Laws Related to Leaving Islam in Malaysia: Issues and Challenges in Legislation and Enforcement
Abstract
Schedule Nine of the Federal Constitution allows state governments to enact laws related to Islam within the scope of the schedule, including those relating to renouncing Islam and associated matters. Currently, states like Negeri Sembilan and Sarawak have enacted laws or procedures governing the process of leaving Islam. Through doctrinal study and existing legal texts, three main approaches are identified: criminalizing apostasy under Syariah law, addressing it through a mal application, and combining punitive and rehabilitative elements, such as istitabah (repentance) through the criminal process. Agencies directly involved include the State Religious Department, the State Religious Council, the Mufti's Office, and the Syariah Court. However, some applicants file Civil court cases to avoid the lengthy Syariah Court process. Furthermore, there are almost no reported cases of Syariah prosecution resulting from applications to leave Islam, which may relate to society’s varying views of apostasy, whether it is a criminal act (riddah) or a matter of religious freedom.
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