Jawi opens investigation paper on Kassim Ahmad's controversial lecture

The Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department's (Jawi) enforcement division has opened an investigation paper on a lecture given by controversial scholar Kassim Ahmad at a seminar in Putrajaya last weekend.

Jawi director Paimuzi Yahya in a statement today said the department was investigating the case and identifying witnesses who attended the seminar titled, "The Thoughts of Kassim Ahmad: A Review."

It was organised by the Perdana Leadership Foundation and officiated by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"I advise the public, especially Muslims, to trust the authorities in tackling this issue. They are also advised to stop any provocation to prevent disharmony in society," said Paimuzi in the statement.

Individuals with information on the case are urged to come forward to Jawi's enforcement division to assist in its investigation.

Last Sunday at the event, Kassim reportedly accused a class of ulama (religious scholars) of controlling Islam in Malaysia through a "priesthood caste" system, questioned the use of the hadith (Prophet's sayings and actions) to explain Quranic teachings and said it was wrong for Muslims to beatify the Prophet as "he was just a Messenger of Allah".

He also questioned the wearing of the tudung (headscarf) by Muslim women, saying "the hair is not part of the aurat" (parts of the body which need to be covered) in his lecture titled, "The Nation's Direction in the Next Thirty Years".

In PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha said Jakim and Jawi would be calling for a meeting with Kassim to get feedback from him on his controversial statements in his lecture.

He said Kassim's views were in conflict with Islamic principles and sources of Islamic teachings based on the Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence, as practised by the Muslim community in Malaysia.

Othman said Jakim also urged Jawi to take appropriate action based on the existing law and worked with other state religious departments in monitoring such controversial issues.

Meanwhile in IPOH, Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria advised Kassim and Muslims who agreed with his views to repent as these views were in conflict with Islamic teachings and detrimental to their faith in the religion.

He said Kassim was not an expert to discuss Islamic rulings in the Quran as he lacked knowledge in the Arabic language and Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) which were important mechanisms in making Islamic rulings, and he was only using simple logic and language.

Harussani said questioning the syahadah tantamounted to apostasy while rejecting the hadith was also against Islamic teachings as the Prophet did not make the hadith as he wished or based on his own opinions, as all these were divine revelations bestowed on the Prophet through the angel, Gabriel (Jibril).

He said questioning the "selawat" (blessings on the Holy Prophet) also went against Allah's command as contained in verse 56 of the Al-Ahzab Chapter in the Quran.