TUESDAY-18TH DECEMBER 2007- Be firm but courteous, CM tells religious teams

Be firm but courteous, CM tells religious teams
KOTA KINABALU:
Enforcement agencies including Islamic religious bodies and the Police must be firm but courteous in implementing Islamic laws, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said. “We want the Muslim community to have a perception that the enforcement agencies are their allies in ensuring that there are rules and order and the society can live in a more organized and prosperous manner,” he said. He also said a holistic enforcement of Syariah (Islamic) laws is the best solution in deterring immoral activities among Muslims.
Musa said the implementation of Islamic laws would also preserve the tradition of Islam as a religion that promotes good and noble values as the culture of life. Officiating the National Convention on Enforcement and Prosecution of Syariah Laws here yesterday, he said Islamic laws had been recognized and used in Sabah since before its independence in 1963 and since then gone through a lot of changes and refinement. The introduction of new laws and amendments to the existing ones had further strengthened the State Islamic religion enforcement agency under the Federal Constitution, lifting the standard of Islamic laws to be on par with civil laws, he said.
“The Government does not make Islamic laws as the only mechanism in educating and punishing offenders but the Syariah court is now recognized as equal with the civil court and its rulings cannot be canceled or amended by other courts. “The question now is no longer about the (Islamic) laws but how the laws can be implemented so that it will be seen as more effective in organizing the life of the community, he said. The convention held at Kompleks Tabung Haji yesterday was jointly organized by Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Negeri Sabah (Jaheains) and Universiti Malaya (UM) with cooperation from Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) and Federal Territory Islamic Religion Council. Musa said the two-day convention featuring a presentation of research reports and papers on issues and problems related to enforcement and prosecution of Islamic laws provides useful inputs for the authorities involved to further improve the existing laws and its management. He said the State Government takes the Islamic laws seriously and would ensure that the enforcement of the laws is well implemented and continuously improved.