Isma lauds Umno’s backing for hudud in Kelantan
(MM) – Umno’s open support for rival PAS’s plans to enforce hudud in Kelantan is a welcome development for the Islamic community here, Muslim group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) said today.
The Islamist group also urged long-standing rivals PAS and Umno to set aside their differences and put their full weight behind the renewed push for Islamic criminal law in Kelantan.
The Islamist NGO said leaders from both Malay-Muslim parties must not back down from the plan despite intense opposition, describing the implementation of hudud and qisas laws as capable of bringing harmony to society in this country.
“Even if the implementation of hudud requires detailed study and preparation, it does not mean PAS should bow down to those who grossly reject hudud laws,” Isma political bureau secretary Ustaz Mohd Hazizi Abd Rahman said in a statement.
Mohd Hazizi said PAS leaders should be open to support from their Umno counterparts, as the country needs Muslim leaders who are capable of creating unity among the faithful regardless of party lines.
Umno, likewise, needs to be consistent in its commitment in its support for hudud, as it is central to the political survival of the Malay-Muslim community, he added.
“Hudud is the proving ground for Umno’s loyalty and sincerity in its struggle for race and religion, surpassing the future interests of individual leaders,” he said.
Mohd Hazizi said the proposal by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for a special technical committee on hudud would be the ideal forum to flesh out the plan, as it will bring together representatives from both the federal and Kelantan state governments and allow “serious and productive” discussions to promote the sovereignty of Islam in Malaysia.
He also stressed that the country’s Muslim community must support the implementation of Islamic criminal laws, as it would only bring good things to society, given the best and most detailed preparations and implementation along with holistic education and advocacy.
“Non-Muslims in the country are urged not to worry with current developments regarding hudud and to not hurriedly issue statements against it before being sufficiently informed on it.
“The country’s experience in handling matters related to plural societies is something that is world-renowned so all Malaysians must preserve this position by placing their trust in the leadership that they elected through a democratic process,” he said.
Tensions resurfaced between Pakatan Rakyat allies PAS and DAP in recent weeks after MPs from the Islamist party disclosed their intent to push two private members’ bills in Parliament to impose the controversial Islamic penal law in Kelantan.
Conceding they were unlikely to receive any support from PR allies, PAS leaders turned to political foe, Umno for support.
The proposed hudud law will cover crimes such as theft, robbery, illicit sex, making unproven accusations of adultery, murder, causing physical hurt, drinking intoxicants, and apostasy.
