Jheains denies being involved

Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Islamic Affairs Department (Jheains) has denied any involvement in purported conversion attempts in rural and interior areas of Sabah.The clarification came amid pictures posted on the Internet of supposed conversion sessions and the missionary group involved displaying banners alongside the villagers in which its logo was among those visible.

The missions were said to be conducted last year but the pictures only surfaced recently and went viral.

Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif, said the department never granted permission to any missionary group, including from the peninsula, to go to the rural areas in Sabah to propagate Islamic teachings.

"There were several claims about these independent movements preaching about Islam by going into rural and remote villages like in Nabawan and Ranau.

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"The claims also allege that that these preachers also conducted conversion ceremonies for the villagers sometime in November and December, last year.

"The group also used logos of several State Government departments including Jheains on its banner when posing with the villagers in those rural districts," he said.

Arifin said he referred the claim to the department's "Dakwah" division where its Senior Principal Assistant Ustazah Zaloha Ahmad confirmed that Jheains headquarters was not informed of such activities and so were the department's offices in Nabawan and Ranau.

He said Jheains is monitoring the activities of these movements from the peninsula.

"Any independent group or movement that wishes to spread Islamic teachings and values to Sabah need to get permission to spread from the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (Muis) through the State Mufti office.

"There are existing guidelines that the independent preachers need to comply with prior to spreading the Islamic teachings in Sabah," he said.

Arifin said these independent preachers need to learn and understand the culture, sentiment and values of the local communities in Sabah prior to carrying out their religious activities.

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This is because, he said, implementing such activities without wisdom may push the people away and not bring them closer when they are not equipped with certain level of understanding to the culture, sentiment and values of the people in the State.

In addition, he said, he was worried that some people may have a wrong impression and perception of such movements.

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