they were later freed on grounds that as ex-Muslims, Malaysia's Sharia court no longer enjoys jurisdiction over them. In 2001, Ayah Pin renounced Islam. The Sharia court accused him of contravening Section 25 of the Enakmen Pentadbiran Hal Ehwal Agama Islam, 1986 (Administration of Islamic Religious Affairs, 1986), stating that his teachings and beliefs were false, deviant, corrupting, and threatening to public peace (membawa ancaman kepada ketenteraman orang awam serta merosakkan akidah). He pleaded guilty to the charge of "insulting Islam" (menghina Islam), and was jailed for 11 months and fined RM 2,900. The Religious Affairs Office hoped that Ayah Pin's arrest would prevent the Sky Kingdom's growth. However, the movement continued to attract new followers, mostly from university students and the Orang Asli. On 18 July 2005, a group of masked vigilantes vandalised the Sky Kingdom's headquarters, smashing windows and torching buildings. Two days later, 58 followers were arrested, and on 31 July, three of Ayah Pin's four wives were also arrested in Kelantan. Ayah Pin escaped arrest and became a fugitive wanted by the Malaysian authorities. Forty-five members face charges of failing to observe the government fatwa (i.e. for continuing to be members of a sect declared as deviant), which carries a fine up to RM 3,000 or two years in prison. One of those arrested faced an additional charge of "insulting Islam". Court cases promise to revolve around the issue of religious freedom, which is theoretically guaranteed by the Malaysian constitution. On 1 August 2005, officials of the Besut Land and District Office destroyed the Sky Kingdom's various buildings, citing Section 129 of the National Land Code (which punishes unauthorised construction with land confiscation). The titular landowner is Ayah Pin's first wife, who apparently failed to appear in court for a hearing on the matter. On 1 September 2005, at a hearing, a trial date for 45 followers accused of violating the government fatwa was set for three days beginning 18 December that year. All of the accused were represented by Wan Haidi Wan Yusoh of Ubaidullah Aziz and Co., who unsuccessfully petitioned the court to order his name blacked out by the media. The group had previously experienced great difficulty in attracting legal representation, presumably owing to attorneys' fear of reprisals or negative publicity. As of 2007, after wide media coverage, the original Hulu Besut commune, now down to 24 members, had reportedly chosen a new