Petisyen kepada Kerajaan Malaysia: Undang-Undang Keluarga Islam: Hentikan Diskriminasi Terhadap Wanita!

A petition to the Malaysian Government

Islamic Family Laws: Stop Discrimination Against Women!
January 2006

We, the undersigned, are Malaysian men and women from all faith backgrounds concerned about the continual erosion of the rights of women, in particular Muslim women, in Malaysia.

Over the last two decades, the trend of amendments to our Islamic family laws has systematically undermined women's position in marriage by creating unfair conditions regarding polygamy, divorce, maintenance and child custody that benefit men and disadvantage women.

Furthermore, the application of these laws in the Shariah judicial process is also heavily skewed to favour men over women. The press and women's organisations are rife with reports of how Muslim women are not given a fair and just hearing in our Shariah courts in family matters.

The recent passing of the Islamic Family Law Bill (Federal Territories) (Amendments) Bill 2005 by the Senate is the latest in a series of alarming trends that are damaging to women. These amendments, which have been passed and gazetted in 12 states in Malaysia, now give men even more power to divorce their wives, to contract polygamous marriages and also to freeze the assets of their wife/wives to claim matrimonial property, while women are denied effective remedies.

We also regret that, amidst an encouraging trend across several Muslim countries to reform Islamic family laws in accordance to current needs for gender equality and justice, Malaysia has instead chosen to institute reforms that are regressive and even more unjust to women. A recent success story in the Muslim world is the passing of Morocco's new Moudawana (Code of Personal Status) that effectively captures the spirit of gender equality and justice. This, we feel, is a model Islamic family law code that Malaysia should be emulating.

To ensure that the rights of women, in particular Muslim women, do not continue to be violated, but instead are upheld and advanced, we call on the Malaysian government to:

• Ensure that the Bill is not gazetted in the Federal Territory, and to place a moratorium on the implementation of this Bill in states that have adopted these amendments;
• Replace the current Islamic Family Laws with a new Muslim Family Law that is based on the principles of justice and equality;
• Consult women's groups in the drafting of this new law, as well as any amendments that are made to laws that affect women;
• Establish a Parliamentary Select Committee to hold public hearings throughout the country, so that the voices of ordinary citizens can be heard and reflected in a law that governs their personal lives;
• Respect universal human rights, especially of Muslim women in marriage, and to explore alternative interpretations of Islamic law that uphold gender equality and universal human rights.

We sincerely and categorically believe that gender equality applies to all citizens and residents of Malaysia, regardless of race or religion. This is in line with the spirit of the Federal Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which Malaysia ratified in 1995, and also the humble teachings of all world religions.

You can either:

• Sign the online petition here, or
• Return a copy of this petition with your Name, State, Signature, Further comments (optional) and Contact Details to: All Women's Action Society (AWAM), 85 Jalan 21/1, Sea Park, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, or
• If you would like an email address to communicate with, the address for this petition is iflpetition@gmail.com.

Petisyen kepada Kerajaan Malaysia

Undang-Undang Keluarga Islam: Hentikan Diskriminasi Terhadap Wanita!
January 2006

Kami yang bertandatangan di bawah adalah warganegara Malaysia, lelaki dan wanita dari berbilang agama, yang amat bimbang terhadap penghakisan hak wanita, terutama wanita Islam, yang terus berlaku di Malaysia.

Dalam dua dekad kebelakangan ini, pindaan yang telah dilakukan ke atas undang-undang keluarga Islam semakin menggugat kedudukan wanita dalam rumahtangga. Syarat-syarat untuk berpoligami, perceraian, pembahagian nafkah dan hadhanah kebanyakannya memihak kepada lelaki dan merugikan wanita. Malah, pelaksanaan undang-undang Syariah juga cenderung berat sebelah dan memihak kepada pihak lelaki. Laporan akhbar dan aduan yang diterima pertubuhan wanita menunjukkan ramai wanita Islam tidak diberi layanan yang adil dan saksama dari pihak Mahkamah Syariah mengenai hal kekeluargaan.

Pindaan kepada Rang Undang-Undang Keluarga Islam (Wilayah Persekutuan) (Pindaan) 2005 yang telah diluluskan oleh Dewan Negara pada Disember 2005, merupakan satu lagi tindakan terbaru dalam arus penghakisan hak wanita. Pindaan terbaru, yang sebenarnya telah pun dilaksanakan di 12 negeri di Malaysia, memberikan pihak lelaki kuasa yang jauh lebih besar berbanding dengan dahulu untuk menceraikan isteri, berpoligami dan juga membolehkan pembekuan harta isteri untuk menuntut harta sepencarian, manakala peluang pihak wanita untuk menegakkan hak mereka kian luput.

