KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said he broached the topics of Muslim patronymic conventions and the country’s federal Islamic regulators with the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) today.
He declined to share details of the discussion, however, saying only that he was asked to present his “views on the current state of affairs”.
“The Council asked for my input regarding various aspects including fatwa, how Perlis views issues involving child custody, babies below the age of six months who are denied of their rights to ‘bin Abdullah’ and many others,” he told reporters when met at Ilham Tower lobby.
He confirmed the revision of Islamic Development Department’s (JAKIM) roles was also discussed at length in a one-hour meeting with the government’s informal advisory panel today, but also declined to elaborate.
“Any decisions would be the government’s call; I was merely presenting my views,” he said.
Among matters also discussed was how the government could adopt some Islamic principles, he said when stressing that these included more inclusiveness and fairness to both Muslims and adherents of other faiths.
He also said they examined the kinds of conversations that Malaysians ought to have.
Mohd Asri was the first of three muftis scheduled to meet today with the Council led by former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin today.
Also expected to brief the Council on Islamic affairs today are Penang Mufti Datuk Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor and Johor counterpart, Datuk M. Tahrir Kiyai Samsudin.
