Jawi quiz journalist over SIS comment

FMT reporter Lisa J Ariffin was quizzed over a press statement issued by Sisters In Islam on the recent beauty pageant fiasco involving four Muslim participants.

PETALING JAYA: Two officers from the Federal Territories Islamic Department (Jawi) quizzed an FMT reporter today over a press statement issued by Sisters in Islam (SIS) on the recent beauty pageant fiasco involving Muslim participants.

“Jawi officers just queried me on the SIS press statement. The former told me that many Muslims NGOs have lodged a report against SIS on the matter,” said reporter Lisa J Ariffin.

Recently, four Muslim girls were dropped from the Miss Malaysia World beauty pageant after the religious authorities pointed out that there was a fatwa issued in 1996 which barred Muslims from contesting in beauty pageants.

On Tuesday, SIS issued a statement in defence of the four Muslim girls, alleging that the procedure for legislating fatwas as “unIslamic” and “undemocratic”.

“Constitutionally, only parliament has the legislative authority to make laws at the federal level, and legislative assemblies at the state level in Malaysia,” SIS programme manager Suri Kempe was reported as saying.

On the officers’ mannerism in conducting the questioning, Lisa said, “The officers were cordial in their approach and were merely questioning me on SIS statement.”