10-25-2024, 08:37 AM
Muftis, fatwas and the Federal Constitution
![[Image: ?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.freemalaysiatod...w=384&q=75]](https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.freemalaysiatoday.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F09%2Fcdecfc8b-hamid-sultan-abu-backer-columnist-new-310823-1.webp&w=384&q=75)
The Mufti (Federal Territories) Bill 2024 makes unacceptable inroads into the doctrine of constitutional supremacy which is the foundation on which this nation is built.
The word “fatwa” is currently the subject of explosive debate in Malaysia.
In Islam, a fatwa has always been a non-binding opinion issued by a shariah scholar on matters of Islamic law and practice. It was never intended to have any legal consequence in the nature of punishment imposed on a Muslim.
But all that will change if the Mufti (Federal Territories) Bill 2024 is passed into law by Parliament. In my view, the proposal to turn fatwas into enforceable laws is a direct attack on the spine of the Federal Constitution itself.
- More -
The word “fatwa” is currently the subject of explosive debate in Malaysia.
In Islam, a fatwa has always been a non-binding opinion issued by a shariah scholar on matters of Islamic law and practice. It was never intended to have any legal consequence in the nature of punishment imposed on a Muslim.
But all that will change if the Mufti (Federal Territories) Bill 2024 is passed into law by Parliament. In my view, the proposal to turn fatwas into enforceable laws is a direct attack on the spine of the Federal Constitution itself.
- More -