According to Ahlul Bayt News Agency – ABNA – The Johor Islamic Department in Malaysia detained a number of Shiite Muslims.
These Shiite Muslims had gathered to mourn Imam Hussain's (A) martyrdom and to recite Du'a Kumayl in Darul Uloom al-Mustafa.
Every Thursday night a gathering is held by Shiite Muslims to recite Du'a Kumayl in the Darul Uloom.
Reacting to the news, Abdolhadi Avang, the chief of Malaysian Islamic Party, condemned the detention and said that both Shiite and Sunni Muslims must be treated equally and there must be unity among them.
Over the past days there has been an increasing pressure on Shiite Muslims in Malaysia.
Also, on Ashura night, the religious police stopped Shia Muslims from mourning in Selangor state. In a raid to the gathering of the Muslims, the police disrupted the ceremony and detained 30 people.
In a statement, the moderate group G5 said, "Shia Muslims in Malaysia should be allowed to freely practice their religion not only based on the Federal Constitution, but also to fulfil an international declaration signed in 2004 by Malaysian leaders, including former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi".
“The Amman message is an expression of the spirit of religious pluralism that defines the understanding and practice of Islam. Its main objective is so Muslims around the world would be united and free to live without sectarian conflicts and strife,” said G25 in a statement today, referring to a document signed by some 200 Muslim scholars and leaders. The group was responding to the authorities’ renewed crackdown on Shia followers in the country. Shia Islam is the second largest Muslim denomination but local Islamic authorities have labeled it “deviant.”G25 said the crackdown on Shias ran contrary to religious freedom, and said Jais should base its action on the Amman Message to avoid sectarian conflicts in Malaysia such as those in the Middle East.
“Jais must align itself to the fact that Malaysia is a free democracy which respects the Federal Constitution as the supreme law of the country,” it said.
“In the case of Shiites, they are recognized as an accepted sect of Islam, and that any form of assembly cannot be misconstrued as propagating a religion other than Islam.”
It added that Shia Muslims' rights were guaranteed by the constitution and followers should be allowed to practice as long as they do not disrupt public order.
The Amman Message was signed in Amman led by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, bringing together some 200 senior Islamic scholars worldwide representing different schools of thought.
The document recognizes the validity of all eight Islamic schools including Sunni and Shia.
