By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
SHAH ALAM, Nov 4 — Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim today denied allegations made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that the state had something to do with the arrest of ex-Perlis mufti, Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.
Khalid told reporters that the state has asked Jais to seek an audience with the Sultan to discuss the issue, as the Sultan is the sovereign on all matters related to Islamic practices in the state.
“An exco meeting was held earlier this afternoon where we invited Jais director Datuk Mohammed Khusrin Munawi to attend. The main issue was on Asri’s recent arrest and after discussions, we have reached a decision based on experiences handling issues like these, which is the matter of preaching without a proper ‘tauliah’ (permit),” said Khalid.
He maintains that the state was not aware of the arrest, and that the actions taken were an independent move by Jais.
“We were not informed about his (Asri’s) arrest. We only found out after the arrest had been made,” said Khalid, who explained that the state government’s involvement with Jais was only at an administrative level, not an operational one.
According to Khalid, the prosecution of Asri took place because Jais had the power to do so, as they do not need approval from the state in dealing with issues pertaining to Islam.
“Jais and Selangor state government must cooperate so that this situation will not happen again and religious lectures which have no accreditation will be lessened,” said the mentri besar, who asserted that cooperation must take place in order to avoid misunderstandings.
Under Section 119 of the “Enakmen Pentadbiran Agama Islam Selangor”, a person who intends to hold religious lectures anywhere within the state of Selangor must first obtain a permit from Jais.
Khalid said the state would look into the enactment in terms of its operations and its effects on the people of Selangor but stopped short of saying how soon action would be taken, saying that the enactment would not be discussed at the upcoming state assembly meeting, as it was “too soon for debates of a review.”
However, the mentri besar’s statements so far have shed little light as to the Pakatan Rakyat government’s stand on the issue, which is seen by some as a battle between the country’s Muslim conservatives, and the more liberal and progressive scholars.
Asri has repeatedly insinuated that his arrest on Sunday night by the police and Jais was a result of an ongoing war between the country’s conservatives and progressives.
He has since stated that his next step is to take legal action as he believes his arrest on Sunday was intended to defame him.
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