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Some 3,000 police reports have allegedly been lodged against a Kedah-based preacher after videos capturing him speaking ill of other religions in Malaysia went viral
According to The Star, Global Human Rights Federation president S Shashi Kumar said several groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have banded together to lodge mass police reports against Ustaz Syakir Nasoha at 17 districts nationwide.
Shashi Kumar alone led 100 people to the Sentul district police headquarters yesterday, 3 October, to demand that the authorities arrest the controversial preacher for alleging that Hindus, Buddhists, and the Dayak community are plotting to annihilate Muslims.
“We, the non-Muslims, are fed up of being targeted. Enough is enough. This is a deliberate attack on non-Muslims,” The Vibes quoted him as saying.
“So, we are lodging these police reports because we want this preacher to be arrested immediately and charged.”
“There are many cases where those who insult and defame non-Muslims are only arrested but not charged.”
Global Human Rights Federation president S Shashi Kumar (middle, black suit) leading a group of people to lodge police reports against the preacher at Sentul district police headquarters yesterday, 3 October.
Image via Focus Malaysia
The videos were allegedly filmed at the Abu Bakar As-Siddiq mosque in Kedah in December 2017, before resurfacing on TikTok and YouTube recently
In one of the videos, Syakir said while people who are against the religion are people of Christianity and Judaism, he asked attendees of the sermon to recall which group of people bombed schools in Siam — the former name of Thailand.
“Who are the ones bombing mosques? Is it America or Israel? No, it’s the Buddhists. Who are killing Muslims in Pakistan and India? It’s the Hindus,” the preacher said into a microphone.
“And remember people who practise those faiths are here in Malaysia too. Who are the ones who kill Indonesians? (People of) Papua New Guinea.”
“The Dayaks… until our Muslims are dying. Women were raped, men were slaughtered.”
“Can’t you see? All these show that they are here to attack us.”
Image via YouTube
SAYS sighted a longer version of the sermon, uploaded in March, on a YouTube channel with over 699,000 subscribers.
In it, Syakir told several stories to spur attandees to defend and fight the enemy of the religion.
The preacher has over 100,000 followers on his Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Brickfields district police chief ACP Anuar Omar said his police station has received at least five police reports against Syakir
Malay Mail sighted a police report alleging that the preacher had committed an offence under Section 298A of the Penal Code.
The provision deals with those who cause disharmony, disunity, feelings of enmity, hatred, ill will, and prejudice that affect the maintenance of harmony, or unity, on grounds of religion.
Image via YouTube
Separately, Malaysiakini reported that former UMNO lawmaker Tawfik Ismail — the eldest son of late former deputy prime minister Tun Ismail Abdul Rahman — had also lodged a police report against the preacher.
“(The preacher) is a threat to the peaceful coexistence of multiracial, multi-religious, and multicultural society in Malaysia,” said the former Sungai Benut member of Parliament.
“This report is lodged in the larger interest of our beloved country for the police to investigate and take appropriate action against such an offender who flouts the law in Malaysia.”
“I urge the police, other than investigating him for breach of law, to seek a court order to commit him to mental and psychiatric evaluation at a government facility as I truly believe he is a danger to society and those around him.”
“I believe no person of sound mind would utter the words or threats that he has done.”
The controversial sermon can be found here.