Under probe for insulting Islam, 'Raja Bomoh' plans to perform ritual to ward off Covid-19 for Johor poll

IPOH, Feb 23 — Ibrahim Mat Zin, who is being investigated for allegedly insulting Islam and violating a state fatwa, today claimed he has been invited by some politicians to perform a ritual to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus ahead of next month’s Johor state election.

Popularly known as Raja Bomoh, Ibrahim presented himself at the Shariah Court Complex here as he was supposed to be charged this morning, but Perak State Syariah Prosecutor Suhaili Ishak later asked to defer the case to April 24 as more time was needed to complete investigations.

“I travelled from Kuala Lumpur today at 6am and came to Ipoh for my court case. After this I’m heading to Johor.

“I have some matters in Johor for the state election. Some politicians have called me to fence up corona in Johor Baru so that there will be no [Covid-19] patients for the election,” he told reporters in Malay when met at the Shariah Court here.

The 71-year-old reiterated that he was only going to Johor to perform the ritual at the request of the politicians, whom he did not name.

“If the politicians didn’t invite me, then there is no reason for me to go. We support all the parties in the country and we are going following their invitation,” he added.

Ibrahim and his cousin Suliaha Abdul Hamid, 62, made headlines earlier this year for allegedly performing a ritual on the banks of the Perak River that goes against Islamic teachings.

A 25-minute video of Ibrahim and Suliaha performing a ritual with rice, turmeric, flowers and leaves, among other objects, went viral.

The ritual was said to hold back floodwaters.

In the video recording, Suliaha was also seen singing a song called Mayang Sari while placing a copy of the Quran in front of them.

Ibrahim and Suliaha were presented to the Lower Shariah Court on January 7, but no charges were made then. Instead, the duo were released on RM3,000 bail each with one surety, which were paid by their family.

Both are under being investigated under Section 14 of the Perak Syariah Criminal Enactment 1992 for defaming and insulting Islam, and Section 16 of the same law for violating the fatwa issued by the Perak Mufti Department.

Ibrahim also said that he had performed a similar ritual during the Melaka state election last November.

Johor will head to the polls on March 12. Early voting is scheduled for March 8.

Official election campaigning begins on nomination day, set for this Saturday.