S’porean man, 56, gets 14 days’ jail & S$2,192 fine for insulting Islam in M’sia
The driver threatened to “kick” him out of the vehicle at one point.
A 56-year-old Singaporean man, Mohamed Anim Atam, was recently sentenced to 14 days in jail and fined S$2,191.67 for insulting Islam during a ride-sharing journey in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Anim pleaded guilty to the charge of deliberately intending to offend the religious sentiments of any individual through words, sounds, or gestures. He was ordered to serve the jail term from the date of his arrest on August 18.
The incident occurred on July 30 when Anim was traveling from Jalan Tun Razak to Jalan Meldrum in an e-hailing car. A video uploaded by the driver captured Anim criticizing Islam in Malay and English. The police were notified the following day, and Anim was arrested on August 18 at about 4:15pm at the Sultan Iskandar Building in Bukit Chagar.
The prosecution highlighted that Anim's comments touched upon sensitive matters related to race, religion, and royalty, causing public outrage on social media. Despite citing his ongoing divorce proceedings and high blood pressure, Anim sought leniency during the sentencing. The maximum penalty he could have faced was a year in jail, a fine, or a combination of both.
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