SABAH has banned liberalism and pluralism for being deviant, putting them on a list of 16 teachings that are against Islam.

State Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Mohd Ariffin Arif said the state Islamic Affairs Department had banned the 16 teachings, as they were deemed to be against the Sunnah Wal Jamaah, the dominant and only authorised denomination of Islam in Malaysia.

He said the Qadiani and Hizbut Tahrir groups were being monitored as they were active in the state.

“The Qadiani group is now moving in small groups in Sandakan, Beaufort, Kota Marudu and Kota Kinabalu, while Hizbut Tahrir are found in Sandakan.

“Their activities are now closely monitored by the state Islamic Affairs Department, the Home Ministry’s Publications and Quranic Text Control Division and other related agencies to stop them spreading their teachings,” he said in reply to a question by Sebatik assemblyman Abdul Muis Picho in the state assembly today, on whether there were still deviant groups active in Sabah.
Besides Qadiani and Hizbut Tahrir, other banned Islamic teachings or groups in Sabah are Al-Arqam, Millah Abraham, Shiaism, Tal Tujuh, Tarikat Hasaniah, Tariqat Naqsyabandiah al Aliyah, Nasrul Hag, Zikir Hasan Riimau and Awang Rezki. 

Shiaism is the dominant denomination of Islam in Iran, with significant populations in the Sunni-majority Arab world.

Hizbut Tahrir is a worldwide Islamist organisation that calls for the setting up of a global caliphate. Ironically, the group is also against Western values like liberalism and pluralism.

Qadiani is a pejorative term for followers of the Ahmadiya sect of Islam, which has a large following in South Asia.  

 “This year, the Chief Minister’s Department, Islamic Affairs Department, the police and other related agencies were able to arrest eight Millah Abraham followers who had escaped to Sabah.

Ariffin said several proactive measures had been taken to curb the spread of deviant teachings, including organising lectures and distributing flyers. – August 8, 2017.