The crime of apostasy
Everywoman looks at the case of a Muslim woman accused of deserting her religion.
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| Siti Fatimah was born a Muslim but married a Hindu |
In this episode of Everywoman, we examine the crime of apostasy; how a baby can be torn from its parents because a Muslim woman dared to marry a non-Muslim.
Religious freedom in Malaysia has been under the spotlight recently, with a string of disputes involving the country’s non-Muslim minorities.
The most high-profile case is that of Siti Fatimah; she was born a Muslim but she married a Hindu man out of love. She calls herself Revathi, a Hindu name, and together the couple have a 15 month old baby girl.
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| Their daughter has been taken from them |
But because she was living as a Hindu, Siti has been accused of apostasy – or deserting her religion. She has been detained at a rehabilitation centre, and her baby has been taken away.
Her husband Suresh, who is banned from seeing both his wife and child, spoke to Everywoman about the battle to win back his family.
Joining Shiulie Ghosh to discuss the issue is Zainah Anwar from Sisters In Islam, and Farid Suffian Shuaib, a law lecturer at Malaysia’s International Islamic University.
Watch this episode of Everywoman here:
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Published On 3 Jul 2007