Regulating love, and religious conversion, in Malaysia.

An interesting story about "Lina Joy, she converted from Islam to Christianity eight years ago and since then has endured extraordinary hurdles in her desire to marry the man in her life."

Ms. Joy had been interested in Roman Catholicism since 1990 and was baptized in 1998 at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Kuala Lumpur. Because she considered herself a Christian, Ms. Joy did not believe the Shariah courts applied to her. In an affidavit to a lower civil court in 2000, she said she felt “more peace in my spirit and soul after having become a Christian.”

Because of the death threats, including some calls to hunt her down, Mr. Dawson said, he could not say where she was, and could not make her available for an interview, even by telephone.

It strikes me, again, that -- for all of our disgreements and divisions -- we in the United States are -- thankfully, and Kevin Phillips notwithstanding-- a long, long way from anything that could plausibly be characterized as a "theocracy."

UPDATE:  More happy news from Malaysia, courtesy of Professor Friedman. 

Malaysia Uses Religious Rehabilitation Camps

In an article about Muslims who convert to Christianity in Malaysia, today's New York Times discloses that Malaysian religious authorities sentence converts to "religious rehabilitation camps". The article reviews the high profile case of convert Lina Joy pending in the Federal Court, Malaysia's highest court. The case seeks a ruling that civil courts can order a change of religion on Joy's identity card without approval of her conversion from a Shariah court. (See prior posting.) Shariah courts would likely consider Joy an apostate, and if she did not repent it would likely sentence her to several years in an Islamic rehabilitation center. Joy's case is seen as a critical test of whether Malaysia will remain a secular country.

Meanwhile the New Straits Times says that the Federal Court has indicated that it will not be rushed into rendering its decision in Lina Joy's appeal.