21 hours ago
Selangor exco sees SIS ruling as opening door to liberal and plural Islamic views, warns fatwa on ‘deviant' individuals still enforced
KLANG, June 20 – The Selangor government has claimed today that yesterday's landmark decision in favour of Muslim women's rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) may open the door to the spread of liberal and pluralistic views of Islam.
State Islamic affairs and innovation committee chairman Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said he agrees with the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) that the decision could be exploited by some organisations or institutions to disseminate alternative interpretations of Islam.
'The state government will continue efforts to scrutinise, detect and enforce [the law] on any individuals who practise liberal and pluralistic religious ideologies,' he was quoted saying by The Star.
'This is to ensure that the sanctity of Islam continues to be protected in Selangor.'
Fahmi said existing fatwa or religious edicts still deem individuals who promote liberal and pluralistic interpretations of Islam as 'deviants'.
'These individuals cannot be allowed to freely continue practising and spreading such ideologies directly or indirectly using the Islamic label to obtain legitimacy,' he reportedly said.
He urged the public to report any deviant religious teachings to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).
Yesterday, civil society SIS won its nearly 11-year-long court challenge against a Selangor fatwa, which means that its company — SIS Forum (Malaysia) — is no longer labelled 'sesat' or 'deviant' from Islamic teachings.
Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who chaired the Federal Court's five-judge panel, read out the majority judgment which quashed parts of the Selangor fatwa.
In other words, the Selangor fatwa will now only apply to individuals — labelling those who hold liberalism and religious pluralism beliefs as 'deviants' from Islamic teachings and requiring them to repent.
In response, Mais had cited the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, expressing his disappointment and sadness over the Federal Court's decision.
The sultan also urged SIS to cease using the term 'Sisters in Islam' in any publication or platform associated with the organisation.
