13 January 2010

The High Court decision on the use of kalimah Allah.



The Catholic Weekly Herald is now free to use the word “Allah” in its publication after the High Court quashed the Home Minister’s prohibition against using the word, declaring the order as illegal, null and void.


The declaration made by Justice Lau Bee Lan:

1) Under Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution, applicant Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam had the constitutional right to use “Allah” in the Herald in the exercise of his right that religions other than Islam might be practiced in peace and harmony in the country.


2) In the Constitution, which states Islam as the country’s religion, did not empower the minister to make such a prohibition. Pursuant to Article 10, the applicant also has the right to use the word ‘Allah’ in the Herald in the exercise of his right to freedom of speech and expression.


3) Both the respondents – the minister and the Malaysian government – had failed throughout the trial to prove how the use of the word “Allah” could threaten national security.


On 7 January last year, the Home Ministry had approved the Herald’s publication permit on condition that the usage of the word “Allah” was prohibited and the word “Limited” (Terhad) be endorsed on its front page to mean that it must be circulated only among Christians. The Minister had prohibited the usage on grounds of national security and to avoid misunderstanding and confusion among Muslims.


The Archbishop, as Herald’s publisher, had filed an application on 16 February for a judicial review to seek a declaration that the minister’s decision for the prohibition was illegal and that the word “Allah” was not exclusive to Islam. Representing the Archbishop were counsels Porres P. Royan and S. Selvarajah while senior federal counsel Datuk Kamaludin Md Said stood for the respondents.


Following the ruling, Kamaludin sought a clarification for the declaration to be only confined for the permit in question, which was for the period from 1 January to 31 December last year, and does not relate to an order or a decision relating to future permits. Future permits would require a fresh application.


However, Royan argued that the permit for the period from 1 January to 31 December this year had already been issued, subjected to the same condition pending the court’s determination on the matter.


Royan believes that the order speaks for itself and the Minister will be bound by the words he has used and that he will respect the court’s decision. Royan accepts that they have other remedies but the court has granted the declarations to allow the use of the word “Allah” which must bind the parties.


Kamaludin further clarified that he would seek direction from the Minister on whether they would file a stay of execution application or an appeal.


In an immediate reaction, Herald’s editor Father Andrew Lawrence told the press that this was a long-awaited decision, hailing it as a landmark case for our nation.


Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said they would appeal the decision.

12 January 2010

ATTENTION: AIKOLians are cordially invited!


PUBLIC LECTURE: Can A Muslim Lawyer Defend A 'Guilty Client'?

Let's find out the answer!

Day: Wednesday
Date: 13 January 2010
Venue: LT A
Time: 2.15 pm - 3.30 pm
Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Syed Ahmad Shihabuddin Abdurrahman al-Sagoff

Special door gifts are given to the first 100 participants!

"Knowledge is not simply come to us, but we have to find the knowledge"

Organized by:
Education secretariat
Law Students' Society 09/10
IIUM

07 January 2010

LAWSOC PUBLIC STATEMENT

Through:

Dr. Haniff Ahamat
Deputy Dean (Student Affairs)
Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws

LAW STUDENTS’ SOCIETY - PUBLIC STATEMENT


PREAMBLE

The Law Students’ Society Management Committee (LAWSOC Mgt. Comm.) strives to serve as a means of unification between AIKOL’s diverse population. It is our vision, our hope, and our dream, that Students of AIKOL can come together in unity to contribute to the general development of the Ummah. We have, however, realised that there exist certain misconceptions and rumours about the LAWSOC Mgt. Comm. which resulted in the abandonment of LAWSOC’s programmes, mistrust, backbiting, and ill-feelings.

We wish to take this opportunity to clarify certain matters, and hope that such misconceptions cease to exist here on after. The Law Students’ Society was established for the Law Students. We cannot fulfil our responsibility comprehensively without a sense of mutual respect, trust, and confidence.
This statement is a sign of our openness, tolerance, understanding, and respect. We can only pray that it is mutual amongst all in AIKOL.

LAWSOC & AFFILIATIONS

This is perhaps one of the biggest obstacles we face within the LAWSOC Mgt. Comm. in serving AIKOL. We have been accused of being politically driven, forwarding certain political ideals instead of the interest of AIKOL students as a whole. We categorically and unequivocally deny this, and we would like to be very open about this matter. Our responsibility is towards all Students of AIKOL, and we take this amanah very seriously. Some of the EXCO Members might concur with certain political thought, as with any reasonable individual sensitive to current issues. There are also lots of ambiguous names of some so-called political movements in the University. We claim no support to this movement, and we strive to be as objective, transparent, and open to all ideas as possible for the benefit of AIKOL. We hereby stress that we fundamentally oppose the idea of using the LAWSOC as a platform to spread these ideas.

We wish to openly declare, that some of the members of the LAWSOC Mgt. Comm. participates and becomes members of other organizations in the University, e.g. the MRC, the Debating Club, JASA etc. It is uncertain to us what club are political in the University, or if they really do exist. If they do, we have no part in it. But our participation within these clubs comes with two qualifiers; one, it does not become a priority over the LAWSOC. Two, it does not contradict the interest of AIKOL and the Law Students. The participation of the EXCO Members within these clubs are rarely active, and we are not members of the management committee of these clubs.

In our bid to forward transparency, we will gladly entertain queries with regards to this issue. We have also prepared a list of our affiliations for those who wish to pursue the matter. Feel free to visit the LAWSOC Office.

LAWSOC & GENERAL ATTITUDE

In the survey and suggestion form which was given out some time ago, some people state that the LAWSOC Mgt. Comm. is unfriendly and unsociable. We are unsure of the standard of friendliness expected from us, but we do try to be friendly and helpful in our own way. We concede that we might not be friendly all the time, and hence hurt certain individuals, to which we humbly apologize. This is also a learning process for us, and we hope for the support of all in AIKOL.

Some assert that LAWSOC is run by a continuous chain of people who subscribe to the same ideology/principle of religious conservatism. Firstly, we do not think it is fair to include such a negative connotation regarding Islam. Secondly, such assertion is untrue, as the current members of the LAWSOC Mgt. Comm. come from vast and different background.

In addition, the LAWSOC Mgt. Comm. changes every year with open, free and fair elections, where all Law Students have a say. This theory of cronyism, nepotism and the likes cannot possibly exist under the current system. It is also important to note that we feel responsible for the welfare of all, although we might disagree on some principles. We will strive to please all that we can within the ambit of Islam.

CONCLUSION

The purpose of this statement is to clarify the stance and position of the LAWSOC Mgt. Comm. We wish for the support of all Students of AIKOL, as members of LAWSOC. The LAWSOC was established for all, and it is the duty of the LAWSOC Mgt. Comm. to cater for all.

The LAWSOC Office is always open to suggestions for programmes, applications to be sub-committees, and requests. We open our arms to all. Unification is the best way forward. May Allah Bless all our efforts.

Law Students’ Society General Office,
Level 1, Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws,
International Islamic University Malaysia,
53100, Gombak, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 6196 4645
Fax: (603) 6196 4854
e-mail: lawsoc.iium@gmail.com
facebook: Law Students’ Society IIUM
http://www.lawsociium.blogspot.com

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