After nearly 11 years, women’s rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) won its legal battle against a 2014 Selangor fatwa that had labelled it “deviant” for promoting liberalism and religious pluralism.

In a 3-1 majority decision, Malaysia’s Federal Court ruled that the fatwa could not apply to companies like SIS Forum (Malaysia), as only natural persons — not corporations — can profess Islam. The court invalidated parts of the fatwa that banned related publications, instructed federal agencies like MCMC to block websites, and labelled SIS as deviant.

However, the fatwa still applies to individual Muslims holding such beliefs, requiring them to repent, as this falls within state religious authority under the Federal Constitution.

Chief Justice Tengku Maimun stressed the ruling focused on the scope of constitutional powers, not the fatwa's religious content.

SIS hailed the verdict as a major step for constitutional rights and accountability of religious authorities.