Singaporean security guard jailed 14 days, fined RM7,000 for insulting Islam

Johor Baru – A 56-year-old Singaporean security guard, Mohamed Anim Atam, has been sentenced to 14 days in jail and fined RM7,000 by the magistrates' court after pleading guilty to insulting Islam. The court ordered him to serve the jail term immediately upon his arrest on July 30. If Anim fails to pay the fine, he faces an additional three months in jail.

The court heard that he made remarks deemed insulting to Islam while traveling from Jalan Tun Razak to Jalan Meldrum around 5pm on the same day. According to Section 298 of the Penal Code, the maximum punishment for such an offense is one year in jail, a fine, or both upon conviction. Anim had stated that if the Quran is true, it is a dangerous book that only kills and lacks compassion, something he does not believe in.

The complainant, who overheard the remarks, later uploaded a video of the incident to social media before reporting the complaint to the police on July 31. Deputy public prosecutor Eizlan Azhar requested a sentence that appropriately addressed the viral nature of the case and its sensitive religious implications. In mitigation, the unrepresented defendant appealed for leniency, citing his high blood pressure and an ongoing divorce that required him to attend proceedings at the Syariah Court in his home country.

Police obtained a mobile phone from the suspect to aid their investigation after his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Division in Johor Baru Selatan, in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force.