
The Sabah shariah court granted a Christian woman’s application for a declaration that she was not Muslim, enabling her to apply for a MyKad without the ‘Islam’ status. File picture shows people queueing up at the NRD to submit their MyKad application form. — Picture by Choo Choy May
KOTA KINABALU, June 29 — The Shariah court here today granted a Christian woman’s application today for a declaration that she was not Muslim, after a five-year legal and administrative process.
Ervinna Chua Soo Kea @ Ervinna Abdullah’s application was granted by Shariah High Court judge Nawawi Diman, who was satisfied that she did not fall within the meaning of “Orang Islam” under the state Sabah Islamic Council Enactment 2004.
“The judge ruled that the plaintiff, who grew up in a Christian family but whose father later converted to Islam, never practised or lived a Muslim life,” said her counsel Hamid Ismail.
“The judge in the case allowed the application after saying that Chua had followed her mother’s religion and there was no evidence that Chua’s Muslim father, when he was living with her prior to the divorce, had raised her as a Muslim by teaching her performing solat, fasting or others, therefore never practised a Muslim’s life throughout her life,” he said. Read more