KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Police have arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly insulting Islam via a social media post about socks printed with the word “Allah” found for sale at a convenience chain.
Criminal Investigation Department director CP Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said that the man was believed to be in control of a Facebook account used for the offending post.
“The suspect was arrested on March 20 in Cheras.
“We have obtained a remand order under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code for four days starting from March 21 to March 24,” he said in a statement.
Mohd Shuhaily said that case is being investigated by the classified criminal investigation unit, prosecution/legal division (D5) and Bukit Aman criminal investigation department.
“The investigation is carried out under Section 298A of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said.
Mohd Shuhaily urged the public to be mindful and careful when using social media and avoid sharing any statements that involves the element of race, religion and royalty, which could jeopardise the country’s harmony and unity.
The offending socks were reportedly discovered for sale at the outlets of a local convenience chain, and were later traced to a distributor in Johor that said they were imported from China.
The company in Johor has temporarily ceased operations and was issued a show-cause letter by the Batu Pahat Municipal Council (MPBP) over the incident.
The incident has caused major controversy in Malaysia, with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim expressing displeasure over the matter and decreeing that authorities must act sternly in response.
