Three family members suspected of following deviant teachings of ‘The Ahmadi’ arrested in Seremban

PETALING JAYA: Three family members suspected of following the deviant teachings of The Ahmadi Religion of Peace Light (AROPL) were arrested by the Negri Sembilan Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jheains) at a house in Taman Bukit Ampangan here on Wednesday.

According to Sinar Harian, in a raid around 3pm, Jheains enforcement officers also seized several documents suspected to be related to the deviant teachings, as well as a tablet computer.

Its Enforcement Division’s Operations Unit Head, Ahmad Zaki Hamzah, said the arrest of the husband, wife, and their daughter followed information suggesting they were attempting to spread the teachings.

“The man is in his 60s and a retired civil servant, while his wife is in her 50s, and their daughter, who is in her 20s, is currently pursuing her master’s degree.

“Based on public information, we understand that they were trying to spread these teachings and are believed to have followed them for the past year,” he said at a press conference here on Wednesday (Oct 23).

According to him, the teachings or beliefs are contrary to Islamic law, as they include the belief that the Qibla for Muslims is not in Mecca but in Jordan.

He added that they also believe the current Quran has been altered and distorted by Saidina Umar, and that the teachings of Prophet Muhammad can no longer be practiced.

“They also claim that fasting is not during the month of Ramadan but in December, and that prayer is unnecessary.

“This teaching was originally propagated by a man believed to be a Malaysian citizen in the United Kingdom. He is given the title of bishop and spreads the teachings through social media,” he said.

As a result, all three were arrested under Section 52 of the Negri Sembilan Syariah Criminal Enactment 1992, which pertains to dubious teachings, and Section 35 for conspiring to commit a syariah criminal offense.

He explained that they are concerned that the teachings, which were initially spread within the family, are now being spread to the Muslim community.

“However, further investigations are still ongoing. They are also believed to have taken an oath of allegiance online, following the teachings.

“As far as I have been informed, this is the first arrest related to these teachings in Negri Sembilan, and they will be prosecuted in the Syariah High Court on Thursday (Oct 24),” he said.