High Court to Hear Arguments on Conversion

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On September 19, 2005, a superior court in Malaysia upheld an earlier decision that ethnic Malay people cannot convert from Islam.  The decision was in response to a case involving a Malay woman who converted to Christianity in 1998 and wished to change her religious designation so she could be married in a civil ceremony to her Christian husband (click here for more details). On April 13, Malaysia's highest court agreed to hear her case.  It is expected to take months before the Federal Court releases its ruling. The decision will have a profound effect on religious freedom in this country whose constitution states that "a Malay citizen is a person who professes Islam."

  • Country Information

    Population
    34,219,975 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Bumiputera (63.8 - Malays and indigenous peoples), Chinese (20.6), Indian (6), others (0.6), non-citizens (9)

    Religion (%)
    Muslim (63.5), Buddhist (18.7), Christian (9.1), Hindu (6.1), Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions (0.9), Other (1.8),

    Leader
    King Sultan Ibrahim ibni al-Marhum Sultan Iskandar (2024)

    Government type
    Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy

    Legal system
    Mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Court at request of supreme head of the federation

    Source: CIA World Factbook

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Malaysia News

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