KUCHING: Selangor exco members are prohibited from making any statement regarding the Jabatan Agama Islam (Jais) raid on a gathering at Damansara Utama Methodist church (DUMC) on Wednesday by the state’s Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim yesterday.
“Once I receive Jais’ report on the matter I will meet with the Selangor Sultan to discuss and resolve the matter, and to ensure that such incidents do not recur,” said Khalid in a statement yesterday.
“Until this is done and the matter is resolved, all Selangor exco members are prohibited from making any statements regarding this issue.
“As mentioned yesterday, we regret that the incident has taken place and is confident that the people of Selangor do not feel that their interests have been overlooked,” the statement added. On Wednesday night, Jais officers raided DUMC in Petaling Jaya and disrupted a multiracial thanksgiving dinner, over allegations that there were attempts at converting Muslims to Christianity.
The gag order came a day after Selangor exco member in charge of Islamic affairs Hasan Ali justified the raid saying that there was evidence of proselytisation.
In a statement, Hasan said that twelve Muslims had participated in the dinner event in the church premises, and further investigations are under way against them.
Hasan also said in the statement that there was “no raid nor arrest” made, and that the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) had only done a search of the premises following a tip-off that Muslims were attending a breaking fast dinner in the church compound.
According to DUMC senior pastor Daniel Ho a group of between 20 to 30 Jais and police officers, uniformed and plainclothes, entered the premises without a warrant.
Ho said in a statement that the dinner was held by non-profit organisation Harapan Komuniti at the Dream centre, an activity complex within the DUMC compound.
“Harapan Komuniti is a community-based NGO that brings love, hope and peace to the poor, needy and marginalised, regardless of race, language, religion or status.
“The dinner was a multiracial celebratory gathering of volunteers, leaders, supporters and members of the community who have benefited from the NGO’s work,” Ho explained.
Meanwhile, The Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) said the dinner organized by Harapan Komuniti, a partner of MAC, was meant to raise funds for Malaysians living with HIV.
“The fundraising event was a meaningful occasion for Malaysians living with HIV, particularly those who are underprivileged, as it provides them with the opportunity to receive immediate financial assistance and support for proper medication, treatment and care,” MAC president Tan Sri Mohd Zaman Khan said in a statement yesterday.