He said the cult’s activities appeared to be harmless “at a glance”, and were not a threat to national security.

He said police have briefed his ministry on the cult, including the nature of the organisation, its activities and local involvement. “The key point is that it is indeed on the radar of our security forces,” Sinar Harian reported him as saying in Kulim today, in response to claims by Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin on the matter.

Asri had previously said in a Facebook post that several Muslim MPs and important parliamentary figures here are involved with the cult, which “uses the name of Jesus and makes various strange and deviant claims”.

He claimed pictures of the MPs with the cult, in various places across the country, had been shared widely in the past few years.

Saifuddin later asked Asri to share his information on the cult with police to enable them to begin an investigation.

He said police are monitoring the cult’s activities, even though they are not currently threatening national security. “Their activities come in various forms, which seem harmless at a glance. This may be the reason for the involvement of local political figures,” he said.

Saifuddin said the Special Branch has a special unit tasked with monitoring deviant teachings nationwide and the modus operandi of the groups and individuals involved.