Standard Q&a Report: Malaysia: Religion - Relationships - State Protection, Dated 18 July 2018 ​

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 28 Feb 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

The Department of Home Affairs released a Country of Origin Information Services Section (COISS) Q&A Report dated 18 July 2018 addressing Malaysia's legal treatment of interfaith relationships and religious conversion. The report responds to three specific questions regarding potential harm to non-Muslims whose partners have converted from Islam, police protection adequacy for such individuals, and other relevant information. The analysis indicates that Islamic (sharia) law in Malaysia applies exclusively to Muslims; non-Muslims cannot legally marry Muslims without converting to Islam first, which would then subject them to sharia law. The report notes that while country information suggests societal attitudes toward interfaith relationships may be negative, violence against such couples is unlikely. It references Malaysia's dual legal system comprising common law at federal level and sharia-based law at state level with varying jurisdictional applications. The document cites April 2018 Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade country information on Malaysia as a primary source.