Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said the state government plans to amend the state syariah ordinance so that the issue of Muslim apostasy can be addressed administratively, according to the Borneo Post.
Johari pointed out that at present, a court ruling must be obtained for the National Registration Department to officially recognise that a Muslim has left Islam.
“This is why the last court case was held, to seek out an interpretation on who gets the jurisdiction on apostasy cases.
“If the jurisdiction is syariah (court), then it is syariah (court). There must be an avenue for them,” said Abang Johari.
On Tuesday, the Federal Court ruled that four Muslims seeking to leave Islam for Christianity cannot do so through the civil courts and must go to the syariah court.
The high-profile case saw supporters from both religions turning out in force at the courthouse in Kuching which saw some incidences of heckling.
Johari said he intended to address the loopholes in the Majlis Islam Sarawak Ordinance 2001 and introduce a standard operating procedure for an administrative resolution of apostasy cases.
“I want to strengthen that ordinance, give me six months,” he was quoted as saying.
Harapan lauds S'wak CM
Sarawak Pakatan Harapan, in a joint statement, lauded the chief minister's position.
"We appreciate the immediate and positive statement made by the chief minister today in response to our call for the government to amend the law to set clear procedures for those who wish to convert out of Islam, in light of the Federal Court's decision on Tuesday on the apostasy cases," it said.
The state was signed by Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen, who is also state Harapan chief; Sarawak Amanah chief Fidzuan Zaidi; and Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian.
"The chief minister's promise to maned the law is consistent with Sarawak's right under the Malaysian Agreement 1963 and pursuant to the Federal Constitution.
"As Sarawakians, we should all be united in our stand on the matter. It is clearly not a Muslim versus Christian issue, but merely honouring the rights of the people to freedom of religion.
The leaders also slammed "extremists" for playing on the matter and accusing Baru of being "anti-Islam" for his role in the court cases.
"Some have said that our stand on the matter is a stand against Islam and our call for the government to amend the law would open the floodgate for conversions out of Islam.
"We hope the chief minister's clear statement today will cause them to pause and reconsider their rash action and words.
"The chief minister's rational and calm statement clearly shows that he understands the issue for what it is and that there is no Christian agenda," he said.
