Mujahid asked the public to refer to his interview with The Star, published yesterday in a question-and-answer format. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — De facto Islamic Affairs Minister Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa has denied saying he wants to stop Islamic law enforcers from “knocking on doors at night” during khalwat raids.

In an interview with TV Alhijrah, which he shared on his Facebook account last night, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said The Star’s report yesterday, headlined “No more night khalwat raids or intrusion into Muslims’ private lives says Mujahid” did not come from his lips.

“I only spoke about the offences committed in public and private and I highlighted the abuse of power and intrusion of private spaces which do not reflect the methods and ways of Islam,” he said in Malay, referring to the khalwat controversy.

“I never said to stop the purported practice of knocking on doors at night. Those were additions by the editor who drew his own conclusion based on my statements,” he continued.

He asked the public to refer to his interview with The Star, published yesterday in a question-and-answer format, which he asserted depicted more accurately the message that he wanted to convey. He included a link to the verbatim interview with the daily in his personal Facebook page.

Mujahid was reported to have expressed his disappointment that the misconstrued report had drawn critics who claimed he allowed vice activities, including khalwat, to continue.

In the verbatim interview with The Star, the Parit Buntar MP was quoted as saying that the government has no intention to interfere in Malaysians’ private lives and will focus instead on matters that affect security.