Editor’s Note: Correcting the headline
GUTSY ex-Bank Muamalat Bhd CEO Datuk Mohd Redza Abdul Wahid has stepped forward to apologise to Seremban-based Agape Community Church and the Wah Chai Association, a Chinese charity group in the Negeri Sembilan capital, for the bank’s oversight in rejecting a cheque issued by the former as a charitable deed for the latter.
As a former president of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) and ex-head honcho of the bank, Mohd Redza said it is disturbing to see “no authoritative institution clarifying on the matter”.
Earlier today, FocusM highlighted what it deemed as a rather disturbing tweet by social activist Siti Kasim yesterday (Dec 26) that a cheque issued by a church was rejected by a Bank Muamalat branch in Seremban as it was deemed “not halal”.
The issue came to light when the Wah Chai Association deposited a Maybank cheque issued by the Agape Community Church to fund the beautification of the Lee Sam Road Chinese Cemetery in Seremban.
“Please allow me to clarify on this matter. Firstly and most importantly, Islamic banking is for all and truly it has been. This kind of incident has been discussed at the Shariah level and the conclusions are very clear,” clarified Mohd Redza in a Facebook posting yesterday.
Mohd Redza served as the CEO of Bank Muamalat from November 2008 till November 2019.
According to him, cheque payments made by any organisation – be it Muslim or otherwise – must be honoured unless there are elements of Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA) at hand.
“Hence the error made is individual in nature and not complying in the spirit of Islamic Banking. The Prophet Muhammad was exemplary in his treatment of non-Muslims. Until the day he passed away, he fed a blind Jewish beggar every day,” Mohd Redza pointed out.
“Again I wish to emphasise that Islamic banking is for all …” – Dec 27, 2021
