Only accredited Muslim preachers can hold talks

SHAH ALAM: The Sultan of Selangor has expressed his displeasure at Muslim preachers who put up banners promoting their talks before they even applied for the compulsory preaching accreditation.

“When they don’t get these approvals, they blame the state religious authorities, making it sound as if they are being victimised,” he said, adding that more than 1,000 approvals have been issued.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah explained that the accreditation is necessary to ensure the preachers have extensive knowledge of Islam to enable them to teach or hold religious talks in mosques or surau throughout the state.

“The mosques and surau are not supposed to be a place for comedy or politics,” he added.

His Royal Highness said he was aware of one or two preachers who had made “disrespectful remarks on women” in their talks and that he did not need to name them.

The rule for accreditation also applies to foreign preachers, he added, saying they need to know the laws and values of Malaysia.

“They need to know the sensitivity of other races and religions because we are a multi-racial country, with Selangor a prime example of that diversity.

“No one can just enter Selangor and say all kinds of things in the name of Islam,” he said.

Sultan Sharafuddin also reiterated that politicians are not allowed to use the mosques and surau as their political platform.

“This is something I will neither tolerate nor compromise on. Let there be no politician who defies this directive,” he added.