Legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has welcomed a ruling by the Iraqi Court of Cassation in the case of a Christian woman who was officially registered as a Muslim.

In Iraq, as in a number of other Muslim-majority states, a person’s religion is officially recorded by the authorities. This designation can have real-world consequences, particularly in matters such as marriage and family law.

For non-Muslims who find themselves officially registered as Muslim, the consequences can be particularly serious. Their official status can subject them to rules governing Muslims under Iraq’s religiously based personal-status system, while their designation may also be passed on to their children.