MY sympathy for Ibrahim Mat Zin (Raja Bomoh) and his cousin Suliaha Abdul Hamid who have been charged recently in the Lower Syariah Court in Ipoh, Perak, for performing the ritual of “tolak bala”.
In this instance, Raja Bomoh was performing a ritual to ward off the floods which had affected various parts of the country.
Apart from the investigation on them by the Perak Islamic Affairs Department (JAIPk) which led to the charge, someone had also lodged a police report on the matter.
Raja Bomoh and Suliaha are being charged under Section 22 of the Perak Shariah Criminal Procedure Enactment 2004 for performing a ritual that goes against Islamic teachings. The prosecution is also looking into charges under Section 16 of the Perak Shariah Criminal Enactment 1992.
When contacted by media, JAIPk director Datuk Mohd Yusop Husin responded by urging Muslims to not to be influenced by such rituals and avoid practices that could lead to superstition.
On my part, I urge the Sultan of Perak, who is head of Islam in that state, to intervene on the claim made by JAIPk against Raja Bomoh and his friends. Whether the rituals are superstitious or silly “mumbo jumbo” is irrelevant. We live in a supposedly free society, and therefore, everyone has the right to do silly or superstitious things, as long as it causes no physical harm to someone else.
But when we allow the religious department to prosecute people for heresy under that legal provision, it means we go back 1,000 years in human history to a time when we burned witches and hanged those who believed in matters not approved by the clergy.
The state religious department should not have been given the power to prosecute for heresy and defaming Islam in the first place, as criminal offences against insulting religions are already found in the Penal Code.
So, is there a need to provide the state religious departments with such powers? Is it not enough that Muslims are already being punished in so many instances; such as for the way they dress or buying Sports Toto?
Rituals performed by Raja Bomoh may not have scientific basis and probably do not have any effect whatsoever in warding off floods or any kind of misfortune. However, we have also endorsed other forms of rituals which have no scientific basis or proven to have the effect that they purport to render. These rituals are allowed because the religious departments say so!
Why criminalise a ritual one disapproves of? Just ignore Raja Bomoh. Islam and its adherents are not going to be affected by some actions of wayward shamans anyway.
Unfortunately, the belief prevalent in the country is that if you vote for a particular political party, you will go to heaven, which is pure mumbo jumbo and a superstition with no basis whatsoever in science or culture. Yet, I am still waiting for the religious department from any state to take action against this organisation and its leaders. The leader of this organisation is a close adviser to the Prime Minister.
“Exorcism ritual” needed on our elected leaders
I am not superstitious but I see the value of bomoh and their role in relieving stress and fear from people’s minds. I grew up in the kampung where “main puteri” was regularly performed and there were occasions when the depressed and the ill were exorcised by the “bagih” and the “ghosts” were taken out of the body of the sick person.
The bagih performer would begin by chanting words in classical Kelantan Malay, accompanied by traditional music. The crowd would rejoice to participate and help the sick person overcome the “ghost” inside the body and sometimes, the sick would recover fully.
My granduncle Pak Cik Soh was one of the well-known “bagih “performers in Kelantan. I still remember vividly his electrifying performance to control and ultimately overcome the ghosts. This is how in the old days, people with depression and those who faced emotional challenges were given help. They had no psychiatrists nor psychoanalysts. There were no sleeping pills or anti-depressants to swallow.
It may be heresy to the Perak Religious Department now but it was fortunate that religious officers in those days did not prosecute anyone performing such traditional rituals.
In the olden days, people in Kelantan were allowed to taste and savour the culture of 700 ago but now, it has been taken away from them in the name of religion.
“Bagih” and “main puteri” are part of the Malay culture and traditions dating back many hundred years. Some say it came about when Orang Asli rituals fused with those of the larger Malay community in helping the emotional imbalanced amongst depressed individuals.
To me, there are “ghosts” inside the leaders of this country that need to be exorcised. If we allow “main puteri” and “bagih” to be performed on them, perhaps there will be less nonsense coming out from them. The level of insanity amongst public officials currently is at all time high.
Whatever it is, religious departments should not be allowed to criminalise certain rituals in the name of Islam. We already have too many restrictions and punishments, all in the name of Islam. The wise Sultan Nazrin Shah should put a stop to it now. – Jan 10, 2022
Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is a former law minister.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
