{
  "id": 3265718,
  "title": "Nik Elin says 11 provisions in new Kelantan shariah law open to challenge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/nik-elin-says-11-provisions-in-new-kelantan-shariah-law-open-to-3265718",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T12:30:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/08/25/nik-elin-says-11-provisions-in-new-kelantan-shariah-law-open-to-challenge"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lawyer Nik Elin Nik Rashid has expressed concerns over 11 provisions in Kelantan's new Shariah Criminal Offences (Kelantan) Enactment 2026 that could potentially be challenged in court. The lawyer, who was among the petitioners in the case that led to the Federal Court striking down 16 provisions as unconstitutional in 2024, warned that the new laws might turn into \"political rhetoric\" and be challenged in court in a \"Nik Elin 2.0\" case. She emphasized that laws should bring justice, benefits, and well-being to the public, rather than being merely a means to display power. While she did not explicitly state whether the 11 provisions were among the ones she believed could be challenged, she did provide an excerpt from the new law which defined a \"Muslim\" as not only individuals but also any body, movement, or group controlled by a Muslim and carrying out activities or disseminating views on Islamic law. The Federal Court's ruling in February 2024 was based on the grounds that the Kelantan assembly lacked the power to enact the provisions as they dealt with offences falling under Parliament's authority to enact federal criminal laws. Kelantan subsequently drafted a new law, which was unanimously passed by the state assembly on August 12. Deputy Menteri Besar Mohamed Fadzli Hassan stated that the new law was drafted after reviewing the Federal Court ruling with legal and shariah experts and confirmed that its provisions were within the state assembly's powers under the Federal Constitution.",
  "summary": "The lawyer was behind a case that saw 16 provisions in Kelantan’s previous shariah criminal law struck down by the Federal Court in 2024.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malaysiakini",
        "title": "Lawyer whose challenge struck down 16 Kelantan syariah provisions flags 11 more",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/lawyer-whose-challenge-struck-down-16-kelantan-syariah-provisions",
        "published": "2026-08-25T11:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Nik Elin says 11 provisions in new Kelantan shariah law open to challenge",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/nik-elin-says-11-provisions-in-new-kelantan-shariah-law-open-to",
        "published": "2026-08-25T12:30:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}