2007年VOA标准英语-Malaysian Court Throws Out Muslim Conversion Ca

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
30 May 2007

Malaysia's top court has rejected a Muslim convert's appeal to be recognized as a Christian¹ in a ruling that may come to define the limits of religious freedom in the multi-racial nation. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta has more.

Muslims celebrate verdict that denied Lina Joy, a Muslim convert, be recognized as a Christian at entrance of Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, 30 May 2007

Lina Joy lost a six-year battle Wednesday to have the word "Islam" removed from her identity card after the country's top secular² court threw the case out.

The Federal Court rejected Joy's appeal, saying the country's highest civil court had no jurisdiction³ in the case that must be dealt with by the Sharia, or Islamic court system.

Joy's attorney, Benjamin Dawson, says the reality is that Islamic law does not allow Muslims to formally renounce⁴ Islam. If Joy appeared at an Islamic court, she would therefore be admitting to the crime of apostasy⁵.

"The real effect of that is that in several states in Malaysia the very act of apostasy is a criminal offense," Dawson said. "In some of these states, you may also be detained for a considerably⁶ long period. So it would be quite difficult for those who wish to renounce Islam to go to Sharia court."

Joy converted to Christianity in 1990 and was allowed by the National Registration⁷ Department to change her name from Azlina Jailani to Lina Joy in 1999. But the entry for her religion remained Islam.

The 43-year-old Christian convert wants to be allowed to marry her Christian boyfriend, but is unable to do so as long as her identity card declares her to be a Muslim.

While the Malaysian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, Sharia courts claim the right to rule on a range of personal and marital⁸ issues.

Shad Faruqui, a professor of constitutional law at Malaysia's Mara University of Technology, says Malaysians should have the right to choose their own religion without religious or state interference.

"Now personally speaking, in a very objective way, in a global way, international way, people should not have to seek anyone's approval for a matter of conscience," said Faruqui.

Joy's attorney says the ruling has harsh consequences for those wishing to renounce Islam.

"You have someone who wants to decide the religion of her choice and to live her life according to her choice, but she's now told that decision has to be made by some third party," said Dawson. "I think it's quite difficult for Muslims in particular because that places a restriction⁹ on many other issues like for example the right to get married to a non-Muslim - it affects one's life absolutely."

Joy's case is one of several recent controversies¹⁰ in which non-Muslim Malaysians believe they are being marginalized by an increasingly confident Islamic legal system.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

3 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

4 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

5 apostasy   

n.背教，脱党

参考例句：

• Apostasy often has its roots in moral failure.背道的人通常是先在道德方面一败涂地。
• He was looked down upon for apostasy.他因背教而受轻视。

6 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

7 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

8 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

9 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

10 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句