Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic state has created a conducive environment for the implementation of the Islamic criminal law (hudud and qisas), said the Muslim Scholars Association of Malaysia (PUM) president Abdul Ghani Shamsudin today.
In view of this, he told malaysiakini , the PAS-led Terengganu government's decision to implement the bill in the state should be supported.
On Monday, 13 Islamic non-governmental organisations, including PUM, released a joint statement supporting the bill.
Among the NGOs which inked the statement are the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim), Jamaah Islah Malaysia, Kedah Association of Islamic Scholars, Teras Melayu, Iman International, Association of Syariah Graduates, and the Malaysian Women Action Council.
According to Abdul Ghani these organisations see Mahathir's declaration as a positive sign towards future implementation of the Islamic syariah law in Malaysia.
Explain the law
Meanwhile, Abim president Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman also expressed support for the implementation of the law.
However, he stressed that much has to be done to allay the fears and confusion among the public, especially the non-Muslims regarding the matter.
"Hudud is only part of the Islamic syariah laws. The laws also include the Islamic banking system, which is now slowly being accepted by non-Muslims.
"The main problem now is that people are confused over the matter," he said.
To overcome this, the Abim president suggested that comprehensive and systematic campaigns be carried out to explain the laws, especially those relating to hudud.
"And this needs active participation of all the experts in the field," he added.
The proposed implementation of the hudud bill evoked strong objections from political parties and NGOs, especially on provisions regarding rape and adultery which they said were discriminatory towards women.
Following this, the state government deferred the passing of the bill and is working towards amending the controversial provisions.
