Malaysia’s conversion controversy
Malaysians who try to convert from Islam to other religions risk imprisonment.
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| Malaysian Muslims shout slogans as they wait outside the courthouse in Putrajaya near Kuala Lumpur [AP] |
The issue of Malaysians attempting to convert from Islam to other faiths has ignited fierce debate in the country.
This follows a controversial ruling from the country’s highest court, which refused to rule on whether one woman could officially become a Christian.
The convert to Christianity lost her six-year battle to have the word ‘Islam’ removed from her identity card.
It is a hot topic in Malaysia where Muslims form a slim majority and those who do try to convert could face prison.
101 East with Teymoor Nabili reports on a battle between religion, race and personal conviction.
Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas, the director-general of the Institute for Islamic Understanding (IKIM), Farish Noor, an academic and author, and Lee Heng Seng, a spokesperson for the National Evangelical Christian, join the show.
Watch this episode of 101 East here:
Part 1:
Part 2:
This episode of 101 East aired from 07 June 2007
101 East airs at 16:30GMT every Thursday on Al Jazeera English and is repeated during the week
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