Abim wants shariah enforcement over sodomy accusations against PM

A pro-government group has urged the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) to take action against individuals who accuse Anwar Ibrahim of committing sodomy, following the chaos in Parliament earlier this week which saw a shouting match between the prime minister and an opposition MP.

The Perak branch of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim), an organisation once led by Anwar, said making such accusations was tantamount to committing qazaf, or the crime of falsely accusing a person of sexual misconduct.

Perak Abim president Mohamad Saifuddin Abdul Latiff urged Ismaic authorities to investigate the offence under Section 52 of the Shariah Criminal Offences Enactment.

"Abim calls on all members of the community not to engage in the spreading of slander and false accusations, as it has serious negative implications and will result in severe sins in the hereafter," he said after lodging a report with the Shariah Enforcement Division of JAIPk in Ipoh today.

The report was on a social media post where a person penned remarks repeating the "Tambun sodomiser" phrase that was uttered by Putrajaya MP Radzi Jidin.

On Tuesday, Radzi had repeatedly shouted "I am convinced Tambun (Anwar) is a sodomiser" after he was angered by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul's decision not to compel Anwar to retract an accusation of corruption against him on the excuse that the prime minister was convinced of what he uttered.

Anwar was convicted and jailed for sodomy twice, first in 2000 and again in 2015.

He was, however, released in May 2018 after receiving a royal pardon from the Agong a week after the Pakatan Harapan coalition came to power under the leadership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.