Whatever it is that makes Ayah Pin's followers tick and loyal to the self-styled spiritual leader, one thing is clear. Individually, they have strong views on Islam and their chosen way of life.

One of them who works as a freelance musician firmly believes that Islam and Malays are not synonymous.

Nor Hazam Md Rashid, 33 (right in photo) is convinced that Malaysian Muslims, particularly the Malays, are not practising moderate or original Islam.

"Malaysia practises secular Islam which is used to control the Malays. But this is a wrong practice of the true Islam," he said when met in Kuala Lumpur recently.

He described the 'original Islam' as a religion which teaches Muslims to accept the different races, religions and cultures of the world without prejudice.

"In the Malaysian context, the true Islam would teach Muslims to gel with non-Malays and respect the differences."

He said many Malays supported his views but were too afraid to speak out for fear of official harassment or mass persecution.

"Why doesn't someone get feedback from the Malays on this point? Let them decide what they want and how to live their own lives."

Unreasonable provision

In addition, he said, Malays had no choice in the matter of conversion.

"Thanks to the prevailing constitutional provision, Malays are automatically linked to Islam.

"I think the constitution should be amended to pure or original Islam which ensures freedom of religion."

Nor Hazam said the provision was very unreasonable to the Malays as it goes against the interests of the main ethnic majority as well as against the basic freedom of religion.

He said only in Malaysia does a name denote one's religion.

"An ethnic Indian born a Muslim and bearing a name with the joinder 'a/l' or 'a/p' (s/o or d/o) instead of a 'bin' or 'binti' will be presumed to be a non-Muslim and no one will realise that the person is a Muslim.

"The good thing is that people in this situation are able to live their lives both as Muslims while retaining their respective cultures."

Views like this are openly discussed among the followers of Ayah Pin or Ariffin Mohammad (photo) who live in Kuala Lumpur.

As for those living in Kampung Batu 13, dubbed the Sky Kingdom commune, in Hulu Besut, Terengganu, they too have their own views on Islam and Malay culture.

Nor Hazam claimed that many of Ayah Pin's followers in KL and other parts of the country feel the same way as he does about Islam and the Malay culture.

"Cultural integration in our country is only possible for other races, not for the Malays because of the official mix-up between religion and race/culture," he noted.

"If it's true that Prophet Muhammad had brought the original Islam, then Muslims should be able to easily integrate with other communities. Instead, secular Islam has caused Malaysian Muslims to remain isolated from other Malaysians."

All God's will

He said the respective religious departments now control the lives of the Malays.
"If they (religious authorities) are the country's guardians of Islam, they would not fear Malays renouncing it because they would know that the true religion is strong.

"They fear Malays leaving Islam precisely because it is secular Islam that is practised here. No one has the right to decide another's fate or destiny. It is all God's will."

Commenting on the post of the mufti, he said this is a created position and not provided in the original Islam.

"The country's syariah administration is all about the politics of power and the power of money.

"But who is monitoring the actions of the religious authorities? They have a free rein to do whatever they want to control the Malays. To disagree with secular Islam means that I'm in violation of a fatwa (pronouncement)."

He was referring to the 1997 Terengganu state fatwa against Ayah Pin declaring him a Muslim deviant and which prohibits Muslims from any form of involvement with him.

Nor Hazam criticised secular Islam in Malaysia for "promoting force, humiliation, oppression, unlawful detention and violence".

He cited the enforcement raids, allegedly unlawful demolition of the Sky Kingdom's unique cluster of structures, and the charges against several followers that are pending before the Terengganu syariah court, as the most recent and clear examples.

He contended that Malays are generally more prone to deviant teachings because the prevailing Islamic system in Malaysia is "self-created" and not divine as it should be.

The word sesat (deviant), he argued, was the agenda of the secular Islamic system led by power-crazy ultra-Malays.

"The system is very oppressive... squeezing us very badly and threatening us with terrible things," he said, citing the mob attack against the commune on July 18.

"Just look at what they did to the villagers and the property...the religious authorities used arbitrary action. People should think critically about what's been happening to us (Ayah Pin's followers) in the context of Islam as a religion of peace."

Committed no crime

Che Suhadi Jiman, 40 (right in photo), who has been preparing and submitting appeal letters to government agencies and rights bodies, said accurate information was lacking over the whole issue of religion, race and culture.

"Even where the media's audience are mostly Malays, reports are not on what true Islam is about based on the Qur'an. This is why everyone is confused about the whole Ayah Pin issue," he said.

"We want to rectify the negative public perception about us Ayah Pin followers because we also have our rights under the constitution and the country's laws, and we haven't committed any crime."

He said they were trying to argue for the dissolution of the 1997 fatwa on grounds that it is wrong to declare it without fully investigating the subject matter.

"We intend to challenge it till the end. The fatwa stands because no one knows how to challenge it. Furthermore, no one dares to do so. But I intend to prevent people from being continuously conned by the religious authorities."

Che Suhadi claimed to have been entrusted with the duty of spreading the word and rectifying the errors and large gaps in understanding, particularly on the point of Ayah Pin's deviant teachings.

"The fact is, he does not teach. He merely deciphers or interprets visions that followers have. His only advises everyone to keep repeating God's name in prayer and to do good."

He said Ayah Pin always insists that followers comply with all the laws.

"This is why we have been sending memorandums to Putrajaya (and to relevant bodies) because we want to follow all proper channels and exhaust all avenues."
He believes that the Terengganu religious authorities, whom Ayah Pin followers describe as "the real culprit" in the erosion of their basic rights, have not complied with due process.