G
General Veers
Guest
Tuesday October 12, 2010
The witching hour is up
By ROSLINA MOHAMAD
[email protected]
KUANTAN: It is time for black magic practitioners to be held accountable for their acts which cause injury and even death to their victims. Pahang Syariah High Court Judge Datuk Rahman Md Yunus said there should be a mechanism to prosecute such people.
“A new law should be drafted to ensure that those who practise black magic and cause harm or death be prosecuted like offenders under criminal law,’’ he said in his speech at a seminar on law and witchcraft organised by Ikip College here yesterday. Two working papers on the topic were presented at the seminar including one on Witchcraft and its Threat to Human Lives, by Dr Jahid Sidek, a retired lecturer of Universiti Malaya’s Islamic Studies Academy.
Jahid in his paper said people have been sentenced to death for dabbling in witchcraft. Another paper, looking at issues and challenges in implementing witchcraft laws, was presented by Ikip College’s School of Islamic Studies senior lecturer Dr Mahyuddin Ismail. Rahman also said there were a lot of issues that needed to be addressed including gathering evidence. “However, the court’s main concern is to save people from harm,’’ he added.
Action should also be taken against those committing acts against Islam, such as collecting old human skeletons or pig bones, Rahman said. Speaking to reporters later, Rahman said the suggestion was not trivial as the harm and damage inflicted was serious. “Prosecuting the offenders using legal means is not impossible,’’ he added. In his paper, Mahyuddin proposed that a special act be drafted that focused on crimes by black magic practitioners and a criminal investigation department on witchcraft be set up under the Royal Malaysian Police Force.
