A coalition of NGOs held a peaceful rally at Masjid Negara today in support of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Members' Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, or Act 355.

Gathering within the compound of the National Mosque, the NGO dubbed Muslims in Support of Strengthening Act 355 (Umat) handed out flyers after Friday prayers to press their cause.

They carried banners which among them read: "Peaceful assembly in support of Act 355" and "Muslims united in support of Act 355 amendments".

The gathering of some 100 people lasted for around 15 minutes as they shouted takbir and urged other Muslims to support the amendments.

An Umat secretariat member later said the coalition plans to hold a nationwide roadshow to lobby for the amendments and later submit a memorandum on the matter.

However, the secretariat member, who declined to be named, did not want to divulge further details, citing a gag order.

"We are still planning, we haven't come up with a detailed schedule yet," he said.

Among the NGOs involved include Perkasa, Isma, Malay Consultative Council (MPM), Muslim Consumers' Association of Malaysia (PPIM) and Pertubuhan Kebajikan Darul Islah Malaysia (Perkid).

Hadi's bill on Act 355 was again tabled in Parliament on May 26, the last day of the sitting, after having been skipped in the previous two sittings.

Umno minister Azalina Othman Said surprised the House by moving a motion to bring the bill forward, claiming she was instructed by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to do so.

At present, Act 355 limits the Syariah Courts' punishment to a maximum fine of RM5,000, three years jail or six strokes of the rotan.

The amendments seek to increase this limit, paving the way for the enforcement of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code II Enactment 1993, which includes punishments such as 40 to 100 strokes of the rotan.