A participant poses for a picture during the PAS-led Himpunan 355 rally at Padang Merbok in Kuala Lumpur February 18, 2017. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 ― The rally to support a PAS Bill to raise Shariah punishments on Saturday demonstrates that Muslims will gather to defend Islam against those who challenge it, said two state muftis.

Pahang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rahman Osman also said the Bill met the requirements to be a Shariah law and that those who oppose it were essentially opposing God’s law.

"This rally gives us all the realisation that, when it comes to Islamic matters, they cannot be challenged.

"Just see what happens when you challenge it, Muslims will come together to defend it,” he was quoted as saying in Utusan Malaysia.

Negri Sembilan Mufti Datuk Mohd Yusof Ahmad also reportedly said that the support shown by Muslims at the rally reflected a sense of unity among the religion’s followers.

"Each Muslim who attended the gathering showed strong determination to defend their religion as this is a matter of their religion’s dignity,” he was quoted as saying.

The rally to support PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s Bill to enhance Shariah punishments by amending the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) was attended by some 20,000 people on Saturday.

The private member’s Bill aims to increase the limit of Shariah punishments to 30 years’ jail, 100 strokes of the cane and RM100,000 fines from the current ceiling of three years’ imprisonment, six strokes, and RM5,000 fines.

Although the police estimated the crowd at yesterday’s "Himpunan 355” rally to be around 20,000, PAS claimed that 300,000 people showed up to express support for the Bill.