THAT his method is not only unscientific but mired in un-Islamic rituals has landed Raja Bomoh Ibrahim Mat Zin into trouble with the Federal Territories Mufti’s Office.
This comes about after Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar highlighted anxiety among Muslims over Ibrahim’s presence at the location of search and rescue (SAR) operation for 48-year-old Indian national Vijayaletchumy who went missing in a sinkhole incident at Jalan Masjid India last Friday (Aug 23).
The 68-year-old self-proclaimed supreme master (Mahaguru) of the Seni Silat Gayung Ghaib Malaysia has turned up at the incident site uninvited yesterday (Aug 28) with an assistant to perform some rituals in the quest to locate the victim.
Raja Bomoh’ atau nama sebenarnya Ibrahim Mat Zin datang ke lokasi kejadian berkongsi kepada media bahawa beliau ingin membantu pasukan SAR mencari mangsa Vijayaletchumy, 48, yang terjerlus di Jalan Masjid India pada Jumaat lalu.#malaysiagazette #KesTanahJerlus pic.twitter.com/ifbTBg1AkQ
— Malaysia Gazette (@MalaysiaGazette) August 28, 2024
He had requested to see the sinkhole to ensure the search was successful but was denied entry by the police.
“In connection with that, I have requested the FT Mufti of Office to summon the individual immediately to counsel him on the limits of belief and faith, and not to partake practices that lead to insulting Islam,” Na’im pointed out in a media statement accessible on his Facebook page.
“The PM’s Department (Religious Affairs) further calls on Muslims not to be influenced by any ritual activity that is against the Islamic faith.”
Earlier, Na’im stated that Ibrahim was charged in the Federal Territories Syariah Court in 2017 under Section 7(a) of the Syariah Criminal Offenses Act (FT) 1997 for the offence of insulting Islam or causing Islam to be looked down upon. He pleaded guilty.
At the same time, the FT Syariah Court has also ordered Ibrahim to undergo religious counselling under the supervision of the FT Mufti Office in accordance with Section 129 of the FT Syariah Criminal Procedure Act 1997.
For the uninitiated, Ibrahim had in March 2014 performed rituals using Zam-Zam water, two coconuts, a “magical” walking stick and carpet in addition to binoculars made of bamboo and a fish trap hook to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Ibrahim who claimed to have over 50 years of experience as a bomoh had become popular after offering his service to search for the victims in several major cases such as the Highland Towers tragedy and the Mona Fendy case. – Aug 29, 2024
