Kedah deputy mufti Sheikh Marwazi Dziyauddin said the state would consult the fatwa council if there are calls to demolish the famed eagle statue at Langkawi’s Eagle Square.

He said this when asked to respond to Perak deputy mufti Zamri Hashim, who was reported by Berita Harian as saying that the construction of such a statue was “haram” and that it should be demolished.

“We have not looked into the matter, but if there are such calls, then we will discuss it formally.

“For now, the (Kedah) mufti has not said anything and it’s an old issue.

“We will hold discussions with the fatwa council and then advise the local councils accordingly,” Marwazi told Malaysiakini.

Marwazi said the Kedah Islamic authorities were not consulted when the eagle statue was constructed in 1996.

“It’s true that in terms of Islamic law, everyone knows it is haram, but it has already been built.

“Now, if it is to be demolished, there have to be negotiations and it cannot be revealed to the public as the story may turn into something else,” Marwazi said.

The Eagle Square, or Dataran Helang, which is located in the Kuah town centre, is a popular tourist destination and is widely seen as a symbol of Langkawi.

A municipal council in neighbouring Perak had reportedly sought advice from the state mufti office over the possibility of constructing an eagle statue.

Perak deputy mufti Zamri did not reveal which municipal council it was, but in a commentary in Berita Harian yesterday warned that it was forbidden to construct a statue of a living creature.

Zamri said to do so would be a “big sin” in Islam.

This religious opinion has since put a spotlight on Langkawi in Kedah, which is famous for the eagle statue.