Singaporean gets 14 days’ prison, RM7,000 fine for insulting Islam

In a recent court hearing in Johor Bahru, a Singaporean security guard named Anim Atam was handed a 14-day prison sentence and a RM7,000 fine for insulting Islam. Anim, who pleaded guilty to the charge, was first convicted under Section 298 of the Penal Code, which allows for up to a year's imprisonment, a fine or both. The court was advised to impose a suitable punishment due to the widespread sharing of the incident on social media and its religious nature.

Magistrate A Shaarmini ordered Anim to serve his prison sentence immediately, with an additional three months added if he failed to pay the fine. Anim, aged 56, was required to begin serving his sentence from the date of his arrest on July 30. The complainant recorded a video of Anim making insulting remarks about Islam while in an e-hailing vehicle and shared it on social media before filing a police report on July 31.

Anim, who did not have legal representation, requested a lenient sentence due to his high blood pressure and ongoing divorce proceedings that necessitated his attendance at a Shariah court in Singapore.