Rieno Glant Oleant George considers this a major victory. The High Court ruled that he was not a Muslim and the term ‘Islam’ could be removed from his MyKad – the Malaysian Identity Card. 

Judge Datuk Zaleha Rose Pandin ruled that it was not necessary for Rieno to seek an order from the Syariah Court and prove that he was not a Muslim. The young man had never practiced Islam, he had been born and raised in a Christian family. Therefore, his religious background did not correspond to Section 2 of the Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah Enactment 2004, portraying a practicing Muslim. In addition, she stated that the MUIS Enactment law did not apply – that a child had to follow their mother’s religion in case she converted to Islam through remarriage. He had never been registered with the Sistem Maklumat Muallaf – a list of Muslim converts.

According to the judge: “It is absurd to expect the plaintiff (Rieno) to seek an order from the Syariah Court when the matter is clearly within the jurisdiction of the Civil Court. It is my considered view that since the plaintiff was born to Christian parents and later raised by his grandmother in a Christian upbringing, and was never converted to Islam either by his parents or on his own accord, he is not caught within the definition of Muslim under Section 2 of the MUIS Enactment. Even if it is contended that the plaintiff (Rieno) had automatically followed his mother’s religion of Islam when he was a minor, it is subject to the Federal Court’s decision in the Indira Gandhi case (Indira Gandhi Mutho v. Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Perak & Ors and Other Appeals [2018] 3 CLJ).”

Rieno had not been requested to cover the costs of the application, either. His representatives filed a complaint with the National Registration Department, stating that they had failed in their duty and the declaration of ‘Islam’ in Rieno’s card was illegal. 

Rieno believes this victory may be an important stepping stone for other Christians in Malaysia. It strengthens religious beliefs and the freedom to practice one’s religion – other than Islam. 

Source: https://www.persecution.org/