By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, June 24: Sarawak is seeing a rising trend in divorce cases this year compared to the previous year, but the situation remains under control, said Sarawak Syariah Chief Judge Datu Awang Suhaili Ledi.
“The trend so far has increased slightly, but not drastically. Alhamdulillah, it is still manageable,” he told reporters during a doorstop interview at the Sarawak National Syariah Convention (KoSKeS) 2025 at Dewan Kompleks Islam here today.
He noted that while some divorces are unavoidable due to various personal issues, each case often gives rise to further legal matters such as child maintenance, custody rights, division of matrimonial assets, and the observance of the iddah (waiting period) post-divorce.
“There are many follow-up cases that stem from a divorce,” he added.
On a separate issue, Awang Suhaili also addressed concerns over religious conversion disputes, particularly those involving changes in religious status that may threaten social harmony in Sarawak’s multi-religious society.
He explained that such cases are handled according to the provisions of the Rules on the Declaration of Religious Status 2018, which outline the legal process and determine who can file such applications in the Syariah Court.
“These rules require applicants to first go through the Aqidah Committee and fulfil a prescribed period set by the court before the case returns to be heard. Only then will the Syariah Court decide whether to approve or reject the application,” he said.
Some applications, he noted, stem from technical issues related to how the individual was originally registered under Islam, rather than due to actual changes in belief.
He stressed that these cases, too, remain manageable under current legal mechanisms in Sarawak.
Also present were Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Speaker of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nasar, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Project Coordinator for Regional Development Agencies, Kuching North City Commission, and Islamic Affairs), Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, President of the Sarawak Islamic Council, Datuk Misnu Taha, and other distinguished guests. — DayakDaily
