Don't jump to conclusion over woman's marriage in india - Sultan Ibrahim

JOHOR BAHRU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar today expressed his sadness over the news of a Muslim woman from Johor who is said to have gotten married in India, not based on Islamic practices.

However, as the head of Islam in Johor, the Sultan also advised all parties not to jump to any conclusion or act prematurely based on the news.

"I have ordered that all necessary efforts be made by the Johor State Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) to verify the woman's status through her family members and also via the Malaysian High Commission in India.

"The woman is facing a trial by media although she herself has not declared that she wanted to leave Islam," he said in a media statement uploaded via his official Facebook page, here, today.

The Sultan said if parties acted hastily in punishing her, it would build a high barrier for her to return to the country and could cause uneasiness between the woman and her family in Malaysia.

He also advised the woman concerned to ensure that her actions were approved by her parents and that she did not violate Islamic norms.

"I am confident that JAINJ and the Johor State Mufti Department will provide all necessary assistance to the woman to maintain her Islamic faith in accordance with Syariah (Islamic law)," he said.

According to Sultan Ibrahim, any news received involving the relationship of Muslims should be examined by obtaining the facts from reliable sources, and be dealt with without prejudice.

"Therefore, the issue relating to the marriage of the Malaysian citizen in India that spread on social media recently should be handled wisely, as not only does it involve relations between two faiths but also two countries.

"Let us all pray to Allah so that the woman and her partner always remain in Allah's care and given guidance to resolve this issue in the light of faith and the guidance of Allah," said Sultan Ibrahim.

Recently, several pictures and news of Malaysian Illi Najwa Saddique's marriage to the captain of the Indian hockey team, with their wedding reception believed to be held in Punjab, went viral on social media.

The viral photos show the couple wearing Punjabi wedding suits at the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Johor State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman, Tosrin Jarvanthi said JAINJ was in the midst of gathering more information on the said woman's marriage and would present the findings to Sultan Ibrahim before submitting the report to the Foreign Ministry.

"We need to conduct a careful and thorough investigation to prevent this issue from having a negative impact on inter-faith relations in the country," he said at a press conference after a business zakat (tithe) presentation ceremony, here, today.

-- BERNAMA