Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said PAS was already using the fear tactic by questioning the faith of Muslims who were against the private member’s bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act tabled by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang late last year.
“If you say that it is compulsory for Muslims to support the proposed amendments and say that we are not real Muslims if we don’t, then that is a form of intimidation for us Muslims, regardless of whether we are MPs or not,” said the former PAS leader, now the Amanah communication chief.
PAS central working committee member Mohamed Fadzli Hassan recently denied Muslim MPs were being intimidated or forced into voting the bill to increase the punitive powers of shariah courts.
“They should actually vote in favour of (the bill). But we cannot force them,” he said. “We have democracy, Parliament, freedom of choice and so on. We respect that.”
Fadzli added Muslims must support hudud, the Islamic criminal punishment, “because it is a law from God”.
“But if they don’t support, what can we do?”
Hadi had on April 7, 2015, reportedly said that Muslims from all political affiliations have an obligation to support the bill.
The bill seeks to give wider powers to shariah courts on punishing Muslim offenders, including an increase in the current jail term from three to 30 years, a fine of up to RM100,000 and up to 100 strokes of the cane.
Khalid said it was important that the shariah system’s legal process be improved before any attempt to increase punishments.
“What you need to do is to make sure the courts are just, that the judges are well trained and that the whole spirit of wanting to establish justice is emphasised,” he told FMT.
“Unless you strengthen the whole court process, then don’t talk about increasing punishments.”
He said there were problems pertaining to vagueness of laws, privacy and basic human rights which Malaysia’s shariah law must address.
“Look at the recent case where the husband and wife were caught by Jawi (the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department) for khalwat. They took a picture of the wife half naked and refused to accept the couple’s explanation that they are married. Is this Islam?
“All these things have to be put right before you can talk about increasing punishments.”
Khalid Samad fined RM2,900 for teaching Islam without credentials