KUALA LUMPUR: The Special Committee to Review the Competency of the State Legislature to enact Islamic Law is in the process of finalising its report, the Dewan Rakyat was informed today.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said he was informed by the committee chairman Tun Zaki Azmi that the report will then be submitted to Sultan Nazrin Shah of Perak as the National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) chairman.
"As of today, I was informed that the committee is in the process of finalising the report before it is submitted to MKI chairman," he said in response to Zulkifli Ismail (PH-Jasin).
Zulkifli in his supplementary question inquired about the update on the meeting conducted by the committee, as well as the status of its study.
Na'im said the committee held 40 meetings so far, with the latest being on Nov 15.
The committee was set up following a decree from the sultan of Selangor during the 70th National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs.
The special committee held its first meeting at the Putrajaya Islamic Complex on Dec 5, discussing the terms of reference of the special committee and outlining the directions for conducting the studies on jurisdictional conflict issues.
The committee includes judges, religious council members, legal experts and academics.
The other members include former Federal Court judge Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh, Selangor Islamic Religious Council member Datuk Salehuddin Saidin, Melaka Syariah Court Chief Judge Datuk Mohd Nadzri Abdul Rahman, Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) Syariah and Legal Harmony Division chief Datuk Anas Ahmad Zakie and AGC Civil Division I deputy chief Shamsul Bolhassan.
Others are International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Law Faculty dean Professor Dr Farid Sufian Shuaib, IIUM Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation Associate Professor Datuk Wan Ahmad Fauzi Hashim @ Wan Husain, AGC Constitutional Research Division Research Unit 1 chief Azirul Liza Abdullah, Malaysian Syariah Lawyers Association president Musa Awang and syariah lawyer Dr Zulgarnain Lukman.
Early this year, Na'im said the report will entail the committee's findings and recommendations for a comprehensive resolution to the issues regarding the competence of state assemblies to enact Islamic laws and the jurisdiction of the Syariah Courts as provided under Item 1, List II — State List and Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.