SHAH ALAM, Nov 5 — A 21-year-old Muslim youth whose participation in Hindu rituals at a Batu Caves temple sparked a controversy made a public declaration of repentance today alongside his mother and younger sister, prior to undergoing court-ordered faith rehabilitation.

Reciting the Islamic declaration of faith before state religious officials at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque here, Aliff Daniel Adli renounced the Hindu and Buddhist rituals he had previously engaged in, acknowledging that his actions violated Islamic tenets and caused widespread distress.

“I once again declare that, without coercion from any party and in good faith, by uttering the words, ‘There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’, I repent to Allah with sincere and genuine repentance,” he said during the ceremony, vowing not to repeat the acts and committing to study Islamic doctrine under qualified religious guidance.