Jamil Khir: ‘Shiah moles’ no power to change Islamic policy
(MMO) – Minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom is unfazed by claims that Shi’ites have infiltrated government religious departments, saying any such follower would not have the power to manipulate national policies.
The minister in charge of Islamic affairs also warned Muslims against accusing others of being Shiah followers without sufficient evidence, to prevent any perceptions of unfair prosecution.
“Actually, the question of manipulating policies does not arise… Our policies are not only made by one party,” Jamil Khir told reporters after a charity golf event in Kota Kemuning here.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department explained that there are fatwa councils in every religious departments, whether at state or federal level.
“At every level there are check and balances… It becomes a factor that will streamline each other,” he added.
A local Muslim non-government organisation (NGO) leader claimed yesterday that Shiah followers are infiltrating federal and state religious departments to manipulated religious policies in their effort to take over as Malaysia’s foremost school of Islam.
Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia’s (ISMA) Mohamad Ismail told a thousand-strong audience at a Malay Muslim symposium that followers of Shiah are sowing discord among political leaders and Islamic religious scholars, or ulama, by trying to brand and discredit those who are anti-Shiah as followers of the fundamentalist Wahhabi movement.
Shiah, also spelled as Syiah locally, is the second-largest sect in Islam after Sunni, with around 10 to 20 per cent of Muslims worldwide identifying themselves as a follower, mostly in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain.
Malaysia only accepts the Sunni school of Islam as the official practice, other denominations are frequently regarded as deviant teachings.
