For three years, Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz has been forced to deal with a legal battle and now the move by the Federal Territories Islamic Department (Jawi) to appeal her acquittal is another blow.

The Borders store manager is now seeking royal intervention.

She hopes the Yang di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah ( left ), as head of Islamic religion in the Federal Territory, will address her plight.

The 38-year-old store manager said she is at a loss over what to do.

“I hope that my rights under the Federal Constitution are protected. As a lay person what is important is that I have been freed by three courts, the civil High Court, the civil Court of Appeal and also the Kuala Lumpur Syariah High Court.

“I thought the suffering and disgrace I faced for three years had ended. However, my joy was brief as with Jawi has appealed,” she added in a statement today.

Nik Raina further asked if Jawi's chief prosecutor did not accept Syariah High Court judge Mohd Amran Mat Zain’s decision to avoid a contradiction or conflict in the dual law system.

She further questioned what Jawi stood to gain by making her a victim and what calamity would befall Jawi or Muslims if she was acquitted.

“Did the Attorney-General’s Chambers advise against causing the conflict of jurisdictions as to what the Jawi chief prosecutor is doing?” the bookstore manager asked.

No legal basis

Nik Raina said Jawi acted without legal basis in raiding the Borders bookstore which she managed on May 23, 2012, that was owned by Berjaya Books Sdn Bhd, in turn owned by Berjaya Corporation.

“We gave full cooperation to Jawi in its investigation but Jawi was rough in their investigations against the Muslim staff there.

“My employer tried to resolve the matter amicably with Jawi but they went on to charge me on May 30, 2013 for distributing books against Islam,” she added.

Nik Raina noted that she was not the author of the book, nor the owner of the book store.

“I do not receive any profit from the proceeds of the sale of the book ('Allah, Liberty and Love', written by Irshad Manji).

“Jawi also knew I do not have any powers to determine the type of books sold at Borders bookstore. My only crime is that I am a Malay and a Muslim store manager,” she said.

As a result of this, Nik Raina said Jawi has made her a scapegoat to exhibit its powers when  at the time of the raid, there was no prohibition or fatwa (religious decree) to ban the book.

The book was banned by the Home Ministry six days after the Jawi raid.