KUALA LUMPUR – The government must enact a special law dedicated to safeguarding the sanctity of Islam and preventing future occurrences of the “Allah”-printed socks issue.
According to Free Malaysia Today, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said that opposition MPs had, on various occasions in the past, attempted to introduce private members’ bills in the Dewan Rakyat to address the matter.
“We have brought these bills to several parliamentary sessions, but they remain on the list of motions (in the Dewan Rakyat order paper) and have been ignored by the government.
“What we want are clear guidelines on the dos and don’ts, what can be done, and what cannot be done,” he said.
The government must show that it is serious about ensuring that federal laws are sufficient to protect Islam while providing for the appropriate punishments, he said.
Hamzah said Bersatu fully supported the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree that there should be no repeat of incidents similar to the “Allah”-printed socks issue and that all responsible parties should be punished.
In June last year, the Dewan Rakyat speaker rejected Jasin MP Zulkifli Ismail’s motion for the Interpretation Acts of 1948 and 1967 to be amended to define the term “Allah” to prevent its misuse.
Zulkifli said he had proposed the amendment to safeguard the faith of Muslims in the country. – April 5, 2024