Faisol Abdul Rahman, who was the third witness in the inquiry, said the letter, dated Sept 21, 2016, was sent to schools in the state.
“They asked us to stop our activities and asked people not to support us because they said we were involved in the teachings of Shia Islam.
“These people gave the wrong impression about Perlis Hope. I disagree fully with the letter,” he said during his testimony at the inquiry into the disappearance of activist Amri Che Mat.
The letter in question was signed by JAIPs director Hazman Hassan.
According to Faisol, the NGO was never called up for an explanation of the allegations in the letter.
He added that Perlis Hope had been known to work with other NGOs and government departments before the circular was sent out.
“We worked with the Perlis Health Department to aid the poor before. A day before this programme, I received a call from the department’s assistant director, who told me the programme was cancelled.
“I figured they just misunderstood our intentions. We cancelled the programme but still distributed school uniforms outside the venue of the event in Kangar, Perlis.”
Faisol also dismissed the notion that Perlis Hope was involved in the teaching or spreading of any religion.
“Perlis Hope did not hold any religious activities. One of our rules stresses on not sending any religious messages in our WhatsApp group.”
He likewise rejected the notion that the organisation was focused on Shia teachings.
Amri, who co-founded Perlis Hope, has been missing since Nov 24, 2016.
Amri’s wife Norhayati Ariffin previously testified that five vehicles blocked Amri’s car before he was whisked away, just 550 metres from their home in Bukit Chabang, Perlis.
The Suhakam inquiry will also take testimony on the disappearance of Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth, who were last seen on Nov 30, 2016.