Its chairman Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said in a statement that the main focus of the panel would be to review the administration of Islamic institutions, the basis for setting up these institutions, their jurisdictions, and the effectiveness of these institutions at the federal level.

“The panel would have closed-door meetings, three days a week within three months beginning August 2018, at the old Istana Negara.

“It has identified target groups to be invited to provide relevant views and inputs, based on the five clusters namely shariah and legislative, financial and economic, management, education and dakwah,” he said.

Today, seven members of the eight-member panel received their appointment letters from the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad.

A fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Dr Afifi al-Akiti, is the deputy chairman while Syed Danial is its secretary.

The other members are International Islamic University Malaysia’s former rector Prof Dr Mohd Kamal Hassan, former Johor mufti Nooh Gadot and former director-general of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

Two additional members representing Sabah and Sarawak are Sabah Law and Native Affairs Minister Aidi Moktar and Sarawak Assistant Minister for Rural Electricity Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi.

On July 30, the Office of the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal in a statement said that the Malay Rulers had assented to the establishment of the high-level panel during the pre-council of the 249th Conference of Rulers on July 10.