A group representing four major religions in the country will be holding a candlelight vigil tonight in front of the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

The vigil, organised by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBCHS), is to express the non-Muslim community's concern over having no legal recourse to challenge Syariah Court decisions.

Reverend Wong Kim Kong, who was appointed by the MCCBCHS to lead the candlelight vigil, said that there is an apparent "confusion over the supremacy" of the Syariah Court over the High Court.

"We want to express to the government, especially the prime minister, that they should take heed of the sentiments of the minority in regards to their religious conviction," said Wong when contacted.

The vigil will be the latest action taken by the council since a High Court decision yesterday which ruled that the civil court has no jurisdiction over decisions meted out by the Syariah Court.

Yesterday, the MCCBCHS held an emergency meeting and called for amendments into Article 121 (1A) of the Federal Constitution to deny the Syariah Courts any jurisdiction over non-Muslim affairs.

Seeds of disunity

On Dec 22, the Syariah Court ruled that deceased Everest hero M Moorthy was a Muslim and should be buried according to Muslim rites. His wife, S Kaliammal has disputed the Syariah Court's decision and sought the High Court to overturn it.

Moorthy, a former army commando, was buried yesterday at a Muslim cemetery in Setapak. Kaliammal has vowed to appeal the High Court decision.

The inability for non-Muslims to be represented at the Syariah Court and the inability for Moorthy's family to seek legal recourse over the matter has sparked outrage nationwide.

MCCBCHS president Dr K Sri Dhammananda said yesterday that the court decision was "sowing seeds of disunity".

Meanwhile, Bar Council representative who attended Kaliammal's court proceedings said that a landmark case in 1988 showed that the civil court had the power to rule over the Syariah Court, but it was not practiced at yesterday's proceedings.

"The issue of no remedy that was brought to attention by the senior federal counsel yesterday was scary, as a remedy should have been found in a civilised legal society," he told New Straits Times .

Moorthy, who died last Tuesday at the age of 36 from serious head injuries, was one of the 10 individuals in the Malaysia Everest team - two of whom reached the peak of the world's tallest mountain on May 23, 1997, the first Malaysians to achieve the feat.