
Sisters in Islam wins appeal, Federal Court overturns 2014 fatwa
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court today quashed the 2014 fatwa against Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum Malaysia, which had been gazetted by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), and declared the organisation deviant.
The Federal Court, on Aug 21, 2023, granted leave to SIS and its founder, Zainah Mahfoozah Anwar, to proceed with an appeal against a decision by the Court of Appeal which had dismissed their bid to annul a fatwa issued by the Selangor Fatwa Committee.
Previously, on March 14, 2023, the Court of Appeal had dismissed SIS's appeal to overturn the fatwa, which had declared the group deviant and accused it of straying from true Islamic teachings.
SIS filed a judicial review application on October 31, 2014, seeking a court order to revoke the fatwa.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Sun
Bombing Iran, Trump gambles on force over diplomacy
WASHINGTON: For nearly a half-century the United States has squabbled with Iran's Islamic Republic but the conflict has largely been left in the shadows, with US policymakers believing, often reluctantly, that diplomacy was preferable. With President Donald Trump's order of strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, the United States -- like Israel, which encouraged him -- has brought the conflict into the open, and the consequences may not be clear for some time to come. 'We will only know if it succeeded if we can get through the next three to five years without the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons, which they now have compelling reasons to want,' said Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and supporter of the 2003 Iraq war who is now vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. US intelligence had not concluded that Iran was building a nuclear bomb, with Tehran's sensitive atomic work largely seen as a means of leverage, and Iran can be presumed to have taken precautions in anticipation of strikes. Trita Parsi, an outspoken critic of military action, said Trump 'has now made it more likely that Iran will be a nuclear weapons state in the next five to 10 years.' 'We should be careful not to confuse tactical success with strategic success,' said Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. 'The Iraq war was also successful in the first few weeks but President Bush's declaration of 'Mission Accomplished' did not age well,' he said. Weak point for Iran Yet Trump's attack -- a week after Israel began a major military campaign -- came as the cleric-run state is at one of its weakest points since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah. Since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, which enjoys Iran's support, Israel -- besides obliterating much of Gaza -- has decimated Lebanon's Hezbollah, a militant group that would once reliably strike Israel as Tehran's proxy. Iran's main ally among Arab leaders, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, was also toppled in December. Supporters of Trump's strike argued that diplomacy was not working, with Iran standing firm on its right to enrich uranium. 'Contrary to what some will say in the days to come, the US administration did not rush to war. In fact, it gave diplomacy a real chance,' said Ted Deutch, a former Democratic congressman who now heads the American Jewish Committee. 'The murderous Iranian regime refused to make a deal,' he said. Top Senate Republican John Thune pointed to Tehran's threats to Israel and language against the United States and said that the state had 'rejected all diplomatic pathways to peace.' Abrupt halt to diplomacy Trump's attack comes almost exactly a decade after former president Barack Obama sealed a deal in which Iran drastically scaled back its nuclear work -- which Trump pulled out of in 2018 after coming into office for his first term. Most of Trump's Republican Party and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long seen Iran as an existential threat, attacked Obama's deal because it allowed Tehran to enrich uranium at levels well beneath weapons grade and the key clauses had an end date. But Trump, billing himself a peacemaker, just a month ago said on a visit to Gulf Arab monarchies that he was hopeful for a new deal with Iran, and his administration was preparing new talks when Netanyahu attacked Iran. This prompted an abrupt U-turn from Trump. 'Trump's decision to cut short his own efforts for diplomacy will also make it much harder to get a deal in the medium and long runs,' said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, which advocates restraint. 'Iran now has no incentive to trust Trump's word or to believe that striking a compromise will advance Iran's interests.' Iran's religious rulers also face opposition internally. Major protests erupted in 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for defying the regime's rules on covering hair. Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on social media that Trump's strikes could either entrench the Islamic Republic or hasten its downfall. 'The US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities is an unprecedented event that may prove to be transformational for Iran, the Middle East, US foreign policy, global non-proliferation and potentially even the global order,' he said. 'Its impact will be measured for decades to come.'


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Education an effective approach to address drug issue
KOTA BHARU: Education is among the most effective approaches in the fight against drug abuse in the country, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan. He said that based on observations and studies conducted, individuals with higher education are less likely to be involved in drug abuse. 'We already have the National Social Council that addresses this issue in a compressive remains the most crucial factor in preventing and eradicating drug abuse. 'If possible, we want to ensure as many children as possible receive the highest level of education so that they can secure employment. 'When a person is employed, they are more likely to be occupied with positive pursuits,' he said during the Bicara Qiadi session at the 2025 National Leadership Gathering, hosted by the Education Ministry's Islamic Education Sector at Pantai Cahaya Bulan last night. On June 18, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed concern over the rampant drug and vape abuse among youths, particularly young Malays, stressing that the matter needs a comprehensive solution involving various approaches, including counselling and religious outreach (dakwah). Meanwhile, when asked to comment on the meeting involving all religious agencies and institutions under the ministry regarding the issue of Sisters in Islam (SIS), Zulkifli said: 'We've referred the matter to the minister's office, (the outcome of the meeting) was positive because the discussion took into account a comprehensive perspective,' without explaining further. On Thursday, a Federal Court panel, in a 3-1 majority decision, ruled that the fatwa issued by the Selangor Fatwa Committee in 2014, which the Selangor government subsequently gazetted, is valid but applies only to individuals, not to companies. The court ruled that a fatwa cannot be enforced against an organisation such as SIS Forum, as it does not possess the capacity to profess or embrace any religion, which effectively allowed part of the appeal filed by SIS Forum and its co-founder, Zainah Mahfoozah Anwar, to nullify the 2014 fatwa which declared the group as deviant from Islamic teachings.

The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Education an effective approach to address drug issue, says Deputy Minister
KOTA BHARU: Education is among the most effective approaches in the fight against drug abuse in the country, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan. He said that based on observations and studies conducted, individuals with higher education are less likely to be involved in drug abuse. "We already have the National Social Council that addresses this issue in a compressive manner…education remains the most crucial factor in preventing and eradicating drug abuse. "If possible, we want to ensure as many children as possible receive the highest level of education so that they can secure employment. "When a person is employed, they are more likely to be occupied with positive pursuits,' he said during the Bicara Qiadi session at the 2025 National Leadership Gathering, hosted by the Education Ministry's Islamic Education Sector at Pantai Cahaya Bulan on Saturday (June 21) night. On June 18, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed concern over the rampant drug and vape abuse among youths, particularly young Malays, stressing that the matter needs a comprehensive solution involving various approaches, including counselling and religious outreach (dakwah). Meanwhile, when asked to comment on the meeting involving all religious agencies and institutions under the ministry regarding the issue of Sisters in Islam (SIS), Zulkifli said: "We've referred the matter to the minister's office, (the outcome of the meeting) was positive because the discussion took into account a comprehensive perspective," without explaining further. On Thursday (June 19), a Federal Court panel, in a 3-1 majority decision, ruled that the fatwa issued by the Selangor Fatwa Committee in 2014, which the Selangor government subsequently gazetted, is valid but applies only to individuals, not to companies. The court ruled that a fatwa cannot be enforced against an organisation such as SIS Forum, as it does not possess the capacity to profess or embrace any religion, which effectively allowed part of the appeal filed by SIS Forum and its co-founder, Zainah Mahfoozah Anwar, to nullify the 2014 fatwa which declared the group as deviant from Islamic teachings. - Bernama