Press Statement By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 14.12.2014.
The police report lodged by Batu Kawan Umno vice-chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan against 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) for mismanagement of funds has exposed the intense internal power struggle and crisis within UMNO. UMNO cannot distract attention from the UMNO internal crisis over 1MDB by bullying me with lies that I am trying to interfere in Islamic affairs for my statement that an Islamic religious edict or fatwa is not applicable on non-Muslims because Islamic laws cannot be imposed on non-Muslims.
This position that a fatwa does not apply to non-Muslims is not only human and morally right but also sanctioned by the Federal Constitution and even embodied by the Administration of the Religion of Islam(State of Penang) Enactment 2004. Section 49(1) of the Enactment states that a fatwa shall be binding on every Muslim in the state…, without mentioning non-Muslims, clearly restricting its application on Muslims.
I regret that Home Minister Datuik Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has either been misinformed or is deliberately trying to distort the issue for political gain to raise hatred and threaten me for interfering in Islamic affairs when I have not done so. Instead Ahmad Zahid should be training his guns on MCA for demanding that the Penang state government repeal the Administration of the Religion of Islam(State of Penang) Enactment 2004 to allow the use of Allah by Christians.
Neither DAP nor the Penang state government had ever asked for the repeal of the Administration of the Religion of Islam(State of Penang) Enactment 2004. This inflammatory demand by MCA calling for the repeal of the Islamic Enactment is clearly a definite and serious interference in the administration of Islamic affairs? Why then is there no action or attacks by UMNO on MCA? Clearly UMNO and MCA are playing a double-faced political game of attacking me for being anti-Islam whilst both Gerakan and MCA has even attacked me for being anti non-Muslim for doubling the annual budget’s allocation for Islamic affairs, as compared to the previous BN government.
Non-Muslims and moderate Muslims generally disagree with the BN Federal government’s decision to ban Christians, especially form Sabah and Sarawak who had been praying in Bahasa Malaysia, from using the word Allah. However despite this disagreement, the Penang state government respects the decision made by the Federal Court that the Catholic publication “The Herald”, is forbidden from using the word Allah.
Even though the Penang state government may not agree with the court’s decision, as a government that is run on the basis of respect for the rule of law, the Penang state government will abide by the court decision. This was displayed by our acceptance of the Federal Court’s decision to reject our application to conduct local government elections and return the third vote.
I had responded to MCA’s lies, that the present Administration of the Religion of Islam(State of Penang) Enactment 2004 and the fatwas issued under the Enactment only covers Muslim and is not enforceable on non-Muslims as Islamic laws are not applicable on non-Muslims. Accordingly, any fatwa issued(including those banning the use of certain words) does not apply to non-Muslims and Penang cannot forbid any non-Muslim from using certain words. This legal position has been confirmed by prominent lawyers such as the late Karpal Singh.
I am stating the legal position that the Penang state religious bodies have authority over Muslims, but not non-Muslims. Of course Ahmad Zahid or other UMNO leaders can choose to extend Federal government powers of Islamic laws on non-Muslims if they desire to do so, but their disputed legality can then be challenged and decided in courts. Ahmad Zahid should not try to twist the issue to one of the Penang Chief Minister’s interference of Islamic affairs when it is about stating that the there is no legal authority to apply fatwas on non-Muslims in Penang.
LIM GUAN ENG
—– Mandarin Version —
槟州首席部长林冠英于2014年12月14日在乔治市发表声明：
巫统不能利用谎言欺负我来转移视线掩盖巫统本身在一马发展机构的内部危机，他们谎说我企图干预伊斯兰事务，我早前声明伊斯兰法规（FATWA）不适用于非穆斯林身上，因为伊斯兰法不能实施于非穆斯林身上。
峇都加湾巫统副主席凯鲁丁阿布哈山针对一马发展机构的资金管理不当报警，揭露了巫统内部内部激烈的权力斗争及内部危机。巫统不能利用谎言欺负我来转移视线掩盖巫统本身在一马发展机构的内部危机，他们谎说我企图干预伊斯兰事务，我早前声明伊斯兰法规（FATWA）不适用于非穆斯林身上，因为伊斯兰法不能实施于非穆斯林身上。
伊斯兰法规不适用于非穆斯林，这是符合人性及道德权利，联邦宪法及2004年伊斯兰行政法（槟州）也如此阐明。伊斯兰行政法第49（1）条文阐明，伊斯兰法规约束州内所有穆斯林…，并没有提及非穆斯林，很明显地，它只适用于穆斯林身上。
我对于内政部长拿督斯里阿末查希的言论感到遗憾，他可能被错误通知或者为了政治利益故意扭曲这个课题，以引发仇恨及威胁我干预伊斯兰事务，而我根本没有这么做。反之，阿末查希应该要把枪口对向马华，因为马华要求槟州政府修改2004年伊斯兰行政法（槟州），好让基督徒也能使用“阿拉（Allah）”字眼。
行动党或槟州政府从来没有要求修改2004年伊斯兰行政法（槟州）。马华煽动地要求修改伊斯兰条例很明显地是要干预伊斯兰行政事务，为什么巫统不攻击马华，很明显地，巫统和马华在玩弄双面人政治游戏，一方面攻击我反穆斯林，一方面民政党和马华却攻击我反非穆斯林，他们质疑州政府在伊斯兰事务方面的拨款比国阵政府增加两倍。
非穆斯林及中庸穆斯林普遍上不赞同国阵联邦政府禁止基督徒特别是沙巴及砂拉越州在用马来文祷告时使用“阿拉”（Allah）一词。但是，尽管如此，槟州政府尊重联邦法院的裁决，那就是天主教《先驱报》被禁使用“阿拉”一词。
虽然槟州政府不一定同意法庭的判决，做为一个尊崇法治的政府，槟州政府会遵守法庭的决定。从我们接受联邦法院拒绝我们举行地方政府选举、还民第三票的裁决可以知道。
我已经回应马华的谎言，现有的2004年伊斯兰行政法（槟州）及其相关伊斯兰法规只适用于穆斯林，而不能强制于非穆斯林，因为伊斯兰法不适用于非穆斯林。以此类推，任何伊斯兰法规（包括禁止使用特定用词）不能实施于非穆斯林，而槟城也不能禁止任何非穆斯林使用这些用词。数名著名的律师包括已故卡巴星已经肯定这项法律立场。
我要确定的司法立场就是，槟州宗教团体能对穆斯林采用权力，而不是非穆斯林。当然，阿末查希或其它巫统领袖可以选择延伸联邦政府的权力，让伊斯兰法加诸于非穆斯林身上， 但是他们具争议的合法问题可以被挑战及被法庭裁决。阿末查希不应该扭曲课题，诬指槟州首长干预伊斯兰事务，而事实上在槟城根本没有司法机构可以将伊斯兰法规实施于非穆斯林身上。
林冠英