Sungai Korok tragedy: JHEAIK steps up surveillance at burial site to prevent un-Islamic practices

Sinar Daily

11-07-2025

This decision comes in response to concerns raised by local residents regarding unusual and suspicious activities observed at the cemetery.
Members of the At-Taqwa Mosque committee and residents of Kampung Bohor Karang visited the graves of the six family members on Thursday.
ALOR SETAR – The Kedah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JHEAIK) has taken proactive steps to monitor the gravesite of six family members who tragically lost their lives in the recent Sungai Korok incident.
The move aims to prevent any superstitious or un-Islamic practices at the burial site.
This decision comes in response to concerns raised by local residents regarding unusual and suspicious activities observed at the cemetery.
Its director, Datuk Abd Ghani Zainudin, confirmed that officers have been assigned to carry out ongoing surveillance at the Kampung Bohor Karang Muslim Cemetery in Jerlun.
'We have not placed any ropes or physical barriers around the burial site, but monitoring is ongoing from time to time.
'Action will be taken if there is clear evidence of practices that go against Islamic principles,' he said when contacted on Thursday.
He also urged the public to refrain from engaging in superstitious or irrational activities, and called on local mosques to play an active role in preventing any acts that contradict Islamic beliefs at the cemetery.
Meanwhile, the At-Taqwa Mosque secretary Mhd Shukri Hassan, confirmed that they have received instructions from JHEAIK to monitor the site and have also appealed to the local community to assist in the effort.
He emphasised that the initiative aims to prevent a repeat of incidents such as the alleged act of someone collecting grave soil from the grave of the late Nurly Sahirah Azman, a student from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) who died in an accident in Gerik.
'The mosque does not prohibit the public from visiting the graves, but we stress that no acts of shirk (idolatry) or un-Islamic rituals should be carried out.
'There's no issue with visiting graves, but don't do things that go against the faith. Taking grave soil or performing extreme rituals is not acceptable. We will report such activities to the authorities,' he said.
The late Mohamad Azim Izat Ishak's brother, Mohamad Adlan Solehin, 24, also expressed the family's hope that the public would respect the sanctity of the burial site.
He added that the family understands that many are visiting out of sympathy and to offer prayers for the deceased.
'There's no problem with visiting the graves. But please don't do anything inappropriate. As the family, we feel uncomfortable when unusual or strange things happen at the gravesite,' he said.
Previously, it was reported that a couple, Mohamad Azim Izat Ishak, 32, and Nurul Hidayah Khadijah Razman Efendi, 31 along with their four children, Putra Rayyan, 9; Hawa Adriana, 8; Annayla Humaira, 7 and their six-month-old baby boy, Tuah Haydar, tragically died when their car skidded into Sungai Korok in the early hours of last Saturday. Previously, it was reported that a couple, Mohamad Azim Izat Ishak, 32, and Nurul Hidayah Khadijah Razman Efendi, 31 along with their four children, Putra Rayyan, 9; Hawa Adriana, 8; Annayla Humaira, 7 and their six-month-old baby boy, Tuah Haydar, tragically died when their car skidded into Sungai Korok in the early hours of last Saturday. Photo by Bernama
All six were buried together in a single grave at the Kampung Bohor Karang Muslim Cemetery in Jerlun on Monday.