KUALA LUMPUR — Putrajaya on Thursday (Nov 9) defended a controversial Muslim preacher’s role in running its deradicalisation programmes for detained militants and Islamic State (IS) supporters.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Mr Zamihan Mat Zin — who was investigated for sedition last month for allegedly criticising the Johor Sultan’s ban on a Muslim-only laundromat in the state — was an “asset” in helping to rehabilitate those who had been radicalised by IS or other terrorist groups.

“Even though he is prohibited from giving religious talks in Selangor, his expertise in rehabilitating terrorists or potential terrorists is invaluable,” he said.

“He is an asset when it comes to rehabilitating the faith of those who have gone astray.”

Opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) had earlier on Thursday questioned why the federal government is still allowing Mr Zamihan to conduct the rehabilitation programmes.

“Why does a preacher — who is banned from speaking in Selangor and Johor — is still being given access to IS detainees?” asked PKR Supreme Council member Latheefa Koya.

Mr Zamihan is part of a team assisting the Prisons Department and the police in their deradicalisation programmes. He is on secondment from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to the department.

The cleric, in some of his lectures available on YouTube and media interviews, had also admitted that he was involved in rehabilitation programmes for drug addicts and Shia followers.

Mr Zamihan was investigated for sedition last month after a video surfaced on social media depicting him as saying it was not right of Johor Ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, to ban Muslim-only laundromats in his state.

The preacher also made what was seen as racist remarks against the Chinese whom he claimed were unclean as they allegedly did not wash themselves after urinating and defecating.

As a result, he was stripped of his accreditation to preach in Selangor, while the Johor ruler has directed the Johor Islamic Religious Department to cease all dealings with Jakim.

Following the controversy, deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said on Oct 12 that Malaysia will re-examine an Islamic preacher’s role in its deradicalisation programmes. AGENCIES