Co-organisers IRF alleges that the university is curtailing intellectual discussions by cancelling a forum on Islamic law at the last minute.
PETALING JAYA: A forum on Islamic law scheduled for tomorrow has been called off at the eleventh hour due to reasons that remain unclear.
According to co-organisers Islamic Renaissance Front [IRF], the forum, entitled “Di manakah keadilan dalam perundangan Islam?” [Where is the justice in Islamic law?] was supposed to be held tomorrow afternoon at the Universiti Utara Malaysia in Kedah.
Speakers were Penang ulama association president Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor, human rights lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri and Muhammad Afiq Noor from IRF.
“I received a call yesterday afternoon from the dean of UUM’s College of Law, Government, and International Studies and she told me it was being cancelled due to instructions from higher authority,” said IRF chief Ahmad Farouk Musa, who said that no further explanation was given.
Farouk expressed bewilderment at the university’s sudden move, saying that all the arrangements, including the booking of the hall, hotels and transportation, had already been made.
He added that the event was planned two weeks ago, with confirmation via official letters sent.
“Why the last minute cancellation? It does not show any respect to Prof Wan Salim, a very pious man. What is this? Why are they so scared? Why do they want to curtail students’ freedom in intellectual discussion?” asked Farouk.
He said that last night, IRF had held a forum that might be deemed “more controversial” at University Sains Islam Malaysia in which hudud law was discussed but “nothing sinister happened”.
Attempts to get a response from UUM were futile.
IRF courted controversy last month when a forum it hosted saw PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar speaking about freedom of religion being a right for all, including Malay-Muslims.
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