Shari'ah experts and judges of the country's Islamic courts as well as professionals have endorsed to the Supreme Court (SC) the upgrading of the qualifications for all those who are going to take the Special Shari'ah Bar Examinations.

Led by former Court of Appeals justice and Shari'ah expert Omar U. Amin, they addressed their request signed by 17 lawyer, Shari'ah judges and counselors, and Islamic Law resource persons to Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, and through Atty. Midas P. Marquez, court administrator.

They said “they have unanimously agreed to request the Supreme Court to consider revision of the criteria and qualifications of persons authorized to take’’ the special Shari'ah bar tests.

For non-lawyers who wish to take the Shari'ah exams being administered by the High Court as coordinated by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) headed by Secretary Bai Omera D. Dianalan Lucman, they said they must be Muslim college degree holders who completed the seminar on Islamic Law and Jurisprudence (ILJ), and college degree holders in Islamic Law and Jurisprudence of Egypt's Al-Azhar University or other Islamic institutions which are recognized by their respective government.

If they are lawyers, they must be Muslim and members of the Philippine Bar and also completed the ILJ seminar which the High Tribunal has authorized. (Edd K. Usman)