Islam does not stop a woman from becoming MB, Dr M says
(Malay Mail Online) – PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail found an unlikely supporter in Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today when the former prime minister said he saw no harm in a woman taking on the post of mentri besar.
In his response on the matter according to Malaysiakini, the long-time arch rival of Dr Wan Azizah’s husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim noted that in many Islamic nations, women hold positions of power.
He said Islamic nations judge leaders on their credentials and not their gender, the news portal reported.
“There is no distinction between men and women. If the people want a woman, they will get a woman.
“We have seen this happen in many Islamic countries,” he was quoted as saying.
On Tuesday, an Umno lawyer suggested that the menstrual cycle would hinder any bid by Dr Wan Azizah, who is PKR president, to be the next Selangor mentri besar as she cannot attend religious events during that time of the month.
Commenting on speculation that Dr Wan Azizah may be poised to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun said the mentri besar has always been male for this reason despite there being no specific clause excluding a woman from holding the post.
“I think it is good that Wan Azizah chose to ignore his remarks. This is not a question of Wan Azizah but giving more room to women and according them equal opportunities to compete,” Anwar added.
Hafarizam is the legal adviser to Umno and rose to prominence for his central role in the legal battles arising from the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis, which saw Barisan Nasional (BN) regain the state from Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
In Islam, a menstruating woman is considered “unclean”, and is prohibited from praying and reading Quran, among others.
Most Islamic scholars also bar women from entering a mosque while menstruating.
The Constitution of the State of Selangor 1959 only requires the mentri besar to be a Malay and Muslim, but does not lay down conditions on the gender.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is both a Malay and a Muslim, is also the state assemblyman for the Kajang constituency in Selangor, fulfilling the most important requirement.
There is renewed agitation within Pakatan Rakyat to remove Khalid from the post, stemming from apparent dissatisfaction with his administration of Selangor.
He survived one such attempt, dubbed the “Kajang Move”, in March after the purported plan to install Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his place fell through.
