PETALING JAYA: Dr Zulkifli Hasan has clarified that he intends to meet non-Muslim leaders on proposed Syariah law reforms, not that he has already met them.
The Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Islamic Affairs) said on Facebook on Friday (Oct 18): "I wish to clarify that what I meant was we 'will engage' and not 'have engaged' as reported."
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He said official invitations have been sent to non-Muslim organisations in line with the unity government's stance of ensuring that any issues are ironed out through consultation and discussion.
Dr Zulkifli was earlier quoted as saying he had engaged with the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), the Malaysian Taoist Association and Sri Mahamariamman Temple on the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 Bill (RUU 355).
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It was reported that he told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 17) extensive engagements have been held with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the explanations on the amendments were comprehensive and inclusive.
“We pay attention not only to Muslims but also to the understanding of non-Muslims (on this issue).
"This is why we had engagement sessions with non-Muslim bodies," he was quoted as saying.
However, in a statement on Friday, CFM denied that it or any of its component bodies had met the deputy minister on the proposed amendments.
