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Malaysia's High Court Upholds State Laws Prohibiting Religious Deviations

By Howard M. Friedman

Saturday's Borneo Post reports that Malaysia's Federal Court has upheld the constitutionality of the state of Selangor's Syariah law and a similar statute enacted by the state of Terengganu. The laws prohibit a Muslim from disobeying the Sultan as head of the religion of Islam or disobeying fatwas. One of the defendants involved was Abdul Kahar Ahmad who had declared himself a prophet. Other defendants were his followers, or, in one case, a follower of the Ayah Pin sect. Defendants argued that the statutes under which they were prosecuted violate Section 11 of the Constitution that protects of the right to profess one's religion. The court held, however, that state legislatures can prohibit those who profess Islam from going against the faith's precepts.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on September 27, 2008 (boomark / email).