Pakatan Rakyat should take a position on Muslims, other than those from Sunni-Shafi school

An update to the earlier post :-128 Shiite followers - A freedom of religion issue for all Malaysians?

According to a report from Star online (see below), there were 200 persons who were arrested by the Selangor's religious department, whereby there were 75 men and 35 women, and the rest would reasonably be children. How many children were arrested? Where are they being detained?  

Has there been any response from Pakatan Rakyat, or any other groups on this issue? If so, please post it under comments below for all to see.

There is also uncertainty as to whether the 128 have been under detention since they have been arrested last Wednesday. If so, then again this long detention is really unjustified - and may be even said to be 'punishment' before even one is found guilty. Statements should have speedily been taken, and persons arrested should have been released within 24 hours a most.

Is a law that prohibits certain recognized schools/mazhabs of Islam from meeting and discussing their religion right? Should the State be involved in monitoring religion? Note that the JAIS is a government department, and the officers in JAIS are public servants - and they get paid with the money from the rakyat(people) - hence, we, the citizens of Malaysia do have the right to discuss and decide on this matter. 

This arrests also involve foreigners, i.e. from Indonesians, Myanmars and Pakistan (according to the Star report), and the question to ask is whether Shiite followers (or members of other Muslim groups/cults) are denied the right to meet and discuss their 'religion', beliefs, ... in Malaysia? If so, maybe relevant 'warnings' need to be given at airports and points of entry into Malaysia...or maybe, we may need amendments to these laws to allow for freedom of religion. Do we have similar laws in countries where the majority are Shia, and are Sunnis there being similarly arrested, detained, charged, fined and even jailed by reason of the fact that their faith, belief, religion, ...differs from that of the majority.

Maybe, the Federal Constitution that states, " Islam is the religion of the Federation..."  need to be amended, and to better clarify maybe the fact that by Islam, it is really Islam as per the Sunni-Shafi's. Maybe, the reference to other religion should be extended to include also other schools of Islam... 

"Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation." - Federal Constitution, Article 3(1)

Maybe, the restriction placed on other religions could also be extended to the other schools of Islam, i.e. "...may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam..."

It is after all the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, and maybe people should start talking about it. Let us not just ignore matters and sweep it under the carpet because it concerns some other religion not ours, or that it really affects a small minority in Malaysia. Sometimes, the government of the day needs the viewpoints of its people before it can do the needful..

As many as 101 of the 128 Shiite followers who have been detained by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) have had their statements recorded over suspicions of being involved with the banned mazhab (school of thought).

According to a Jais insider, those detained had started giving their statements since being detained last week and will continue to do so until Thursday when the process of recording their statement ends.

They are being investigated under Section 12 (c) of the Selangor Syariah Crimes Enactment 1995, which pertains to committing contempt against the religious authorities.

Section 12 (c) pertains to acting "in a way yang menghina kuasa yang sah (that is in contempt of the rightful authorities), or defies, violates or questions an order or directive of ... the mufti stated or issued through a fatwa."

A Selangor fatwa proscribes being involved in, learning or propogating Shiite teachings.

Those found guilty of an offence for which they have been charged can be fined up to RM3,000, jailed up to two years, or both.

“They were undergoing collective studies (of Shiite teachings). The way we see it, if the lessons were undertaken individually, there would be no problem as we would not be aware of it. But it was done in groups,” the source told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Last Wednesday, scores of Shiites - local and foreigners - were rounded up by Jais during a raid on a shoplot in Taman Seri Gombak, Batu Caves.

Among those reportedly detained were lecturers, university students lawyers and civil servants.

According to the source, two of the 128 persons detained were brought to the Kuang Lower Syariah Court on Dec 16.

Other than being charged under Section 12 (c), the two individuals also face being charged under Section 7(1) and Section 13 of the same enactment.

Section 7(1) relates to the teaching, 'clarification' or performance of any rites or actions relating to Islam, whether on private or public property.

Committing an offense under the provision can lead to a fine of up to RM3,000, jail of not more than three years, caning of up to six strokes, or a combination of the above.

Section 13, meanwhile, pertains to relating, propagating or spreading views on any issue, teaching or syariah judgement that goes against fatwas already in force in Selangor.

Those found guilty of breaching Section 13 can be liable to a fine of not more than RM3,000, prison of up to two years, or both.

The case has been set for second mention on Jan 20 next year.

As many as 126 Shiites are expected to be brought to court the following March 24.- Malaysiakini, 21/12/2010, 128 'Shiites' arrested, 100 under questioning

Perusing the internet, I came across another report in Star Online (18/12/2010), and wonder whether this refers to the same incident.

A GROUP of 200 Shi’ite followers have been arrested by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), reported Utusan Malaysia.

The arrests were made during a raid at the fourth floor of a shophouse in Taman Sri Gombak, Batu Caves in Selangor on Thursday.

Among those arrested in the 10.15pm raid were 75 men and 35 women – locals, Indonesians, Myanmars and Pakistanis – were nabbed. The rest were children.

Also held were the congregation’s two leaders, one of them an Iranian.

Dozens of other members climbed out of windows to avoid being arrested.

Members of the group, which called itself Hauzah Ar Ridha Alaihissalam, included lecturers, students of higher learning institutions, lawyers and government employees.

Jais director Datuk Muhammad Khusrin Munawi called the group “fanatics and a threat to national security” whose members were led to believe that other Islamic sects were infidels.

Muhammad Khusrin said the arrests were the largest of its kind of deviant groups in the country.

He added that the department believed similar cells were active in other states.

Shi’ite teachings are outlawed under the Administration of Islamic Law Enactment 1989 for deviating from Sunni Islam views of aqidah and syariah. - Star, 18/12/2010, Group of 200 Shi’ite followers held in raid