Hudud issue one of many problems faced by Malaysians
The Rakyat Post – Sisters in Islam programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi opined yesterday that the issue of hudud being discussed by PAS was a game being played by the party.
She said that there were many other issues such as the issue of religious conversions that have yet to be resolved legally and in the judiciary, yet other laws were being thrown into the equation.
“Because of the hudud mentality, which is so widespread that hudud means giving as severe a punishment as you can, that is scary,” said Norhayati, relating to the case of Muslim woman Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor, who was given severe punishment for drinking beer despite syariah laws stating that first time offences get leniency.
“It’s this severe, punitive mindset that is scary. And I haven’t heard any PAS people say that Kartika Sari has regretted her actions and we should forgive her. I haven’t heard such things from PAS. History has shown they have not shown any mercy,” claimed Norhayati.
She said this at a roundtable discussion co-organised by the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) and the Law and National Policy Committee of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), held at GMM’s office in Menara Manulife at Damansara Heights.
Also present at the discussion was Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr N.K.S. Tharmaseelan who said he wanted doctors to be kept out of the hudud bill.
He reiterated previous sentiments of his opposition to the Kelantan government’s suggestion that surgeons be appointed to amputate the limbs of convicted thieves.
“As doctors, we will not condone it and get involved in it. I had a chance to see how the amputation of these hands are done. It was sent to me yesterday morning because they were aware I was coming to this conference,” Tharmaseelan shared.
He said he saw extreme pain that the amputation caused and expressed that they had objections to anyone doing that here.
“The other thing we are also concerned about is there is support from Muslim doctors who said amputation can be done with anesthesia because there’s no pain at all. Then there’s another doctor who says that doesn’t serve the purpose because they (offenders) are supposed to feel the pain, so he remembers it and doesn’t do it again.
“These are our views. We are trapped into this. We are strictly against doctors being involved,” he said.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Kurup, who gave the opening remarks, said that of late, many problems faced by Malaysians were related to religious issues.
“Starting with the use of the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God, then the conversion and custody issues and recently the intention of the Kelantan state government to table a private member’s bill through a PAS MP to implement hudud law in the state,” he said.
“This is hardly surprising since the topic is an unfamiliar one to many outside the Muslim community, and it is only natural to be sceptical of things where the stakes are very high and yet very little is known of it,” he said.
Kurup said the roundtable served as a way to enhance the understanding of the hudud bill, gather opinions from experts and provide recommendations to undertake a study on how the bill would be implemented.
