'Gender talks won't encroach on Islamic law'
Participants at a roundtable discussion on gender equality have brushed aside accusations that the talks will promote values inconsistent with Islam.
Participants at a roundtable discussion on gender equality have brushed aside accusations that the talks will promote values inconsistent with Islam.
They also stressed that, while they will ensure that the government meets its international obligations, they will not challenge Islamic family law.
Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) deputy chairperson Khaw Lake Tee said the government has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw).
"I don't think there is an issue if (whether) we should or should not discuss (gender issues), because the state has taken it upon itself to fulfil international treaty obligations.
“Once a state has undertaken this, it has the obligation to ensure these are fulfilled and implemented."
Khaw was speaking to reporters before the start of the closed-door ‘Roundtable Discussion on Gender Equality: Unaddressed Women's Rights Issues’ in Petaling Jaya this morning.
Last Saturday, the Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (Mapim) had ticked off NGO Empower over the event, taking issue with the move to also discuss the rights of the Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (LBT) group. Mapim said this is un-Islamic and not up for discussion.
"Discussions such as this are secretly aimed at fuelling campaigns and advocacy to change the values and moral foundations of Islam that are central to Malay-Muslims and Malaysians in general," Mapim general secretary Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid had been quoted as saying.
Khaw added that there should be no cause for concern as the discussion merely intends to provide recommendations to the government.
"These are emerging issues... They are still in the process of discussion. It is not a decision being made or that recommendations must be implemented."
Apart from LBT issues, the discussion will encompass women's position in family law and employment, and as refugees.
Women's human rights report
Empower executive director Maria Chin Abdullah also brushed aside Mapim’s concerns that the discussion may erode Islamic values, stressing that it will not touch on Islamic family law.
"Islamic family law has gone through one round of amendments and now it is frozen, so whatever it is, it is out in the open now."
Asked why this is a closed-door discussion, Chin explained that it had been pre-arranged with the government.
"If it was not because of what happened over the weekend (Mapim's statement), the media would not even know about it,” Chin said.
The outcome of the discussion will be published to serve as the women's human rights report for 2010.
"Whatever we gather ....plus what the writers have written in terms of recommendations will feed into various platforms, (both) national and international."
Chin said the recommendations will also be forwarded to the government in anticipation of the Cedaw report next year and also a review by the UN on the human rights records of its members under the Universal Periodical Review.
Both the NGOs and Suhakam will publish a shadow Cedaw report.
Related stories
'Human rights a front to erode sanctity of Islam'
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.