KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has sent a letter seeking an audience with Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who is in charge of religious affairs, said Jakim is awaiting a reply from the palace.
“(Jakim) regards highly the ruler’s views, advice and rebukes. We will wait for a royal decree to grant us an audience,” he told reporters after attending a religious enforcement officers and syariah prosecutors’ convention here today.
Jakim had said it would seek an audience with Sultan Ibrahim, following the Johor ruler’s instruction to state Islamic authorities to cease all dealings with the department.
This was after Sultan Ibrahim reprimanded Jakim officer Zamihan Mat Zin for criticising the ruler’s stand on the controversial Muslim-only laundrette in Muar.
Zamihan, in a lecture at Masjid Diraja Tengku Ampuan Jemaah in Bukit Jelotong, allegedly made disparaging remarks against the ruler in a video uploaded to YouTube on Oct 9.
Sultan Ibrahim had said the incident had brought Zamihan’s credibility as a religious figure into question.
Meanwhile, during the convention, Jamil urged syariah courts to fine tune their standard operating procedures at all levels to provide better services to the public.
Present were Assistant Minister to Chief Minister Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif and Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department director Yusof Abd Abbas.