Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS-Rantau Panjang) told deputy minister Hannah Yeoh that she welcomed aid for women’s development but that giving assistance to SIS could “confuse” Muslim women.
“I suggest the government of the day outlaw any organisation that abuses the name of Islam. For example, Sisters in Islam,” she said.
Siti Zailah claimed the NGO used the name of Islam but its approach towards the religion was “contradictory”. She urged the Islamic religious department to take stern action against SIS.
She told Yeoh not to “go against the country’s constitution” and laws that see Islam as the national religion by helping SIS.
She said there were hundreds of other women’s NGOs that needed help.
She was referring to Yeoh’s revelation earlier that she had given RM20,000 to SIS.
Yeoh retorted that those abusing religion for their own gains were not just NGOs but also political parties.
An infuriated Siti Zailah raised her voice to ask: “What is the abuse, tell me one?”
Yeoh said as the Dewan Rakyat speaker did not allow MPs to refer to news articles she could not cite any but that those who read the news would have read about lies and bribes.
“All these things we can ‘halal’ it by using religion as a defence. I will leave the matter to minister in charge of Islamic affairs to answer,” Yeoh said.
As far as she was concerned, Yeoh said, it was crucial for the government to give funds to those who helped those in need.
Yeoh explained that since 2013, SIS has had a legal assistance clinic which gave advice on Islamic family laws and shariah criminal laws to Muslim women and those in need.
Yeoh said about 8,400 women had benefitted from the legal assistance provided by the clinic and the RM20,000 donated to the NGO was from her own allocation as a deputy minister
She said the allocation was in support of SIS’s work to gather data and statistics on Muslim women.
“We have to be aware that comprehensive data and statistics can help us plan and carry out interventions in efforts to solve the country’s social ills.”
“Our ministry prioritises the welfare of women and children and we want to make sure they are always protected and have access to legal advice,” added Yeoh.
Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof reminded MPs that the matter regarding fatwas and a ban on SIS was before the courts and they should therefore not raise it.