SIS fatwa: Apex court rules only people, not companies can be declared deviant

The Federal Court has ruled that the Selangor religious authorities were wrong to issue a fatwa declaring the Sisters in Islam (SIS) organisation as deviant and contrary to Islamic teachings.
In a 3-1 majority decision, the panel of four judges chaired by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat allowed the women's rights group's appeal to overturn the 2014 fatwa against it.

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Selangor Vows To Monitor Religious Liberalism, Pluralism To Safeguard Sanctity Of Islam

SHAH ALAM, June 20 (Bernama) -- The Selangor government will continue its efforts to monitor, detect, and enforce laws against any individual involved in promoting religious liberalism and pluralism, to safeguard the sanctity of Islam in the state. State Islamic Religious Affairs and Cultural Innovation Committee chairman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said the public is also encouraged to report to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) if there is evidence of any individual practising or spreading such beliefs. "Muslims in Selangor cherish their religion and will continue to defend its purity. The majority of Muslims in the state will not tolerate any individual, group, or institution attempting to undermine, distort, or confuse the beliefs, faith, understanding, and practices of the Muslim community in Selangor. "Islamic religious administration and management institutions in the state, such as the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), JAIS, State Fatwa Committee and the State Executive Council, will continue to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring that the teachings of Islam remain strong, protected, and upheld in the state," he said in a statement today. The statement was issued in response to the Federal Court's decision yesterday in allowing an appeal by SIS Forum Malaysia and its co-founder Zainah Mahfoozah Anwar in their legal challenge against a fatwa issued in 2014 by the Selangor Fatwa Committee declaring the organisation to have deviated from Islamic teachings. A four-judge panel led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat in a 3-1 majority decision set aside the fatwa, insofar as it applied to companies and institutions Mohammad Fahmi also emphasised that, according to the fatwa, any individual who subscribes to the ideology of liberalism and religious pluralism is considered deviant and strays from the teachings of Islam. He agreed with the stance and concerns of MAIS that the Federal Court's decision could potentially open the door for certain parties to promote such ideologies among Muslims in Selangor through organisations, associations, companies, or other institutions. "These individuals should not be allowed to continue practising and spreading such ideology either openly or privately using the label 'Islam' to legitimise their activities and gain acceptance,' he said.

The Sun

8 hours ago

• The Sun

Selangor vows to monitor religious liberalism, pluralism

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government will continue its efforts to monitor, detect, and enforce laws against any individual involved in promoting religious liberalism and pluralism, to safeguard the sanctity of Islam in the state. State Islamic Religious Affairs and Cultural Innovation Committee chairman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said the public is also encouraged to report to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) if there is evidence of any individual practising or spreading such beliefs. 'Muslims in Selangor cherish their religion and will continue to defend its purity. The majority of Muslims in the state will not tolerate any individual, group, or institution attempting to undermine, distort, or confuse the beliefs, faith, understanding, and practices of the Muslim community in Selangor. 'Islamic religious administration and management institutions in the state, such as the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), JAIS, State Fatwa Committee and the State Executive Council, will continue to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring that the teachings of Islam remain strong, protected, and upheld in the state,' he said in a statement today. The statement was issued in response to the Federal Court's decision yesterday in allowing an appeal by SIS Forum Malaysia and its co-founder Zainah Mahfoozah Anwar in their legal challenge against a fatwa issued in 2014 by the Selangor Fatwa Committee declaring the organisation to have deviated from Islamic teachings. A four-judge panel led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat in a 3-1 majority decision set aside the fatwa, insofar as it applied to companies and institutions Mohammad Fahmi also emphasised that, according to the fatwa, any individual who subscribes to the ideology of liberalism and religious pluralism is considered deviant and strays from the teachings of Islam. He agreed with the stance and concerns of MAIS that the Federal Court's decision could potentially open the door for certain parties to promote such ideologies among Muslims in Selangor through organisations, associations, companies, or other institutions. 'These individuals should not be allowed to continue practising and spreading such ideology either openly or privately using the label 'Islam' to legitimise their activities and gain acceptance,' he said. Yesterday, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, expressed disappointment and sadness over certain aspects of the Federal Court's ruling regarding the fatwa issued by the Selangor Fatwa Committee. The ruling stated that the fatwa applied only to individuals and not to Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum Malaysia, organisations or institutions. In this regard, the Sultan of Selangor as the Head of the Islamic Religion in Selangor urged that SIS Forum Malaysia no longer use the word 'Sisters in Islam' on any form of publication on any platform associated with organisation so that the word 'Islam' is not arbitrarily used for its benefit and interests.

Malay Mail

10 hours ago

• Malay Mail

Selangor exco sees SIS ruling as opening door to liberal and plural Islamic views, warns fatwa on ‘deviant' individuals still enforced

KLANG, June 20 – The Selangor government has claimed today that yesterday's landmark decision in favour of Muslim women's rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) may open the door to the spread of liberal and pluralistic views of Islam. State Islamic affairs and innovation committee chairman Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said he agrees with the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) that the decision could be exploited by some organisations or institutions to disseminate alternative interpretations of Islam. 'The state government will continue efforts to scrutinise, detect and enforce [the law] on any individuals who practise liberal and pluralistic religious ideologies,' he was quoted saying by The Star. 'This is to ensure that the sanctity of Islam continues to be protected in Selangor.' Fahmi said existing fatwa or religious edicts still deem individuals who promote liberal and pluralistic interpretations of Islam as 'deviants'. 'These individuals cannot be allowed to freely continue practising and spreading such ideologies directly or indirectly using the Islamic label to obtain legitimacy,' he reportedly said. He urged the public to report any deviant religious teachings to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais). Yesterday, civil society SIS won its nearly 11-year-long court challenge against a Selangor fatwa, which means that its company — SIS Forum (Malaysia) — is no longer labelled 'sesat' or 'deviant' from Islamic teachings. Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who chaired the Federal Court's five-judge panel, read out the majority judgment which quashed parts of the Selangor fatwa. In other words, the Selangor fatwa will now only apply to individuals — labelling those who hold liberalism and religious pluralism beliefs as 'deviants' from Islamic teachings and requiring them to repent. In response, Mais had cited the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, expressing his disappointment and sadness over the Federal Court's decision. The sultan also urged SIS to cease using the term 'Sisters in Islam' in any publication or platform associated with the organisation.