JAIPk director Harith Fadzilah Abdul Halim said action must be taken against the group if they chose to “parade” themselves.

“LGBT is not in line with our culture here. It is also fervently opposed (from a religious perspective).

“The Quran talks about the Prophet Lot,” he told FMT, referring to the prophet who opposed homosexuality.

Harith was responding to criticisms by Justice for Sisters, an NGO that champions better treatment for the transgender community.

Justice for Sisters had earlier today slammed the name of the enforcement operation, “Op Cegah Pondan”, which it said was “extremely rude, demeaning and reflects deep prejudice and misunderstanding about gender identity.”

They also said that such raids disregarded basic human rights and dignity.

Earlier, JAIPk said they nabbed five transgenders six days ago.

According to the state’s shariah criminal enactments, men who dress and behave like women in public places for immoral purposes can be fined RM1,000, jailed for six months, or both.

Meanwhile, Harith acknowledged it was a mistake to arrest the five non-Muslim Thai nationals.

“All of them were released after their identities were verified. Under the (Perak Shariah Law Enactment), we can only take action against Muslims.”