The Kuala Lumpur High Court granted leave to Sisters of Islam  (SIS) to challenge a Selangor fatwa banning the NGO.

"The application is not frivolous. The objection is overruled and leave is granted," presiding judge Asmabi Mohamed said.

In a fatwa gazetted in July, the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais) said that SIS and other organisations promoting "religious liberalism and pluralism" are deviating from Islam.

Lawyer Malik Imtiaz ( left ), who represented SIS said that his side would file all the relevant documents for the judicial review in two weeks' time.

 

In a statement distributed to the media after the court was adjourned, SIS said that they would seek to declare that the fatwa against them was ultra vires against Article 10,11, and 74 of the federal constitution.

 

They also seeking to declare that the fatwa is contradicts Section 7 of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and Section 3 (3) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988.

 

SIS became aware of the fatwa through a search on the website of the Selangor Islamic Council (Mais) on Oct 20.

 

SIS said that the fatwa gives powers to authorities to seize their publications and stop spread of their information in social media sites.

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