Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad's letter touched on issues which I believe merit further discussion.

In his letter, Syed Alwi mentions that today's Syariah law is based on 10th century jurisprudence and raises the question of whether it is reconcilable with modern concepts of human rights.

As one can rightly infer from Syed Alwi's letter, Syariah law was devised by the minds of men and as such, cannot claim to be immutable.

Yet any attempt to suggest reinterpretation of the Quranic text, thereby questioning the judgement of the revered Imams, is considered tantamount to blasphemy by some quarters.

I find this puzzling.

When those advocating for the death of some individuals (whose only wrong is to publicly state their beliefs) are able to justify their pronouncements using Syariah law, then I can only assume that something is not quite right with Syariah law, to say nothing of those homicidal advocates.

Clearly there is an urgent need to reinterpret the Quran in a more humanistic light, to reopen the door to 'ijtihad'.

The more difficult question is: who would have the credentials and backing to perform such a task?