KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — A woman who was filmed during a stand-up routine at a popular comedy club in Kuala Lumpur and her partner who made the recording will be charged tomorrow after they were deemed as insulting Islam, Bukit Aman's police secretariat has confirmed today.
In a statement, the police secretary Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin said that the woman will be charged under Section 298A of the Penal Code while the man will face Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998.
Section 298A deals with the offence of "causing disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion".
Section 233 is on "improper use of network facilities or network service".
The woman will be charged at the Cyber Sessions Court in the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex, while the man in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court.
The woman was arrested on Saturday, and her remand which initially ended today, was extended by a day until tomorrow. The man was arrested on Sunday, with his remand ending tomorrow.
During her routine in an open mic stand-up comedy slot, the woman's offending skit had her claiming to memorise half of the Quran before removing some of her clothes.
The man's recording of her performance which saw her removing her headscarf and baju kurung to reveal a spaghetti strap top and mini skirt went viral, leading to the ire of many Muslims after it was reshared with the caption claiming that the routine had insulted Islam.
Crackhouse Comedy Club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail which hosted the event has since lodged a police report over the incident, and the duo were banned from the venue.
The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) however ordered for Crackhouse to be temporarily shut down.
National news agency Bernama reported Federal Territories deputy minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias saying that DBKL's action proved that Putrajaya would not tolerate any activities deemed offensive to sensitivities on religion, race and the country’s sovereignty.
Jalaluddin was also quoted saying Crackhouse has been operating without an entertainment licence and only has a restaurant licence.
