Besut, Malaysia - A 22-year-old woman was today ordered by the syariah court to return to the right path of Islam after she pleaded guilty to violating a fatwa on the Sky Kingdom sect.
Judge Wan Malik Wan Sidek sentenced Marianna Salim to a year of religious rehabilitation and observation for good behaviour under the State religious department.
He warned her that if she repeated her offence, she would be charged with humiliating the court.
She was the only one of 20 followers of Ayah Pin who pleaded guilty to the charge of flouting the State fatwa. The edict declared Ariffin Mohammad @ Ayah Pin, as a deviant and prohibited any kind of involvement with him or his teaching. It also described him as a threat to public order and Islam.
Those found guilty can be jailed up to two years or be fined a maximum of RM3,000 or both.
Marianna and the other followers were detained on July 2 by officers of the State religious department and police in the compound of the Sky Kingdom sect in Kampung Batu 13, Mukim Tenang in Hulu Besut.
She told the court that she had been a follower of the Sky Kingdom sect since her college days. Marianna, who was unrepresented, was in tears when the charge sheet was read by the interpreter.
She said she had been facing personal problems since young and was told by someone that she could find peace at the Sky Kingdom commune.
"I have been a follower even before my college days. I did not know that Ayah Pin’s teaching was against Islam," she pleaded.
"Please do have some leniency. My parents are divorced and I have yet to start work, please don’t spoil my future."
Marianna said she now realised that the sect was deviant.
Meanwhile, among the 19 who pleaded not guilty in court today were Nik Kamariah Nik Pa, 33, the fourth wife of Ayah Pin, the former drummer of a rock group, Rosli Abu Samad, and police Inspector Azri Karsani, 40, who was based in Ipoh. Azri was suspended from work after he was detained.