Noting that most of the G25 members are retired diplomats, he said they could not freely express their opinions when they were in service.

Ibrahim, who is also the Secretary-General of the Syariah Judiciary Department, was responding to a question posed by a syariah court officer at a dialogue session in Bangi today. The officer asked how Ibrahim’s department would respond to criticism of anti-khalwat laws by G25 spokesperson Noor Farida Ariffin and others.

Ibrahim said the question would be addressed through proceedings in the syariah courts. “It’s there that questions about syariah laws are addressed,” he said.

Referring to Noor Farida, he said, “That’s the way all frustrated people conduct themselves. When they were in government service, they didn’t have the courage to speak on these matters. Now that they’re retired and have nothing to lose, they feel they can speak about anything, and everything is wrong to them.”

In a statement issued last year, Noor Farida called for a review of laws concerning khalwat. She said khalwat raids were a violation of privacy.