A meeting was held between PAS leaders and representatives from the Catholic Church and NGOs in Penang yesterday to discuss the proposed Syariah Courts (CriminalJurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355).
Penang PAS interfaith coordinator Abdul Rahman Kassim said the meeting also discussed several events in the coming month.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and other PAS leaders met Catholic bishop Sebastian Francis, Aliran cum Penang Forum representative Anil Netto, as well as others at the St Anne's Church in Bukit Mertajam.
“It was a cordial meeting among the PAS leaders, NGO representatives and our Catholic friends,” Rahman told Malaysiakini.
He praised the interfaith activists for making the meeting a success.
According to Rahman, Tuan Ibrahim took the opportunity to explain PAS' proposed amendments to Act 355 to those present at the meeting, emphasising the Act's impact on non-Muslims.
PAS is planning a rally in support of Act 355, at Dataran Merdeka on Feb 18.
The bill to amend the Act was tabled in Parliament by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and is expected to be debated and passed in the March sitting.
The proposed amendments, if endorsed, will see the present punishment cap to be raised to 30 years' jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the cane.
The controversial issue had hogged the limelight for several months, with the latest involving Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng being questioned by police for urging BN component parties to quit the BN for endorsing Hadi’s bill.
“It was a frank meeting where many gave their views; many questions were asked and we tried to address the concerns of the non-Muslims towards the proposed amendments to the bill by PAS,” Rahman said.
He also said several events were in the pipeline, organised to foster a closer relationship among the various communities.
On Feb 12, an interfaith bowling session between PAS and other religious communities will be held at the Giant Mall in Kulim, Kedah, followed by a dialogue among the groups at the YMCA in Penang, on Feb 25.
The dialogues would be handled by Fadzly Hassan, who is a Kelantan state executive councillor, and other lawyers.
“There will be more discussions on Act 355 in this dialogue, and we expect a vibrant discussion among the different ethnic groups,” Rahman said.- Mkini
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