SEREMBAN: A retired fireman was sentenced to six months in prison and fined RM4,500 by the Syariah High Court here after pleading guilty to three charges of teaching deviant doctrine related to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light to his son.
Judge Zulfikri Yasoa imposed the sentence on Thursday (Oct 24) on Zolekafeli Abd Ghani, 60, after he pleaded guilty to the charges read separately, and ordered two weeks in prison for each charge if he failed to pay the fine.
Zolekafeli was charged with teaching the deviant doctrine to his 30-year-old son, which contradicted Islamic law by stating that Abdullah Hashim is the third Imam Mahdi and that the spirit of Allah resides in Abdullah Hashim.
In addition, he was also charged with teaching the false doctrine to the same individual by stating that the Quran was altered by Saidina Umar, as well as claiming that sibling marriages are permissible under the condition that they are biological and not spiritual.
All three offences were alleged to have been committed at a house in Taman Ampangan between 2pm and 4:40pm on Oct 12, under Section 52 of the Syariah Criminal Enactment (Negeri Sembilan) 1992 (2019 Amendment), which provides for a maximum prison sentence of three years or a fine of RM5,000, or both, upon conviction.
The accused, who was not represented by a lawyer, requested a lighter sentence on the grounds of suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, as well as needing to support three children who are still studying.
However, Syariah Prosecutors Azizudin Abdullah Halim and Zarul Izham Jaafar requested the court to impose a heavier sentence, stating that the severity of the offences could undermine the faith of the Muslim community.
“If a lenient sentence is given, I am concerned that the community will not take the offence seriously as done by the accused. This false teaching is active on various social media platforms, has 30,000 followers, and uses Malay as its language of communication.
“This is not a common teaching; many have become followers, especially among Malaysians. Therefore, appropriate punishment must be imposed as a lesson to the public not to be influenced by erroneous teachings and shirk that lead to major sins,” they stated. – Bernama
