Anwar: Non-Muslims Have A Right To Debate Shariah Bill As It Will Inevitably Affect Them
He also said that MPs should have the right able to debate, amend, or reject the Bill.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 10 Jun 2018, 03:37 PM
According to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, non-Muslims have a right to debate the proposed amendments to increase sentencing limits under the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 355
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang proposed to increase sentencing from the current three years in jail, RM5,000 fine, and six lashes to a maximum 30 years in jail, RM100,000 fine, and 100 lashes.
The PKR de facto leader told The Star Online in an exclusive interview that concerns by non-Muslims regarding the amendment should not be dismissed.
Speaking on advocates of the Bill, he said that, "They speak as if we are all in Islam and that's it; nobody else should bother."
Anwar reasoned that "Any legislation, though it seems to purely affect only Muslims, will inevitably affect non-Muslims"
"Therefore they have every right to participate," he said.
"We (PKR) are not liberals who refuse to apply Islamic tenets. We represent the Islamic conscience, but we do not represent this outmoded ultra-conservative Islam that wants to compel others to accept a particular interpretation," the politician explained in the interview with The Star Online.
Though Anwar revealed that PKR supported Hadi's proposed amendments, he stressed the importance of MPs being able to debate, amend, and if necessary, reject the Bill
"This is because what is presented is not hudud and secondly, it is his (Hadi's) interpretation," he told The Star online.