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" (for more details on Lina Joy's situation, follow the links on Malaysia's Country Report). According to reports received this week, Joy and her fiancé have gone into hiding after they received numerous death threats. Joy's lawyer, Benjamin Dawson, told the New York Times that the only chance of the two living together in peace may be for them to leave their country.
Lina Joy in Hiding
- 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 monarchyLegal 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 federationSource: CIA World Factbook
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Malaysia News
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Raymond Koh's Wife Demands Answers
Raymond Koh and his family.
Photo: VOM USAPastor Raymond Koh was no stranger to persecution when he was abducted off the streets of Malaysia on February 13th, 2017. The incident was caught on security cameras and, although no information about Pastor Raymond's captors has ever been released by the authorities, it is believed that government security forces were responsible for the incident. Video footage of the abduction is available here. For previously published reports about the missing pastor, see this list.
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Fifth Anniversary of Pastor Raymond Koh's Disappearance
Pastor Raymond Koh, Jonathan (son),
Susanna (wife), and Esther (daughter)
Photo (family): Free Malaysia TodayOn February 13th, 2017, surveillance cameras captured Pastor Raymond Koh being forced to bring his vehicle to a sudden stop before masked men abducted him in an operation that appeared to be executed with military precision. The abducted pastor has not been seen nor heard from since the incident. Under suspicion of state police for attempting to convert ethnic Malays to Christianity, Pastor Raymond and his wife Susanna received death threats prior to the incident.
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"Release Raymond Koh" Petition
On February 13th, 2017, Pastor Raymond Koh was abducted from the streets of Malaysia. He hasn't been seen or heard from since, and his car has never been located. Video footage of the entire crime was captured by nearby security cameras.
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State Police Found Responsible for Disappearances
Pastor Raymond Koh Pastor Raymond Koh disappeared on February 13th, 2017 when his car was forced to stop and he was abducted in broad daylight by masked men (see this report). On April 3rd of this year, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia released findings that placed blame for the attack on the "Special Branch" of the state police.
