SINGAPOREAN JAILED 6 MONTHS, FINED RM6,000 FOR TEACHING DEVIANT DOCTRINES

SEREMBAN, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- A Singaporean man was sentenced to six months in prison and fined RM6,000 after pleading guilty in the Syariah High Court today to three charges of teaching deviant doctrines that contradicted Islamic law last year.

Unrepresented by counsel, Idris Ami, 60, made the guilty plea after the charges were read to him separately before Syariah Judge Zulfikri Yasoa'. The court also ordered a two-month jail term for each charge if he fails to pay the fine.

He was accused of promoting actions contrary to Islamic law to a group of individuals known as "Kumpulan Cahaya", allowing the opposite sex to embrace, claiming it was based on love from the heart rather than physical desire. The act is said to have occurred at a house in Kuala Pilah between September and December 2023.

For the second and third charges, he was accused of teaching false doctrines to two men, aged 42 and 46, by claiming to be a present-time prophet and asserting that he embodied the spirits of past prophets. He committed the offence at the same location around 11 pm between Oct 6 and 8, 2023.

The charges were framed under Section 52 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment (Negeri Sembilan) 1992, amended in 2019, providing a fine of up to RM5,000, a maximum prison sentence of three years, or both.

The forklift driver pleaded not guilty to the second and third charges in previous proceedings. However, Idris changed his plea to guilty during today's proceedings.

Chief Syariah Prosecutor Raja Mazelan Raja Deraman asked the court to impose a severe sentence, arguing that the actions and teachings propagated were deviant and contrary to Islamic law, leading to shirk (associating partners with Allah), kufr (disbelief), and apostasy, which could ultimately cause division within the community.

"The accused came to Malaysia and spread false teachings to the Muslim community. As a non-citizen, he should have adhered to the rules and laws of Negeri Sembilan.

The sentence should serve as a lesson and a deterrent to prevent the spread of such deviant teachings," he said.

At the same court, a busker, Norasid Md Said, 50, pleaded not guilty to a charge of teaching a deviant doctrine to a 42-year-old female family member, allegedly telling her that performing prayers has no basis in the Quran and is part of the conspiracy of the Arabs on April 24, 2023, at a house in Taman PGBF Harmoni, Gemas, Tampin.

The charge was framed under Section 52 of the Syariah Criminal Offenses Enactment of Negeri Sembilan 1992, which carries a penalty of up to RM5,000 in fines, a maximum of three years' imprisonment, or both.

Norasid, represented by lawyer Mohd Tajuddin Abd Razak, was scheduled to face trial on three other charges today. However, Raja Mazelan informed the court that a witness, a family member of the accused, was not ready to testify because the accused had allegedly harassed them via WhatsApp.

Zulfikri warned the accused against interfering with the witness, stressing that his bail could be revoked and he may be imprisoned if he continued the harassment.

The court set a new bail at RM2,000. The case, including the three previous charges, will be heard again on Jan 21 and Feb 17 next year.  

-- BERNAMA