Friday sermon slide: Hadi slams 'excessive' actions against Jaim officers

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has criticised the disciplinary actions against officers of the Malacca Islamic Religious Department (Jaim) for including his photo in a Friday sermon slide.

He condemned the measures as excessive and expressed his shock at the penalties imposed.

"I am deeply sympathetic and shocked by the excessive actions taken against the Jaim officers involved," Hadi (above) posted on X last night.

His comments were in response to a Berita Harian report, which revealed that four officers, including Jaim’s assistant director, had faced disciplinary measures over the matter.

The report cited Malacca's Education, Higher Education, and Religious Affairs exco Rahmad Mariman, who explained that the actions - ranging from dismissal to transfers - were necessary due to the negligence that had sparked public concern and complaints, potentially threatening the harmony of the Muslim community in the state.

On Friday (Sept 20), Jaim director Badaruddin Mohd Kassim issued an apology for the error, following the widespread circulation of a slide across mosques and surau featuring a picture of Hadi with the caption, "The peace and progress of the country must be upheld, requiring just and honest leaders, a harmonious society, disciplined citizens, and people of noble character."

The slide set titled “Negaraku, Tanah Air Ku" (My Country, My Homeland) was shown during Friday prayers on Sept 20 in conjunction with Malaysia Day, celebrated on Sept 16.

In a separate slide, an image of the former king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, was mistakenly used instead of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

Badaruddin stated that the department had withdrawn the infographics and launched an investigation to determine further action.

‘Purely political’

Echoing Hadi's concerns, Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin condemned the state government’s decision and questioned why disciplinary measures were taken over mere seconds of slides.

"Have they forgotten that Tuan Guru (Hadi) is a former vice-president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and has authored hundreds of religious texts, including his own tafsir?" the Perikatan Nasional MP asked on her Facebook today.

Mas Ermieyati claimed the complaints may have come from “Umdap” (a reference to Umno-DAP), speculating that the state government was appeasing its DAP allies.

"All of this is purely political. Dismissing or reassigning the officers demonstrates the state government’s narrow-mindedness, injustice, and inappropriate behaviour, especially in 2024.

"Is this being done to appease their DAP ally in the Malacca government? To the point where using the image of an ulama is seen as disrupting harmony?

“Ridiculous," she concluded, using the hashtags #kerajaanzalim (tyrannical government) and #kerajaanUMDap (Umno-DAP government).

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