Church: Jais acted 'without proper authority'

Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) slammed the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) today for carrying out the Aug 3 raid on its premises “without proper authority under the law”.

“We reiterate the fact that Jais and police officers came into Dream Centre without a search warrant,” senior pastor Daniel Ho said in a statement today.

“They intruded into the thanksgiving dinner and interrupted the programme. They took photographs and videos when they came in,” Ho said, adding the officers continued recording and photographing even after exiting the hall.

“The Jais officers issued several stern warnings to the organisers for refusing to cooperate with their demands.

“In the meantime, many plainclothes personnel rode into the Dream Centre compound with motorbikes and some of them went around the compound,” said Ho.

DUMC's statement comes after a week of silence on the raid last Wednesday by 20 to 30 Jais officers, who DUMC said did not have any kind of warrant.

However, the pastor remained silent on allegations that the church had been proselytising Muslims.

“We respectfully submit that this trespass, search and seizure by Jais and police actions were without proper authority under the law,” said Ho.

Yesterday Jais issued its first official statement on the matter, denying that it had “raided” DUMC and stressed that no force was used.

"No force was used by Jais enforcement officers on that night... only after the event attended by 100 attendees was over, did the inspection take place inside the hall," said Jais director Marzuki Hussin (right).

"Reports that Jais conducted a raid, used force and gate-crashed the dinner are all wild accusations," said Marzuki.

Last week, Ho had blasted the authorities for trespassing on a HIV/AIDs benefit dinner by non-profit organisation Harapan Komuniti held at DUMC’s hall, without producing a warrant or the alleged complaint that Jais said their visit was based on.

Incidentally, the same venue also hosted an electoral reform forum organised by the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham), featuring Bersih 2.0 chief Ambiga Sreenevasan and Election Commission deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

Why police in tow for Jais' 'inspection visit'?