On
August 18, 2007, CBC organized a
session for members as well as the community in SS2 on the above topic.
Our
Guest Speaker was K.J. John from Oriental Hearts and Mind Society. It
was with
great disappointment that the High Court ruled against Lina Joy’s
appeal for
her right to change her religion. Here are some facts of her case:-
Born a
Malay-Muslim, became a Christian by faith and baptized in a Catholic
Church
She applied to
have a name and religion changed on the IC
The NRD agreed
to change name (as law provides for this) but not the religion
She was issued
new IC with new name but the word ‘Islam’ was now officially recorded
on her
new IC
Lina went to
court to establish the legal position on her freedom of conscience
provision of
Article 11 of Malaysian Constitution
Her lawyers
appealed based on Administrative law argument of jurisdiction
Lower courts
agreed with NRD position and asked for a Syariah Court ruling on the matter
Federal Court
rules 2-1 in favor of the ruling of the NRD that it is right and okay
for the
Department to ask a former Muslim to get permission on these issues of
renunciation of Islam often called “apostatization.”
Lina cannot
marry her Catholic husband under Malaysia laws, must remain a Muslim and cannot
pursue her
freedom on conscience in Malaysia
What
are the Core Issues in
this case?
Our assumptions
about human nature.Does man have
freedom of choice given by God?
Is the
Constitution still our “document of destiny?”
Are the
international civil liberties guaranteed by our Constitution subject to
other
localized rules?
Did the Federal
Court uphold the Constitution when they made the Lina Joy decision?
Can Lina Joy
remain a Malaysian citizen when her basic rights guaranteed by the
Constitution
are not recognized by the Federal Courts, the Legislature, and the
Executive?
The article below was written by a
participant of the
seminar – Ms. Janette Koh
I
went to this meeting, saying to myself I'd better go because I have
been
religiously praying for the nation and so, it would be good to keep
myself
knowledgeable. I had yet to attend one of these similar talks and
when
Pat Toh sprang out of nowhere a few days earlier into my house and
mentioned it
to me, something inside me said I should attend. So I rallied
some of my
friends who pray along with me every week. At the last moment,
all could
not make it. Easily, I could have backed out as well. But
this is
where God takes over in His own sovereign way (and I love Him for it)
from
man's limited knowledge, and I just felt compelled to attend. Arriving
at the premise, I still felt like it was going to be 'just one of
those' but
the moment the speaker took over, the alertness and attentiveness that
overcame
me, towards God's messenger was evident. All of a sudden, I could
feel
God confirming everything we had prayed week in, week out for the
nation.
It was as if the man was just a shell and the Holy Spirit had taken
over and
was speaking to me. And we all know what happens when He speaks -
you
stand amazed. One
of the very recent things the Lord had revealed during my weekly prayer
meet
was to ask for unity amongst all races. And as such, to pray that
there
would be a need for non-Malay votes to bring about a balance and
stability in
the nation's leadership. And through His servant on that night
(of the
talk), that was confirmed! So,
every Christian reading this, I implore you to go before the
Lord. If you
have done it already, do it again. If you've never, start!
Ask Him
to take control of the coming elections and ask Him to use you to play
a part
in our nation's future. Our
nation is also our children's nation. Let's give them a great
inheritance
– a Malaysia for all races with the freedom to worship the Living God! Moses
told Pharaoh to let God's people go to worship Him. Today, we say
to
Malaysia: let God's people worship here, in this land where He
has
blessed many with His salvation. I
am going to share the message to the Christians I know - to pray,
to vote,
to believe, to hope. Will you? Faith
in God will reap rewards for the peoples of this land. Join the
rest of
us to make history, join us to make HIStory
told for generations to come! Blessed are the
peacemakers for they shall be called SONS OF GOD. By Janette Koh Member of Balai Baptis
Kalvari …...…………………………………………………………………
To all
eligible voters…..
Vote wisely this
election.
Please ask yourself
if your basic
rights and privileges as a Malaysian are currently protected and
preserved by
the Government and all her agencies; whether by the Legislature, the
Judiciary
or the Executive?