Locals in Terengganu's Besut district are incensed over enforcement agencies' bungled attempts at apprehending Ayah Pin, the self-styled spiritual leader who has so far successfully evaded arrest.

Apart from the pre-dawn mob attack Monday morning, there was also a mass demonstration by thousands from nearby villages later in the same day.

It is learnt that two lead demonstrators were detained to assist in the probe into the attack but this could not be confirmed with the police.

Authorities recently stepped up enforcement after Ayah Pin's claims of being God and the commune's giant structures symbolising the universality of the world's religions were highlighted in the media.

Ayah Pin, or his real Ariffin Mohammad, 65, has gone into hiding since the pre-dawn attack by unknown persons on Monday, resulting in RM500,000 in estimated damages to property.

Terengganu has also issued a fatwa declaring Ayah Pin's teachings deviant but his continued evasion of arrest irked many locals who have been following the issue closely.

Met at a stall near the Besut Hospital Tuesday evening with Hulu Besut state assemblyperson Nawi Mohamad, a group of villagers said the demonstration was to protest the enforcers' lackadaisical attitude.

The men from different villages within Hulu Besut said they were perplexed how the authorities repeatedly failed to catch Ayah Pin despite the combined manpower with the police and General Operations Force.

Don't let him escape

The most vocal was Wan Idris Wan Manan who said there should not be any excuses for the failure to nab Ayah Pin despite several attempts.

"People around here are totally against Ayah Pin and his deviant teachings. As Muslims, we all are. It is a major embarrassment for villagers here," he said.

"What I don't understand is how the agencies could let him slip away again and again. This inter-agency blunders has cost us our religious dignity and that of our elected representatives."

Asked if he knew anything about the attack on Monday, Wan Idris said they were not involved.

"That was by a different group. It was pure coincidence. We didn't know about it until later.

"Easily over 1,000 people joined the public demonstration that morning. But we could not enter because the area was cordoned off by the police and we were asked to disperse."

Nawi said villagers were forced to take matters into their own hands after news of Ayah Pin and his followers was aired on TV and appeared in the newspapers.

"This is an affront to our religion and the locals feel strongly about it but the enforcement authorities don't seem too bothered about it."

Protester Wahab Ghani criticised the enforcers for failing to nail Ayah Pin despite monitoring his activities all these years.

"How is it that they take action but nothing comes out of it. He is still out there somewhere.

"The authorities don't seem to be serious about catching this man whose influence has spread quite far, even overseas, as can be seen from the foreign visitors at the village."

Cat-and-mouse game

Echoing his friend, Osman Abdullah said Ayah Pin has been around for decades and is nothing new.

"But he is much bolder now, thanks to the authorities. Now he dares to challenge the government and the tenets of Islam.

"It's as if they are all playing a cat-and-mouse game where the mouse escapes the cat every time."

Aziz Abdul Rahman felt the issue has got too big and a focused approach was needed before matters got out of control.

"Ayah Pin is the culprit but we end up catching his followers. What's the point? He's still free to do whatever he wants wherever he goes."

Court case today

Earlier yesterday, a raid party led by the Terengganu Islamic Affairs Department detained 59 followers at the Besut district police station.

They face possible jail time and fines under the state's Syariah law when they are brought to the Besut Syariah Court today.

As of today, JHEAT has raided Kampung Batu 13 twice in as many weeks and detained 60-70 followers who face charges of violating the 1997 fatwa.

A group of 21 followers face similar charges on Aug 23 following an earlier raid which grabbed news headlines.

Last week, they filed an official complaint against JHEAT over alleged procedural breaches and sexual harassment.

They wanted nine federal government agencies and legal and rights organisations to probe into their allegations but there has been no response so far.