Kelantan should rethink hudud plan, says Dr Mahathir – Bernama
The Kelantan government should rethink its plan to implement hudud in the state, as the basic principle that must be emphasised is justice, said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic).
He said this was because the Kelantan government was seen as stressing more on the forms of punishment in its attempt to implement the Islamic penal code.
"In Islam, the main principle is justice and there are 43 verses in the Quran which touch on justice in meting out punishment. If there is no justice, we cannot penalise.
“There are Muslims and non-Muslims in our country. If a Muslim steals, his hand will be chopped off but when a non-Muslim steals, he goes to jail. Is that justice or not?"
He said this after delivering the keynote address at a roundtable session on “Managing rising costs in the current business environment” in Kota Baru today.
Dr Mahathir said the implementation of hudud should be thought about thoroughly and not driven by an eagerness to punish (offenders).
"Islam is a religion that preaches justice and compassion. I don't think the fervency to punish is wanted in Islam.”
The PAS-controlled state government through its parliamentarians will be tabling a motion in the Dewan Rakyat for the implementation of hudud in the state by implementing the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (II) 1993 by year-end.
Chairman of the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment Technical Committee, Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah had reportedly said that the draft document was ready and only required some fine-tuning and the views of legal experts. – Bernama, April 17, 2014.
