KANGAR – The Perlis shariah court will conduct in-camera (closed door) proceedings involving divorce cases.
Istana Arau, in a statement today, said that the directive was issued by the state shariah chief judge Jaidi Ahmad after receiving consent from the Regent of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail.
Tuanku Syed Faizuddin, who is also the state Islamic Religion and Malay Customs Council president, has consented to in-camera proceedings to be implemented by the Perlis Shariah Judiciary Department starting July 1.
The directive was announced during the MAIPs forum held in conjunction with the sighting of the new moon of Zulhijjah, organised by the state Mufti Department at the Al Hussain Mosque in Kuala Perlis yesterday.
The statement said that the decision was made to protect the interests of the parties involved and to avoid slander that could lead to defamation.
In the same statement, Jaidi said the implementation was made as a result of a study of the practice implemented in Doha, Qatar.
Meanwhile, state Mufti Datuk Prof Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, in the same statement, said Islam stresses the obligation to protect someone’s dignity by concealing his or her “aib” (shame) which cannot be known and commented on by others.
He said that people often judge other people's marriages without understanding the actual situation, even though there is no interest for them to know or comment on such matters in the first place. – Bernama, June 19, 2023