The Selangor state government has not been imposing their orders on the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) on the Bible controversy due to "political" rather than "legal" reasons, a constitutional expert suggested today.
Syahredzan Johan told Malaysiakini that religion is a state matter and thus the state government has the authority to oversee the state religious bodies' conduct and behaviour.
"The question is therefore why can't the state government control them? The answer is more political than legal," he said.
"Mais and Jais are religious bodies, they are seen to be under the sultan. So the state government does not want to be seen as being against the sultan, even though in reality it is their duty to keep Jais and Mais in check," he added.
Both religious bodies have attracted another round of controversy after they publicly defied the attorney general and refused to return 321 copies of Malay and Iban language Bible that they had seized from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) back in January.
Syahredzan (left) argued that although the sultan is still the head of Islam in the state, bodies like Jais and Mais are still answerable to the state government, which was elected by the people because Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy.
Fellow constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari meanwhile said that there exists a "dilemma" because the religious bodies come under the purview of the sultan of Selangor.
"The sultan has been allowed by the Federal Constitution to act on his own without or against government advice," he said.
"Religion is a state matter. The AG has no power over the states. This is the law," he added.
Syahredzan Johan told Malaysiakini that religion is a state matter and thus the state government has the authority to oversee the state religious bodies' conduct and behaviour.
"The question is therefore why can't the state government control them? The answer is more political than legal," he said.
"Mais and Jais are religious bodies, they are seen to be under the sultan. So the state government does not want to be seen as being against the sultan, even though in reality it is their duty to keep Jais and Mais in check," he added.
Both religious bodies have attracted another round of controversy after they publicly defied the attorney general and refused to return 321 copies of Malay and Iban language Bible that they had seized from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) back in January.Syahredzan (left) argued that although the sultan is still the head of Islam in the state, bodies like Jais and Mais are still answerable to the state government, which was elected by the people because Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy.
Fellow constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari meanwhile said that there exists a "dilemma" because the religious bodies come under the purview of the sultan of Selangor.
"The sultan has been allowed by the Federal Constitution to act on his own without or against government advice," he said.
"Religion is a state matter. The AG has no power over the states. This is the law," he added.
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