The Penang government will defend the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Penang) Enactment against repeal as demanded by MCA, as well as uphold the fundamental principle that fatwa are not applicable to non-Muslims, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng says.

In a statement today, Lim condemned the BN-controlled media for refusing to carry his statements on Umno's insistence that fatwa are applicable to non-Muslims, as well as ignoring MCA's outrageous demand to repeal the enactment.

“The Penang government has rejected MCA's outrageous demand to repeal that enactment because this amounts to gross interference in Islamic affairs, where repealing the entire enactment would have serious implications, including abolishing the Penang Islamic Council.

“Umno’s silence on MCA’s demand to repeal the enactment is matched by MCA’s silence on Umno's  contention that fatwa are applicable on non-Muslims.

“While both MCA and Umno have calculated that they will benefit politically from such lies, hypocrisy and double-standards, these irresponsible tactics will only serve to affect national unity and undermine religious harmony,” he warned.

Lim pointed out that non-Muslims can be charged with propagating their religion to Muslims, as provided for in the Federal Constitution, or for any related offences under civil laws, and not under syariah laws.

Non-Muslims can be charged in civil court

He said if a  person is charged under the syariah law it would be a dangerous and unacceptable imposition of Islamic laws on non-Muslims.

“In Penang, this is provided under Section 5 of Syariah Offences Enactment 1996, where non-Muslims can be charged in a civil court. Nothing is stated about it being an offence if non-Muslims do not comply with a fatwa.

“Even the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Penang) Enactment 2004 bears me out where Section 49(1) of the enactment states that a fatwa shall be binding on every Muslim in the state…, without mentioning non-Muslims, clearly restricting its application on Muslims,” he said.

Lim said Umno should stop bullying him the way it bullies MCA and Gerakan, where the two parties are forced to accept fatwa as applicable to non-Muslims.

If Umno was sincere in defending Islam, he said, it should be condemning and lodging reports against MCA for demanding that Penang's Administration of the Religion of Islam Enactment be repealed.

“This is gross interference and insult into the affairs of Islam by MCA because to repeal the enactment is to also abolish the Penang Islamic Council,” the Penang CM warned.

Lim had before this criticised MCA for wanting the enactment amended to lift the provisions barring non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah' and other words which are used by Muslims.

Lim at DAP's annual general assembly on Sunday called on Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to train his guns on MCA “for demanding the Penang government to repeal the enactment to allow the use of  'Allah' by Christians”.

However, MCA's religious harmony bureau responded and asked Lim not to twist its words, saying the party was merely reminding the Penang CM of the 2010 enactment gazetted under the Pakatan Rakyat-led state administration that outlawed the usage of 40 Islamic words by non-Muslims.