KUALA LUMPUR - A vocal Malaysian women's rights group has been hit with a lawsuit to strip it of its name "Sisters in Islam", which religious activists said Tuesday could confuse Muslims.
The group has been an advocate for women's rights for over two decades and drew controversy recently for speaking out against the caning of three Muslim women under religious syariah laws that ban sex out of wedlock.
The Malaysian Assembly of Mosque Youth, which launched the legal case, said the women's group was contravening the law by using that name rather than its legally registered title, which uses an abbreviated form.
"Why do they have to use the name of Islam to attract attention when they are not registered as Sisters in Islam? They are registered as SIS Forum," the religious group's leader Muhammad Nawar Ariffin told AFP.
Caused confusion
"We respect their opinion but please interpret the issues on their own platform. They have caused confusion because Muslims thought this is a Muslim organisation, which it is not, they are registered as a secular feminist group."
Muhammad Nawar said Sisters in Islam's position on the caning of the three women was among issues that had confused Muslims, who make up the majority in multi-ethnic Malaysia.
Sisters in Islam described the caning of the three women in February - a legal first in the country - as "degrading and unjust treatment" and said it constitutes further discrimination against Muslim women in Malaysia.
A top Sisters in Islam official was called in by police on Monday for questioning over the caning comments after religious authorities lodged a complaint.
Yet to see suit details
"There must be an open, responsible, rational and respectful dialogue on Islam, Muslim laws and policies, and their impacts on our lives, both private and public," the group said in a statement on the police probe.
However, it declined to comment on the latest allegations, saying it had not yet seen details of the lawsuit.
Sisters in Islam has previously spoken out on other issues including polygamy, which it says is cruel and has deviated from its original purpose in Islam, which was to protect widows and orphans.
AFP
24/03/10
The group has been an advocate for women's rights for over two decades and drew controversy recently for speaking out against the caning of three Muslim women under religious syariah laws that ban sex out of wedlock.
The Malaysian Assembly of Mosque Youth, which launched the legal case, said the women's group was contravening the law by using that name rather than its legally registered title, which uses an abbreviated form.
"Why do they have to use the name of Islam to attract attention when they are not registered as Sisters in Islam? They are registered as SIS Forum," the religious group's leader Muhammad Nawar Ariffin told AFP.
Caused confusion
"We respect their opinion but please interpret the issues on their own platform. They have caused confusion because Muslims thought this is a Muslim organisation, which it is not, they are registered as a secular feminist group."
Muhammad Nawar said Sisters in Islam's position on the caning of the three women was among issues that had confused Muslims, who make up the majority in multi-ethnic Malaysia.
Sisters in Islam described the caning of the three women in February - a legal first in the country - as "degrading and unjust treatment" and said it constitutes further discrimination against Muslim women in Malaysia.
A top Sisters in Islam official was called in by police on Monday for questioning over the caning comments after religious authorities lodged a complaint.
Yet to see suit details
"There must be an open, responsible, rational and respectful dialogue on Islam, Muslim laws and policies, and their impacts on our lives, both private and public," the group said in a statement on the police probe.
However, it declined to comment on the latest allegations, saying it had not yet seen details of the lawsuit.
Sisters in Islam has previously spoken out on other issues including polygamy, which it says is cruel and has deviated from its original purpose in Islam, which was to protect widows and orphans.
AFP
24/03/10
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