Sky Kingdom member gets two years for apostasy

KUALA TERENGGANU: A former religious teacher and follower of the Sky Kingdom deviant sect has been jailed two years for apostasy yesterday.

Kamariah Ali, who was found guilty of the charge on Feb 17, was ordered to serve the jail term at the Pengkalan Chepa prison in Kelantan.

Syariah High Court judge Muhammad Abdullah said the court had considered aspects of public interest and the sentiments of Muslims in the country.

“The court is not convinced that the accused has repented and is willing to abandon any teachings contrary to Islam.

“The accused also failed to respond when I greeted her by saying Assalamualaikum during the start of the court proceeding. This shows that Kamariah has not repented,” he said.

Kamariah, 57, a graduate of Al-Azhar University, was charged under Section 7 of the Syariah Criminal Offence Enactment (Takzir) Terengganu after she declared herself an apostate on July 21, 2005.

The judge said the court also found that the accused had previously served a jail term in 1992 when she was sentenced by a Lower Syariah Court in Kota Baru for apostasy.

Kamariah’s counsel Sa’diah Din, in mitigation, had asked the court to consider her client’s plea for a lighter sentence and to defer the date of her sentencing.

The court fixed Thursday to hear the appeal.

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