, that is a disastrous imposition on the poor ickle muslim population, and must be destroyed and never repeated. But if a Malaysian woman wants to worship Christ in her home, and bring up her children to worship Christ, the entire weight of the Malaysian state will get in her way?
Why do I pick up the newspaper every day to read a new denunciation of this country and its oppressions, when the worlds conditions self-evidently proclaim the opposite case?
No comments:
Post a Comment