‘Help Us Uncover Deviant Group’
By Shafiyi Azahari

Bandar Seri Begawan - Concerned Muslims should take a more proactive role in helping His Majesty's Government track down groups engaged in deviant teachings and their location.

For the, past months, the Syariah Affairs Department has received about 66 complaints about the deviant teachings, but authorities have encountered difficulty in acting on most of these due to insufficient leads.

Many callers refuse to identify the groups and provide specific information critical to addressing the complaints, Ustazah Zakiah Taib, the head of the department's Akidah Control Division, said in an interview with The Brunei Times.

"Some callers simply give the general location of the group engaged in deviant teachings, and it's hard to locate them," Ustazah Zakiah said, noting that callers can be assured that their complaints will be treated with strict confidentiality.

"It is, however, very important not to unnecessarily accuse anyone in public. These issues need to be handled carefully or else they can cause friction between individuals and families."

She also said that her division is keeping abreast of developments related to deviant teachings of Islam in neighbouring countries.

"One of the division's challenges is the monitoring of deviant teachings spread through technology (or new media)," said Ustazah Zakiah, adding that her division tracks websites suspected of spreading deviant teachings.

The three deviant teachings which have been gazetted are those of Saihoni Tasipan, Al Ma'unah and Abdul Razak Muhammad. Weak faith in and knowledge of Islam, and the inability to differentiate truth from what is bogus are two reasons why some Muslims lured by groups involved in deviant teachings. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News

Brunei's Fastest Growing Website with