Malaysia's Islamic Hardliners Attack The Teapot Cult

by Baradan Kuppusamy

(IPS) KUALA LUMPUR -- Probably because it was laughable, Ayah Pin's cult -- which revolved around worship of a giant, two-storey-high teapot -- was tolerated for a decade.

At worst, Pin's 'Sky Kingdom' cult was considered a gentle distortion in Terengganu state, where fundamentalist Islam is a way of life.

An assortment of odd-looking structures including an umbrella-shaped building standing next to a floating ark and a large vase for storing 'zam zam' or holy water could pose little threat.

But the 2,000-strong commune occupying six acres of land in remote Batu village gradually attracted followers from distant cities and even foreigners.

On July 18, it also attracted 30 masked men armed with machetes and other weapons who burned vehicles, set fire to the exotic buildings and scattered Pin's followers. Pin himself vanished.

The commune's increasing attraction for stressed-out urban people was what proved to be its doing officials said.

True Pin's followers, mostly Muslims, were occasionally arrested and prosecuted under the Islamic Shariah law for participating in a deviant cult. But they quietly paid their fines or went to jail for short terms.

But nearly all of them returned to the commune after pretending to 'repent' and abide by the teachings of Sunni Islam.

Pin, 65, whose real name is Ariffin Mohammad, is himself a born-Muslim but says he has renounced the religion.

Though claiming to be both prophet and a god of his faith Pin, before he assumed his exalted roles, was an itinerant trader who dealt sometimes in scrap iron and at others in water buffaloes.

To his followers the giant teapot symbolized a sort of cornucopia pouring its blessings on mankind and attracting passersby like bees to honey.

Pin used to say that all humanity will eventually realise that he is 'God Almighty.' He claims all prayers go through him.

"My life changed dramatically since I came here two years ago," said Angela, a Catholic homemaker. "It's a magical place. I used to suffer a lot before and have severe headaches and stomach pains. After I met Ayah Pin I only have happiness."

Who are the masked men? Why did they attack the commune which had excellent relations with local villagers? Was the attack officially sanctioned as some followers claim?

While these questions remain unanswered but the attack clearly shows that tolerance for other faiths, even laughable ones is growing thin and considered dangerous to the establishment of Sunni Islam.

Already, this year, 22 religious groups have been declared deviant and banned.

Two days after the attack, police and religious authorities raided what was left of the commune and arrested over 60 followers taking shelter amidst the ruins. About eight of them were charged in the religious, Shariah Court for practicing a cult officially declared deviant.

The commune's problems started in mid-May when the local authority and the Terengganu state government, controlled by the ruling United Malay National Organization or UMNO, lost patience with Pin and his followers.

Possibly, they were irked by Pin giving interviews to local and international media who were attracted by his bizarre claims and the giant teapot.

The authorities could also have been spooked by Pin travelling to the national capital and to other states to conduct healing sessions. He was also seen in a Hindu temple.

The official line on Pin is that he is a quack who preys on the uneducated.

"This man Ayah Pin can find followers because some Muslims in the country were ignorant and could be easily misled," said Dr Abdullah Zin, a minister handling Islamic affairs.

"The truth is Ayah Pin is just an ordinary human being, there is nothing great about him but he is clever in influencing his followers," Dr Abdullah said,explaining why the group was declared deviant.

Last month, the authorities ordered the structures at Batu to be torn down, stating that they were illegally built on agricultural land and had violated the building code. Pin refused to comply.

Then police raided the commune on July 3 and arrested 21 followers though Pin himself was nowhere in sight. The arrested followers were later released on police bail.

"Mr Pin's gentle cult is seen as a threat by mainstream Islam and was thus shut down," said a sympathetic Muslim lawyer who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal. "Islam here is very strict. Once born a Muslim, you died as a Muslim. There is no escaping this religion."

The constitution guarantees freedom of worship but Islam is the official religion of the state. Muslims are bound by a parallel Shariah law that severely punishes apostasy.

It is legally impossible, once born a Muslim, to renounce the religion. The courts have largely avoided committing themselves on several petitions by Muslims who claim to have renounced the religion.

The action against the 'Teapot Kingdom' comes at a time when liberal Muslims and fundamentalists are locked in a struggle over the right to practice Islam as they see fit, the right to interpret in a liberal and humane way and the right to free Islam from its ancient strictures.

The battle for a less inhibitive interpretation of Islam was sparked off in March when religious police raided a night club and arrested some 100- odd Muslim youths for 'indecent behavior' -- a catch-all category that Muslims increasingly dread. It covers anything from dressing to dancing and patronising pubs.

A subsequent petition to the government by voluntary organizations has won widespread support and even grudging official sympathy.

The petition said: "We question the state's role in defining and controlling the morality of its citizens and its use of punitive religious and municipal laws."

" Forced and fearful compliance with such laws results not in a more moral society but a mass of terrified, submissive and hypocritical subjects," it adds.

Rights organistions are demanding that government arrest and prosecute the masked men who attacked the Sky Kingdom at Batu.

"The incident is an episode of mob violence and criminal acts against unarmed and innocent civilians which are intolerable in a civilized society," said SUARAM, a leading rights group in a statement.

SUARAM wants that people should not be discriminated against "for their views and beliefs as the freedom of religion and freedom of association are fundamental rights guaranteed by the Federal Constitution."

"The mob attack is symbolic of the zero tolerance for divergent views in this country on matters of personal faith," Elizabeth Wong, secretary general of the National Human Rights Society , a voluntary organization that specializes in advocacy, told IPS.