Archive for February 5th, 2008
Blasphemy Law in Malaysia
It really gives me the creeps to think that what happened in Afghanistan where a student, Sayed Pervez Kambaksh was sentenced to death for blasphemy, could happen one day in Malaysia.
It may seemed to be impossible now but in the light of the recent case of Gan Eng Gor where the High Court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to hear a case from a Syariah Court, there is really nothing to stop the Syariah Court from pursuing an overzealous prosecution of Muslims for blasphemy. It could start off with just a small fine and when that is successful, then it would be a jail term next and when that is not questioned, the Syariah Court could start prosecuting non Muslims for blasphemy too. The High Court would then ruled that it had no jurisdiction to hear a case from a Syariah Court (sounds familiar?). When we reached that stage, is it too far fetched for someone in Malaysia to be sentenced to death for blasphemy? It would then just be another step further.
It is just not possible for two legal systems to exist without one overall master, just like a boat cannot have two captains. The Laws has to be clearly defined and any contradicting Laws has to be ironed out. Lastly, there has to be only one master for the final say which should be the Federal Court. If not, there will always be some conflicts down the road due to jurisdiction and interpretation. It is sad but such conflicts will only serve to be a platform for the zealots from both sides to sow religious intolerance.
Religion is always for the good of man but it is the evil of man that makes religion look bad.
