Ayah Pin, the self-proclaimed leader of the Sky Kingdom, has yet to hear from the authorities, following an announcement last week that he is being investigated and may possibly be detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

In a telephone interview on Saturday evening, Ayah Pin, whose real name is Ariffin Mohammad, confirmed that he was at the settlement that serves as his base in Terengganu.

"I'm preparing for a gathering tonight. There is a big crowd here at the village for the weekend," he told malaysiakini.

"Our activities are proceeding as usual. We have had no problems with the authorities so far and many people have been coming to our village."

He was referring to the weekend gatherings that are known to attract followers from all walks of life. Others have visited him out of curiosity.

Last week, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdullah Mohd Zin had announced that the Internal Security Ministry was probing into Ayah Pin's activities after the Islamic Development Department deemed him a threat to the country's Muslim community.

'Not afraid'

A confident Ayah Pin echoed his followers' sentiments about not being afraid of being arrested.

"I'll wait here just in case anyone wants to come and see me. I will not run away because I have not done anything wrong. I'm not cheating anyone or doing bad things to people," he said.

"We're only trying to help people. Our work is not just for those who are here but also those who are not."

Ayah Pin said that two days before the general election on March 21, Abdullah himself had visited Kampung Batu 13 located 20km from the nearest town of Jerteh. (Abdullah is the member of Parliament for Besut in Terengganu.)

"Unfortunately, I wasn't home at the time. But I was told that (Abdullah) was asking about the unique structures we have built based on the blueprint from the Sky Kingdom," he explained.

"When our people told him that I wasn't around, he said he would return after the election but we haven't seen him since. I know that politicians are generally scared of meeting me although I don't know why."

Ayah Pin's right-hand man, musician Rosly Abdul Samad, said highly-placed Umno sources had told him that the activities and movements of those involved are being monitored and under investigations.

"Use of the ISA is for threats against national security which means a threat to the government. Ayah Pin is nothing like that. He's only doing good things by uniting people from different faiths."

Rosly confirmed that none of them have been contacted by the authorities to date.

Meanwhile, Ayah Pin's group is expecting a delegation from Bali for a visit during Hari Raya Aidilfitri next month. It is expected to be in Malaysia for two weeks.

"We plan to discuss the unity of Hindus in Bali and how I can help to bring that about, but as of now I'm not sure what exactly is on the agenda," Ayah Pin said.
Over the last year couple of years, Ayah Pin, 64, has visited the Hindu temple in Batu Caves and Bali's largest and holiest Hindu shrine, the Besakih Temple complex.

He said the Bali visit and repeated trips to the Orang Asli villages in Johor may have caused some uneasiness in the government.

"The Orang Asli there are 100 percent our followers. This may be the real problem because the government is finding it difficult to control the spread of our good work," he added.