As noted by several observers, Means among them, central issue in these development was the question of whether the constitutional rights
of religious liberty were only available to non-Muslim citizens, or
whether Muslims could invoke constitutional rights of religious liberty
when they renounce Islam or if they failed to comply with syariah law
and fatwa regarding religious beliefs and obligations. Means observed
that liberal Muslim organizations were defending more religious freedom
for Muslims, while the more conservative Muslims were demanding
sentences commensurate with the ‘crime against Islam’ (2009). It
would be pertinent to note that the debate was not only confined to the
liberal Muslims and conservative Muslim organizations, but also the
non-Muslims and human rights organization who threw their support
behind the liberal Muslims, and this caused some frictions.