‘Shariah forum was all about men and power’

It featured an all-male cast and allowed only one woman to ask questions, claims film-maker Norhayati Kaprawi.

PETALING JAYA: Monday’s forum on PAS’ proposed amendments to enhance sentencing powers of shariah courts has been accused of being unfair to women, having featured an all-male panel.

Film-maker Norhayati Kaprawi said the forum appeared to be biased against women as it had allegedly allowed only men, except for lawyer and activist Siti Kasim, to raise questions regarding the subject matter.

She claimed to have also put up her hand during the second part of the question-and-answer session, only to be ignored by the moderator, Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia’s Dr Yusri Mohamad.

“What I saw in that forum was that it was all about men and power, not so much about upholding justice, and not about creating a high moral society.

“I was the first to raise my hand (in the second session).

“The moderator saw and looked at my raised hand, but he turned the other way and let the men stand up and ask (their) questions.

“During the first Q&A session, the men had already asked plenty of questions,” she wrote on her Facebook yesterday.

“So, in the all-male forum, Siti was the only woman who got to participate in the whole discussion.”

She also claimed to have sat next to Siti, who created controversy for giving the finger to a group of hecklers during the forum titled “Pindaan Akta 355: Antara Realiti Dan Persepsi”.

Norhayati said the moderator, instead of trying to keep everyone calm, allowed the hecklers to shout whatever they wanted although Siti was the one with the microphone.

Four male politicians, PAS Secretary-General Takiyuddin Hassan, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom, DAP’s Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw, and MCA Shariah Law and Policy Implementation Special Task Force Chairman Gan Ping Sieu, spoke at the forum.

Norhayati said she had intended to pose her questions to Takiyuddin and Jamil Khir.

She said she wanted to ask them about their obsession with enhancing punishment under shariah law.

“Shouldn’t they be obsessed with ways to ensure justice in the shariah judiciary system so it can be implemented effectively?

“So every Muslim understands what is justice and how important it is for justice to be implemented well and effectively?”

She then added that women’s rights groups had submitted proposed amendments to the Islamic Family Law Act to make it fairer and guarantee the rights of Muslim women.

“It has been five years perhaps and until now there has only been silence, with no sense of urgency from the minister in charge of religion or the government’s religious agency.

“PAS can’t even be counted on.”