He said he would personally chair the committee, while the Chief Secretary to the Government would lead the secretariat.

“The syariah index project is very important and close to my heart as the government leader, and with the commitment of our friends in the government, we will make sure that the implementation will be done effectively.

“We are also prepared to have this syariah index improved from time to time,” he said when tabling the Malaysian Syariah Index Report 2015 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here today.

Najib said the relations, cooperation and discussions with ulama and umara (religious scholars and leaders) would be enhanced in a bid to further improve the implementation of the index.

At the same time, he said other relevant quarters were also welcome to give their input and opinions.

At the event, Najib announced that Malaysia obtained an overall score of 75.42% in the inaugural Malaysian Syariah Index 2015.

The score was based on the government’s performance and commitment towards its Islamic agenda in eight major areas which were evaluated and assessed through comprehensive and scientific research.

The eight areas are education, legal, politics, health, economy, culture, social and infrastructure, and environment.

Present were Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom and Chief Secretary to the Government Ali Hamsa.

– BERNAMA