Malaysia’s Islamist party applauds PM Anwar’s vow to put sharia bill back before parliament

PM Anwar Ibrahim’s administration plans to revive a contentious bill which carries harsh penalties – including whipping – in sharia courts

The plan to table Bill 355 may add more fuel to Malaysia’s culture wars amid surging religious conservatism and Malay nationalism

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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 8:00am, 20 Feb 2024Updated: 9:11am, 20 Feb 2024

The Islamist Parti Islam Se Malaysia (PAS) has given its full-throated support to a government plan to revive a contentious bill allowing sharia courts to impose harsher penalties – including more severe whipping – which has previously stirred fevered debate over secularism and Islam in Malaysia.

The drive to reassert the influence of Islamic religious courts follows a landmark ruling by the federal court on February 9 which rolled back sharia criminal law amendments in PAS-led Kelantan state.

The ruling caused alarm among some Islamist elements, who appeared on the ascendancy after a sequence of recent poll victories. These leaders say it is the responsibility of all Muslims to support efforts to elevate laws prescribed in the Koran.

The court ruling has also prompted Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration into vowing to pursue Bill 355, a controversial piece of legislation on sharia legal reforms tabled in parliament by PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang in 2016, as part of a pledge to empower the country’s Islamic legal system.

PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang first tabled Bill 355 in parliament in 2016. Photo: AFP

While some experts determine the strengthening sharia court powers is principally political theatre, PAS says the government’s vow is a continuation of the work of Perikatan Nasional, the coalition which led Malaysia during the pandemic years and counts PAS as a member.