Malaysia swoops on ‘outlawed’ sects, detains 200 Shias
Government only considers the Sunni version of Islam to be legal.
More than 200 Shias—including Iranians, Indonesians and Pakistanis — were detained in one of the biggest swoops on outlawed sects in Malaysia and may be charged with breaching Islamic laws, an official said on Monday.
Government authorities in Malaysia consider only the Sunni denomination to be legal, the Associated Press reported.
Officials raided a shop house in the Gombak district in central Selangor state last week and arrested the group, who were allegedly followers of the outlawed Shia sect, said Nurhamizah Othman, a public relations officer at the Selangor Islamic Religious Department.
It was the largest swoop of outlawed groups in recent months, the department director, Muhammad Khusrin Munawi, told state media.
Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country of 28 million people, is fearful that religious sects may alter its image as a moderate Muslim nation. Malay Muslims make up about 60 per cent of the population, while most of the rest are Buddhists, Hindus or Christians from the ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.
The arrests of the Shia followers have been slammed by some religious scholars, who accused Islamic authorities of becoming more hard-lined. “Malaysia is trying to become a country like Taliban that only allows one school of thought,” said prominent Muslim scholar Asri Zainul Abidin.
“I personally don’t agree with Shia teachings and frequently criticise and debate with them, but I cannot accept the allegedly democratic Malaysian government’s approach in denying the people’s right to practice their faith,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2010.
Government authorities in Malaysia consider only the Sunni denomination to be legal, the Associated Press reported.
Officials raided a shop house in the Gombak district in central Selangor state last week and arrested the group, who were allegedly followers of the outlawed Shia sect, said Nurhamizah Othman, a public relations officer at the Selangor Islamic Religious Department.
It was the largest swoop of outlawed groups in recent months, the department director, Muhammad Khusrin Munawi, told state media.
Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country of 28 million people, is fearful that religious sects may alter its image as a moderate Muslim nation. Malay Muslims make up about 60 per cent of the population, while most of the rest are Buddhists, Hindus or Christians from the ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.
The arrests of the Shia followers have been slammed by some religious scholars, who accused Islamic authorities of becoming more hard-lined. “Malaysia is trying to become a country like Taliban that only allows one school of thought,” said prominent Muslim scholar Asri Zainul Abidin.
“I personally don’t agree with Shia teachings and frequently criticise and debate with them, but I cannot accept the allegedly democratic Malaysian government’s approach in denying the people’s right to practice their faith,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2010.