PAS escalates pressure on Anwar’s administration to dismiss deputy religious minister

 

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim faces growing political heat as opposition party PAS intensifies demands for the dismissal or resignation of Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Marhamah Rosli.

The controversy follows a inquiry by JAKIM into allegations linking Marhamah to the banned New Age Movement (NAM), shamanism, and practices deemed inconsistent with Islamic tenets.

JAKIM subsequently issued guidelines and advisories regarding her past content and approaches.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, PAS Deputy President Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man argued that holding views aligned with forbidden doctrines disqualifies an official from leading religious affairs.

He asserted that JAKIM’s intervention confirms underlying issues, urging Marhamah to resign rather than challenge her critics.

“We don’t need to be a master of a deviant teaching before (we ought to) resign. Even being involved, supporting, or offering positive views toward NAM teachings, when a fatwa has banned it, means such views already contradict the fatwa,” he said.

“It’s not just a matter of whether she is inviting people to join a deviant sect, demonstrating involvement, or teaching it, but rather the views she hold,” Ibrahim added.

“To us, it is about the extent to which those statements are seen as contradictory, as proven when she was summoned by JAKIM,” he continued

Marhamah has strongly rejected the claims, asserting her adherence to mainstream Sunni Islam and challenging accusers to prove in court that she misled the public.

However, with PAS and youth wings within the ruling coalition calling for action, the issue presents a delicate challenge for the Anwar administration as it balances coalition stability against religious oversight scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Liyana Marzuki, a political influencer on Facebook who is seen as pro-unity government, has also expressed her views on the deputy minister.

In a Facebook post, she wrote that the deputy minister should resign before any cabinet reshuffle decides her face.

“The Deputy Religious Minister rose to prominence due to the popularity of the Zara case. Now all sorts of stories have emerged,” Liyana said.

“It is starting to look like a liability instead. If the allegations are true, it would be best to resign immediately before a cabinet reshuffle,” she added.

Marhamah Rosli was appointed as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as part of a MADANI Government cabinet reshuffle on 16 December 2025.

Before her political entry, Marhamah was known as an independent Islamic preacher and community activist from Sabah.

She gained significant public prominence as the driving force behind the popular #JusticeForZarafundraising campaign and social movement.— Focus Malaysia