In a statement, Heng took PAS Youth deputy chief Khalil Abdul Hadi to task over his comments that the Court of Appeal’s decision on Indira’s case was a victory for Islam.
“Is PAS, in particular its next generation of leaders, even capable of articulating any intellectual discourse based on the law and evidence?
“The only argument PAS can muster is a sweeping holier-than-thou statement of ‘evil-by-liberals-insulting-Islam’, dearth of logic to silence alternative views.”
She said PAS deliberately ignored the spirit of the law and the rights of the non-converting spouse while turning a blind eye to the way Indira’s ex-husband, Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah unilaterally converted their children without informing her or the children themselves.
She questioned if Ridzuan was really spreading Islam or exploiting the Syariah court and Jabatan Agama Islam Perak to gain an advantage in the custody battle by converting the children.
Heng said PAS must clarify how Indira’s yearning to be reunited with her youngest child, Prasana Diksa, taking away from her by her ex-husband when the girl was two, constituted an “evil by liberals.”
She pointed out that the crux of the issue was justice and human rights for a mother who wanted to be reunited with her daughter and to find a solution in cases where parents who embraced Islam used the Syariah court to circumvent the rights of their non-Muslim spouse.
“At no material time at all is there any challenge or insult to Islam, a religion grounded on justice, mercy and compassion that exalts the position of mothers,” Heng said.
Meanwhile Wanita MIC slammed PAS Youth’s claim as “inhumane.”
Its chief Mohana Muniandy said she wondered if the Islamist party’s youth wing had considered the anguish the mother endured in the battle to declare the unilateral conversion of her children null and void.
“Where is the compassion? This is not a time to rub salt in a wound.
“And how was Indira challenging the sanctity of Islam when all she was doing was challenging a law?” she told FMT.
Previously, FMT reported that Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) vice-president Mujahid Rawa, having a differing view from PAS, had said that the court of appeal’s decision in Indira’s case could not be considered a victory for Islam if justice had not been served.