Malaysian man arrested for insulting Hinduism on Facebook
12 March, 2019
A 52-year-old man has been arrested for insulting Hinduism on Facebook, Malaysia police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said on Tuesday (Mar 12).
The man, who was arrested on Monday, is said to have posted comments on Facebook using the account name Zamri Bin Abd Razak, said the police.
Screenshots of the comments, where the man is said to have labelled Hindus as "stupid", have been widely shared on Facebook.
This comes in the wake of a series of arrests over insults against Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
On Monday, 52-year-old Mohamad Yazid Kong Abdullah was sentenced to seven months imprisonment and fined RM10,000 (US$2,450).
Judge Hasbullah Adam said in his judgment that Yazid has "challenged the Federal Constitution" which states Islam as the federal religion.
"You are fortunate for being charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 which only provided a maximum jail term of one year,” he said.
Yazid’s sentence came just days after police announced that a Malaysian was sentenced to more than 10 years’ jail and three others charged over similar offences.
The sentence is believed to be the harshest such penalty on record in Malaysia, where concerns over racial and religious tensions have grown in recent months.