Haron Din post-humously conferred Maal Hijrah special award

SERDANG: Former PAS spiritual leader Datuk Dr Haron Din has been awarded the Maal Hijrah special award by the government yesterday.
Haron, who passed away aged 76 on Sept 16 due to heart complication, is the sole recipient of the award.
He was represented by his daughter Dr Huda Haron to accept the accolade, which includes a RM100,000 cash, medal, and certificate, during the national-level Maal Hijrah celebration, here, yesterday.
Despite fighting under the opposition banner during his heydays, Haron has served in and took up various integral positions at the state and national level.
These included being members of the Bank Negara Malaysia advisory board, Ulama Association of Malaysia committee, and the National Fatwa Council.
Haron has also contributed vastly in the Islamic traditional medicine industry, with the highlight being the establishment of Darussyifa' Islamic Treatment Centre.
Following his passing, Haron was survived by his wife Datin Khadijah Md Salleh and three daughters and two sons.
Meanwhile, former Chief Justice Tun Dr Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim was named the Tokoh Maal Hijrah 2016 for his contributions to Islam over the years.
Ahmad Fairuz served as the fourth Chief Justice between March 16, 2003 and Oct 31, 2007, when he announced his retirement.
Among the more prominent cases he has handled as a judge was that of Lina Joy, a Malaysian who converted from Islam to Christianity in 1990.
Speaking to reporters later, the Universiti Utara Malaysia pro-chancellor said he supported the call to strengthen the power of the Syariah court.
"That's the reason why the bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, also known as Act 355, needs to be upgraded in terms of its punishments," he said, referring to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's proposed amendment to the act.