KUALA LUMPUR: There is no need to establish a consultative committee to discuss the amendment or abolishment of Syariah laws, as existing laws are already clear and sufficient.
So said Malay rights group Perkasa in reply to the G25 group of prominent Malays’ call for the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to be abolished.
Perkasa Islamic Affairs Bureau chief Dr Amini Amir Abdullah was quoted by The Star as also lambasting G25 spokesperson Noor Farida Ariffin who recently commented about khalwat.
“Should the G25 oppose any punishment towards acts of khalwat, she (Farida) should refer to those well-versed in religious matters.”
“A khalwat offence cannot be silenced in the context of private and individual rights, because an offence related to Syariah crime is still an offence.
“In this matter, the question of individual rights and privacy do not arise because action must be taken against crimes, with the purpose of upholding the law,” Amini said in a statement.
He added that in Islam, khalwat is still a sin, regardless of whether it was performed in private or public, and that there is no such thing as a “private sin between the offender and Allah.”
Criticising G25’s “shallow thinking”, Amini concluded “They need to focus their struggle in order to empower Islam as the federal religion, and not concern themselves with petty matters, or seek popularity and cheap publicity.”