PUTRAJAYA: The Syariah High Court here yesterday postponed a case involving former political and social activist Dr Kassim Ahmad who faces three charges of insulting Islam, to Jan 14 and 15 next year, as he was indisposed.
Syariah Judge Azzeman Omar fixed the date after Kassim’s son, Ahmad Shauqi informed the court of the octogenarian’s illness and produced a medical certificate (MC) from the Kulim Hospital in Kedah.
The MC was for two days, beginning yesterday.
Lawyer Rosli Dahlan who represented Kassim told the court that it could call Ahmad Shauqi to enlighten itself on Kassim’s health condition.
Ahmad Shauqi who lives in Shah Alam told the court that his father suffered from gout, lung complications and problems in the right hand, and that he had taken him to the hospital for treatment.
“I went to Kulim on Saturday night. The next day, I took him (Kassim) to the hospital. He wanted to come today. My father has a medical record.
“He is at home and the doctor has given him medication,” he said when asked by Azzeman whether his father had a medical record.
The youngest of three children, Ahmad Shauqi said he had fetched his father who lived in Kulim, to attend the hearing because his two older sisters were away in France and Australia.
Earlier, Federal Territories Syariah Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Zainor Rashid Hassin questioned the authenticity of the MC as it was signed by a medical officer and not a specialist doctor, and did not state Kassim’s ailment.
“The medical certificate should be attached with details that the accused cannot be present in court today,” he said.
Zainor Rashid also objected to the postponement of the court case which had been fixed for today and tomorrow, saying that the prosecution was ready to proceed with the case.
He also questioned why Kassim’s two guarantors, Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir and Norhayati Kaprawi were not present in court, reasoning that as guarantors, they should be in court, each time the case was mentioned.
The third guarantor, Fhansyurna Shalha Othman was present and told the court she would continue being a guarantor for Kassim.
Azzeman said the court accepted Kassim’s medical certificate and believed in Ahmad Shauqi’s statement that the social activist was sick and could not appear in court.
“Considering the fact that the accused had never been absent from court for as long as the case was heard, his age and his gout, the court will fix another date for hearing,” he said.
Earlier, Rosli commented on Zainor Rashid, saying he was emotional when conducting the case.
Azzeman replied that “it was not emotion, but spirit,” which elicited laughter from the public gallery.
Kassim, 82, is charged with insulting Islam in his speech during a seminar, ‘The Thoughts of Kassim Ahmad: A Review of The Direction of Malays and Malaysia in the Next Thirty Years”.
He was also charged with using excerpts from two of his books titled: ‘Hadith: A Re-evaluation’ and ‘Hadith: Answer to the Critics’ which have been banned by the Federal Territory Fatwa Committee Kassim initially faced two charges, but on July 17, the prosecution added a third charge – for questioning the wearing of the hijab by Muslim women as he said under Islamic teaching, the hair was not part of a woman’s aurat (part of the body to be covered).
He is charged with committing all the offences at the Yayasan Perdana Global premises in Precinct 8 here between 9am and 5pm on Feb 16, this year. — Bernama