Guan Eng stands his ground, insists fatwa for Muslims only
(The Malaysian Insider) – Braving a hail of criticism, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said it was not offensive for non-Muslims in Penang to follow a fatwa, reinforcing his view that it is for Muslims only.
He said today while Section 5 of the Penang Shariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1996 stated that non-Muslims can be charged in a civil court for various offences, there is no mention of it being an offence for non-Muslims not to comply with a fatwa.
“Even the Administration of the Religion of Islam(State of Penang) Enactment 2004 bears me out. Section 49(1) of the Enactment states that a fatwa shall be binding on every Muslim in the state, without mentioning non-Muslims, clearly restricting its application on Muslims,” he said in a statement.
Lim drew flak for saying that fatwas could not be applied to non-Muslims last Friday when he replied to a challenge by MCA Religious Harmony Bureau chairman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker.
Ti wanted the state government to rescind the prohibition for non-Muslims to use the word “Allah”.
He said the Penang government would oppose the repeal, and uphold the fundamental principle that fatwas are not applicable on non-Muslims.
He said the constitution provided that non-Muslims could be charged for religious offences such as preaching to Muslims.
