THE removal of 35 mosque prayer leaders (imam) in Perlis recently has exposed the divide between the state’s religious authority – controlled by its widely popular but controversial mufti – and the traditional practices of some Muslims in this tiny state.

Mosques, which in some instances have lost both their imam, complain that the Perlis Islamic Affairs Council (MAIP) and the Perlis Islamic Affairs Department (JAIP), removed them because they did not follow guidelines imposed by the council in 2011.

These guidelines, they told The Malaysian Insight, are unfair because it outlawed many traditional Muslim rituals practised in almost every mosque and surau throughout the peninsula.

They said the guidelines were imposed in 2011 when Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin began his second term as mufti – a powerful post under the state government which sets the direction and policies of Islam and how it is administered in the state.

Writing in his Facebook page on January 9, Asri denied that the removals were because the imam had breached the guidelines.

“Is it true that JAIP removed the imam because they recited the qunut and bismillah loudly while they (were leading the prayers)? Or have they reached the maximum age? Or did they use the mosque as a political instrument? Or they didn’t do their jobs and only collected the allowances?”

Of those removed from their posts, 25 did not have their contracts renewed or were sacked, while 10 others were transferred out to other mosques.

Religious teacher and preacher Mohd Radzi Abdul Wahab said the episode is not exceptional to Perlis and could have been handled better by the authorities and the affected mosques.

“Every state in Malaysia has rules for its mosques and surau which must be followed. It is not fair to say that only Perlis has such guidelines,” said Radzi, who is a former chairman of the Perlis chapter of Ikram, a national Muslim civil society group.

“The authorities could have been more diplomatic handling the issue while Muslims should follow the guidelines because the law has vested the council with these powers. Even our mufti himself has had to follow the rules set by different states when he visits them.

“At the same time, I personally don’t believe that people should be forced to pray in a certain way as long as those ways to do not contradict with the main tenets of Islam.”

Mainstream rituals

Isha Md Akhir, a spokesman for a mosque in Kangar which lost both its imam, believed that the congregation lost both officials because of the guidelines.

For example, Perlis mosques and surau cannot hold tahlil or special prayers to commemorate deaths or hold readings of the yassin, a set of verses from the Quran, on Thursday nights. 

During daily prayers, the imam must also not recite certain Quranic verses, such as the “bismillah” and “qunut” out loud.

Such rituals, however, are mainstream and practised in all mosques throughout Malaysia. The congregation at the Guar Syed Alwi mosque, where Isha is from, has been practising these rituals for decades.

Another Guar Syed Alwi mosque committee member Zainol Abidin Ahmad said the congregation wanted the imam to continue these rituals even while realising that they breached the council’s guidelines.

“These rituals have been practised for years even before the new mufti came on the scene. They’re not un-Islamic so what’s wrong with them? When the mMufti came in (for his second term), he wanted to get rid of these practices.”

Zainul said the removal of the mosque’s two imam affected its daily activities and the replacement mosque prayer leaders were not a good fit.

“One replacement imam is from Selangor, he’s not a resident and it’s been awkward for him and us.”

The council issued letters on December 31 informing the 25 imam their services were no longer required. Some were transferred to other mosques.

A week after these removals, the congregation from about five mosques held small demonstrations outside MAIP’s and JAIP’s offices.

Isha and committee members from the Guar Syed Alwi mosque have also submitted memorandums to the authorities and to Asri, seeking a reversal of the decision.

Perlis crown prince Syed Faizuddin Jamalullail also weighed in on the issue and asked all parties to accept the religious authorities’ decision with an open heart.

“Even if we cannot get our imam back, it is important that their replacements be people from within the congregation so that we know and can work well with each other,” Isha said. – January 10, 2019.