Khalid Samad suggests there are better ways to work out differences in opinions rather than hastily issuing fatwas.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: PAS’ Khalid Abdul Samad has said that instead of hastily issuing a fatwa against Sisters In Islam (SIS), it was better if the religious authorities engaged the NGO in a dialogue first.
He said this at a meeting between a few PAS members and SIS today.
According to Khalid, who is MP for Shah Alam, “Fatwas in Islam are issued following thorough investigation, not in a sudden manner such as this.
“SIS was never consulted by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) before the fatwa was released.”
Noting that SIS met with Mais two years ago to report that they were championing the rights of Muslim women, Khalid said that it came as a shock that a fatwa was suddenly issued declaring that NGO’s agenda deviated from the teachings of Islam.
Saying this was very “un-Islamic”, Khalid explained that Islam championed justice as was evident in a verse from the Quran that read “even enemies should be treated to a fair trial”.
He said that fatwas carried serious implications and thus should be issued only after thorough investigations.
“This kind of approach will make the public scared of Islam when actually Islam is a fair and peaceful religion,” said Khalid.
“How will Malaysians have confidence in Islamic governance if there’s a perception that fatwas, which carry serious implications, can be gazetted hastily without consulting the affected party and having a dialogue first?”
Referring to PAS Youth leader Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi’s labelling of SIS as a “growing cancer”, Khalid suggested that Khalil set a meeting with SIS and speak to its officials before making such a statement.
“I advice PAS Youth to be just and fair, not to mete out punishment without allowing an opportunity to a fair trial”.
“I don’t always see eye to eye with SIS on all matters but I meet them and we trash out our differences through dialogue,” explained Khalid.
Today’s meeting was initiated by Khalid’s PAS colleague, Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa.
Mujahid described the meeting as a step forward, saying it was better than banning SIS outright.
“The meeting appeared necessary to us, not as PAS representatives, but a few concerned PAS members wanting to give SIS a chance to explain their side of the story,” he said.
“After talking to them we have come to realise that the fatwa should be discussed further and be more specific for both the terminologies ‘pluralism’ and ‘liberalism’ are deep theological ideologies and SIS have never preached these ideologies in a theological context.”
KUALA LUMPUR: PAS’ Khalid Abdul Samad has said that instead of hastily issuing a fatwa against Sisters In Islam (SIS), it was better if the religious authorities engaged the NGO in a dialogue first.
He said this at a meeting between a few PAS members and SIS today.
According to Khalid, who is MP for Shah Alam, “Fatwas in Islam are issued following thorough investigation, not in a sudden manner such as this.
“SIS was never consulted by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) before the fatwa was released.”
Noting that SIS met with Mais two years ago to report that they were championing the rights of Muslim women, Khalid said that it came as a shock that a fatwa was suddenly issued declaring that NGO’s agenda deviated from the teachings of Islam.
Saying this was very “un-Islamic”, Khalid explained that Islam championed justice as was evident in a verse from the Quran that read “even enemies should be treated to a fair trial”.
He said that fatwas carried serious implications and thus should be issued only after thorough investigations.
“This kind of approach will make the public scared of Islam when actually Islam is a fair and peaceful religion,” said Khalid.
“How will Malaysians have confidence in Islamic governance if there’s a perception that fatwas, which carry serious implications, can be gazetted hastily without consulting the affected party and having a dialogue first?”
Referring to PAS Youth leader Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi’s labelling of SIS as a “growing cancer”, Khalid suggested that Khalil set a meeting with SIS and speak to its officials before making such a statement.
“I advice PAS Youth to be just and fair, not to mete out punishment without allowing an opportunity to a fair trial”.
“I don’t always see eye to eye with SIS on all matters but I meet them and we trash out our differences through dialogue,” explained Khalid.
Today’s meeting was initiated by Khalid’s PAS colleague, Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa.
Mujahid described the meeting as a step forward, saying it was better than banning SIS outright.
“The meeting appeared necessary to us, not as PAS representatives, but a few concerned PAS members wanting to give SIS a chance to explain their side of the story,” he said.
“After talking to them we have come to realise that the fatwa should be discussed further and be more specific for both the terminologies ‘pluralism’ and ‘liberalism’ are deep theological ideologies and SIS have never preached these ideologies in a theological context.”
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