00:00Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for a healthy and constructive dialogue on the controversial 2024 Mufti Law.
00:09In an exclusive interview with FMT, Anwar admitted that although there is criticism based on the RUU, there is also criticism based on the sentiment of Islamophobia.
00:22There is a Mufti Bill which is now being hotly debated and critics have questioned the constitutionality.
00:29What would your response be and how would you say that the interests of all are still protected?
00:36Anything you mention about Islam, I would say partly Islamophobia.
00:41They are not able to differentiate between the extremist view, fanatical views and the need to promote Islam in a moderate sense.
00:52He insisted that the polemic surrounding the RUU can only be resolved through a healthy discussion that considers all perspectives.
01:03The vast majority of Muslims in Malaysia are reasonable and moderate people.
01:10So this sort of reaction is sometimes also unwise.
01:16But I think the answer to this is probably a healthy discourse, a reasoned discourse between all groups.
01:28The RUU that was scheduled to be discussed at the People's Council this month has been criticized for giving power without control to religious officials.
01:38Mufti Perlis Asri Zainul Abidin warned that it can restrict freedom of thought,
01:45while former Minister of Law Zaid Ibrahim is concerned that the fatwa can be a law that violates personal freedom.
01:53However, MP from the DAP Syahrid Zanjohan rejected Zaid's concerns as misleading by saying that a similar decision has already existed in state laws
02:04and the RUU will only be used in the constituency.
