Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria and Fatwa Council chairperson Shukor Husin's statements on 1MDB are puzzling and shocking, said Amanah MP Raja Kamarul Baharin Shah Raja Ahmad Shah.

Raja Kamarul said their positions to stay out of the corruption issue would encourage Malaysians to disregard them as sources of authority on Islam.

"The people cannot be faulted for questioning the role of state-funded scholars and mufti in defending the truth if they always agree with the government.

"Already, so many feel the that these scholars are only decorations at government events," he said in a statement today.

Raja Kamarul said the Fatwa Council and mufti should take the initiative, like the Conference of Rulers, who issued a decree urging the government to resolve the 1MDB issue.

Harussani said there was no need for the Fatwa Council to preside on the 1MDB issue after attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali said there was no evidence 1MDB money had been misappropriated.

Apandi was responding to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits to seize US$1 billion of assets it alleged were purchased by funds siphoned from 1MDB.

Shukor said the 1MDB matter has been studied by professionals and the Fatwa Council did not have the technical capabilities to look at economic issues on a global scale, Free Malaysia Today reported.

Harussani and Shukor were responding to Amanah adviser Ahmad Awang, who asked why the Fatwa Council has yet to take a stand on 1MDB and DOJ lawsuits.