A Singaporean security guard was sentenced to 14 days in prison and fined RM7,000 (three months’ jail in default) by the Magistrate’s Court here today after pleading guilty to insulting Islam last month.
Magistrate A. Shaarmini ordered Mohamed Anim Atam, 56, to serve the jail term from the date of his arrest last Tuesday.
He was charged with deliberately wounding the religious feelings of another person by uttering words insulting Islam, which were overheard by a man.
The offence was committed between Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Meldrum here at about 5 pm on July 30.
He was charged under Section 298 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of one year, a fine, or both upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, the accused allegedly made insulting remarks about the Quran and Islam while travelling in an e-hailing vehicle.
The complainant, who overheard the remarks, subsequently uploaded a video recording of the incident to several social media accounts before lodging a police report on July 31.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Eizlan Azhar urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence, noting that the case had gone viral on social media and involved the 3R issues (religion, race and royalty).
Mohamed Anim, unrepresented, pleaded for a lenient sentence, citing his high blood pressure and ongoing divorce proceedings, which required his attendance at the Syariah Court in Singapore.
He was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Johor Bahru Selatan District Police Headquarters, with assistance from the Singapore Police, after a video allegedly showing the Singaporean national making insulting remarks about Islam while travelling in an e-hailing vehicle in the city went viral on social media.
Police also seized a mobile phone from the suspect to assist in the investigation.
