KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has expressed support for Umno’s proposal for a national-level committee on the possibility of implementing hudud law in Kelantan.

Nik Aziz said he only deals with the policy issues regarding the strict Islamic penal code, and will leave the technical details to the proposed committee of experts, several local dailies reported today.

“I don’t like to interfere in technical matters I will leave it to them but I welcome the proposal. I am happy because hudud which was previously rejected has been accepted now,” he was quoted saying yesterday by Sinar Harian.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin — also the Umno deputy president — said his party will push for a national-level committee on hudud.

Muhyiddin had said both local and foreign experts on hudud would sit in the proposed committee.

In 1993, the PAS state government passed the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment II, allowing it to impose the strict Islamic Penal Code in the state. But the laws have not been implemented.

PAS is now looking for parliamentary approval to implement hudud. It plans to put forward two private members’ bills in parliament. One seeks approval for punishments including whipping, stoning and amputation for crimes already covered by the Penal Code while the other seeks to empower Shariah courts to mete out the sentences.

According to the Shariah Courts (Criminal) Jurisdiction Act 1965, the Islamic court cannot sentence offenders to more than three years in jail or fine them more than RM5,000. It also cannot sentence offenders to be whipped more than 6 times.

In Islamic jurisprudence, hudud covers crimes such as theft, robbery, adultery, rape and sodomy. 

Punishments for the crimes are severe, including amputation, flogging and death by stoning.