KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid said she has received several death threats over her constitutional challenge to provisions under Kelantan Syariah law.
Nik Elin said she recently filed three police reports regarding these threats.
"There have been countless threats on my life, along with numerous other online attacks and (threats to) 'sembelih' (slaughter) me.
"I have lost count of how many threats there have been because these individuals do not understand.
"If only they would take the time to read and understand the laws and the reasons behind the challenge, they would understand.
"All they seem to do is blindly follow the instructions of their political leaders," she said during an exclusive interview on the New Straits Times' Beyond the Headlines podcast.
Nik Elin also claimed some individuals failed to grasp the motivations behind her petition.
She said that Islam is defined by peace, a concept that contrasts with the actions of certain politicians and their followers.
"Whereas Islam to us is about love, mercy, and peace, their actions are the opposite of this.
"Hopefully, they will open their minds. The politicians are resorting to desperate measures," she said.
She claimed that certain individuals have politicised the issue, despite its lack of political relevance.
"Now they have even questioned the Prime Minister when it has nothing to do with the Prime Minister or any particular political party.
"This is just our challenge on behalf of Malaysians," she said.
Yesterday, the Federal Court ruled that 16 provisions in Kelantan Syariah Law are unconstitutional.
Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who led a nine-member panel of judges, made the landmark decision to rule 16 out of the 18 provisions unconstitutional, challenged by both Nik Elin and her daughter, Tengku Yasmin Nastasha Tengku Abdul Rahman .
ALSO READ: Here's the list of 16 Kelantan syariah criminal enactments which are unconstitutional
The only two provisions that remain status quo (constitutional) in the list are selling or giving away a child to non-Muslims or morally reprehensible Muslims (Section 13) and words capable of breaking peace (Section 30).
More of this interview will be out on the full episode of Beyond the Headlines tomorrow (Feb 11), at 9am. Catch it on NST's YouTube channel, NST Online.