30 May 2007
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia: Malaysia's highest court on Wednesday threw out a bid by a woman seeking to have her conversion to Christianity from Islam officially recognised.
A three-judge panel of the Federal Court rejected an appeal by Lina Joy in a case that went to the heart of a debate here on whether civil courts should take precedence over tribunals based on Islamic sharia law.
Joy's appeal centred on whether she should be required to go before a sharia court to have her renunciation – seen as one of the gravest sins in Islam – recognised before authorities delete the word "Islam" from her identity card.
Chief Judge Ahmad Fairuz said the National Registration Department, which is in charge of issuing identity cards, had the right to demand that a sharia court certify Joy's conversion.
"On the question that the National Registration Department has the right to demand a certification from the Islamic court that confirms the appellant's renunciation of Islam, my answer is that NRD has the right," the judge said.
"The appeal has been rejected with cause."
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