State PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden revealed that Mohamed Sabu (Mat Sabu), who was formerly PAS deputy president and now Amanah president, also knew about it.
“When the matter was brought up at a Penang PAS liaison committee meeting, Mat Sabu had volunteered to bring it up through internal channels (with Pakatan Rakyat).
“When I was a member of the Fatwa Committee in 2015, the matter was also brought up at a meeting.”
Soid Mohd Amin (now Penang Amanah committee member) was also there at the meeting, he added.
It is not known whether Mat Sabu had later brought up the matter to PR. FMT has contacted him for comment and is awaiting his response.
Afnan had recently claimed that all fatwa in Penang had to go through the state executive committee, chaired by the chief minister. He said this had resulted in several fatwa being put on hold.
Afnan protested this “interference” because he said fatwa only required the assent of the king, not the chief minister.
“I would like to stress that political meddling in the Fatwa Committee exists and is not conjured up, as alleged by some,” Afnan said in a statement today.
On Tuesday, state mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor denied the accusations of interference, saying the fatwa were on the state exco meeting agenda only for the purpose of notifying the state.
He said all fatwa were conveyed by the state secretary to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for assent.
State Religious Affairs Committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim had also denied claims of interference, saying they were mere lies.
Afnan today said Malik should take legal action against him if he believed his claims were lies.
“It has to be reminded that in all matters, Islam takes importance over politics.”