Under pressure, Muslim organiser calls off seminar on Islamic sects in Negri Sembilan

By admin-s On Nov 19, 2014

(MMO) – We are worried that the seminar will create confusion and schism in Negri Sembilan Muslim.

A seminar to create awareness on the different Islamic denominations and branches planned in Seremban, Negri Sembilan this week was cancelled yesterday after its venue pulled out, allegedly due to pressure from the state government, its organiser said.

The seminar, scheduled for tomorrow and Friday, was supposed to be held at the Klana Resort in Seremban, which is owned by the Negri Sembilan state government.

“I had to cancel it. I can’t afford confrontations. The hotel had rejected the event anyway, it even refunded our payment,” organiser Khalid Mohd Ismath told Malay Mail Online in a text message in Malay yesterday.

“I just got a call from them Monday… It said orders from the above. The hotel did not want to be involved in problematic programmes,” he added.

Titled “Seminar on denominational differences and variety of beliefs in Islam”, the event was organised by fledgling civil society Projek Pluralisme Malaysia, which Khalid heads.

The two-day seminar was to feature three guest speakers: Dr Mohd Faizal Musa a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia who is also an award-winning novelist popularly known as Faisal Tehrani; co-ordinator of charity group Religion of Love, Hussain Sajjad; and a vocal writer and activist known as Benz Ali.

Khalid has since announced that the event will be postponed to a later date.

The cancellation also came after the Seremban chapter of Malay rights group Perkasa reportedly lodged a police report against the event, together with several other groups and the Sungai Landak, Ampangan Village Development and Security Committee on Monday.

According to news portal Free Malaysia Today, the report was lodged at the Rahang Police Station as the groups were worried that the seminar would subvert the faith of Muslims in the state.

“We are worried that the seminar will create confusion and schism in Negri Sembilan Muslims. What is the motive of the seminar?” the JKKK secretary Mohd Zairi Abdul Razak was quoted saying.