Malaysia’s ‘Raja Bomoh’ to be investigated for possible breach of Islamic guidelines: Minister

KUALA LUMPUR — A minister has said that self-declared Raja Bomoh, or “King of Shamans”, is being summoned by Islamic authorities to explain his conduct, but clarified that this does not necessarily mean that he is breaching Islamic medicine guidelines.

Mr Jamil Khir Baharom, the minister in charge of Islamic affairs, said investigations have to be first carried out on the individual whose actual name is Mr Ibrahim Mat Zin, after his recent ritual that he claimed was to “fence off” Malaysia from any attacks from North Korea.

“However we are not saying that Raja Bomoh has deviated from the guidelines of Islamic medicine as claimed, but we have to investigate first.

“If the statement given does not follow the law, then it will be an offence and we will take further action,” the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was quoted saying on Tuesday (March 21) by local daily Utusan Malaysia.

The minister reportedly refuted claims however that the federal government was allowing the activities of bomoh or shamans in the country.

“In the village community, experts in massage and traditional medicine is also called bomoh and it is allowed because it does not violate Islamic laws.

“Have to understand lah. Don’t twist statements to say I allow actions such as this Raja Bomoh. That is not true,” he said.

In a separate report by local daily Sinar Harian, Perak exco member Mohd Nizar Zakaria said Mr Ibrahim’s latest actions that had become viral had taken place in Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur, which meant those two states have jurisdiction to open investigation papers on the latter.

He said he was told the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department had already opened investigation papers to probe Mr Ibrahim.

He said the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) had in the past launched an investigation on Ibrahim and sent a letter to his home in Perak, but said his family members and neighbours did not know of his whereabouts and he had failed to show up for the probe. This was before a fatwa issued after a 2014 meeting, he said.

He noted that the Perak Fatwa Committee had after a September 2014 meeting issued a fatwa or edict that any bomoh rituals and ceremonies conducted by Mr Ibrahim with or without any objects whether for medical, bomoh or other purposes was against Islamic laws and haram, or forbidden to Muslims.

Mr Sulaiman Nordin, the village head of Kampung Bermin in Perak where Mr Ibrahim’s wife came from, reportedly urged him to surrender to assist in investigations by JAIPk.

“This matter cannot be left alone because it hurts the feelings of Muslims, what more when the ritual was done by a Muslim bomoh,” he was quoted saying by Sinar Harian.

He also said villagers seldom see Ibrahim returning to his wife’s home in the village and said they have yet to see him this year. MALAY MAIL ONLINE