HUDUD WILL APPLY TO NON MUSLIMS.

DAP has been criticized by PAS for opposing Kelantan government’s intention to implement hudud. PAS Mursyidul Am Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz who is also the Kelantan Menteri Besar has been trying unsuccessfully to convince DAP while at the same time promising non-Muslims that hudud laws will NOT be applicable to Non Muslims but only apply to Muslims. Tuan Guru Hadi Awang and many leaders of PAS echoes similar assurance.

What is forgotten is that, Tuan Guru Hadi Awang who was then the Menteri Besar of Terengganu and PAS Acting President on 7^th July 2002 when winding up the debate on the Shariah Criminal Offences (Hudud and Qisas) Bill in the Terengganu State Assembly declared that “when the time comes, the hudud and qisas law will be extended to all non-Muslims.”.

In fact, the STAR on 9^th July 2002, front – paged “Terengganu says Islamic laws will eventually cover non-Muslims”. Lest, one say that this was false reporting by STAR or that Tuan Guru Hadi Awang was misquoted, Zahari Mohammad who was then the senior aide to Tuan Guru Hadi Awang confirmed with the Associated Press writer, Jasbant Singh that Tuan Guru Hadi Awang’s remarks were correctly reported .

Thus, despite the assurance given by PAS to non-Muslims, once hudud laws are implemented, nothing prevents PAS later to amend the hudud laws and foisted on non-Muslims whether they accept or not. After all, Tuan Guru Hadi Awang is on record saying that hudud laws will extend to non-Muslims despite his promise otherwise to non-Muslims now. So, perhaps it is high time PAS understands DAP’s opposition to hudud laws and the insistence of upholding the Federal Constitution and the non-Muslims objections which is not unwarranted.