‘Attack on Shi’ites a diversion tactic’

Islamic authorities and the Malay mainstream media have joined forces to attack the Shi'ite community, a leader said.

PETALING JAYA: Raids conducted against the Shi’ite Islamic community are nothing more than a distraction from the bigger picture, a local organisation said.

Ar-Ridha director Mohd Kamilzuhairi Abdul Aziz said that the Selangor Islamic Department (JAIS) had more pressing concerns than harrassing Shi’ite believers.
“JAIS’ actions are seen as an effort to shift public opinion from the increasing social problems that it is unable to overcome,” he said in a press statement.

Kamilzuhairi claimed that there were over 250,000 babies born out of wedlock; a number that was on the rise.

“JAIS also has to curb the widespread use of alcohol,” he said, adding that Malaysians were some of the heaviest drinkers in the world.

He said that JAIS should have had its hands full tackling social problems, but was wasting its time attacking the Shi’ite community.

He also warned that persecution by the state went against resolutions drafted by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) which supported the Shi’ite school of thought.

On May 24, a group of JAIS officials and police officers gatecrashed a Gombak celebration organised by the Shi’ite community.

Although given official permission with assurances that it was not a religious Shi’ite event, the authorities were nevertheless relentless.

Four Shi’ite community leaders were also arrested.
Kamilzuhairi also took a swipe at the Malay mainstream media for their negative portrayal of the Shi’ite community.

He said that Berita Harian, Kosmo and Utusan Malaysia had labelled Shi’ite beliefs as “deviant teachings” or as “serious threats”.

These included a May 25 Kosmo headline that read: “Deviant groups practise contract marriage”; a message Kamilzuhairi described as slander.