Bismillah [hidayahnet] Heavy security at Everest hero's burial

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 08:25:02 -0800

Hak Saudara kita, ALlahyarham Mohammad Abdullah tidak pula dipersoalkan
 
Heavy security at Everest hero’s burial
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz - Dec 28

The body of Mount Everest hero M Moorthy was buried this afternoon after a tense morning in which the Kuala Lumpur High Court decided it had no jurisdiction to review a Syariah Court’s ruling that the army commander had died a Muslim and should be buried accordingly.

At about 2:30pm, Moorthy’s body was carried out of the Hospital Kuala Lumpur unit that prepares deceased Muslims for burial, and driven out of the gates amidst heavy police presence and a crowd of 150 curious onlookers.

The crowd had earlier gathered outside the courtroom next to the Sultan Abdul Samad building since 10am to await the court’s decision.

High Court judge Mohd Raus Sharif said that Act 121 (1A) of the federal constitution clearly states that the civil court has no jurisdiction on matters pertaining to Islam and such issues should be handled by the Syariah Court.

His decision ended a week of tussling between Moorthy’s family who had insisted he died a practicing Hindu and the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Council, which maintain that he had converted to Islam.

Last Thursday, the Shariah Court, on an application by the religious council, ruled that Moorthy was a Muslim.

Heavy security

At the hospital, more than eight police officers were tasked with guarding the entrance and exit of the mortuary.

Many more security personnel struggled to ensure that not even journalists could get close to the coffin as it was placed inside the state religious authorities’ hearse.

As the hearse drove out, a police outrider rode in front while at least four police cars followed behind to ensure the convoy arrived without incident at the Danau Kota Muslim cemetery near Camp Wardieburn in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.

The burial was later performed under heavy security. However, the uniformed army soldiers that had made their presence conspicuous last Friday at the hospital were absent today.

Also absent at the hospital were most of Moorthy’s family members and their lawyers, save for his elder brother Mohd Hussain (left), the only other family member to have converted to Islam.

Malaysiakini learnt that Mohd Hussain was also the sole family member to have entered the hospital unit to see his brother for the last time and witness the preparation of his body for burial.

“Whether the court decides he is a Muslim or Hindu, I want to be there for his funeral,” he said outside the mortuary. “As for the other family members, well...”.

Other family members and friends were however visibly upset with the court decision and had said they would not attend the funeral.

Though subdued, they and their supporters vowed their struggle for Moorthy to be recognised as a Hindu would not end today.

Justice through the courts

Met outside the court, Moorthy’s brother-in-law, Chandran Periasamy, said the family members were “too upset” to attend the last rites.

Chandran, a former staff-sergeant, said the family would seek justice “through the courts”.

Another friend of Moorthy, former sergeant Nagapah Kanay (left), said the family would not be satisfied until the religious authorities provide evidence to justify their taking of his body for a Muslim burial.

“If Moorthy had really converted, it was his right to do so,” said Nagapah.

“But why didn’t Kagat (the armed forces’ Islamic religious corp) or the state Islamic department (Jawi) maintain a closer watch over him? Why did they allow him to continue staying with his Hindu wife and to continue practicing Hinduism?” said Nagapah.

An unidentified supporter criticised the decision to bury Moorthy without the benefit of family members to conduct prayers for him.

“What have you got to gain with burying Moorthy? None of the family members will be there at the funeral! What do you get, you the people of Islam,” he said angrily.

The family’s lawyer, A Sivanesan, said a notice of appeal would be filed at the High Court tomorrow morning.

Moorthy, 36, died last Tuesday at the Intensive Care Unit of Hospital Kuala Lumpur after sustaining serious head injuries from a fall from his wheelchair.

The former soldier was paralysed seven years ago after a training accident.

Moorthy joined the armed forces in 1988 and was one of the 10 individuals in the Malaysia Everest team - two of whom reached the peak of the world's tallest mountain on May 23, 1997, the first Malaysians to achieve the feat.
 
 
Interfaith group seeks constitutional amendments
Andrew Ong - Dec 28

The Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBCHS) today called for amendments in the federal constitution to allow the High Court to decide on cases of religious conversion.

