JOHOR BAHRU: A religious preacher detained by the Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) last Wednesday for allegedly delivering a sermon without authorisation in Pasir Gudang was released the following day on bail.
JAINJ director Nasri Md. Ali said the 50-year-old preacher had cooperated fully during his detention.
“He was arrested at 8.30pm on Wednesday and released the next day. He was called in again yesterday and is scheduled to return on July 3 to assist with the ongoing investigation by our enforcement division,” Nasri said when contacted today.
Last Thursday he confirmed that the arrest was made with assistance from the Seri Alam District Police under Section 11 of the Johor Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1997 for teaching religion without proper credentials.
Nasri added that the preacher had previously been detained in 2016 for the same offence and had evaded arrest during a raid in 2020.
“This is the third action taken against him for preaching without credentials. We don’t stop anyone from giving sermons, but they must obtain proper authorisation from the Johor Islamic Religious Council, as required in all states,” he said.
Earlier, celebrity preacher Ustaz Abdullah Khairi shared a video showing the preacher’s arrest in Pasir Gudang.
