There is no harm in having another set of laws for Muslims because Malaysia has always had a dual legal system, said Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
In his apparent bid to win over non-Muslims in the run-up to the Sungai Besar by-election, the PAS president gave his assurance that the proposed amendments will only expand the existing jurisdiction of the syariah courts.
He pointed out that the syariah courts, as opposed to the civil courts, have no jurisdiction to punish non-Muslims.
“For instance, non-Muslims are allowed to wear some clothes that the Muslims can’t wear.
“The non-Muslims can open restaurants and sell pork and alcohol and they cannot be punished because of that.
“We have a different set of laws for marriage. We can’t have just one marriage law for all religions,” he told the crowd at the community hall here Monday.
Echoing Hadi, the PAS Supporters Club, which is the non-Muslim wing of the party, said non-Muslims, particularly the Chinese, should not be afraid of Hadi’s syariah Bill.
“The Bill only affects bad Muslims. We are good people, so what’s there to be scared about?” club treasurer Kong Tuck Wah said.
The Bill, which was tabled in Parliament on May 26, seeks to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Act 1995 to allow the PAS-led Kelantan state government to impose hudud punishment except the death sentence.
However, Hadi had requested that the Bill be debated at the next Parliament meeting in October.
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