‘Khalwat raids against Islamic principles’
(FMT) – State religious department raids, done in the name of Islam is against the very principles of Islam in the first place, says an ex-mufti.
For years, state Islamic department officials have been raiding clubs, hotels and private homes to catch Muslims committing khalwat.
These officials have indirectly caused the death of people, stripping top officials of their positions and even mistakenly nabbing happily married couples.
Last month, two Pahang footballers were caught by the Pahang Islamic Religious Department on suspicion of having committed khalwat with a woman each in a hotel. Speculation is rife that one of the women was a young Malay actress.
Typically, these type of religious raids get splashed onto the front pages of local tabloids, and the perpetrators, like the footballer and actress, become gossip fodder for Malaysians everywhere.
Yet, ironically, this act of snooping, spying, naming and shaming done in the name of Islam, and paid for by taxpayers, is against the principles of Islam in the first place, as former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin points out.
“Yes, Islam forbids khalwat and adultery. But Islam also forbids exposing people’s personal wrongdoings.
“It is not your responsibility to snoop around and uncover people’s wrongdoings,” Asri told FMT.
The renowned Muslim scholar has for years been a staunch critic of khalwat arrests and raids, even while he was a mufti from 2006 to 2008.
“Such activities give the impression that Islam encourages invasion of privacy, which is not true,” said Asri.
Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/10/10/khalwat-raids-against-islamic-principles/
