Syariah laws for our nation?
How can we ask non-Muslims to accept our sacred laws so that they can abuse it to escape capital punishment, asks the writer in his usual satirical nature.
Iskandar Dzulkarnain, FMT
Going by the reasoning of PAS politician Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi lately, Malaysians should sigh with relief that Barisan Nasional won the last election. Past actions by PAS have shown clearly that they are neither here nor there.
Some PAS leaders think that in order for them to climb the ladder; they have to be seen to be more religious than others, especially now that party elections are around the corner.
This is reflected by the Erdogan/Ulamak controversy where certain PAS leaders feel that their pact with the PKR is not producing the desired results.
Syariah laws have already been in force in this country for many years. But Nasrudin has suggested that syariah laws should replace the pagan secular laws in this country.
Secular laws are inadequate to curb crime, according to him but the Home Ministry has just reported that serious crimes have been on a downward trend since 2008.
How can we ask non-Muslims to accept our sacred laws so that they can abuse it to escape capital punishment? Would they have to be instant Muslims by reciting (mengucap) so that they can be tried under Islamic laws?
Doesn’t he know that non-Muslims do not have the sacred privilege to be judged under syariah laws unless they profess Islam? It would be taboo if non-Muslims were to opt for trial under syariah laws just so that they can escape capital punishment if they were judged under secular laws.
Wouldn’t losing a limb less heavier than being hanged?
And to add to the confusion, Nasrudin says that non-Muslims can have the option to be tried under their own laws if they feel that the punishment under syariah appears heavier. That’s really bewildering.
Umno-BN’s consistency
At least Umno and BN had the decency to divide and separate these laws for the respective races.
Nasrudin must understand that there will always be reservations and resistance towards syariah laws by non-Muslims as they are simply non-Muslims. Those who have no reservations about syariah laws would have become Muslims by now.
He is wrong to say that syariah laws would deter crime. Syariah laws are already in place but crime in this country has not decreased. Is he saying that the increase in the crime rate is perpetrated by non-Muslims in this country?
He concurs that secular laws have failed because it lacks spirituality but how are non-Muslims going to achieve spirituality if they don’t convert?
No doubt, syariah laws have been successfully implemented in many great countries like Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and in first world countries like Brunei, and it would also be wonderful if Malaysia becomes syariah compliant.
Overnight, there would be no more sinful businesses like massage parlours, karaoke bars, night clubs, mountain top and floating casinos, Sports Toto, rock concerts and pubs.
There will also be no more sexual harassment as all planes, trains, buses, cinemas, swimming pools, supermarkets and concert halls would be gender segregated. There will also be no more dark and dimly-lit parks or coffee houses.
While rock concerts and sexily dressed singers would be a thing of the past.
The country would experience a new cool and calm atmosphere interlaced with the soothing sound of the azan. But such a Utopic scenario is not going to happen unless everyone becomes Muslims.
The downside is that we may see many limbless VIP’s who had their hands once too often in the till.
But then, the syariah law with hudud punishments is limited to crimes which are related to robberies, murder, rape, adultery and alcohol consumption.
What about corruption, graft, treason, sedition and computer fraud? Are we going to revert to British laws then?
What happens then to democracy, secularism, human rights, the rule of law and the Federal Constitution if we go ahead to implement such laws?
