Johor’s religious authority says no new ‘deviant’ Islamic movements detected after Ulu Tiram attack

JOHOR BARU, June 11 — The Johor Islamic Religious Department (Jainj) have not detected any new deviant Islamic activities following the deadly attack on the Ulu Tiram police station last month, the state government said today.Advertising Advertising State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said the absence of deviant religious activities was the result of continuous monitoring and intelligence gathering by Jainj. “After further review, we found that there have been no reports on activities involving new deviant religious movements that spread misleading teachings in the state and in districts such as in Ulu Tiram. “Such activities are under control at this time,” Mohd Fared told reporters after a religious charity programme held in Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar here. Mohd Fared had also included the Islamic denomination of Shiah and the Ahmadiyyah movement as among those considered “deviants”. Shiah is the second-largest Muslim denomination in the world after Sunni. Meanwhile, Ahmadis, who are derogatorily called Qadianis here, adhere to the same beliefs as the Sunni branch of Islam, but also believe that their founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Imam Mahdi, Islam’s prophesied redeemer. In Malaysia, only the Sunni denomination of Islam and its Shafie school of jurisprudence are considered official. Last month, two policemen were killed while another injured in a pre-dawn attack at the Ulu Tiram police station by individuals linked to the militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Johor religious authorities previously said they would consider demolishing the abandoned Madrasah Luqmanul Hakim in Kampung Sungai Tiram, Ulu Tiram that was allegedly used to recruit Islamic militants before it was closed in 2001. Meanwhile, Mohd Fared called on the public to immediately alert the authorities, especially Jainj, if there are any suspicious practices taught or practices by deviant sects. The Semerah assemblyman pointed out that concerned parties can also opt to use Jainj’s social media platform to lodge complaints on deviant religious activities in their respective areas. “I understand on the public’s concerns when lodging an official report to Jainj. For those who are particular about their privacy, they can use any of Jainj’s social media channel to reach out to the authorities,” he said, adding that Jainj will immediately conduct an investigation based on the complaint. In March last year, Jainj and the police were reported to be tracking down members of the Suhaini Muhammad deviant group, or better known as “SiHulk” for allegedly insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad in a video.