I find the article "Groups slam PAS for its motion against SIS at assembly" in The Star 9-Jun-2009 interesting.
On one side there is PAS which, according to the article, "adopted a motion on Sunday at its 55th Muktamar, urging the National Fatwa Council to declare SIS haram if its activities were found to be contrary to the Islamic teachings and principles."
On the other side, according to the article, there are a Cabinet Minister, PKR vice-president, DAP national secretary, Malaysian Bar Council president and Wanita Gerakan secretary-general - all of them criticising PAS for adopting the motion. The criticisms included statement like "the Islamist party should learn to accept differing views", "SIS should be free to express its opinions", "dialogue and debate should be the way and not silencing differing views", and "religion had apparently been used to divide and coerce".
I guess, in a way, in this article both sides are exercising their "Freedom of Speech".
What I really want to know is, is it wrong for anyone (in this case, PAS) to ask an authority (in this case, National Fatwa Council - NFC) to investigate an organisation (in this case, Sister In Islam - SIS) if there is concerns that the organisation may be contravening the laws (in this case, Islamic teachings and principles)?
How different is this from the many police reports made on various issues, the many requests made for the Attorney-General to investigate various things or reports made to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission?
Surely when one makes a report to an authority, one must provide supporting evidences. Then the authority will evaluate the evidences and decide if there is a case to investigate. If there is a case then they will investigate, analyse, evaluate, conclude and decide.
In this case, PAS will have to provide supporting evidences to NFC if PAS want NFC investigate SIS. Even then it will be up to NFC to decide if there is a case to investigate or not. Even if they investigate, analyse, evaluate we do not know yet what their conclusion and decision would be.
For all we know, NFC, in their wisdom, may decide that SIS is Islamic and Halal, NOT Haram!!!
