PAS will not impose hudud law on non-Muslims if the party comes to power in the country, according to former Lord President Salleh Abas.

Even in Terengganu, Section 59(2) of the Criminal Offences (Hudud and Qisas) Enactment clearly states that the provisions can only be enforced on Muslims and that people of other faiths would be excluded, he said.

Salleh gave an assurance that the party would maintain the same policy if it ever comes into power because the provision on hudud is derived from the Quran, one of the main sources of syariah law.

The Jertih state assembly representative said this in response to a question at a three-hour dialogue on hudud and qisas yesterday. Organised in Petaling Jaya by Misna Alumni, it drew some 400 participants.

Agreement required

The only way that hudud law would cover those of other religions would be if they asked for it, Salleh said.

To impose the law on non-Muslims would not only be a violation of Islamic teachings which promotes freedom of religion but also the Federal constitution.

Salleh said that, although the non-Muslims are excluded from Islamic law, they still have the right to present their case in a syariah court if both the complainant and defendant agree to this.

A participant had asked Salleh and another panelist, Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad of PAS Research Centre to clarify a statement by Terengganu Mentri Besar Abdul Hadi Awang (photo), who reportedly said hudud law would be applied to people of other faiths in the future.

Dzulkifli explained that only parts of Hadi's original statement had been reported by the media. He said the statement had also said hudud law would be extended to non-Muslims only when they are ready and willing to accept it.

"Hadi said this situation could only occur if they agree to be governed by the law. As the Quran prohibits imposition of the law on others, PAS cannot simply change its stand in the event it comes into power," he said.

However Dzulkifli was quick to add that it was unlikely that PAS would win the next general election as the government's political tactics such as the recent re-drawing of electoral boundaries would make it hard for the opposition to do well.

"We lost four seats mainly in Kedah (under the redelineation exercise) even before contesting an election," he said.

Not aligned

Another participant sought assurances that PAS would not emulate the theocratic governments in Islamic countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Iran and Iraq, which he claimed were enforcing laws contrary to the teachings of Islam.

Salleh replied that Afghanistan had previously been ruled by the Taliban government, led by a group of students who were trying to administer the country based on what they learnt in their religious schools.

He said that, due to the government's inexperience and society's cultural and social circumstances, many of the Taliban's policies were not aligned to Islamic law.

"As for countries like Iran, Iraq and Libya, it must be stressed that they are not governed by Islamic law, but rather laws developed from the French civil code," Salleh said.

"They are Islamic countries but not Islamic states. Although the majority of their population consists of Muslims, they are not governed by Islamic law."

He said it would be unfair to suggest that the situations in those countries could also occur in Malaysia where the society is more democratic, adding that PAS has always adopted the democratic process and would continue to do so.

Election manifesto

Another participant questioned PAS' intention to introduce hudud law in Terengganu and Kelantan claiming that party leaders had issued contradictory statements on this.

Academician Dr Patricia Martinez said some leaders had claimed that the laws were enacted purely because of religious obligations.

However, other statements by the party said this was done to fulfill an election promise even though the opposition Barisan Alternative manifesto had made no mention of an Islamic state.

Dzulkifli explained that reference to hudud law was contained in PAS' manifesto for Terengganu in the 1999 election this stated that PAS would abide by religious teachings to form an Islamic government.

Since then, surveys conducted by the research centre in the two states have shown that the public supports the party's efforts in implementing hudud law.

He clarified that the state manifesto was different from that signed with Keadilan, PRM and DAP in relation to forming the federal government.