In a raid to detain and charge the hosts and guests of a company function allegedly organized to revive the banned Darul Arqam movement, Penang’s religious officials rode roughshod over the accused perpetrators, constantly and mercilessly violating not only their fundamental human liberties but also their Islamic rights to proper conditions of ritual worship. Penang’s Majlis Agama, which defended the reprehensible actions of its Jabatan Agama employees, is headed by Shabudin Yahaya, an Al-Azhar graduate who is an UMNO state assemblyman for Permatang Berangan in mainland Penang. In spite of the ouster of Penang’s BN government in the March 2008 general elections, Shabudin has maintained his ground by insisting that he is a personal appointee of the Yang di Pertuan Agong, the constitutional monarchcum-Penang’s head of the Islamic religion, and connot therefore be forced to resign until his contractual term expires.