Criticism of last month's raid on a night spot in Kuala Lumpur by Federal Territory Religious department (Jawi) officials is getting out of hand, said Teras chairperson Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid.

Claiming that this is part of a wider agenda to undermine the enforcement of Islamic principles, he questioned the motives of "human rights guardians" in generating a storm of protest against the arrest of some 100 Muslim youth for alleged inappropriate conduct on Jan 20.

"The agenda is not the prosecution of the officers for alleged abuse of power but to prevent the application of Syariah law to Muslims. It is in line with the United States agenda for reforming Islam and confining it to the private domain," said Azmi, who heads the Malay-based NGO.

"The 'guardians' and the media condemned the enforcement officers and Jawi based only on accusations and without hearing their side of the story. In their eagerness to attack and try to discredit the Syariah, the 'human rights guardians' ignored the right of the officers and Jawi to be heard before being condemned, a basic human right.

"The officers were acting under the powers given to them by law and if they had exceeded or abused their powers, then there are legal channels to take action against them. So, what was the reason for giving so much publicity to this issue that the cabinet had to deliberate on it and come out with a statement? "

He also noted how quickly these 'guardians' had defamed and demonised the enforcement officers based on a one-sided accusations.

Among the allegations made against the officers was that they had humiliated the women in the group by making lewd remarks about their skimpy attire and taking photos of them. One of the women was also prevented from using the toilet, forcing her to relieve herself in her pants.

'Explain meaning'

He also questioned the call by Sisters in Islam (SIS) executive director Zainah Anwar for the government to review Malaysia's respective Syariah enactments.

"Zainah claims that numerous divisions in the enactment 'have no basis in Islamic legal theory and practice'. She does not identify the offending divisions and makes a bald statement on their validity without any supporting evidence."

"The enactment, based on the Syariah, contains, among others, provisions relating to the offences of incest, sexual intercourse outside marriage (zina), homosexuality, lesbianism, prostitution, consuming alcohol and obscene behaviour in public.

"Is there no basis in Islamic legal theory and practice for these offences? Do Zainah and the Sisters want to reinterpret Islam to decriminalise and legalise these acts, which are offences under the Syariah?" he said.

If it is reinterpretation that SIS wants, he added, the group must be transparent and explain to the public the scope and effect of their reinterpretation, and the basis for it in the Qur'an and Hadith (Traditions of Prophet Muhammad).

Azmi also called on the cabinet to clarify its earlier stance that "there was no need for morality police to enforce morality and that morality should be the responsibility of the family".

This is because the stance - said to be in line with the government's Islam Hadhari policy - has serious implication for Islam and public morals, he added.

"It would mean that incest, zina , homosexuality, and prostitution, which are offences based on the grounds of morality, should be legalised and cease to be punishable offences," he said.

Azmi said Muslims have the right to be concerned with the erosion of religious and moral values, particularly among youths, as it manifested the increase of crimes like rape, incest, drug addiction, alcoholism and the breakdown of the institution of family.

"A comprehensive approach, including education, counselling, and legal deterrents, is necessary to deal with this problem. The law on Syariah offences is only one component of this approach. Therefore the outcry of the 'guardians' against it is baseless and due to their prejudice against the Syariah implanted by Western education."

He said Muslims believe that Islam can provide the answers to the problem and appealed to non-Muslims to respect the basic human right of Muslims to live according to their belief.