Malasyia: Muslim clerics issue fatwa against protests
A protestor attends an anti-government Bersih 3.0 rallyin Kuala Lumpur on Apr. 28, 2012. Thousands of protesters gathered in the Malaysian capital to demand electoral reforms, defying a lockdown of central Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia's National Fatwa Committee has banned Muslims from participating in what it describes as "unproductive" and "disruptive" gatherings and demonstrations, following a political rally in April that ended in violence.
An estimated 50,000 of people attended the April 28 demonstration to call for more transparent elections, AFP reports. The protest was organized by the electoral reform group Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) and was one of the largest in Malaysia's history, according to Asian News International. However, police claimed that protestors breached barricades and used tear gas and chemical-laced water to control the crowds; 513 people were arrested.
More from GlobalPost: Bersih protest coverage: too hot for Malaysia?
The Asia News Network says that the Committee has condemned the actions of the protestors, accusing them of "rioting". It quotes the chairman Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Abdul Shukor Husin as saying that "rioting, causing disturbance and damaging public property are all forbidden by Islam." Abdul Shukor also said Muslims who participated in such demonstrations caused "harm, anxiety or unrest among Muslims" and must repent.
The Malaysian Insider says the Islamist political party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), has blamed the police for the violence, insisting that protesters were merely gathering for a “peaceful sit-in” to demand free and fair elections, which was neither haram (forbidden under Islam) nor unIslamic.
More from GlobalPost: Does joining a potentially unruly rally violate Islamic principles?
“I respect the council’s views and right to issue edicts but they have to look at things from a wider perspective… why did so many come out that day to express their feelings and demonstrate? Because the election process is unclean… and that was their purpose there,” PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar reportedly said.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak has defended the crackdown on the rally, insisting that it was being used to topple the government ahead of polls due to be called for June.
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