Study the relevant Islamic law first before accusing a person of ‘qazaf’ or making a false accusation of illicit sex.

This is the call Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom made today to those planning to lodge qazaf reports with the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).

“Refer back to Section 41 under the Selangor and Federal Territory syariah court enactment.

“Qazaf means accusing someone of committing zina (illicit sex). One cannot mention everything as qazaf, like qazaf for stealing. That’s wrong,” Jamil Khir told reporters after the 2015 national imam conference.

Islamic preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin (left) lodged a report with Jais yesterday, claiming that lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had committed qazaf.

Wan Ji said Shafee did so by detailing sexual acts between Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan at a forum recently, without providing the four witnesses as required under syariah law.

Qazaf is categorised as an offence under Section 36 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995.

Except in cases of li'an (when a husband accuses his wife of zina), any person who accuses another person of committing zina without procuring four male witnesses, or an oath by the accused person in accordance with Islamic law, shall be guilty of an offence.

Such a person shall be liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both.