By Mahadhir Monihuldin
PETALING JAYA, 17 February 2017: In the midst of a nationwide debate regarding an amendment to Act 355, an issue many labelled as RUU355, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of IIUM has decided to chime in as they made a public show of support for the amendment on their official Twitter account.
IIUMToday was able to get in contact with the President of SRC, Amirul Hisham, to seek for a more comprehensive explanation behind their firm decision to voice out.
Asked why they decided to express an opinion over RUU355, Amirul Hisham had this to say. “Members of SRC had a discussion over it during a meeting, and we felt it’s our duty to bring awareness about the matter to our fellow Muslim students.”
With the current state of the Syariah court in regard to its criminal jurisdiction, Amirul felt that it is lacking in strength to deter Muslims from committing prohibited acts.
“If we take a look at the punishment under penal code, the penalty is high. Yet, for Islamic criminal cases involving khalwat and others, we can see that the penalty is much more limited,” Amirul said.
It is Amirul’s hope that the amendment to RUU355 will bring a positive impact to the Malaysian Muslim community by allowing them to properly learn from their mistakes if they were to ever commit them.
While there might be disagreement to this particular stance, nonetheless, Amirul fully respects disagreements by anybody as long as it is done with respect and with reason.
He stated, “It’s an individual right of yours to have an opposing opinion about this matter, but it only becomes a problem if opposition is done based on hate.”
A purple rally to advocate for RUU355 will be held tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur, and regarding the rally, Amirul truly wishes that it will garner good support from Muslims all over the country.
“Previously, we would unite over issues outside of religious affairs. But now, we will be uniting for the sanctity of our religion,” Amirul shared.***