Anwar slams state Islamic religious depts’ actions

(The Sun Daily) – Pakatan Rakyat leaders slammed the actions by the state Islamic religious departments for “arrogance of power” and going overboard in the recent wedding and funeral involving non-Muslim families.

Opposition pact leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this is not about the question of the observing Islamic law, but of arrogance of power when the sensitivities and rights of non-Muslims are not respected.

“There is a thin line between observing Islamic rule, respecting provision of law and arrogance of power.

“If this kind of attack continuous, it would send a very dangerous signal to Malaysians, not just the non-Muslims but also level headed Muslims,” he told a press conference in Parliament today.

Anwar was referring to two incidents in Selangor and Penang, where a wedding and funeral were disrupted by the respective states’ religious affairs departments without proper prior negotiations.

On Sunday, the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department officers with police disrupted a wedding ceremony at a Hindu temple in Petaling Jaya on suspicion the bride, Zarena Abdul Majid, 32, was a Muslim and took her away for questioning.

On Monday, a Chinese funeral was interrupted when Penang Islamic Religious Department officers appeared at an apartment to “claim” the remains of the deceased, identified as Teoh Cheng Cheng, 38, who was a Muslim.