Posts Tagged ‘Apostasy’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

PM to talk on managing multiracial country

January 14th, 2008
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


As long as economy is well, public won't complain much. As long the majority are taken care of, there overall situation will be fine.

Not sure if PM will be asked to talk/comment about illegal conversions, apostasy, banning of books/movies, temple demolition, forced wearing of tudung/songkok, etc.

PM to tell how KL bridged racial-religious gaps

source

By MERGAWATI ZULFAKAR

MADRID: Malaysia will get to share with other world leaders its experience as a successful moderate Islamic country with a multi-racial society and serve as an example to other nations. 

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, specially invited to the First Alliance of Civilisations (AoC) annual forum here from tomorrow will explain how Malaysia was able to bridge the religious and racial gaps among its people. 

The two-day forum, to be opened by the President of Spain, Josi Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, will be attended, among others, by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Portugal President Jorge Sampaio, who is also UN High Representative for AoC.  

Malaysian ambassador to Spain Datuk Naimun Ashakli Mohammad said the Spanish Government had cited Malaysia as a successful Muslim country, which practised a democratic process that could be emulated by others. 

Naimun said the forum organisers had invited the Prime Minister to be one of the panel members in a plenary session to discuss the topic The Alliance of Civilisations: Managing Diversity in the era of Globalisation. 

Abdullah, who arrived today, is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with Zapatero and extend an invitation to the Spanish leader to attend the third International Conference on Islam and the West in Malaysia. 

The conference to be held on June 9 and 10 is in line with the Malaysian government’s aim to create an alliance among civilisations through the involvement of governments, scholars and civil society.  

The two leaders are also expected to touch on the situation in Myanmar and West Asia. 

On trade ties, Naimun said trade volume amounted to RM3.7 bil, in Malaysia’s favour, between last January and October. Malaysia exported telecommunication equipment, electrical goods, vegetable fats, textile and rubber gloves.

No comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags:

Federal Constitution must remain supreme

June 1st, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Bar Council: Federal Constitution must remain supreme

PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council supports the minority judgment of Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Richard Malanjum that no court or authority should be easily allowed to have implied powers to curtail rights that are constitutionally granted. 

Its president S. Ambiga said the Federal Constitution “is and must remain in law, supreme.” 

“In an event of any inconsistency or conflict between the provisions of State Enactments and of the Federal Constitution, the latter must prevail,” she said in a statement yesterday. 

On Wednesday, the Federal Court rejected Lina JoyÂ’s appeal to compel the National Registration Department (NRD) to remove the word “Islam” from her identity card. 

Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Federal Court Justice Alauddin Mohd Sheriff voted against her appeal and said conversion issues should be dealt with by the Syariah Court. 

In his dissenting judgement, Justice Malanjum described the NRD’s insistence that Lina Joy obtain a certificate of apostasy from the Federal Territory Syariah Court or any Islamic authority as illegal and unreasonable. 

Ambiga said: “We are mindful that issues relating to religion will inevitably draw emotive responses in a multireligious society. 

“Malaysians must be prepared to confront these issues maturely and dispassionately within the framework of our Federal Constitution as the supreme law of the land.” 

Council of Churches of Malaysia general-secretary Rev Dr Herman Shastri said it viewed the Federal Court’s decision with regret and concern. 

“We believe that the constitutional provision in Article 11 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of religion in our country has been severely violated,” he said. 

He said the majority judgement had denied the individual the right to freedom of conscience and choice of religion.  

“It is, therefore, vital that the necessary legislation be enacted to ensure that no citizen would be penalised when he or she exercises the individual right to choose a faith and to practice it in freedom,” he said. 

No comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags:

Lina Joy Case – Articles from Today’s Newspapers Part 2

May 31st, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Federal Court dismiss Lina Joy's appeal
 

By : A. Hafiz Yatim and Rita Jong

LINA Joy has lost her long battle to have her religious status adjudicated by the country’s civil laws.

A three-judge Federal Court panel ruled by a 2-1 majority that only the syariah court
has the power to determine whether a person is still a Muslim based on Islamic law.
It said Lina, born Azlina Jailani, should obtain a syariah court order confirming her
apostasy before the NRD could remove the word “Islam” from her identity card…

» Read more: Lina Joy Case – Articles from Today’s Newspapers Part 2

No comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags:

Lina Joy Case – Articles from Today’s Newspapers Part 1

May 31st, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Federal Court rejects Lina's appeal in a majority decision

By CHELSEA L.Y. NG and RAPHAEL WONG

 
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court, in a majority decision, has rejected Lina Joy's appeal to compel the National Registration Department (NRD) to remove the word Islam from her identity card. 
 
The 42-year-old will now have to either subject herself to the jurisdiction of the Syariah Court on whether she is an apostate or seek a review of the Federal Court decision. 
 
Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim ruled that the NRD had reasonably imposed a condition requiring Lina to obtain a certificate of apostasy from the Syariah Court before it proceeds to make the deletion. 
 

» Read more: Lina Joy Case – Articles from Today’s Newspapers Part 1

No comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags:

No Joy for Lina

May 30th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


No Joy for Lina
 
May 30, 07 11:18am

Lina Joy’s long wait for her conversion to Christianity to be recognised by law is over – the Federal Court ruled today that she remains a Muslim and her religious status will not be removed from her identity card.

Delivering the judgment to a packed gallery this morning in Putrajaya, Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim ruled that jurisdiction remains with the Syariah court.

The chief justice stated that he concurred with the majority decision – Justice Alauddin Mohd Sheriff who was the last to read his judgment agreed with Ahmad Fairuz's findings.

Justice Richard Malanjun gave a dissenting judgment.

The case hinged on a decision by the National Registration Department not to remove the word ‘Islam’ from Lina’s MyKad.

The department said it needed a syariah court order certifying her renouncement from Islam before it could make the change.

The three questions

Following this, Lina filed a suit against the NRD director-general, the government and the Federal Territory Religious Council in 2001.

After losing at both the High Court and Court of Appeal, the matter finally came to the Federal Court with these three questions:

1.. Was the NRD entitled to require a person to produce a certificate or a declaration or an order from the syariah court before deleting “Islam” from his or her identity card;

2. Did the NRD correctly construe its powers under the National Registration Regulations 1990 when it imposed the above requirement, which is not expressly provided for in the regulations?; and

3. Was the landmark case Soon Singh vs Perkim Kedah – which held that syariah courts have the authority over the civil courts to hear cases of Muslims renouncing Islam – correctly decided?

Delivering the much-awaited judgment today, Ahmad Fairuz and Alauddin answered in the positive to all these three questions.

Richard however disagreed, stating that the NRD had no statutory duty to decide on apostasy.

Shouts of Allahuakbar

A large section of the 300-strong crowd waiting outside recited the tahlil or read the Quran while waiting for the decision.

When the news reached them, they shouted Allahuakbar – their reaction resounded through the Palace of Justice.

Born to Malay parents, Joy, 43, whose Muslim name was Azlina Jailani, converted to Christianity in 1998.

No comments »

Posted in BornInMalaysia

Tags: