A Muslim scholar has proposed that a consultative council consisting of representatives from both the syariah and civil courts be set up.

Wan Ji Wan Hussin is concerned that tabling amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 could create unease among certain quarters.

He said this in response to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak who confirmed on Thursday that the cabinet had agreed to table amendments to the law to ensure interfaith disputes involving civil marriages be resolved in civil courts.

“The suggestion by Najib’s cabinet might invite uneasy reactions from Muslims in the country, especially the Malays,” Wan Ji told Malaysiakini.

It is therefore important to determine if the proposal would affect relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, he added.

“I suggest that a consultative council comprising representatives from the syariah and civil courts be set up to discuss this issue,” he said.

He added that the move would also see a reduction in cases handled by the syariah courts.

Meanwhile, Jihad for Justice chairperson Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim said he was happy that amendments to the Law Reform Act would be finally be tabled.

“We welcome this. But we don’t want this to be another eyewash,” he said.

Thasleem also questioned why the solution to the issue of disputes involving civil marriages was not made earlier.

“If there was political will, this should have been resolved earlier. Why wait seven years and after all this trauma which has been going on - creating so much of unhappiness and ill-feelings between Muslims and non-Muslims?” he asked.

“Accept the reality that BN has failed the rakyat very badly. Similarly, the opposition in certain areas has also failed the expectations of the people, so, correct it.”

He said the prime minister must explain why the amendments were not tabled in 2009.

The cabinet had decided in 2009 that a child must be raised in the faith professed by both parents at the time of the marriage.

The decision was made in the wake of the Syariah Court case involving M Indira Ghandi’s estranged husband, K Patmanathan aka Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah, who had converted their three children to Islam without her consent.

However, the Conference of Rulers later that year put the brakes on the cabinet decision and the proposed amendments were never tabled in Parliament.

Early this year, another cabinet committee was set up to resolve the outstanding issue of unilateral conversions.