Sodomy: Zaid needles religious minister, comedian rebuts CEO
Published: Sep 18, 2024 6:18 PM
UPDATED 4.15PM | Added former minister Zaid Ibrahim’s comments.
Citing several incidents of children and teenagers falling victim to sexual predators, especially those in religious garb, Zaid Ibrahim urged minister Mohd Nai’m Mokhtar to shift his focus from halal certification to curbing the epidemic.
Meanwhile, popular actor and comedian Harith Iskander ripped apart Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holdings (GISBH) executive chairperson and chief executive officer Nasiruddin Mohd Ali’s response to the police raid on the organisation’s homes, which have been accused of grooming children to commit sexual acts.
Taking to X, Zaid listed several cases of sexual assault which included Tahfiz schools in various states.
“Is what was reported the tip of the iceberg? I am sure we only know a small part of the horror story.
“Sodomy is now an epidemic. Young boys are traumatised and abused all over the country. Yet our minister of religious affairs is only interested in halal certificates,” he said in reference to Na’im, who is a minister in the prime minister’s department in charge of religious affairs.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na’im Mokhtar
His recent suggestion for all eateries and companies that do not sell or deal with pork and alcohol to obtain halal certification led to pushback.
Do like the khalwat squad
Among others, Zaid suggested stationing “detectives or officers” from the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) in all religious and tahfiz schools similar to the modus operandi in monitoring “khalwat” (close proximity) cases.
“Muslim men are now wise. They know going after women attracts the khalwat brigade but not the boys under the guidance of religious teachers,” he said.
The former law minister proposed that Jakim ropes in Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and RTM as well as spend some RM1.5 billion from its coffers to inform Muslims that Islam views sodomy as a serious offence.
Zaid said the syariah courts must also step up prosecution of sodomy cases on children by using the Law of Evidence instead of depending on four male witnesses.
His recent suggestion for all eateries and companies that do not sell or deal with pork and alcohol to obtain halal certification led to pushback.
Do like the khalwat squad
Among others, Zaid suggested stationing “detectives or officers” from the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) in all religious and tahfiz schools similar to the modus operandi in monitoring “khalwat” (close proximity) cases.
“Muslim men are now wise. They know going after women attracts the khalwat brigade but not the boys under the guidance of religious teachers,” he said.
The former law minister proposed that Jakim ropes in Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and RTM as well as spend some RM1.5 billion from its coffers to inform Muslims that Islam views sodomy as a serious offence.
Zaid said the syariah courts must also step up prosecution of sodomy cases on children by using the Law of Evidence instead of depending on four male witnesses.
“How many sodomy cases have they started to prosecute? None. The politicians are only campaigning for increased stature and punishment powers of the syariah courts. Are they doing enough to curb the crime? No,” he added.
Urging the government to flex its muscles, Zaid said parents must be told to be careful in selecting the religious and tahfiz schools they wish to send their children.
“Not all men who teach religion are good. Protect our young boys and not just think of getting to heaven,” he added.
Harith befuddled
Harith, on the other hand, found himself befuddled by GISBH’s top executive Nasiruddin, who lamented that the authorities could have opted for the “advice and discussion” approach instead and compared the organisation’s situation to Gaza.
“Oh, you want them to advise and discuss?” he mused with a look of puzzlement in a video posted on Facebook
“Okay, Um… I am not sure if it is the police’s job if they receive a report and investigate (a complaint), and there is suspected sodomy and sexual abuse, to go in and advise and discuss with the potential perpetrators,” he added.
Harith Iskander
Harith then expressed shock when Nasiruddin admitted that there were “one or two cases of sodomy”.
“What? So he just admitted it. Now, I don’t know about you… To me, this is a crime. Sodomy against children. Rape!
“This is not a case of taking one or two ringgit from your mother’s purse. This is sexual abuse of children,” he stressed.
‘That does not fly with me’
Harith also disputed Nasiruddin’s claim that things “moved too fast” and cited a news report quoting the police as stating that the organisation had been on their radar for more than a decade.
“So this is not ‘pantas’ (swift). It’s not like the police woke up one morning, and (went) ‘oh, let’s go and raid these homes’. No, no, no. This is the result of a long investigation,” he added.
The comedian was perplexed when Nasiruddin mentioned he found it “strange” that the situation escalated at a rapid pace without consultation because he is a Muslim and GISBH is also Muslim.
“How is this (religion) related to the way police do their duty? What are you saying?” he asked.
Harith then expressed shock when Nasiruddin admitted that there were “one or two cases of sodomy”.
“What? So he just admitted it. Now, I don’t know about you… To me, this is a crime. Sodomy against children. Rape!
“This is not a case of taking one or two ringgit from your mother’s purse. This is sexual abuse of children,” he stressed.
‘That does not fly with me’
Harith also disputed Nasiruddin’s claim that things “moved too fast” and cited a news report quoting the police as stating that the organisation had been on their radar for more than a decade.
“So this is not ‘pantas’ (swift). It’s not like the police woke up one morning, and (went) ‘oh, let’s go and raid these homes’. No, no, no. This is the result of a long investigation,” he added.
The comedian was perplexed when Nasiruddin mentioned he found it “strange” that the situation escalated at a rapid pace without consultation because he is a Muslim and GISBH is also Muslim.
“How is this (religion) related to the way police do their duty? What are you saying?” he asked.
Harith was also far from amused with Nasiruddin describing the situation in GISBH following the police’s action as “worse than in Gaza”.
“Sorry, if anybody tries to divert (attention from) whatever is happening to them and compares it to Gaza, as if they are (the) victims. That does not fly with me,” he said.
Last Wednesday, police raided several GISBH charity homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan over allegations of child exploitation.
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