The country of Malaysia consists of four main ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese, Indians and tribal peoples. On September 19, a superior court upheld an earlier judgment that the Malay people cannot renounce Islam. According to the Malaysian constitution, "A Malay citizen is a person who professes Islam." For the approximately 15,000 Malay converts to Christianity, this means that they retain the official status of a Muslim, regardless of their religious beliefs.
In 1998, Azalina Jailani converted to Christianity and changed her name to Lina Joy. She went to court to force the National Registration Department to change her religious status from Islam to Christian so that she could be married in a civil ceremony to her Christian husband. Her request was rejected when the judge ruled, "As a Malay, the plaintiff exists under the tenets of Islam until her death." (click here for details). Two of the three judges on the panel ruled that she could only change her status with the permission of Muslim religious authorities. The third judge, a Hindu, held that she had the right to renounce Islam without permission, since the Malaysian constitution guarantees the freedom of religion.
Pray for Lina and the other Malay Christians living in a state of constitutional limbo. Pray for them as they experience social rejection and legal discrimination. As one Christian woman told AsiaNews on September 21, "We are discriminated and virtually live underground lives. Our parents, siblings and friends all shun us like lepers."
For more information on persecution of Christians in Malaysia, click here.
Population
