Committee Chairman admits that some penalties in Quran have not been included in the Penal Code Bill

Bileidhoo MP Ahmed Hamza, Chairman of the Parliament Committee reviewing the Penal Code Bill has admitted that some of the penalties prescribed in Quran have not been included in the Bill Code Bill.

Adhaalath Party’s Scholar's Wing President Sheikh Ilyas Hussain was summoned to the parliament committee meeting today following accusations that, during a sermon he gave after Isha prayer on the 22nd of March, the Sheikh had publicly stated that purpose of the current draft of the Penal Code Bill was to crush and destroy the religion of Islam.

Answering the committee summons today, Sheikh Ilyas repeated the statements he made during the sermon, saying that the Bill lacks the penalties for fornication and thievery as prescribed in Islam.

With the committee’s Chair MP Hamza as the only exception, all members of the committee firmly stated that the bill contains proper penalties as according to the manners prescribed in the holy Quran.

MP Hamza however said that while the bill criminalizes the all crimes according to what is prescribed in the Quran, the penalties for these crimes differ from those prescribed in the Quran.

“You will understand from the Prophet’s Hadith that there is no such thing as executing a penalty if a crime is not proven beyond the point of doubt. We have stated the crimes prescribed in Islam as such. Although some of the penalties prescribed in the Quran have not been stated,” Committee Chairman and Bileidhoo MP Ahmed Hamza said.

Hamza said that the Maldives judicial system does not have the capability to implement the penalties prescribed in the holy Quran.

“The question everybody seems to ask is whether the Maldivian judicial system has the capability. You would all know (the state) of our judicial system. I do not believe that our judicial system is capable of implementing the penalties.

MP Hamza said that the Penal Code Bill leaves the determining of the penalties prescribed in Quran to the discretion of the judges, as the Penal Code Bill itself does not specify certain such penalties.

Members of the committee said that the recently added encompassing article allows the judges to implement all penalties according to the manners prescribed in Islam.

Added to the very end of the Penal Code Bill, the Article states that that if a person is convicted of a crime that requires a criminal punishment by law (penal code), the person shall face the punishment prescribed in the Quran.

The Article was added following concern and criticism from religious scholars and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

Sheikh Ilyas Hussain said at the committee meeting today that he is ready to swear seven times that the purpose of the penal code is to crush and destroy the religion of Islam.