Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla said he and other members objected to the motion filed by Mohd Amir Sharil Bahari Md Noor when it was put up for voting.
“I said Islam does not prohibit Muslims from communicating, mingling, and discussing matters with non-Muslims. Instead, Islam prohibits the act of compelling Islamic values on people of other religions,” he told FMT.
“On that basis, drinking is prohibited to Muslims, it’s haram to Muslims but it’s not haram to non-Muslims. To me, the motion was un-Islamic.
“It was a motion that should not have even been put on the floor but it was, and was defeated,” he added after the voting at the meeting in the Renaissance Hotel.
It is understood that the motion was rejected with 588 votes against, nine in favour and 16 abstaining from voting. The numbers have yet to be officially confirmed by the Bar.
Criminal lawyer and member of the Bar, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, also stood up against the motion. He too labelled it as un-Islamic, citing verses from the Muslim holy book to back his stand.
“There are verses in the Quran that talk about the prohibition of alcohol consumption by Muslims to take effect in stages,” he said.
“So the eradication of alcohol in Islam, historically since the time of Prophet Muhammad, has been done in stages.
“Why I quoted this was because not only was the motion un-Islamic, but Islam ensured you (Muslims) cannot drink alcohol, without stating that you can stop others from doing so.”
“The motion wants to stop specifically the serving of alcohol at the Bar Council functions, which is un-Islamic.”
Amir was reported to have said earlier this week that the serving of alcohol at Bar Council events made Muslim lawyers uncomfortable about attending.
He said Bar members came from diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-religious backgrounds, and that alcohol consumption was prohibited by almost all religions.
The lawyer, who also practises shariah law, said removing the practice of serving alcohol would help make the Bar shariah-compliant.
Meanwhile, another motion tabled by Amir against newly-elected council member Siti Kasim was withdrawn.
The motion was in relation to her uploading a video clip of another lawyer’s speech made during a closed-door event at the Kuala Lumpur Bar committee’s annual general meeting on her Facebook page.
“Such extreme conduct, unprecedented in the annals of the history of the Malaysian Bar, cannot be allowed to continue and must receive strong condemnation from her fellow legal practitioners,” the motion had said.
It also urged Bar Council members to lodge a complaint against Siti to the disciplinary board, and to take other steps to prevent her from “continuing to bring the legal profession into disrepute”.
Lawyer: Not true serving alcohol deters attendance at Bar events
‘Attempts to Islamise the Bar Council will only divide fraternity’