Sky Kingdom

This article is about the former religious sect based in Besut. For the kingdom located in the same region, see Kingdom of Besut Darul Iman.

Sky Kingdom
Malay: Kerajaan Langit
An image of the Sky Kingdom compound showing the large teapot and the vase prior to its demolition, with Ayah Pin in the foreground
TypeNew Religious Movement
ClassificationSyncretic
OrientationAbrahamic and Dharmic-influenced
RegionMalaysia
HeadquartersBesut, Terengganu (formerly)
FounderAyah Pin
Originmid-1980s
Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia
Members22,800 to 7,000 (late 2000s)

Sky Kingdom (Malay: Kerajaan Langit) was a Malaysian religious commune and sect founded by Ariffin Mohammed, also known as Ayah Pin (Father Pin). The commune, based in Besut, Terengganu, was demolished by the government of Malaysia in August 2005.[1] As of 2006, Ayah Pin was residing in exile in Narathiwat, Thailand, just over the border from Kelantan. Eighteen members of the Sky Kingdom commune remain at the mercy of the Malaysia's Higher Shariah Court, with 40 having received leniency upon renouncing the group.[2]

Sky Kingdom attracted worldwide mass media attention in mid-2005 over concerns about efforts by the Malaysian government to suppress its followers as apostates from Islam.[3] The controversy brought to light the issue of whether sharia law superseded the right to religious freedom under Article 11 of the Constitution of Malaysia. This attention was coupled with considerable bemusement over followers' central objects of veneration, which include a large cream-coloured teapot,[4] prompting local and foreign media to dub the sect as the "teapot cult".[5]

  1. ^ Levett, Connie (20 August 2005). "Bulldozers etch boundaries of religious freedom". The Age. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
  2. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  3. ^ "Malaysian sect members arrested". BBC News. 4 July 2005. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference mkini was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Teapot Cult Under Attack". Sky News. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 26 December 2007.