Ft Mufti Bill Debate Postponed For Fourth Time

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A debate to pass the Federal Territories Mufti Bill has been postponed yet again.
This is the fourth time the debate or second and third readings of the bill have been postponed since it was first tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in July last year.
It was first deferred after objections from Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, over the bill's attempt to define what being a Sunni Muslim means, as well as it citing the Conference of Rulers as backers.
However, the bill remained unaltered and was supposed to be debated in the October-December 2024 sitting, before it was postponed yet again ostensibly to give the government more time to clear the air about the bill.
But a debate did not take place in the February-March 2025 sitting of the Dewan Rakyat, and neither was it debated in the July-August meeting, which ended yesterday.
No reason was given for the latest postponement.
The bill - which is supposed to only apply to the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan - seeks to provide clear legislation on the appointment of the territories' mufti, the issuance of fatwa, Islamic law and doctrine, and other matters, including the establishment of several religious committees.
It has faced opposition from both conservatives and liberals.
Perlis mufti Asri Zainal Abidin held a similar stance to the state ruler, that the bill's definition of a Sunni Muslim was too narrow.
Liberal critics, including lawyer Latheefa Koya, Zaid Ibrahim, and SIS Forum, raised concerns about the bill's alleged potential to make fatwas legally binding on Muslims.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism (MCCBCHST) feared that such legally binding fatwas would infringe on non-Muslim rights. - Mkini

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