Authorities to summon shaman
MALACCA: The authorities will call up controversial shaman Ibrahim Mat Zin, better known as “Raja Bomoh Sedunia” (king shaman of the world), over what appears to be a deviant religious “ritual”.
Ibrahim came into the spotlight recently with a video of him and his followers performing a ritual on a beach to “protect” the country from foreign threats, particularly North Korea.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar yesterday said several reports had been lodged on his antics, which he described as embarrassing, and that investigations would be carried out.
“What he did was a deviant act. These acts are an embarrassment to the people and I hope he will stop doing these acts,” he said at the “Kembara Sang Saka Biru” programme in conjunction with the 210th Police Day in Jalan Merdeka in Bandar Hilir here.
The Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department is also looking for Ibrahim for tarnishing the image of Islam, according to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
Asyraf urged the public not to share the video, as they would be indirectly promoting Ibrahim.
The video, which has gone viral on social media, featured the selfproclaimed “Datuk Mahaguru” (grandmaster) and three assistants wading in ankle-deep water, holding two coconuts, a pair of sticks used as “binoculars”, five bamboo “cannons”, a carpet and a bowl of seawater.
Ibrahim, clad in a suit, recited prayers during the ritual and threw the coconuts into the water.
He reportedly said the ritual was to protect Malaysia from any threat or attack from countries, especially North Korea.
Ibrahim gained notoriety after he performed a ritual at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to help locate the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane in 2014.