When the Court first handed down this decision, I wrote here that “this is a small step in the right direction, but not as much of one as you might think,” because some schools of Islamic jurisprudence don’t mandate the death penalty for women who leave Islam anyway — and now it looks as if it is even less of a step in the right direction, as the modern, moderate Malaysian government is going to appeal the decision.
“Appeal against woman renouncing Islam in Malaysia,” from IANS, May 18 (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist):
The Malaysian government has said it would challenge a court decision allowing a Chinese woman to renounce Islam and revert to Buddhism.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the court verdict was not final and an appeal before the higher court was almost complete.
He noted that the court decision favouring the woman, Tan Ean Huan – who called herself Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah as a Muslim – was protested by Islamist groups including a Kuala Lumpur-based political group, Hizbut Tahrir….