SHAH ALAM, July 3 – The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has ordered that the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) and other relevant parties discuss in depth the proposed amendments to three Acts in relation to conversion.
This follows the decision of the Conference of Rulers recently to get the views of the state Islamic religious councils before making a decision on the proposed amendments to state enactments and the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) pertaining to the conversion of minors to Islam.
The three Acts are the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) Act 1984 and the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 1993. MAIS secretary Mohammed Khusrin Munawi in a statement issued today said that Sultan Sharafuddin had advised MAIS to have an open mind if the proposed amendments were good for Muslims and all citizens of this country.
“The Sultan has advised that the proposed amendments be accepted as long as they are not in conflict with any Islamic ruling and do not erode the powers of the rulers as the heads of religion in their respective states, and that the implementation would ensure justice for all.”
He said the Sultan’s order was conveyed through MAIS chairman Datuk Setia Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa, Selangor Mufti Datuk Setia Mohd Tamyes Abdul Wahid and State Legal Adviser Datin Paduka Zauyah T. Loth Khan when they were called to appear before the Sultan on Thursday.
This followed the decision of the Conference of Rulers at its special meeting on Monday to defer its decision on the proposed amendments. Mohammed Khusrin said the Sultan also instructed the MAIS chairman to call for a meeting to discuss the amendments and the Attorney-General’s Department to give a briefing on the same.
He said MAIS appreciated the wise decision of the rulers to obtain the views of the state Islamic religious councils before making a decision on the proposed amendments.
He added that the feedback from MAIS on the amendments would be presented to the Selangor Sultan and be brought back to the Conference of Rulers.
In KUALA LUMPUR, the Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia said the decision of the Conference of Rulers to defer its decision on the proposed amendments to laws pertaining to religious conversion was a manifestation of the rulers’ concern about protecting Islamic law.
Its president Mohamad Isa Abd Ralip said as Islamic religious matters were under the jurisdiction of the rulers as heads of religion in their states, any amendment to the relevant laws must have the consent of the rulers as provided for in the constitution. – Bernama
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