Preacher Lew will continue humanitarian mission
KOTA KINABALU: Muslim preacher Ebit Lew will continue his 10-day humanitarian mission in Sabah after claiming that he had to abandon his plans to visit other islands around Semporna.
“I am going to head to Tawau. Complete the contribution I promised in several areas,” he said in a Facebook post.
Lew apologised to the Bajau Laut villagers in Semporna which he allegedly mass converted into Islam recently, for not being able to continue his mission to help them.
“I have to postpone my intention to build schools here. This morning I was informed that I am not allowed to enter the islands of Semporna and was asked to stop giving aid around here.
“I was told I could be fined 100,000 or be jailed for three years,” he said.
Lew was criticised for travelling during the Movement Control Order (MCO) and was pictured not wearing any face masks when meeting the community.
He said that he had only giving aid from his boat, and had bought wood for the schools he planned to build for the children in the area.
He did not disclose who the party that had allegedly prevented him from continuing his mission.
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali yesterday said the police as well as the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESScom) had not stopped Lew from continuing his mission.
“It did not come from us. I’m not sure where, but neither the police nor ESScom has stopped him.
“He informs us where he is going and gets clearance from the local district police chief, that’s all,” he said.
Lew had posted on his social media that he had in the last two days, allegedly converted some 490 Bajau Laut villagers, many of whom were undocumented and stateless and lived in poverty around the islands of Semporna.
Sabah mufti Datuk Bungsu Aziz Jaafar said yesterday that the community are mostly already registered as Muslims.