In one such programme, the Kairos Dialogue Network recently organised a dialogue session with Muslim scholar Wan Ji Wan Hussin.
Kairos director Eugene Yap said the discussion centred on different interpretations within Islam on hudud, the Islamic capital punishment which PAS said it wants to introduce in Kelantan.
“For example, the punishment for theft. The majority of the ulama argue that the punishment for a thief is the cutting of the hand when several conditions are met. But Wan Ji explains different views of the ulama saying this is not the case,” Yap told FMT.
“It is very enlightening to learn and understand various interpretations of the shariah, not just one. These interpretations come from various sources and from ulama through hundreds of years of Islamic history.”
Last May, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang tabled a private member’s bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, allowing shariah courts to impose heavier punishments except the death sentence.
The move is largely seen as a first step to the party’s goal of introducing hudud in Kelantan.
Yap said they found that PAS’s interpretation of Islamic law was only one of many interpretations in Islam.
Yap said his group would also have a similar meeting with PAS to get its perspective on Shariah.
PAS leaders had previously held dialogues with non-Muslim communities. One such event last September ended with the Federation of Hokkien Associations saying it was not convinced with the explanation by PAS leaders.
Kairos’ meeting on Nov 16 with Wan Ji was also attended by Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Julian Leow.
Wan Ji said dialogues could help overcome prejudice between Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia.
“I commented on Islam and its interpretations, as well as those of shariah. For example, the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment was amended twice, in 1993 and 2015, and is an interpretation of the PAS ulama,” the former Selangor PAS Ulama Council member said.
Wan Ji, who now heads PKR Youth’s religious bureau, was happy with the response from Kairos.
“They also responded well to my suggestion to organise visits to places of worship, with Muslims and non-Muslims visiting each other’s places of worship. Our agenda is to remove prejudice among us,” he added.
Yap said the Christian community was also concerned with cases involving natives in Sabah and Sarawak who are registered as Muslims despite practising Christianity all their lives.
“The civil courts cannot look into their cases because they are considered Muslim, as Islam is recorded as their religion in their identity cards.
“And if they go to the shariah court, what happens then?” he asked, referring to the child custody battle between Indira Gandhi and Muhammad Riduan Abdullah that saw a collusion of civil and shariah court judgments.