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.