Muslim characters in ‘Mentega Terbang’ promote reincarnation, court told

On 28 November 2021, the Muslim-themed film "Mentega Terbang" was released, but it was banned by the Home Ministry on 1 September 2023. During the criminal trial of the film's producer, Khairi Anwar Jailani, and publisher, Tan Meng Kheng, a prosecution witness, Yamna Ismail, testified that the Muslim character in the film portrayed the concept of resurrections in a positive light.

The witness, who filed a police report against the film in 2023, identified several scenes and dialogues involving the main character, Aisyah, and her parents, which she claimed promoted resurrections, contradicting Islamic teachings. When cross-examined by defense attorney Zaid Malek, Yamna was asked to identify specific scenes supporting her claim.

She provided several scenes, including one where Aisyah smiled after seeing white doves in her deceased mother's tomb, suggesting she accepted the concept of resurrections. Defense attorney Zaid argued that none of the scenes depicted Aisyah believing in resurrections without any doubt. Yamna disagreed, stating there was no scene where Aisyah expressed belief in resurrections.

Zaid then suggested that he might have misunderstood the scene and dialogues, but Yamna remained firm in her belief. Zaid proposed that she might not be able to understand the dialogues without understanding the context, to which Yamna agreed. Khairi, the 34-year-old writer and scriptwriter, and Tan, the 39-year-old publisher, were charged on 17 January 2024 under Section 298 of the Penal Code for maliciously inciting religious hatred.