'Questioning fatwa opens Islam to slander '
Nigel AwPublished: Nov 17, 2014 12:50 AM | Updated: Nov 17, 2014 3:04 AM
PAS' Kuala Nerus MP Khairuddin Aman Razali warned that publicly criticising fatwas would open the floodgates for people to "slander" Islam.
PAS' Kuala Nerus MP Khairuddin Aman Razali warned that publicly criticising fatwas would open the floodgates for people to "slander" Islam.
"We have to be fair, if we disagree with the fatwa, then we should raise it internally.
"But if we criticise publicly, then it will hurt the credibility of the fatwa committee and the committee issues many other fatwas such as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender).
"When space is given for people to attack the fatwa institution, it opens Islam to slander," he told a forum titled ‘Liberalism and Pluralism: PAS' perspective’ in Gombak yesterday.
Khairuddin (left) was responding to his PAS colleague, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who had criticised a Selangor fatwa declaring NGO Sisters in Islam (SIS) to be a proponent of religious pluralism and liberalism.
Khalid, who also attended the same forum, replied that he does not necessarily agree with SIS's views but the fatwa did not produce evidence to prove its claim.
"Now with the Islamic State (in Middle East), people see that (Islamic) law is being imposed at a whim.
"Then the fatwa committee suddenly comes out with a fatwa like this and refused to meet SIS on the matter.
"I do not want the fatwa committee to be seen issuing fatwas arbitrarily," he said.
Khalid said PAS too was once a victim of an “arbitrary fatwa” when a speech of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang in the 1990s was declared "deviant".
The PAS central committee member also told the forum, attended by mostly PAS members, that he did not intend to belittle the fatwa but it needs to be clearer so that Islam would be seen as just.
Khalid (right) was also questioned at the forum about his meeting with SIS in Parliament.
However, Khairuddin said that although he disagreed with Khalid's public statements against the fatwa, he stood by the latter on his meeting with SIS.
"It's good, it's just engagement, it doesn't mean we agree with them," said Khairuddin.
Nonetheless, he said PAS should adopt a more "harmonious" approach when disagreeing with fatwa.
"Don't make public remarks in newspapers," said Khairuddin.
"We have to be fair, if we disagree with the fatwa, then we should raise it internally.
"But if we criticise publicly, then it will hurt the credibility of the fatwa committee and the committee issues many other fatwas such as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender).
"When space is given for people to attack the fatwa institution, it opens Islam to slander," he told a forum titled ‘Liberalism and Pluralism: PAS' perspective’ in Gombak yesterday.
Khairuddin (left) was responding to his PAS colleague, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who had criticised a Selangor fatwa declaring NGO Sisters in Islam (SIS) to be a proponent of religious pluralism and liberalism.Khalid, who also attended the same forum, replied that he does not necessarily agree with SIS's views but the fatwa did not produce evidence to prove its claim.
"Now with the Islamic State (in Middle East), people see that (Islamic) law is being imposed at a whim.
"Then the fatwa committee suddenly comes out with a fatwa like this and refused to meet SIS on the matter.
"I do not want the fatwa committee to be seen issuing fatwas arbitrarily," he said.
Khalid said PAS too was once a victim of an “arbitrary fatwa” when a speech of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang in the 1990s was declared "deviant".
The PAS central committee member also told the forum, attended by mostly PAS members, that he did not intend to belittle the fatwa but it needs to be clearer so that Islam would be seen as just.
Khalid (right) was also questioned at the forum about his meeting with SIS in Parliament.However, Khairuddin said that although he disagreed with Khalid's public statements against the fatwa, he stood by the latter on his meeting with SIS.
"It's good, it's just engagement, it doesn't mean we agree with them," said Khairuddin.
Nonetheless, he said PAS should adopt a more "harmonious" approach when disagreeing with fatwa.
"Don't make public remarks in newspapers," said Khairuddin.
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