Housewife is fined RM2,500 and imprisoned for one month for spreading heresy

A housewife received a month in jail and an RM2,500 fine at the Syariah High Court here today for spreading false teachings, specifically the Teaching of Light, last year.

As soon as Judge Syarie Zulfikri Yasoa read the charges, the 42-year-old suspect, Noridayu Hashim, lied and received the sentence.

The charge said that the accused taught a 59-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man false beliefs that were against Shariah law. They said that loving different genders and non-mahram is okay because Kumpulan Ajaran Cahaya is an angel and doesn’t have lust.

The woman was accused of committing an offense under Section 35, read with Section 52 of the Syariah Crimes Enactment (Nine States), 1992.

According to the second charge, the accused conspired with Idris Ami, 60, to mislead a group of people known as Kumpulan Cahaya.

Therefore, if found guilty, the accused could face punishment under Section 52 of the Syariah Criminal Enactment (Nine States) 1992.

From September 2023 to December 2023, both offenses took place at a house in Kampung Sungai Dua Besar, Kuala Pilah.

If found guilty of each charge, the accused faces a maximum fine of RM5,000, a maximum prison sentence of three years, or both.

Noridayu, without legal representation, requested a lenient sentence in her appeal, citing her and her husband’s lack of regular employment and their sole source of income from food trading.

The accused also apologized for his mistake and admitted that he repented for the act.

Syarie Prosecutor Abdul Wafi Ramli recommended that the court impose a sentence that is both appropriate and commensurate with the severity of the offense.

According to the case’s facts, the accused claimed he intended to hug a 65-year-old man in a meeting in violation of Islamic law, but the man rejected him before the accused explained that adherents of the Teachings of Light are angels and do not experience lust.

On October 4, the media reported that he possessed a holy spirit, a term referring to the spirit of all the apostles, and believed he had attained a high level, negating the necessity for worship.

The teaching known as the Teaching of Light masterminded by this man is more widely spread through social media, whose members on the Telegram application reach 5,000 people.