Govt ready to meet LGBT community soon - minister
The government will be holding a meeting with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community as well as related NGOs to discuss issues that affect them.
De facto Islamic Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri reportedly said he is willing to arrange for a meeting soon, after receiving many requests from related parties...
The government will be holding a meeting with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community as well as related NGOs to discuss issues that affect them.
De facto Islamic affairs minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri (above) reportedly said he was willing to arrange for a meeting soon after receiving many requests from related parties.
"The meeting will be held to discuss and find a point of mutual understanding with the community.
"I will also visit programmes organised in collaboration with the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), the Federal Territories Islamic Department (Jawi) and NGOs to have a dialogue with our transgender friends," he said as quoted by Harian Metro.
"In that meeting, maybe they can raise and discuss any outstanding issues," Zulkifli told reporters in Marang, Terengganu, after distributing Covid-19 donations.
He further denied claims by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) that Jawi would abuse its powers to indiscriminately arrest or take action against transgenders.
Instead, the minister maintained that Jawi and his ministry were open to engaging with the community, adding they were cautioned to follow existing societal and family norms in order to live harmoniously.
"What I would like to stress here is that we are not out to arrest everyone [...] that is not our role," he said.
ICJ commissioner Ambiga Sreenevasan (below) had previously spoken up against Zulkifli's reported remarks on Jawi been reportedly given a "full license" to take action against transgenders.
Zulkifli at the time said it was not just about arrests, but also to provide religious education so that the transgender community would "return to the right path".
Ambiga, however, argued that attempts to rehabilitate transgenders have been proven to only make their conditions worse.
Separately, Bernama reported the Johor government will discuss the implementation of an enforcement and education outreach involving transgenders during the state Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ) meeting on July 28.
Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairperson Tosrin Jarvanthi said the implementation of an enforcement and education agenda would be decided by the Johor State Fatwa Council chaired by Johor mufti Yahya Ahmad.
"Any decision (enforcement and education) will be decided by the state fatwa council," he told reporters after attending the Bukit Permai assemblyperson's open counter programme today.
Arrest Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri for patronising LGBTQ+!
Yes, Ambiga this the best chance to group the civil society to meet this clown and state all the laws based on humanitarian grounds to go into his little brain to realise matters pertaining to this unfortunate people.
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