The call was made during an emergency meeting today by the MCCBCHS in Kuala Lumpur where the large gathering of non-Muslim religious leaders discussed the High Court’s refusal to review a Syariah Court decision which declared deceased Everest climber M Moorthy a Muslim and should be buried according to Muslim rites.

Wife S Kaliamman, who filled the application, argued that Moorthy’s family being non-Muslim could not be represented during the Syariah Court proceedings.

The High Court decision ended a week of tussling between Moorthy’s family who had insisted he died a practicing Hindu and the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Council, which maintain that he had converted to Islam.

Last Thursday, the Shariah Court, on an application by the religious council, ruled that Moorthy was a Muslim.

The bone of contention of the MCCBCHS is Article 121 (1A) of the federal constitution which states all matters pertaining to Islam should be handled by the Syariah Court.

The exact article was cited at the court proceedings today by judge Mohd Raus Sharif as his reason for rejecting the Kaliamman’s application.

The group views that the Syariah Court cannot assume jurisdiction over persons who do not profess Islam and wants Article 121 (1A) to be amended accordingly.
A proposal has already been sent to the National Unity Advisory Panel and the relevant authorities.

No recourse

“We call on the government to urgently cure this grave defect in our legal system by making the necessary amendments to the federal constitution and all other legislation so that jurisdiction to determine the validity of conversions into and out of Islam are vested in the High Court where all Malaysians can be parties and have equal rights as witnesses,” said the MCCBCHS in a statement read out at a press conference after the meeting.

They argue that at present non-Muslims as in Kaliamman’s case have no legal recourse to claim the husband’s body.

MCCBCHS vice-president Harcharan Singh said that while the federal constitution stands as the supreme law of Malaysia, Article 8 which guarantees religious freedom has been overridden by the Syariah Court.

“(Following the court decision) there seems to be no legal remedy non-Muslims (in such instances)... This is the biggest seed of disunity (in a multi-religious society) that can be sowed at this time,” adds MCCBCHS president Dr K Sri Dhammananda.
 
Edisi Nasional: Mahkamah sesak orang ramai dengar keputusan
KUALA LUMPUR: Suasana di pekarangan Mahkamah Tinggi (Rayuan dan Kuasa-Kuasa Khas) sesak dengan kehadiran wakil media, orang ramai serta sanak-saudara Wira Everest, Koperal M Moorthy atau Mohammad Abdullah yang tidak mahu melepaskan peluang mendengar keputusan Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya, Datuk Md Raus Sharif, semalam.

Kehadiran wakil media seawal jam 8.30 pagi selain kawalan ketat oleh anggota Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) lengkap bersenjata menimbulkan tanda tanya kepada pengguna jalan raya berhampiran mahkamah itu.

Rata-rata pengguna kehairanan dan ada antara mereka memperlahankan kenderaan untuk mengetahui punca kehadiran anggota polis bersenjata serta orang ramai yang berkumpul di hadapan bangunan mahkamah terbabit.

Kira-kira 100 sanak-saudara dan rakan si mati, peguam, wakil kerajaan dan orang ramai mula memasuki mahkamah sebaik dibuka tepat jam 9 pagi.

Bagaimanapun, anggota polis terpaksa mengawal pintu kamar mahkamah bagi menghalang orang ramai memasuki mahkamah berikutan semua tempat duduk di galeri awam penuh, termasuk sebahagian daripadanya terpaksa berdiri.

Balu Wira Everest, S Kaliammal, 30, yang hadir dengan berpakaian serba putih ditemani sanak-saudara dan peguamnya memasuki mahkamah jam 9.30 pagi.

Dia yang duduk di galeri awam kelihatan tenang dan mulutnya kelihatan terkumat-kamit sebelum prosiding dimulakan kira-kira jam 10 pagi.

Sebaik Hakim Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya, Datuk Md Raus Sharif selesai membacakan keputusannya, wanita itu kelihatan tidak menunjukkan sebarang reaksi terkejut atau sedih, cuma kadangkala mengesat matanya.

