KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — Critics of “violent” punishments under hudud were ignoring the barbaric nature of capital and corporal punishments currently prescribed by secular criminal law, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said In a strongly-worded open letter today.

The PAS president said hudud was unfairly targeted by those who perceived it as savage, even when it is only a single part of the varied and comprehensive Islamic criminal laws.

“They assumed hudud was the most appropriate to be made a target because they see it is the most violent, without knowing about it in details and objectively,” Hadi said in the open letter, published on his official Facebook page.

“Without realising how violent man-made laws that they are proud of, like the ancient way of capital punishment: by hanging a rope to constrict the neck.

“So is the whipping punishment, which tortures without any educational effect towards the public.”

Among hudud’s punishments are death by stoning, the amputation of limbs, and whipping.

The Marang MP said his open letter today was meant to educate, especially the “ignorant Muslims” who cannot be forgiven for their unenlightened faith and lack of knowledge about their own religion.

Defending PAS, Hadi said the Islamist party had taken steps to hold various forums, seminars and dialogues to inform the public about their Shariah criminal code enactments, before they were tabled in Kelantan state assembly in 1993 and Terengganu in 2000.

He also claimed that Kelantan has since then held annual seminar and celebrations about the enactment, and the time has now come for PAS to go one step further in its quest to educate public in comprehensive Islamic teachings.

Hadi also insisted that the enactment tabled in Kelantan last week was amended as PAS recognised the challenge of implementing it along the Federal Constitution and without coercion in a plural society.

On his own private member’s bills in the Parliament, Hadi refuted that they were to implement hudud, but only to amend laws that would only affect implementation towards the Muslim community.

“We are knowledgeable, civilised and mature creatures. Therefore, listen first to what is being proposed. Don’t jump and shout boisterously to criticise before knowing the start and the end,” the PAS president warned.

Last week, the Kelantan state assembly approved the Shariah Criminal Code (II) (1993) 2015 Enactment with 31 votes from PAS lawmakers supported by 12 from Umno.

PAS now plans to put forward two private members’ bills in Parliament to enable Kelantan to enforce hudud ― one will seek approval for the state to legislate punishment for crimes under the Penal Code.

The other seeks to amend the Shariah Courts (Criminal) Jurisdiction Act 1965 to enable Islamic courts to mete out punishments like the death penalty for apostasy and amputation of limbs for theft.

PAS has said it only needs a simple majority in Parliament, or 112 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal) Jurisdiction Act.