THE Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) will place an Islamic religious affairs officer at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), to help monitor posting related to deviant teachings on social media.

Religious affairs minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the placement of the officer will be carried out in the near future, once his ministry identified a suitable candidate for the job.

“Thus far Jakim has no religious officer at MCMC. Hence, I asked Jakim to place a cadre officer as a reference expert.

“When there is a posting related to deviant teachings which will certainly go viral, I hope the cadre officer can take swift action,” he said.

He said the move was taken following viral videos on social media recently involving several individuals who claimed to be followers of the deviant teachings of Suhaini Muhammad or SiHulk.

Na’im said this at a press conference after receiving a courtesy visit from the grand mufti of India and the founder of Jamia Markaz, Kerala, India, Al-Allamah Sheikh Abu Bakar Ahmad Al-Malibari and adviser to the president of Egypt, Sheikh Dr Usamah Sayyid Al-Azhari, at his office in Putrajaya today.

He added that the 117th Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs, which convened from August 25 to 29, 2020, had decided that SiHulk’s teachings are misguided, and deviate from Islamic teachings based on the Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah.

He also said Jakim had been instructed to cooperate with the Royal Malaysia Police and MCMC to combat the spread of deviant teachings, and Jakim would also channel information about SiHulk’s activities to the state Islamic Religious Departments for enforcement action. – Bernama, July 21, 2023.