SHAH ALAM, Sept 29 — Minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom is unfazed by claims that Shi’ites have infiltrated government religious departments, saying any such follower would not have the power to manipulate national policies.

The minister in charge of Islamic affairs also warned Muslims against accusing others of being Shiah followers without sufficient evidence, to prevent any perceptions of unfair prosecution.

“Actually, the question of manipulating policies does not arise... Our policies are not only made by one party,” Jamil Khir told reporters after a charity golf event in Kota Kemuning here.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department explained that there are fatwa councils in every religious departments, whether at state or federal level.

“At every level there are check and balances... It becomes a factor that will streamline each other,” he added.

A local Muslim non-government organisation (NGO) leader claimed yesterday that Shiah followers are infiltrating federal and state religious departments to manipulated religious policies in their effort to take over as Malaysia’s foremost school of Islam.

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia’s (ISMA) Mohamad Ismail told a thousand-strong audience at a Malay Muslim symposium that followers of Shiah are sowing discord among political leaders and Islamic religious scholars, or ulama, by trying to brand and discredit those who are anti-Shiah as followers of the fundamentalist Wahhabi movement.

Shiah, also spelled as Syiah locally, is the second-largest sect in Islam after Sunni, with around 10 to 20 per cent of Muslims worldwide identifying themselves as a follower, mostly in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain.

Malaysia only accepts the Sunni school of Islam as the official practice, other denominations are frequently regarded as deviant teachings.

Jamil Khir also stressed today that there are already ongoing efforts to flush out Shiah followers nationwide, citing media reports today of raids against two Shiah bases by Selangor and Pahang religious departments, JAIS and JAIP, in Gombak and Rompin respectively.

The minister had announced earlier this week that the government has set up a special laboratory to tackle and prevent the spread of Shiah teachings among the people in the country.

Among the agencies involved in the laboratory were the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM), state Islamic religious departments, Education Ministry, Home Ministry and the police, he said.