Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar has weighed in on a recent issue involving a Malaysian Muslim woman whose wedding ceremony in India was carried out in accordance with Sikh customs.
In a statement released on Monday (Dec 21), the sultan said: "I would like to advise all parties not to draw any conclusions or act prematurely in dealing with this issue. The woman is undergoing trial by media even though she has not yet declared that she wants to leave Islam."
"If we are in a hurry in our actions to punish her, then we will build a huge barrier for her to return to our country and widen the gap between her family in Malaysia and her life in India," he added.
While the sultan did not identify the woman in quesion, he is believed to be referring to Ms Illi Najwa Saddique, who was the subject of criticism recently after photos of her wedding ceremony in Punjab, to India's hockey captain Manpreet Singh Pawar, were circulated on social media.
Netizens questioned her religious status because the ceremony was not done in accordance with Muslim customs.
The sultan added on Monday that he has ordered the Johor Islamic Religious Department to check on the woman's religious status through her family members and Malaysia's embassy in India.
He explained that as she comes from Johor, and in his role as the head of Islam in the state, he wants to ensure that the lives of Johor residents will be protected by the provisions of the law where Islam is the "the pillar of our state life".
JOHOR BAHRU: Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar has weighed in on a recent issue involving a Malaysian Muslim woman whose wedding ceremony in India was carried out in accordance with Sikh customs. In a statement released on Monday (Dec 21), the sultan said: "I would like
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