‘Athoullah Ashaari, 39, and his wife, Ummu Habibah Raihan, 41, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read separately to them before judge Yunus Zin, Berita Harian reported.
According to the charge sheet, ‘Athoullah was found in possession of the books Politik Islam Membawa Kasih Sayang and Pendidikan Rasulullah, along with a framed photograph of Ashaari.
He was charged under Section 63 of the Shariah Offences Enactment (State of Melaka) 1991 for insulting Islam by defying or violating two gazetted fatwas dated Aug 11, 1994 and Aug 2, 2007.
Ummu Habibah was charged with abetting ‘Athoullah by storing the prohibited publications under Section 37 of the same enactment, read together with Section 63.
The offences were allegedly committed at a house in Taman Ayer Molek Perdana, Kuala Sungai Baru, Masjid Tanah, on Sept 21 at 1.15pm.
If convicted, they face a maximum fine of RM5,000, imprisonment for up to 36 months, or both.
The court set Feb 13 for case mention and granted the accused bail of RM3,000 in two sureties each, following a request by Melaka shariah chief prosecutor Atras Mohamad Zin.
Earlier, the prosecution said it intended to file 14 charges against eight suspected individuals – three sons and five daughters-in-law of Ashaari, who were arrested during Op Global on Sept 21.
However, one of the accused was absent as she is under confinement.
The court postponed the charges against the others to Feb 13 and set similar bail conditions.
Shariah lawyers Hafizuddin Ahmad Mispha and Faizal Mohamad, representing all the accused, did not object to the bail request. - FMT
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