Hudud: Kelantan can follow Qatari model, says deputy MB

The Qatari model for syariah jurisprudence is suitable for Kelantan as it is more modern, said Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah.

Mohd Amar said trials in Qatar was properly documented while this was not the case in Saudi Arabia.

"There is no documentation in Saudi Arabia. (Everything is recorded) in the judge's brain.

"This is because the judges are pious. Everything is in his head," Mohd Amar told reporters in Kota Bharu.

He said Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yaakob (photo) had instructed state officials to visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia to study how hudud law was implemented.

Mohd Amar was responding to queries on the state's RM1 million allocation to prepare for the implementation of hudud law.

He said the funds will be used for meetings, research, trips, seminars, workshops and discussions.

"We'll be inviting experts. The money is not going to be used to repair courts," he said.

On March 19, 2015 the Kelantan legislative assembly passed amendments to the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code II 1993 which expanded the syariah court's jurisdiction.

Among others, the expanded law allowed for capital punishments such as death by stoning or crucifixion.

[READ: Differences in Kelantan and Terengganu hudud]

However, as national laws limit the jurisdiction of syariah courts, hudud law cannot be implemented.

PAS has been trying to push through the necessary legislative amendments in Parliament in recent years.

The motion by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (photo) was tabled in April last year, but Putrajaya has not allowed the bill to be debated.

This has led to allegations that PAS and Umno were in connivance over the matter for political purposes.

Meanwhile, Mohd Amar said the Kelantan government was looking to employ surgeons who will carry out amputations under hudud law.

He said this was necessary to ensure the procedure is done correctly without impeding the functions of other body parts.

"In the old days, they just 'potong' (amputate). It may cause damages to other parts," he said.- Mkini