Selangor Sultan wants a halt to condoning of murder as 'jihad'

Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said he has been informed of people who condone murder as a form of jihad and wants such extremism to be curbed.

Addressing a gathering of imams in the state at Istana Alam Shah in Klang today, the ruler also emphasised the role of mosques in curbing such beliefs.

"I was informed that there are certain groups among Muslims who have deviated from the true teachings of Islam, to an extent that they take murder as a form of jihad demanded by Allah.

"Such belief and followings, if allowed to fester, are very dangerous and could lead to killings and split among Muslims, as seen in the Gulf states recently," he said.

The sultan implored the imams and religious officials to monitor extremist activities and ensure that they do not gain a foothold in Selangor.

"To this end, I urge all imams and mosque officials to ensure that the speakers and religious scholars who give ceramah in mosques and surau in Selangor have the appropriate accreditation before they are allowed to speak.

"Their ceramah have to be monitored to ensure that they do not deviate from the real teachings of Islam and confuse Muslims," Sultan Sharafuddin said.

The ruler said he had emphasised this many times but there were still some mosques that had refused to comply with his decree.

"The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), as the top religious bodies in Selangor, must always be firm in taking the appropriate action against those who go against my decree and all the set rules," he said.

In his speech, the Selangor Sultan also urged religious institutions in the state not to promote extremism or liberalism.

"To the imams and officials at mosques and surau in Selangor, I urge you to defend the sanctity and teachings of Islam and ensure that none among you are involved in promoting extremism and liberalism to Muslims," he said.- Mkini