Cops want Millah Abraham to be declared deviant sect

Kota Kinabalu -- Police have made recommendations for Millah Abraham, categorised by the authorities as a deviant sect, to be banned in Sabah.

"The deviant sect is not banned yet here, but I have brought this matter to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia and they in turn will bring this to the attention of the Head of State," said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

He said Millah Abraham's teachings are clearly not in accordance to the teachings of Islam.

"We do not want the people of Sabah to be deceived or influenced by joining deviant teachings," he said after giving a talk to university students in conjunction with his Syarahan Perdana organised by Universiti Malaysia Sabah here, on Monday.

Khalid declined to dwell further on the matter when asked how many members of the deviant sect are there in Sabah.

He however assured that they are monitoring this matter closely and that action will be taken when the time comes.

"For now, I want to inform the people that the beliefs of this group are not right because they are going against the teachings of Islam," he said.

Last year, police revealed that some 50 followers of the deviant sect have been identified in Sabah.

The then Deputy State Police Commissioner Dato Awang Sahari E.M. Nadzeer had on April 18 last year sbeen quoted as saying that member of the deviant sect included semi-professionals and youths in Tuaran, Sandakan, Tawau and some in the State capital.

Intelligence showed that the group are from the peninsular and some Sabahans are also involved.

It was founded in Sumatra, Indonesia and was declared deviant by the authorities in 2009 due to its teachings which, among others, advocates the use of jihad or holy war in creating an Islamic state in the region.