Cops looking for those behind ‘hundreds of tahfiz schools to close’ claim

Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan says the police are heeding the sultan of Selangor’s decree to take action.

(FMT) – Police are tracking down the individuals responsible for claiming that Selangor was shuttering the operations of “hundreds” of tahfiz schools.

Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said such claims could threaten the harmony among the multi-ethnic and multi-religious people in the state.

He said action could be taken under the Sedition Act, the Penal Code as well as the Multimedia and Communications Act.

Hussain said the police were heeding the decree of Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to find and take legal action against the group responsible for such claims, reported Sinar Harian.

He said only one police report had been received from a politician in Manjung, Perak, on Aug 16. It is being investigated by Bukit Aman’s classified crime investigation unit.

On Monday, Sultan Sharafuddin expressed his disappointment with those who claimed that the government was shutting down hundreds of tahfiz schools in Selangor, describing them as “irresponsible”.

He said such an insinuation had led to parents feeling distressed and could undermine the public’s confidence in religious institutions and authorities, particularly in Selangor.

On Aug 17, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar denied claims that the government had ordered hundreds of tahfiz schools in Selangor to close down.

The state government had also denied the claims and said Sultan Sharafuddin wanted all tahfiz schools in Selangor to be registered with the Selangor Islamic religious department (Jais).