RELIGIOUS authorities in Penang will investigate whether tahfiz school headmaster Shahul Hamid Seeni Muhammad violated any regulations under the Administration of the Religion of Islam (State of Penang) Enactment in saying it was haram for Muslims to get haircuts from non-Muslims.

State religious affairs exco Abdul Malik Abdul Kassim said the Penang Islamic Affairs Department would also probe whether Shahul is allowed to teach Islam in the state, adding that he could be charged in shariah court for teaching religion without accreditation.

“If he has accreditation, we will check if he has violated any of the terms under the law, which can have his accreditation revoked by the Penang Islamic Council (MAINPP),” he told reporters in Komtar today.

Under the enactment, the conditions for teaching Islam with accreditation in Penang include not spreading teachings that are against the Sunnah Wal Jamaah beliefs; and not offending races, religions, cultures and cultural practices of local residents that can lead to racial and religious tension.

One must also not touch on matters involving the King and sultans, who are heads of religion; the personality of other private individuals; and the differences in opinion regarding the four schools of thought in Islam.

“Violation of any of the conditions can lead to the accreditation being revoked. The revocation will be decided by the religious council’s Islamic teaching committee chaired by the mufti.
“Legal action can also be taken under Section 11 of the enactment,” Malik said.

In a video uploaded on YouTube two years ago, Shahul had reportedly said it was haram for Muslims to get haircuts from non-Muslims. 

The video, which went viral on social media, has since been removed and Shahul has also denied using the word “haram” in his remark.

In two separate videos, he reportedly said Muslims should not send their children to schools operated by non-Muslims. He also said Muslims should refrain from wishing “happy birthday” and should not greet each other with “hello”.

Malik said since the opposition took over Penang in 2008, the administration has worked to promote peace and harmony among the different races.

“We do not want people to take the opportunity to sensationalise this incident, and even dragging state leaders into the issue,” he said.

Earlier today, Penang MCA lodged a police report calling for Shahul and Malik’s remarks in the media to be investigated.

Malik said on Tuesday that the state did not regulate comments made by religious teachers, adding that tahfiz school management and comments by individuals were separate matters.
Following the police report, Malik told The Malaysian Insight that he did not say the state government could not regulate such matters.

“I didn’t say (the) state cannot regulate. We can bar them (from) speaking at public places,” he said via text message.

Later at the press conference, he said it was up to MCA what its politicians wanted to do, and the authorities should be left to investigate the matter.