KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — Federal Islamic religious officers could soon be given guns for protection, a minister said today following the assassination of a Pahang state religious enforcer last week.

Despite acknowledging the risks involved in such a move, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said the proposal warranted consideration for the safety of the religious enforcers.

“Jakim is looking at all these aspects, including regular police patrols at their homes to assure them of their safety,” the minister was quoted as saying by The Star on its website today.

On Sunday, Ahmad Raffli Ab Malik, the head of the enforcement division of the Pahang Islamic Religious Department (JAIP) was shot dead outside his home in Kuantan.

His murder was linked to the “Tuhan Harun” religious cult as well as a ban on the Shiah denomination of Islam in the state by JAIP.

Today, Jamil Khir said that there were eight other groups that were listed as “deviant”, but added that none were as dangerous as the “Tuhan Harun” group.

Yesterday, police released the photofit of Ahmad Rafli’s shooter based on their investigation and public information.

The religious enforcer’s shooting had reawakened public concern over gun crimes and murders that had eased in the lull that followed a spate of near-daily shootings in the country.