Monday, April 7, 2008

Please, we did not ask for Syariah Law...

When one nitwit suggested the following:



http://www.malaysiakini.com/
Religious scholar dismisses khalwat proposal for non-Muslims
Apr 5, 08 5:33pm
One of country's top religious scholars yesterday lashed out at comments by an Islamic judge that religious laws on close proximity affecting Muslims should be applied to non-Muslims.
The issue of syariah or Islamic law is sensitive among non-Muslims here who fear a growing "Islamisation" of the country.
On Thursday, Islamic Court of Appeal judge Mohammad Asri Abdullah told a local paper that a religious seminar was proposing that Islamic law on the issue of khalwat or close proximity should also be applied to non-Muslims through the civil courts.




I was thinking... its a joke eh? Then I was relieved when this was said....



http://www.malaysiakini.com/

'Utterly erroneous'
Now the head of the group organising the seminar has also condemned the suggestion.
"This is something utterly erroneous," said Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas, the head of the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding.
"We are not in agreement with (Mohammad Asri) at all and because of this... our close friendship and important association with the non-Muslims... is now in jeopardy because ... people are now not going to trust us," he added.
"In Islam it says to you yours to us ours in terms of religion. For us to think that we can apply Islamic shariah law to non-Muslims, that is tantamount to (idolatry) because we are assuming we know better than God."
Rights group Suaram has also criticised the proposal as a violation of religious freedom.
"This is a clear infringement of freedom of religion and the rights of non-Muslims, which is enshrined in Article 11 of the federal constitution," group coordinator John Liu said.
Discussions on the issue of race and religion are tightly controlled in Malaysia, which is dominated by Muslim Malays living alongside ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.




I thought some decency have at last prevailed and was relieved. Yet the relief is shortlived! Came the bomb yesterday... now will this remain a joke that I was postulating? Hardly....



http://www.malaysiakini.com/
Syariah lawyers back action on khalwat against non-Muslims
Apr 7, 08 4:45pm
The Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia (PGSM) today threw its support behind a suggestion to charge non-Muslims for khalwat (close proximity) in the civil court, arguing this would be the moral thing to do.Using the fifth principle of the Rukunegara - good social behaviour and morality (Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan) - as the basis of its argument, PGSM said it was “double standards” that the proposal has drawn criticism just because it is linked to Islam.PGSM president Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar, in a statement, noted that the proposal is a resolution at the recent seminar to review syariah laws in Malaysia.“(It was) suggested that syariah crimes committed by Muslims and non-Muslims ought to be judged and sentenced with equal force,” he said.“This means that in cases of khalwat involving Muslims and non-Muslims, the non-Muslim party should also be charged and sentenced accordingly.”




He noted that other suggestions were put forward during the seminar, including reform of family law to ensure fairness for women, a garnishing order for husband’s wages for spousal maintenance and raising the sentencing jurisdiction of the Syariah Court.“(But) the media only picked up on the khalwat proposal by syariah judge Muhd Asri Abdullah,” said Zainul.“In truth, the question of punishing non-Muslims in Syariah Court does not arise as they would only be charged in civil courts. But isn’t this in line with our country’s fifth national principle (in Rukunegara)?”Historically, all laws, especially criminal-related ones, have their origin in moral laws which in turn is the result of religion-based rules, he said.“What would happen if laws governing moral behaviour were to be abolished? What would we then do if someone were to behave indecently in front of us and our children?“If we say that non-Muslims have the right to khalwat and commit adultery, are we saying that they have the right to break syariah law?“If they were to commit adultery with a Muslim, do they have the right to adultery until there is a child born out of wedlock and (still) escape legal repercussions?”‘Be fair’He also questioned the ‘double standards’ applied just because Islam is involved.“When it has nothing to do with Islam, we are quick to accept it but when the name of Islam is connected, people become restless and oppose it without fair justification towards Islam,” he said.Action against non-Muslims in this matter would be timely to avoid uneasiness among Muslims and has nothing to do with forcing non-Muslims to adopt Islam as their religion, he said.“The proposal does not touch on constitutional rights of non-Muslims as the action will be taken in a civil court and not Syariah Court,” said Zainul.He called on all parties to be fair in expressing their opinions and avoid unjustified attacks on the resolutions.Last Thursday, Mohd Asri created a stir when he said non-Muslims should be charged in civil court for khalwat.He was speaking at a two-day seminar organised by Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim) and the Syariah Judiciary Department.


I think it is hard enough trying to enforce your morality on people of the same religion, what more to force it on others. Why even talked about double standards? What double standards? The NEP that has been perverted to serve a "priviliged" group of people? The five states now out of BN's grasp? The sour puss of a Tourism Minister? What double standards??? I would suggest that before you even think about proposing such incredulous proposals, please think about the state of the current government. Are you for them or against them? If you are for them, please do something right to make them look good... will ya?

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