Having read the newspaper reports on the activities of the followers of the Sky Kingdom , I am still a little perplexed as to why the authorities are going after their leader Ayah Pin. I do not know what the essence of his teachings is.

From what we gather from the press, he is not against any religious teachings. He has stated clearly that the Hindus, the Christians, the Buddhists and the Muslims should follow and pray in accordance to what they were taught.

Some may call him an eccentric, some may even call him a crackpot, but what wrong has this man done? At the back of my mind, I am reminded of the fact that there is freedom of religion in Malaysia and this is enshrined in our Constitution.

The only charge that I feel the police can lay on him is that he is a bigamist. This is because he has declared that he has left the Islamic religion and is an apostate. In that case, if he is no longer a Muslim, he cannot have four wives. Bigamy is an offence under our Penal Code.

Ayah Pin's teachings state that all the religions is the world come under one umbrella. Many people of different religious backgrounds subscribe to this view. The path may be different but the destination is the same for everyone.

By persecuting Ayah Pin, the authorities are giving him more publicity.

This persecution reminds me the story of a man from Nazareth 2,000 years ago who claimed that he was the Son of God. The authorities at that time condemned him and ultimately he was crucified.

I feel that before any action is taken against Ayah Pin, perhaps the authorities should speak to the heads of religion of the other faiths as Ayah Pin involves all religions under the umbrella of the Sky Kingdom.

The correct body to comment on this is issue would be the Malaysian Consultative Council of Christianity, Hindusim, Sikhism and Buddhism. Perhaps they can come out with a statement as to how their religions view the teachings of Ayah Pin.

I feel the rakyat have a right to know the true situation and we should be correctly guided by our religious heads.