A group calling itself Bebas has announced a counter-rally on the same day as PAS' Act 355 rally on Feb 18.

The announcement was made by activists Azrul Mohd Khalib, Azira Aziz and R Suresh in a statement today.

They said the Bebas rally is meant to 'show strong objection' to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Member's Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355).

The Act 355 rally seeks to support the amendment to allow the syariah court to mete out tougher punishments by increasing the punishment limit from three years' imprisonment, RM5,000 fine and six strokes of the rotan to 30 years' imprisonment, RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the rotan.

The counter-protest, dubbed "Malaysians Reject Hadi's Bill", is expected to take place at Padang Merbok, less than 1km away from Dataran Merdeka, the venue of PAS' Act 355 rally.

"All Malaysians, irrespective of race and religion, are welcome to join the rally to protest against Hadi’s bill, a dangerous piece of legislation that will open the door to hudud.

"Hadi has not provided any justification or rationale whatsoever for his proposed enhanced syariah punishments...," Azrul, Azira and Suresh said.

They added that no evidence, nor any study, have been offered to show that harsher punishments in other Muslim countries have reduced syariah offences or curbed repeat offenders.

'Failed states' referenced by PAS

"The countries often referenced by PAS as shining examples of hudud implementation are actually ‘failed states’ and non-democracies, where there are high unemployment rates, large swathes of the population in hardcore poverty, girls deprived of education, democratic oppression, armed conflict and general disregard for human rights.

"Are these the kind of countries we should be looking up to as role models?" they said.

Azrul, Azira and Suresh said Hadi's bill and his opinions should be open to scrutiny and questioning by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, as all are equal citizens.

"The money used to run the syariah system and to enforce syariah legislation comes from both Muslim and non-Muslim Malaysian taxpayers.

"All Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, have the right to speak up on issues and laws that could drastically change the country’s secular structure and our way of life. Hadi’s bill is one of them," they said.

Azrul, Azira and Suresh also reminded MPs that they represented voters of various ethnicity and faiths and they must also take into account the views of those who opposed Hadi's bill.

"We urge all MPs across creed and faith, including Muslim lawmakers, to summon the courage to vote 'No' against Hadi’s bill.

"Together, we must make a clear stand against Hadi's bill, which could turn our beloved moderate country into a nation of extreme moral policing, bigotry and intolerance."