Dec 6 Decision On Faisal S Bid To Intervene In Maria S Case

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Maria Chin Abdullah was sentenced by the shariah high court to seven days’ jail for claiming that Muslim women were being discriminated against under Malaysia’s shariah legal system.KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here will rule on Dec 6 whether a businessman can take part in an application by former Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah to quash a shariah court order requiring her to show cause over an allegedly contemptuous statement made about the Islamic judicial system.
Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh fixed the date after hearing arguments from lawyers for both SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin and Maria.
Faisal, represented by Akberdin Abdul Kader, is seeking to intervene in a judicial review application brought by Maria after he was not named as a co-respondent in the proceedings.
However, Maria’s lawyer Rosli Dahlan told the court they objected to Faisal’s presence as the businessman had no “direct interest” in the case.
Lawyer Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar, appearing for the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP), said the religious body had no objection to the application.
Federal counsel Liyana Fuad, representing the federal government in Maria’s action, also raised no objection to Faisal’s participation in the proceedings.
Maria was sentenced by the shariah high court last year to seven days’ jail for contempt of court over a statement she made on Sept 5, 2019, in which she claimed that “Muslim women are still being discriminated (against) under Malaysia’s shariah legal system”.
She had claimed that the shariah court’s decision to sentence Faisal’s former wife, Emilia Hanafi, to imprisonment for rescheduling his visits with their children was a “grave injustice” and a “total disgrace to the judicial system”.
Her comments prompted Faisal to file an application to initiate contempt proceedings in the shariah court against her.
On Aug 21 last year, the High Court granted Maria leave to commence judicial review proceedings to quash the shariah court’s order dated Oct 14, 2019, requiring her to show cause for her comments.
Maria claims the order was made in bad faith. - FMT

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