JOHOR BAHRU, May 29 (Bernama) -- Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) detained a 50-year-old religious preacher last night on suspicion of teaching without valid credentials at a house in Pasir Gudang.
JAINJ director Nasri Md Ali said the department’s Enforcement Division, assisted by the Seri Alam District Police Headquarters, detained the local man at 8.30 pm to facilitate investigations under Section 11 of the Johor Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1997 for teaching religion without proper accreditation.
“The preacher delivered his sermon to a congregation and streamed it live on social media. The house, which belongs to another individual, had been used as a venue for daily religious lectures after Maghrib and Subuh prayers.
“At the time of the arrest, several individuals were listening to his lecture at the house, and the session was being livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, but the video has since been deleted,” he said when contacted today.
He elaborated that a complaint regarding the preacher had been raised during a council meeting earlier this month, and JAINJ was instructed to take action.
“According to records, the preacher was previously detained in 2016 for the same offence. In 2020, the department conducted another raid, but he managed to escape.
“We hope that anyone intending to deliver religious talks in Johor will first obtain proper accreditation from the Johor Islamic Religious Council,” he added.
--BERNAMA
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