The Kedah government is willing to hold a meeting to discuss about the matter of the Langkawi eagle statue which some say has to be demolished as it is haram (proscribed) in Islam.

“We will see what the mufti’s view is and we are ready to discuss the matter,” Kedah executive council member for housing, local government, water supply, water resources and energy Badrol Hisham Hashim told Malaysiakini.

He was responding to recent developments related to those who proposed that the eagle replica in Langkawi Island is deemed to go against Islamic proscriptions against statues featuring full-featured living beings.

Previously, deputy Perak mufti Zamri Hashim was reported to have commented that erecting the replica of an eagle as a landmark is proscribed in Islam as it depicted a full-featured living being.

The report stated that Zamri was explaining the matter in response to an official letter from a local council requesting what is the stated in Islamic precepts about erections featuring animal replicas.

Zamri, however, later clarified that he never mentioned the Langkawi eagle at all and was only talking about a local matter involving a Perak local government which asked his opinion whether it is okay to build a replica of an animal.

Malaysiakini later reported that the Kedah mufti department had said that they will discuss the matter with the Fatwa Council first in the face of admonishments for the Langkawi eagle to be demolished as it is proscribed in Islam.

Kedah deputy mufti Sheikh Marwazi Dziyauddin said that the matter will only be referred to the relevant local government after official discussions are concluded.

Meanwhile, Langkawi MP Nawawi Ahmad told Malaysiakini that he is unsure when the meeting about the matter will be held as he is currently in Kuala Lumpur attending a Public Accounts Committee meeting.

The island of Langkawi is a famed tourist destination and the statue of the eagle about to take to flight is one of its main attractions.