Deputy MB: Aurat rules not new, it was there for years

PETALING JAYA: Muslim women who don’t wear a tudung in public in Kelantan can be charged under the state’s syariah criminal enactment, says Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah.

He said that for now, the state government preferred to advise Muslims on the need for the headscarf.

“The fines for those who fail to cover up have been in existence from when Barisan Nasional was in power in Kelantan,” said Mohd Amar.

“We have the power to issue summonses and compel offenders to attend counselling sessions.

“At the moment, we have relaxed the rules and sent those not wearing the tudung for the sessions that will educate them on the importance of covering their aurat,” he said when contacted yesterday.

(For Muslims, the aurat are parts of the body that should not be seen by others. This applies to men too.)

Last month, Wan Khairul Hayyee Wali, 30, was issued a notice by the Kelantan Religious Affairs Department after he was caught wearing shorts while on his way to a futsal match.

He said he had been wearing shorts to the game since he was in school. So, it came as a shock to him when a religious department enforcement officer issued him the notice, saying that he had flouted the Syariah Criminal Enactment by exposing his knees.

He was ordered to attend a counselling session next month, failing which he would have to appear before the syariah court where he risks being fined RM1,000 if found guilty.

Kelantan-born lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said Muslims should question the rules.

He said Muslims in general were unwilling to challenge these rules because they feared being branded as ignorant. “So, that is why politicians and state administrators are free to impose any rule they want without any careful consideration.”

Zaid, a former law minister, said many Muslims did not know their rights. “The time has come for Muslims to challenge senseless laws implemented by the Kelantan government that are counter-productive,” he said.