Sky Kingdom

Sky Kingdom (Malay: Kerajaan Langit) is the name of the religious commune and sect founded by Ariffin Mohammed in Malaysia. The commune, based in Besut, Terengganu, was demolished by the government of Malaysia in August 2005.[1] As of 2006, Ariffin Mohamed 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to suppress its followers as apostates from Islam.[3] The controversy brought to light the issue of whether sharia law superseded the right to religious freedom under Article 11 of the Constitution of Malaysia.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]
Category:Locations