MAIS Withdraws Its Claim On Rayappan's Body.

The following terse report via TheStar SMS update and online news reads thus:

The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) filed a notice in the Shah Alam Syariah High Court on Thursday, withdrawing its claim on the late Rayappan Anthony's body.

In an earlier report, the Syariah Appeal Court was to review the order that granted the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) control over the late Rayappan Anthony’s body.

***** If this move settles the controversy that had erupted recently, it should be good news all round. It is of course sincerely hoped that no new factor or person or body comes into the picture at this juncture to purely stir shit, to promote him, her or themselves as warriors for an undetermined cause.

I don't know what prompted the religious department to take this decision. However I'm sure it must have been carefully deliberated, taking into account the legal and constitutional provisions as well as the long term implications for the country. Perhaps good sense does prevail from time to time in this fair land of ours.
More updates as they come in.

Earlier related post: Should Rayappan Anthony Be Given A Christian Burial?
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Update from Bernama: The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) has decided not to claim the body of A. Rayappan for burial according to Islamic rites.

Mais chairman Datuk Mohamed Adzib Mohd Isa said all the information gathered before showed that Rayappan was a Muslim, but the evidence pointing that he was not a Muslim was overwhelming.

"So, I hope the matter is solved and we don't think the people will view us negatively because we make the decision based on the existing facts and not emotion," he told a press conference here Thursday.

Rayappan, 70, a former van driver, died at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital on Nov 29 of diabetes complications.

Last Friday, Mais applied with the Syariah High Court to have his body buried according to Islamic rites because he had converted to Islam in 1990 and assumed the name of Muhammad Rayappan Abdullah.

However, his family objected on the grounds that the deceased had renounced the religion.

On Monday, his widow Lourdes Mary Maria Soosay, 69, filed an application at the Civil High Court in Kuala Lumpur for her late husband's body to be released to her, claiming that Rayappan had been a Roman Catholic when he died.

Rayappan's body is being kept at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital morgue until the tussle for it between Mais and his family is sorted out.