Malyasia, I am told, is an example of a moderate Islamic nation. So imagine my surprise when I learned about this:

On October 14, the [Malaysian] Court of Appeal heard the case of Azlina Jailani, who adopted the name Lina Joy when she became a Christian in 1998. Lina Joy had appealed for a second time for the right to remove the word “Islam” from her national identity card...

In Malaysia, all ethnic Malays are deemed to be Muslim from birth.... Under Malaysian law, apostates can be sentenced to three years in a faith rehabilitation center, where Muslim counselors try to persuade them to return to Islam. If apostates do not “repent,” they can be sentenced to a further six years of “rehabilitation.” ....

A similar ruling earlier this year sparked heated debate in newspapers and online forums. The four Malay Muslims at the center of the debate first applied to change their religion in 1992, but the court refused permission and sentenced them to 20 months of imprisonment.

In August 1998, the four formally renounced Islam before a commissioner of oaths. The Kelantan Sharia Court then charged them with contempt for refusing to attend rehabilitation classes which were part of their original sentence in 1992, and sentenced them to an additional three years at a rehabilitation camp.

I hear a lot of criticism of society here in the US. For example, I hear Muslims in other countries allege that those who practice the Islamic faith are persecuted here. Perhaps, perhaps not: I see no supporting evidence, but my mind is open.

But, even if the worst is to be accepted at face value, nothing here compares with sentencing a citizen to years of 'reeducation' for merely changing one's religious convictions. "Rehabilitation camps?" Can you imagine the criticism the US would receive it behaved like even a 'moderate' Islamic nation like sweet, beautiful Malaysia?

And most the world is, in my perception, far worse than Malaysia.