News from Home, World and the Vatican

The Catholic Lawyers’ Society, KL together with the Selangor Bar Legal Aid Centre held a “Law Awareness Programme” at the Church of St. Anne in Port Klang, Selangor.

The legal clinic was held on the last day of St. Anne’s feast that was celebrated for a week long at the Church. Read more »

Is Malaysia an Islamic or a secular state? Some constitutional law experts and organisations have different views on this. Read more »

M Revathi, 29, still steadfastly wants to remain a Hindu, despite her six month detention by religious authorities and ongoing efforts to make her a Muslim.

“My name is Revathi. I want to hold on to that name - forever. I want to drop the name Siti Fatimah,” Revathi, sporting pottu (Hindu symbol) on her forehead, told reporters outside the Shah Alam High Court today. Read more »

Dataran Merdeka, where the proclamation of Malaysia's independence from colonial rule rang out half a century ago, once again become the stage for another cry for freedom.

This time around, it concerned religion and the freedom to love.

Last night, some 500 people congregated at Dataran Merdeka to hold a candlelight vigil to protest the continued detention of M Revathi at an Islamic rehabilitation centre. Read more »

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) is disturbed and saddened by the decision of the Federal Court in the Lina Joy’s case, where the Court has confirmed the National Registration Department’s right to insist on a certificate from the Syariah Court that she has apostatized, prior to registering her conversion in the identity card.

We reiterate that the NRD’s insistence on such a certificate being produced has curtailed the fundamental right of an individual to profess and express his or her religion as provided for in Article 11. Read more »

The Catholic Lawyers of the Diocese of Penang wish to express our grave concern over the recent increase in cases where non-Muslims have been required to seek recourse in the Syariah Courts when their spouses convert and become Muslims after marriage.

We are of the view that this is unconstitutional.

Whether or not the Syariah Court will be fair and just to a non-Muslim is NOT the issue. Read more »

A Malaysian court on Friday temporarily forbade an ethnic Indian Muslim from converting his 1-year-old son to Islam, giving some respite to the man's Hindu wife who is trying to block him from changing their son's religion, media reports said.

The case has highlighted sensitive issues of race and religion among Malaysia's non-Muslim ethnic minorities, who, rights groups say, are facing an erosion of their rights. Read more »