THE infamous self-proclaimed Raja Bomoh Ibrahim Mat Zain has threatened to sue the religious department over claims that his recent ritual to hold back floodwaters was heretical and contradicted Islamic teachings.
He claimed that the ritual he had conducted in Teluk Intan was solely for Allah (SWT) to prevent floods in the district through traditional means.
“My purpose is so that there will not be any major floods in Teluk Intan. I did it so that Sungai Manik, Labu Kubong, Kampung Gajah, Parit and Bagan Datuk won’t get flooded. I prayed and used leaves and sticks that were released into the river.
“My goal is to save the cemetery and to avoid the royal tomb from being swept away. My parents and many of my descendants were buried in Teluk Intan. It is not my intention to be prideful or want publicity.”
A 25-minute video of the “tepung tawar” ceremony at Dataran JPS Teluk Intan that went viral recently showed Ibrahim performing a ritual using ingredients including rice, turmeric, flowers and leaves which were then washed into the sea.
A woman called Puteri Zaleha was also shown seated next to him on the ground singing a Mayang Sari song while the Quran is open in front of them.
According to Ibrahim, he had discussed the matter with his lawyers and will proceed to file a RM300 mil defamation suit against the religious department that had accused him of conducting a ritual that contravened Islamic beliefs, he said in a video on his Datok Ibrahim Md Zin Facebook page on Thursday (Jan 6).
The “department” that Ibrahim was referring to was presumed to be the Prime Minister’s Department in- charge of religious affairs.
Its deputy minister Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary had previously quoted as saying that the ritual conducted by Ibrahim clearly had elements that “contradicted Islamic teachings”.
Ibrahim went on to say that since Malaysia was a democratic country, the religious department should have called him up for a discussion and reprimanded him if they had found that he had done something wrong.
He also criticised how the authorities had dealt with the ceremony and argued that there should have been more discretion in that matter.
Meanwhile, Hilir Perak OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Adnan Basri confirmed that a report was made by the 71-year-old at 12.30 am Thursday (Jan 6) at the Teluk Intan police station.
“Raja Bomoh lodged the report to rebut allegations that his ritual contravened Islamic beliefs. He said he was just praying that people won’t be harmed by the floods,” he said.
ACP Ahmad Adnan said the report has been referred to the Perak Islamic Affairs Department (JAIPk) for investigation.
On Wednesday (Jan 5), JAIPk director Datuk Mohd Yusop Husin reportedly said Ibrahim and others who participated in the ceremony will be called up for questioning.
He said the case will be investigated under Section 14 of the state’s Crimes (Syariah) Enactment 1992 for besmirching or insulting Islam. – Jan 7, 2022
