Selangor sultan urges SIS to cease using ‘Islam' in its name
PETALING JAYA : The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the head of Islam in the state, is urging women's rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) to cease arbitrarily using the word 'Islam' in its name or in any of the company's publications, after the Federal Court quashed a religious edict issued by the state's authorities earlier today.
SIS is a company limited by guarantee established under the Companies Act 1965.
'The word 'Islam' should not be arbitrarily used to benefit the company or for its interest,' Sultan Sharafuddin said.
The statement was published on the Selangor Royal Office's Facebook page.
The sultan also said the 'misuse' of the word 'Islam' in SIS's name and publications could cause confusion among the Muslim community.
He also expressed agreement with the Selangor Islamic religious council's (Mais) statement responding to the apex court's decision.
Mais had pointed out that the Federal Court also declared as unconstitutional the state provision which allowed it to ban and confiscate material related to 'liberalism' and 'religious pluralism'.
The council said it respected but disagreed with the court's decision, claiming it was akin to interfering in the formulation and implementation of fatwas based on Islamic law.
It also expressed concern that the decision would lead to 'irresponsible' groups using 'Islam' in the names of their organisations or entities while practising and spreading deviant Islamic teachings.
Mais said it would continue to work with the state's religious authorities to monitor and take action on anyone spreading deviant teachings.
In a majority decision earlier today, the Federal Court ruled that a fatwa could not be imposed on an organisation like SIS which could not 'profess' a religion.
Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said the phrase 'persons professing the religion of Islam' in the Federal Constitution refers exclusively to natural persons, not entities such as companies or organisations.
Tengku Maimun, Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Justice Nallini Pathmanathan formed the majority in the ruling while Justice Abu Bakar Jais dissented.
SIS had sought to quash a 2014 fatwa by Mais that the NGO had deviated from the teachings of Islam by purportedly subscribing to 'liberalism' and 'religious pluralism'.
The group contended that the fatwa was unconstitutional and could not be imposed on a corporate entity governed by civil law. It failed in its previous challenge of the fatwa in the lower courts between 2019 and 2023.
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