JOINT STATEMENT BY MALAYSIAN CIVIL SOCIETY ON PAS RESOLUTION TO BAN SISTERS IN ISLAM

We the undersigned are deeply disturbed by the call on the part of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) to have Sisters in Islam (SIS) banned and its members rehabilitated should its activities be determined to be contrary to the Islamic shariah. It is apparent to us that in making the call in the manner that it has, PAS has already formed the view that SIS should be banned and its activities brought to an end.

While we respect the freedom of members of PAS to associate in a manner that they consider appropriate or warranted as well as their freedom to express a view in association on such matters as they see fit, the members of SIS, or any other organization for that matter, are equally guaranteed those freedoms. No one person or organization has a monopoly over the right to express views on matter of public importance. The call to silence SIS and send its members for rehabilitation is an act of violence against those freedoms and their constitutional underpinnings. It also lends itself to further closure of the already narrow space of public discourse and debate that a slew of anti-expression laws have allowed Malaysians.

For Malaysia to mature into the democracy that Malaysians aspire to, it is vital that diversity, even of views, be protected and nurtured. Respect for the freedoms guaranteed to all Malaysians by the Federal Constitution, be they members of PAS or any other organization or simply individuals, is crucial to this endeavor.

The demand for action against SIS culminating in a ban is not easily reconciled with PAS public rhetoric in favour of a more democratic and inclusive Malaysia. On the contrary, the demand is wholly anti-democratic. We reiterate that though members of PAS are entitled to their views, the call for the banning of SIS is wholly unacceptable. As a matter of principle, the question of banning any organization purely for their views should not arise at all. Differences of views must be respected and, if at all, be resolved through constructive engagement.

In view of this, we urge PAS to reconsider its position and take such steps as are necessary to retract the call for action against SIS.

Signed by:

1. Aliran
2. Amnesty International Malaysia
3. Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW)
4. All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
5. Bar Council Human Rights Committee
6. Bus Users Group, Penang
7. Cakap Rakyat Group
8. Centre for Independent Journalism
9. Civil Society Committee Of LLG Cultural Development Centre (LLGCSC)
10. Civil Society Initiative For Parliamentary Reform (CSI@Parliament)
11. CPI
12. DAP Socialist Youth
13. Five Arts Centre
14. Friends-In-Conversation
15. Group Of Concerned Citizens And Monitoring Sustainability Of Globalisation
16. Health Equity Initiatives
17. HRC
18. Instant Cafe Theatre
19. KOMAS
20. National Institute for Electoral Integrity
21. NCWO
22. OHMSI
23. PBT (Persatuan Bahasa Tionghua) USM
24. Penangwatch
25. Perak Women For Women Society (PWW)
26. Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower).
27. Persatuan Masyarakat Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan (PERMAS)
28. Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor
29. Sarawak Women For Women Society
30. Sekretariat Anak Muda Malaysia
31. Sisters In Islam (SIS)
32. SOS (Save Ourselves), Penang
33. SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA (SUARAM)
34. The Fahmina-institute Cirebon
35. The KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth Section
36. The Micah Mandate
37. WAO
38. WCC
39. Women’s Centre For Change (WCC) Penang
40. Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP)
41. Worker Hub For Change (WH4C)
42. Writer Alliance For Media Independence (WAMI)

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