Malaysia: Christian lawyer loses appeal to practice in sharia courts
By Mark Ellis, Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service
MALAYSIA (ANS -- April 5, 2016)
-- Christian lawyer Victoria Martin lost her appeal on March 24th to
represent clients in Malaysia’s sharia (Islamic law) courts, according
to a report by Morning Star News (http://morningstarnews.org).
In
Malaysia all ethnic Malays are considered Muslim, according to the
constitution. Any ethnic Malay who leaves Islam is declared non-Malay.
If Malays want to change their religion, they must go to a sharia court
first. These courts specify a period of “re-education” for such
petitioners and usually reject their requests to leave Islam.
All
lawyers who practice in sharia courts in Malaysia must be Muslims,
while in nearby Singapore and other countries, non-Muslims are allowed
to practice in sharia courts.
In Malaysia, non-Muslims and those desiring to leave Islam are faced with the problem of being represented by Muslims.
Martin
studied at the International Islamic University and received a Diploma
in Sharia Law, as well as a Master’s in Comparative Law. She applied to
practice in the sharia court in Kuala Lumpur. She was turned down
because she is not a Muslim, according to Morning Star News.
She
appealed and won at the appellate level in 2013. In 2015, the case went
to the highest court in Malaysia, which decided 3 to 2 against
Victoria.
The
court did not agree that sharia is beyond the reach of civil law, but
it ruled that the requirement that only Muslims could practice in sharia
court did not violate the Federal Constitution.
In
a somewhat related case, a Muslim from a tribal group in the Malaysian
state of Sarawak was allowed to change his religion to Christian on his
national identity card without a letter of release from a sharia court.
“Judge
Datuk Yew Jen Kie said this was in accordance with the applicant’s
constitutional right to freedom of religion, as he was now an adult,”
the Star Online reported.
The
convert, however, did have a letter of release from the state Islamic
religious council. It is not known if this case will be appealed.
Meanwhile,
the ability of ethnic Malays who become followers of Jesus to openly
proclaim their Christianity continues to be suppressed in Malaysia,
according to Morning Star News.
Photo
captions: 1) Victoria Martin. 2) Malaysia’s Palace of Justice, where
the Federal Court of Malaysia is located. (Wikipedia). 3) Mark Ellis
being welcomed to "Windows on the World" by ANS founder, Dan Wooding
About the writer: Mark Ellis is senior correspondent for the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net), and also founder of www.GodReports.com,
a website that shares stories, testimonies and videos from the church
around the world. He is also the co-host for “Windows on the World” with
ANS Founder, Dan Wooding, on the Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network (http://hsbn.tv).
** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).
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