Lecture Abstract:

In December 2014, the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS) announced that it is pushing for approval from Parliament to introduce strict Islamic hudud laws in Kelantan. A technical committee was set up by the national government and the Kelantan administration agreed to set up a technical committee to studyhudud and its possible implementation. This seminar seeks to explain hudud laws in the Malaysian context. It seeks to analyse the implication of hudud implementation in Kelantan and discuss its impact on non-Muslims Malaysians, the state of Islam in the country and Malaysian image within the international community.

About the Speaker:

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar is Malaysian lawyer and activist recognised for having been at the forefront of effort to promote the Rule of Law, civil liberties and a rights discourse in Malaysian society in, and out of, court. He is currently involved as lead counsel in a reference to the Malaysian Federal Court on the constitutionality of the Sedition Act. Imtiaz also serves as a member of the Penang Pardons Board, a constitutional body established to advise the Governor of the state of Penang on applications for pardons and clemency. Previously, Imtiaz was the president of the Malaysian National Human Rights Society (HAKAM) from 2006-2012. Imtiaz obtained his Bachelor of Laws (minor in Islamic law) in 1993 from the International Islamic University, Master in Law with distinction in 1997 from the University of Hongkong and Masters in International Human Rights Law with distinction from Oxford University in 2005.