The Federal Court may has its final verdict. I have no objections over the court decision on National Registration Department (NRD) action of not allowing Lina removed the word "Islam" from her MyKad. Since Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim ruled that jurisdiction remains with the Syariah court.
But the questions remained. Is Lina Joy a real convert in the face of law by just baptizing in church? If not, can she really go through a proper channel to lawfully renounce Islam in Malaysia? Since NRD said it needed a Syariah Court order certifying her renouncement from Islam. If there are no such channels, then it's useless to bring this kind of case to the court again next time. It just gives people a chance to sensationalize the entire issue. But then again, if no such channels exist, would it be contradictory to the Constitution of Malaysia that gives people the freedom of religious belief?
The verdict also has one profound implication -- that the Syariah Court precedes Civil Court when dealing with ALL Islam matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment