A religious preacher from Perak was arrested under the Internal Security Act on Monday after he gave a lecture at a local factory. Ahmad Jinbaz Mukhlis Mokhtar Ghazali, 42, was arrested around 2pm at the Silverstone factory in Taiping.

They arrested him right after his lecture, said his wife Suzaina Mohamad. He was supposed to go to the bank and come home in the evening like he does every day but he never did.

Suzaina, a homemaker, learnt about her husbands arrest the following day when she was summoned to the Simpang Empat police station where he is believed to be detained. She was given a letter which stated that Ahmad had been arrested under the ISA.

Suzaina told malaysiakini her husband was arrested under Section 73 of the act.

This section enables the police to detain anyone believed to be a threat to national security for a period of not more than 60 days.

Suzaina said her husband could have been detained for his Shiah beliefs and his religious lectures.

She said the police have yet to contact her about his whereabouts.

We hope to meet him as soon as possible. We just want him to come home, she said, fearing for her familys safety.

The couple have six children aged between three and 15.

Six arrests

Police officials have been unable to confirm the arrest. However, a source said Ahmad may be transferred soon to the Federal police headquarters at Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur.

Since 2000, there have been six other cases of Shiah followers detained under the ISA, with one released while two others were placed under restricted residence.

Following the incarcerations, a group of Shiah followers sent a memorandum of protest to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission last year.

The predominant sect in Malaysia is Sunni. Malaysian Islamic authorities have denounced Shiah teachings as contrary to Islam.