Malaysian police say won't enforce Islamic laws

Malaysian police say won't enforce Islamic laws

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysian police said on Thursday they will not enforce strict
Islamic laws in east coast state of Terengganu approved by the
provincial government controlled by Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad's main opposition.

"I have directed the Terengganu police not to participate in
any process to enforce the hudud laws," Norian Mai, the national
police chief, told reporters. "We will only enforce laws that do
not contravene the federal constitution."

Norian demurred when asked if police would take action against
Terengganu officials if they tried to enforce the laws on their
own.

"We have not reached that stage yet," Norian said. "Other
legal avenues are still available."

Terengganu State Police Chief Othman Talib was quoted as
saying by the national news agency, Bernama, late Wednesday that
criminal matters are dealt through federal laws, voiding the
state bill.

"As a police chief with the responsibility to enforce criminal
and related laws, there arises a conflict in terms of
jurisdiction," Othman was quoted as saying. "I will only carry
out my orders and enforce federal laws."

A directive has been issued to state police officers that no
assistance - arresting, serving warrants or providing jail space
- should be given to state officials seeking to enforce the laws,
Othman added.

The state government, dominated by the Parti Islam se-Malaysia
(PAS), passed on Monday the hudud penal code, which proposes,
among other things, to chop off thieves' hands and feet and stone
adulterers to death.

PAS wants the hudud, the criminal section of Islam's Sharia
law, to apply to Muslims in the state in place of Malaysia's
federal criminal code.

The federal government says PAS has bypassed the constitution
in trying to introduce hudud in Terengganu and the proposed laws
are unsuitable for a multi-religious country.

A decade ago, Mahathir's government refused to let PAS use
similar laws in the neighboring state of Kelantan.

Analysts said PAS, which wants to turn Malaysia into a
conservative Islamic state, is trying to win the support of
Muslims.

PAS has made a mission out of introducing the hudud but has
not said what else its version of an Islamic state would entail.

Muslims make up around 95 percent of the people in Terengganu,
compared with just over half of Malaysia's 23 million total
population.