Come forward to be tested, Umno Youth chief tells tabligh attendees

PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki (pic) is urging participants of the tabligh gathering at the Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling who have yet to be screened for Covid-19 to come forward and be tested.

Asyraf said even if they had good intentions, these had to be in line with Syariah principles.

"Islamic principles state that the ends do not justify the means," he said in a Facebook post on Thursday (March 19).

The event is the single largest cluster for Covid-19 cases in Malaysia with 576 of its participants testing positive as of noon Thursday.

Asyraf even if participants were not fearful of diseases and claim that it comes from God – he said they should adhere to Islamic teachings.

He said this includes ordering those in affected areas not to go out while Muslims who are healthy are told not to enter infected areas.

Asyraf said he acknowledged that participants were ambassadors of Islam and did not doubt their sincerity.

However, he urged them to uphold the religion's image based on true knowledge and not be the cause of criticism.

Sinar Harian also reported on Thursday that Asyraf had submitted himself for testing and was found negative for Convid-19.

He added that he had appeared on the Wacana Sinar Harian programme on March 12 with Kuching MP Kelvin Yii, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday (March 17).

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said on Thursday that authorities were still looking for 4,000 participants of the tabligh event.

More than 10,000 of them have been screened by the authorities, with half of this number submitting samples to be tested.