Motion on Asri's arrest rejected
An opportunity to debate the much-criticised arrest of former Perlis mufti Asri Zainal Abidin was spurned today, when the Selangor legislative assembly rejected an emergency motion on the incident.
An opportunity to debate the much-criticised arrest of former Perlis mufti Asri Zainal Abidin was spurned today, when the Selangor legislative assembly rejected an emergency motion on the incident.
Speaker Teng Chang Khim told Saari Sungib (PAS-Hulu Kelang) that he deemed the matter to be "not urgent enough" even though it fulfills the criteria of public interest.
Reading out his motion earlier, Saari said the people have formed "negative perceptions" of the state government in the wake of Asri's arrest by the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) at a house in Ampang on Nov 1.
Saari, who was present during the incident, said there was a strong presence of Jais officials and police officers and that they had treated Asri "like a dangerous criminal".
"Asri, up to now, is still
on bail
. The people had hoped Pakatan would be more friendly to religious speakers. Since the arrest, they think that Selangor's Pakatan-led government is no different from that of Barisan Nasional," said Saari (
right
).
"This negative perception should be corrected immediately because this is of public interest. Asri is a credible and influential religious leader who holds a PhD in hadith from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa."
He stressed that Jais should have taken into consideration the widespread recognition of Asri's credentials inside and outside the country.
"Selangor should approve talks by any renowned religious scholar without the prior need for tauliah (authorisation)...and the state government should come up with some measures as this matter has tarnished our image," he said.
' Make Jais explain'
Debating the Selangor Budget 2010 proposals tabled yesterday, Azmin Ali (PKR-Bukit Antarabangsa) suggested that the state government seeks an explanation from Jais to "calm the situation surrounding Asri's arrest".
"I'm disgusted with the way Asri was arrested by Jais and the police, who I think, treated him like a terrorist," he said.
"They should have known that this person has dignity and should be treated fairly.
"No wonder that there is a negative perception of our religious enforcement agency, that it is not professional and courteous," added Azmin ( left )
"Jais seems to prefer punishing people instead of educating them...Giving religious lessons without tauliah has never been an issue before."
He also said Jais has yet to produce any evidence against Asri, "who was tremendously humiliated" by its officials.
Asri's arrest has provoked condemnation in many quarters across the political divide.
He has since said that the requirement of authorisation goes against the teachings of Islam because it infringes on freedom of speech.
In another development, Asri had a closed door meeting with BN Backbenchers' Committee at Parliament at 8.30pm. It is believed that the BBC will express its support for the ex-mufti during the meeting.
