In 1998, Azalina Jailani converted to Christianity and changed her name to Lina Joy. She went to court to force the National Registration Department to change her religious status from Islam to Christian so that she could be married in a civil ceremony to her Christian husband. Her request was rejected when the judge ruled, "As a Malay, the plaintiff exists under the tenets of Islam until her death" (for more details on Lina Joy's situation, follow the links on Malaysia's Country Report). According to reports received this week, Joy and her fiancé have gone into hiding after they received numerous death threats. Joy's lawyer, Benjamin Dawson, told the New York Times that the only chance of the two living together in peace may be for them to leave their country.
Lina Joy in Hiding
- Country Information
Population
34,219,975 (2023 est.)Ethnicity (%)
Bumiputera (63.8 - Malays and indigenous peoples), Chinese (20.6), Indian (6), others (0.6), non-citizens (9)Religion (%)
Muslim (63.5), Buddhist (18.7), Christian (9.1), Hindu (6.1), Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions (0.9), Other (1.8),Leader
King Sultan Ibrahim ibni al-Marhum Sultan Iskandar (2024)Government type
Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchyLegal system
Mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Court at request of supreme head of the federationSource: CIA World Factbook
- Pray for Malaysia
Pray that Christians will stand firm in their faith, despite opposition
Pray that Malaysian Christians will be free to practice their faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray that all Christians in Malaysia will be able to freely access the Bible.
