KL court rejects Sarawakian woman’s bid to renounce Islam
Published on: Thursday, September 21, 2023
By:
FMT, Ho Kit Yen
The Kuala Lumpur High Court has been told that the 26-year-old woman converted to Islam to marry a Malay-Muslim man, but the relationship ended without marriage.
Kuala Lumpur: The High Court here has rejected a 26-year-old woman’s bid to commence judicial review proceedings in an attempt to renounce Islam.
Justice Ahmad Kamal Shahid denied the application on grounds that the civil courts have no powers to hear renunciation matters.
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“(Only) the shariah courts have jurisdiction to hear matters on renunciation,” he said.
The court ordered the woman to pay the government costs of RM3,000.
The woman had filed an application for leave to commence judicial review proceedings on April 20. She named the federal territory’s muallaf registrar, its Islamic religious council (MAIWP) and the government as respondents.
She had sought a declaration that the muallaf registrar has jurisdiction under the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 1993 to declare that a person is no longer a Muslim.
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She also requested that her name be struck off the muallaf register immediately, adding that the registrar’s refusal to decide on her written requests, made on Jan 30, Feb 20 and March 17 this year, was irrational and unreasonable.
In her supporting affidavit, the woman said she had, on Aug 18, 2017, converted to Islam and registered as a muallaf to marry a Malay-Muslim man, but the relationship had ended without marriage.
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The woman was represented by lawyer Iqbal Harith Liang, while federal counsel Sallehuddin Ali appeared for the government.
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