Mujahid says raids on Syiahs adhered to SOP

The de facto religious affairs minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa today said the recent raid by Selangor Islamic authorities on Syiah Muslims were conducted according to its standard operating procedure.

Mujahid (above), who is a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, also said the Selangor state religious authorities' jurisdiction on the matter should be respected.

“The issue is under the jurisdiction of the state. We have already received feedback from the (Selangor) menteri besar (Amuriddin Shari) during the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia meeting yesterday.

“Any (raids) conducted in Selangor fall under the jurisdiction of Selangor and (was carried out) according to the SOP. So, we respect the action taken,” he said to reporters after officiating the Federal Territory Mosque’s Maal Hijrah celebration in Kuala Lumpur earlier today.

Both the Selangor and Johor Islamic Religious Departments (Jais and Jainj) were reported to have conducted their respective raids on Syiah Muslims on Sept 6 and Sept 9.

The raids were conducted as the Syiah Muslims were gathered to mark Ashura, the death anniversary of Husin Ali, who is the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a central figure in Syiah Islam. Ashura fell on Sept 9.

Syiah Islam is regarded as deviant by religious authorities despite being the second-largest religious denomination in the country. The majority of Muslims in the country are of the Sunni sect.

A day after the raids, Amirudin stated that the religious authorities adhered to SOP. The same thing was claimed by Jainj.

Both stated that the respective state governments did not permit the practice of Syiah Islam based on decisions made by the fatwa committees of both states.

Calls to end prosecution of Syiah Muslims

Even so, Penang mufti Wan Salim Mohd Noor called for the Education Ministry to include the understanding of Syiah into the school Islamic studies curriculum.

Wan Salim (above) said this would be the most effective way to overcome the Syiah-phobia in Malaysia.

He was also reported by Free Malaysia Today to have said Syiah Muslims should be free to practice their belief as long as they do not proselytise.

Mujahid today, meanwhile, described the Penang mufti’s suggestion as “structured” and “positive”.

Many quarters have criticised the raids, pointing out that the Federal Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion.

Former Court of Appeal judge Hishamudin Yunus too labelled the action of detaining Syiah Muslims as wrong.

He said “from a legal perspective”, Article 3 of the Federal Constitution does not state which branch of Islam - Sunni or Syiah - was the official religion.

Last year, Mujahid had stated that while Syiah is considered heresy in Malaysia, guidelines must be in place to uphold the freedom of religion as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

He said the guide should differentiate between those who merely practice the Syiah faith and a Syiah Muslim who actively proselytises the faith. - Mkini