Peguamnya, M Manoharan terpaksa menahan anak guamnya daripada terus keluar sebaik hakim beredar dan menunggu hampir 30 minit berikutan keadaan di luar yang sesak.

Hasil kawalan ketat pihak polis, tiada kejadian tidak diingini berlaku meskipun ada ‘suara sumbang’ yang mempertikaikan keputusan mahkamah sebaik mengetahui jenazah Mohammad Abdullah diserahkan kepada MAIWP.

Jenazah Wira Everest itu menjadi rebutan antara Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP) dengan keluarganya disebabkan beliau beragama Islam.

Pada 22 Disember lalu, MAIWP mendapat perintah Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah yang mengisytiharkan Moorthy sudah memeluk agama Islam dan perlu dikebumikan mengikut hukum Syarak.

Bagaimanapun, Kaliammal memfailkan saman pemula di Mahkamah Tinggi (Rayuan dan Kuasa-Kuasa Khas), memohon perintah supaya Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) menyerahkan mayat suaminya untuk diuruskan mengikut upacara Hindu dan memohon perintah injunksi sementara melarang Jabatan Agama Wilayah Persekutuan (Jawi) menuntut jenazah hingga kes itu diputuskan mahkamah.
 
Edisi Nasional: Luar bidang kuasa

KUALA LUMPUR: Isu perebutan mayat Wira Everest, Koperal M Moorthy atau Mohammad Abdullah berakhir apabila Mahkamah Tinggi (Rayuan dan Kuasa-kuasa Khas) menolak permohonan S Kaliammal untuk mengebumikan jenazah suaminya itu mengikut agama Hindu.

Ketika membacakan penghakiman bertulisnya, Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya, Datuk Md Raus Sharif menegaskan Mahkamah Tinggi tidak mempunyai bidang kuasa untuk campur tangan, mengubah, membatalkan, pengisytiharan tidak sah atau tidak menghiraukannya keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah (MTS) selaras dengan peruntukan Perlembagaan Persekutuan Perkara 121 (1A).

“Memandangkan Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah sudah membuat keputusan bahawa si mati adalah seorang Islam, maka mahkamah ini tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk menyemak dan membatalkan perintah mahkamah itu atau tidak menghiraukan sama sekali perintah berkenaan,” katanya.

Md Raus berkata, ketika meneliti perintah dipohon pemohon dalam Saman Pemulanya, isu utama yang berbangkit adalah mengenai penentuan kesahihan si mati memeluk Islam.

“Persoalannya, adakah mahkamah ini mempunyai bidang kuasa untuk memutuskan sama ada si mati dengan sahnya sudah memeluk agama Islam atau sebaliknya?

“Peguam bela M Manoharan dalam menyokong hujahnya berkata mahkamah ini (Mahkamah Tinggi) mempunyai bidang kuasa menentukan agama seseorang dengan merujuk kes Ng Wan Chan lawan Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan & Anor (1991).

“Dalam kes itu, terdapat pertikaian sama ada si mati yang beragama Buddha ketika itu dengan sah memeluk agama Islam. Hakim Eusoff Chin (ketika itu) memutuskan tidak ada keterangan kukuh dan mengisytiharkan si mati seorang penganut Buddha ketika hidup dan ketika meninggal dunia.

Bagaimanapun, Md Raus menjelaskan beliau tidak dapat mengambil pendekatan serupa dengan kes yang dihujahkan oleh peguam terbabit.

“Berbeza dengan kes ini apabila Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah sudah memutuskan dengan jelas si mati beragama Islam ketika mati dengan nama Mohammad Abdullah pada perbicaraan 22 Disember lalu.

“Pada saya, kuasa menentukan kesahihan agama si mati adalah di bawah bidang kuasa Mahkamah Syariah dan bukannya Mahkamah Sivil,” katanya.

Md Raus berkata, merujuk kepada kes Kamariah Ali lawan Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan (2002), Mahkamah Rayuan memutuskan bahawa ‘bukanlah dalam bidang kuasa mahkamah ini untuk mengkaji semula keputusan Mahkamah Syariah yang terletak dalam sistem berlainan’.

Katanya, apa yang jelas Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah sudah membuat keputusan mengikut hukum syarak.


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