By Syed Jaymal Zahiid- The Malaysian InsiderKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 – After waiting restlessly for more than two weeks to be charged for lecturing without permit, former Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (pic) has confimed he will be at the Gombak Timur lower syarie court tomorrow to face the charges.
Asri told The Malaysian Insider today that the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department or Jais formally notified him about the court proceeding tomorrow and instructed to be there by 9am.
“I am ready to face them,” Asri replied when asked how he felt about it.
The controversial scholar was arrested by Jais some two weeks ago while giving a private lecture at a friend’s residence in Ukay Heights.
Though Asri cried foul play over the arrest, which he claimed was “aggressively” executed, Jais said the apprehension was not due to the ongoing war of words between them but simply because he had broken the law by giving a sermon without a permit.
Asri had to endure dubious complications upon his arrest when he was forced to wait for hours at the court as Jais prosecution team had failed to show up despite instructing the former to be present there in the early morning.
Later on, another complication arose when Jais officials informed the media instead of Asri that he was to be charged last Friday.
Asri believed all this is proof that his arrest and the charge he is facing is the malicious motivation of his enemies.
Various leaders from both side of the political divide, including former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a known fan of Asri, have condemned the arrest.
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