Malaysian Citizens Seek Court Protection for Religious Beliefs

BBC News reports today on an interesting challenge pending in Malaysia's federal court. Two Malaysians have been charged by Islamic authorities with associating with a banned inter-faith group, the Sky Kingdom. (See prior posting.) The two argue that they have renounced Islam and are therefore not subject to the fatwa they are charged with violating. They say that Article 11 of Malaysia's Constitution allows them to practice the religion of their choice, and are seeking a hearing in the federal court to vindicate that right. In the past, secular courts have referred these cases back to Islamic authorities who usually rule that individuals are using this as a defense merely to evade Islamic justice.