Adalah amat mengecewakan bahawa Malaysia, salah satu tokoh di kalangan negara Islam, telah memilih langkah ke belakang dengan meluluskan pindaan yang memudaratkan kaum wanita. Ini sama sekali tidak sejajar dengan arus perubahan di kalangan beberapa negara Islam yang mengorak langkah untuk meminda undang-undang keluarga Islam ke arah kesaksamaan dan keadilan antara lelaki dan wanita. Satu perkembangan terbaru di dunia Islam yang amat dialu-alukan ialah pelulusan perundangan keluarga Islam yang baru Moudawana (Kod Status Peribadi) di Maghribi (Morocco) yang mendukung prinsip keadilan dan kesaksamaan antara lelaki dan wanita. Perkembangan seperti inilah yang sepatutnya diteladani oleh Malaysia.

Untuk memastikan agar hak wanita, terutama hak wanita Islam, di negara ini tidak terus digugat, malah ditegakkan dan dimajukan, kami menyeru agar Kerajaan Malaysia:

• Menjamin agar Rang Undang-Undang ini tidak diwartakan pada peringkat Wilayah Persekutuan, dan menggantung pelaksanaannya di negeri-negeri yang sudah meluluskannya;
• Menggantikan Undang-Undang Keluarga Islam yang sedia ada dengan satu Rang Undang-Undang Keluarga Islam yang baru yang berdasarkan prinsip keadilan dan kesaksamaan;Mengadakan rundingan dengan persatuan-persatuan wanita berhubung dengan penggubalan undang-undang baru ini, serta merujuk kepada mereka sebelum sebarang pindaan dibuat kepada undang-undang yang berkaitan dengan wanita;
• Menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Khas Parlimen untuk mendapat timbalbalas secara terbuka dari rakyat di seluruh negara untuk memastikan pandangan dicerminkan di dalam sebarang penggubalan undang-undang yang akan mempengaruhi kehidupan seharian mereka;
• Menghormati Hak Asasi Manusia, terutamanya hak wanita Islam dalam rumahtangga, dan mengkaji pentafsiran undang-undang Islam alternatif yang menegakkan kesaksamaan antara lelaki dan wanita dan juga mendukung hak asasi manusia sejagat.

Kami, dengan tulus ikhlas, percaya bahawa kesaksamaan antara lelaki dan wanitapatut dinikmati oleh semua rakyat dan pemastautin Malaysia, tanpa mengira bangsa dan agama. Prinsip ini adalah sejajar dengan tuntutan Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Perisytiharan Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat, Konvensi Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu Mengenai Penghapusan Segala Bentuk Diskriminasi Terhadap Wanita, yang telah dipersetujui oleh kerajaan Malaysia pada tahun 1995, dan juga ajaran seluruh agama di dunia.

Anda boleh:

• Menandatangani petisyen ini disini, atau
• Kembalikan salinan petisyen ini dengan Nama, Negeri, Tandatangan, Ulasan Seterusnya (pilihan anda) dan Butiran untuk Menghubungi anda kepada: All Women's Action Society (AWAM), 85 Jalan 21/1, Sea Park, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, atau
• Sekiranya anda ingin menghubungi kami melalui email, alamat untuk petisyen ini adalah iflpetition@gmail.com.

(Sila kembalikan petisyen ini dengan tandatangan kepada: All Women's Action Society (AWAM), 85 Jalan 21/1, Sea Park, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.) Januari 2006

Related Articles:

• Press Statement: Suspend the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) (Amendment) Bill 2005
• JAG Calls for New Muslim Family Law & Public Hearings
• Muslim Men Object to the Passing of the Islamic Family Law Bill 2005
• Letters by WAO members

Related News (Adobe Acrobat Reader required):

• Defer enforcement of law, women’s groups tell states (The Star, 15 January 2005)
• Tell women about Act’s positive aspects, Jakim urged (The Star, 13 January 2006)
• Cabinet puts on hold gazetting of controversial Islamic Family Law Act (The Star, 12 January 2006)
• Discussion on Islamic Law Bill deferred (The Star, 5 January 2006)
• Letter to the Editor: Don't Gazette This Bill (New Straits Times, 3 January 2006)
• Letter to the Editor: Uninspiring Leadership (New Straits Times, 2 January 2006)
• Letter to the Editor: Consult Women on Changes to Family Law (The Star, 31 December 2005)
• Letter to the Editor: Mystified Over Law's Aim (New Straits Times, 30 December 2005)
• AWAM Press Statement: No Good Rationale for Bill (The Star, 28 December 2005)
• Column: Ignomious End, by Marina Mahathir (The Star, 28 December 2005)
• Shahrizat to Meet JAKIM Over Bill (The Star, 25 December 2005)
• Move Fast on Act, Say Women (The Star, 24 December 2005)
• PM: We Will Act (The Star, 23 December 2005)
• Women Senators Unhappy (The Star, 23 December 2005)
• Nazri: Women Senators Must Vote for Family Law Bill (The Star, 22 December 2005)
• Women Protest Family Law Bill (The Star, 21 December 2005)