Friday July 14, 2006 Star


Muslim lawyers form group to defend Islam ‘from attacks’

PETALING JAYA: A group of Muslim lawyers has formed a movement to defend Islam from what is alleged as a series of attacks against the religion.

The group called Peguam Pembela Islam (PPI) or Lawyers in Defence of Islam has set as a priority the task of clearing the “misconception” on the status of Islam, following recent court cases involving the issue of apostasy and conversion to Islam.

The movement’s pro tem committee chairman Zainur Zakaria, a senior lawyer and former Bar president, said the group aimed to correct the “misconception” by giving its side of the story.

“We want to address the views that had been expressed about the position of Islam and constitutional rights. This has been raised in a series of cases, not only that of Lina Joy, but even in cases prior to that,” he said.

“Among non-Muslims, it was viewed that Malaysia is not an Islamic state with the position of Islam being guaranteed by the Constitution. What we are hearing are the voices of those advocating a secular state where Islam is subservient to the Constitution.”

Zainur and 15 other lawyers were elected as members of the pro tem committee during a meeting of about 100 Muslim lawyers at the Federal Territory Syariah Court building on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the issue on an urgent basis.

“We are not happy with the partisan stand taken by the Bar Council through its representative at the Lina Joy appeal in the Federal Court recently,” he said.

“It’s partisan because the Bar Council supported the stand taken by the appellant (Lina).”

Muslim lawyers make up 40% of the Bar’s membership.

Bar Council president Yeo Yang Poh said the organisation had always based its stand on fundamental rights, liberties and freedom that applied across the board to everyone regardless of one’s gender, race or religion.

“I do not know what they mean by partisan stand,” he said.

“If they mean partisan as to one religion, then it is absolutely rubbish because the Bar Council has never taken a stand based on one particular religion or race.”