ABSTRACT
Two major political parties – the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) and the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) – represent Muslims in Malaysian politics. The two parties have different approaches towards the issue of apostasy. The largely secular UMNO-led federal and state governments propose rehabilitation and short-term detention for those who renounce Islam, while PAS, in line with its literal interpretation of Islamic law, calls for the death penalty for apostasy. Because of the dominance of the two parties in Malaysian politics it is necessary to examine apostasy laws in the light of their approaches.
