KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday that he had consulted with a rival party on a proposal to give more power to the Syariah Courts, which would allow the courts to enforce stricter Islamic punishments including amputation and stoning.
Najib, who is also the president of the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, said it was a "historic" move to table the amendment bill related to the Syariah Courts at the parliament on Nov. 24.
The amendment bill was proposed by the Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), an Islamic political party.
It is not the first time for the PAS to propose the amendment, but the Barisan Nasional government formed by UMNO and two other non-Malay parties seldom pushes the bill at the parliament due to opposition from the country's ethnic Chinese and Indians.
"To the non-Muslims, do not worry, because you will not be subjected to these laws, and the government is studying the fine prints of the proposed amendments to ensure that there are no elements of dual punishment," Najib said in a bid to appease non-Muslims in the Muslim-majority country.
He urged all parties not to politicize this issue because it was a private proposal which eventually would be taken over by the federal government.
Najib also called for all Malay Muslims to unite, saying they would face the most crucial crossroad at the general election which is set to be held around June in 2018.
