Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the matter must be discussed at the state fatwa committee level and the Muzakarah (Conference) of the Fatwa Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs in Malaysia to come up with a final ruling.

“Views have been expressed, and so long as they are not edicts, we need to wait until the muzakarah discusses the matter,” he told reporters after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Department of Syariah Judiciary Malaysia (JKSM) and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) at the Syariah Court here, today.

Prior to this, Federal Territories Mufti Dr Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri was reported to have said that an abortion should be carried out if the foetus could bring difficulty, sadness and suffering to the family.

The view was also concurred by Negeri Sembilan Mufti Mohd Yusof Ahmad who said an abortion was a must if the risks were confirmed by medical experts, with the agreements of the father and mother.

In a follow-up, Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam urged the National Fatwa Council to discuss the views of the muftis to arrive at a consensus on abortion for women infected by the Zika virus.

On the MoU, Asyraf Wajdi said the cooperation involved training, studies and research in the legal field and facility to continue studies at the master and doctorate levels for JKSM staff.

“This is an important cooperation in the effort of the government to boost capability and to continue the agenda of upholding the national Syariah judiciary system,” he said.