Kuala lumpur: Claims that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) faces difficulty taking legal action against Qadiani teachings because they are protected by influential figures with links to the palace are untrue, said its director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad. He emphasized that statements issued by a preacher regarding deviant teachings in Selangor, which were linked by certain parties to the matter, were irresponsible.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mohd Shahzihan stated that the claims were insulting to the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, as the Head of the Religion of Islam in the state. The allegations disregarded His Royal Highness' firmness in curbing and combating any deviation of faith and deviant teachings in Selangor. He clarified that the difficulty in taking action against the Qadiani arises because the group was ruled, through fatwas dated September 24, 1998, and August 17, 2000, to be outside the fold of Islam. These fatwa decisions have affected the jurisdiction of JAIS Religious Enforcement, which is only empowered to enforce Syariah criminal law against Muslims, as stated under Subsection 1(2) of the Syariah Criminal Enactment (Selangor) 1995.
He further explained that JAIS has never received any complaint or information regarding the existence of any individual closely linked to the palace who is the mastermind behind the presence and entrenchment of Qadiani teachings in Selangor. Efforts to combat deviant teachings in Selangor are carried out continuously, based on legal provisions and decisions of the Selangor State Fatwa Committee, taking into account facts, witnesses, and admissible evidence.
Meanwhile, Mohd Shahzihan mentioned that JAIS had earlier referred to a video recording of a sermon uploaded on the TikTok platform by a user on December 8 concerning deviant teachings in Selangor. The sermon linked the issue to certain parties, including the palace institution. Following that, JAIS conducted a preliminary review and found that the individual delivering the sermon was a preacher holding authorisation to teach Islam in Selangor (M1: Teaching Authorisation for Religious Texts), and the sermon was believed to have been delivered at Masjid Taman Putra Perdana in Puchong.
He added that the secretary of the Teaching Authorisation Committee of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) will examine the facts to determine whether the statement contravenes the provisions of the Teaching Authorisation Regulations for the Teaching of Islam (State of Selangor) 2024 or otherwise. JAIS reminds all preachers and speakers, as well as any individual, to present facts accurately after thorough examination, with propriety and responsibility, and not to cause public unease, especially when matters involve the status of the palace institution and the Sultan of Selangor as the Head of the Religion of Islam in Selangor.