Followers of Ayah Pin, the self-proclaimed spiritual leader of the'Sky Kingdom' following in Hulu Besut, Terengganu, are worried about the children who were left behind after a raid by the state religious department last week.

Haris Mohamed Ibrahim, acting as counsel for nine of the 48 followers remanded until Thursday, said the women voiced concern about their offsprings when he met them at the Pengkalan Chepa prison today.

He said they have not been allowed any visitor since being detained last Wednesday.

"My clients wanted to know if bail would be granted on Thursday because they want to get out of here and return to their children and homes," he said when contacted after his prison visit.

The 48 were detained following a raid by the Terengganu religious affairs department (JHEAT).

The followers were initially detained at the Besut and Jerteh police lock-ups but were transferred to the Kelantan prison yesterday believed to be due to space constraints.

Re-mention or hearing?

"So far, no one has complained about the lock-up or prison conditions. They just want to get out of here," said Haris, who is representing five women and four men.

"I've also asked for a copy of the court document ordering the transfer, just in case."

Two of the nine he is representing are Kamariah Ali, 52, and Daud Mamat ( left ), 63, who renounced Islam in 1998 together with two others.

Exactly a year ago to the week, the four apostates lost their bitter struggle for religious freedom when a five-member Federal Court Bench unanimously ruled that they had to face syariah charges for offences prior to renouncing Islam.

The remaining seven were also part of an earlier group of 21 followers who were detained by JHEAT in a July 2 raid.

All were released on bail pending charges under the Terengganu Syariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) Enactment 2001 on Aug 23.

Asked about Thursday's proceedings at the Besut syariah court, Haris said he was unable to confirm whether the matter was to be heard or up for re-mention.

"From what I could gather here, it appears to be a re-mention which means a hearing date would be set for later."

Two days before Wednesday's raid, dozens of men armed with iron/wooden rods, parangs and improvised Molotov cocktails attacked the spiritual commune at dawn, torching the giant replicas, smashing glass windows and threatening to kill anyone who dared to step outside.

Mob attack

Terengganu police are still investigating the incident on which several followers have lodged reports.

Contacted today, Besut CID chief Abdullah Abdul Kadir said they were looking for more suspects to assist in the probe into the attack.

"Investigations are still underway but it's too soon to reach any conclusion," he said.

To date, district police have recorded statements from two suspects, both of whom have been released.

Police have issued stern warnings against vigilante action similar to the pre-dawn mob attack.

Ayah Pin, whose real name is Ariffin Muhammad, 65, currently tops the JHEAT's most-wanted list.

A fatwa (religious edict) gazetted on Dec 4, 1997, by Terengganu religious authority declared his "teachings and belief" as "false, misguided, deviant and a threat to public order and destruction of faith".

The single-page gazette notice, signed by then state JHEAT chief Ismail Ali, warned people against getting involved with Ayah Pin's belief or teaching.

In 2001, he was caught, tried and sentenced to jail where he served 11 months after being convicted of insulting Islam.

Last week, the JHEAT with police backup launched a statewide manhunt with tracker dogs for Ariffin and his four wives who successfully evaded arrest.

While villagers and his children claim to have no knowledge of their whereabouts, the authorities believe that Ayah Pin is hiding in the jungle behind the two-hectare commune.

Police in the neighbouring states of Kelantan, Pahang and Perak are also on the lookout based on reports of Ayah Pin's large following there.