Skip to main content.
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
A Random Image
Sky Kingdom | Ayah Pin:

Judge visits commune: Sky Kingdom now resembles wasteland

The Star, Malasia
Mar. 9, 2006
thestar.com.my

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 13881 • Posted: Thursday March 9, 2006  

Click here... More articles on this topic: Sky Kingdom | Ayah Pin

JERTEH: The land on which a two-storey high teapot and a giant umbrella, all symbols of the Sky Kingdom sect, once stood majestically now resembled a wasteland.

This was the sight that greeted court officials who visited the commune in Kampung Batu 13 in Hulu Besut near here yesterday.

Syariah High Court Judge Mohamad Abdullah made the visit in relation to the ongoing trial of 47 sect followers charged with not adhering to a state fatwa declaring the sect’s teachings as deviant.

Sky Kingdom

The Sky Kingdom was a quasi-religious interfaith commune located in the eastern Malaysian state of Terengganu.

Malaysia demolished the commune in August, 2005

While Malaysia has a secular legal system, the country is ruled by a ‘moderate’ Muslim majority.

“Muslims in Malaysia come under the purview of religious courts that are not part of the secular federal legal system. Any attempt to deviate from Islamic teachings, or to leave the religion, can bring harsh penalties from the religious courts.” [Source]

Sky Kingdom leader Ayah Pin claims to be a deity

The group includes former Muslims

He also wanted to confirm the description of the structures in the commune given in the testimonies of 12 prosecution witnesses.

Among the 50-odd people present during the 30-minute visit were chief Syarie prosecutor Mustafar Hamzah, counsel Sa’adiah Din, witnesses, police personnel and officials from the state religious department.

Also present were Zaharah Awang, Ruzilan Mukhtar and Nik Kamariah Nik Pah, the second, third and fourth wives of sect leader Ariffin Mohamad, better known as Ayah Pin.

(His first wife Che Minah Remeli is on the run from the state religious department.)

A graveyard was left on the 2.04ha site; other concrete buildings were torn down on July 31 last year. However, the 30-odd wooden houses of the followers had been spared.

Mohamad spent about 10 minutes scrutinising the grave of a Mohamad Ya.

A plaque stated that Mohamad Ya was born on Aug 11, 1950, and died on Oct 3, 2003. “Your goodness, patience and struggle will always be an example to us,” it said.

On Tuesday, Kampung Batu 13 Village Development and Security committee chairman Che Jusoh Sulaiman, 48, told the court the committee disallowed Mohamad Ya from being buried at the nearby Muslim cemetery at Bukit Payung.

This, he said, was because Mohamad Ya, who was associated with the sect, had renounced Islam.


What You Can Do From Here

Read More Articles On These Topics
more religion news aboutmore Religion News Blog articles about
Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article
Subscribe
Read Another Article
Find Related Information
cult research search enginecountercult information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults
Find Related Books


Most Popular Today


Share This Article

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:





Counter Cult Search

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.


Apologetics Search

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.

Home
Latest Headlines
RSS news feed [?]
Headlines by Email
News Trackers
Free content for your site
About RNB
Privacy Policy
Contact RNB
Link to RNB
Advertise on RNB
Apologetics Index
Cult FAQ
Apologetics Search Engine
CounterCult Search Engine