Kedah Syiah leader challenges monarchy institution, says Jamil Khir

The move taken by Kedah Syiah leader Abdullah Hassan to lodge a police report against Mufti of Kedah Datuk Sheikh Baderudin Ahmad last Sunday can be deemed as challenging the monarchy institution, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said.

He said this was because the state mufti was appointed by the Sultan of Kedah Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, who is also the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and leader of the Islamic faith in Kedah and in Malaysia.

"By lodging the police report against the state mufti, the Syiah leader has shown a total disregard for the state mufti's fatwa (edict), state's constitution and state's Islamic laws, hence challenging the Sultan of Kedah," he told reporters when met at Kampung Dato Abdullah, Sungai Limau near here today.

Jamil Khir said the state government should take proper action against the Syiah leader and his followers for making such unhealthy provocations.

He said he personally would meet with religious council enforcement officers and syariah lawyers in Kuala Lumpur next Wednesday to discuss ways and methods to combat the spread of Syiah teachings and actions that could be taken against them under state Islamic laws.

On the threat given by the Syiah leader to publish a 500-page book on Syiah teachings if he or his followers were arrested, Jamil Khir said the Islamic Religious Council had all the powers to stop that from happening.

The Syiah leader lodged the report against Sheikh Baderudin at Kota Setar police headquarters on Sunday.

He claimed that the mufti had purposely informed Tuanku Abdul Halim that the existence of the Syiah Immamiah Ja'afariah community in Kedah had caused disharmony among the people in the state.