KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 ― A public apology by one organiser of a controversial dog-petting event was insufficient to convince Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, who labelled the act insincere as it was not accompanied by a look of remorse.

According to a report by Malay daily Utusan Malaysia today, Harussani said Syed Azmi Alhabshi also chose not to field all questions during a press conference on Sunday when the latter tendered his apology for offending Muslims.

“I saw it, (the apology by the organiser) it’s just a game. His face showed no regret, but he smiled, so this is a game.

“I found out after the press conference, (that) when a reporter asked, he ran away not wanting to answer questions. It was a half-baked effort and this is what happened,” he told reporters after opening the National Quran Seminar at the National Institute of Toyyibah Islam (Intim) in Perak.

He was commenting the actions of Syed Azmi, who finally appeared on Sunday to apologise for his part in organising a “I Want To Touch A Dog” event during which some Muslims petted and hugged dogs that are considered unclean here in Malaysia.

Harussani also dismissed Syed Azmi’s apology to the public, and instead told him to repent for violating divine law.

“We take offense at his actions because we are Muslims, but God is angry because he made a mockery of God’s Law, so he should repent and never do it again,” he was quoted as saying in the Utusan Malaysia report.

On Sunday, Syed Azmi read out a press release apologising for any discomfort sparked by the event, maintaining that the event was only meant to help the public overcome their fear of dogs, and not promote liberalism or distort Islamic teachings.

Syed Azmi is not the sole organiser of the event, which was carried out with the aid of around 10 to 15 other individuals, but inadvertently became the face of the one-off event.

Since then, Syed Azmi has been the target of hate-filled messages threatening to injure or kill him, forcing him to turn to the police and online regulator Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for assistance.

Detractors have also spread rumours and allegations claiming that Syed Azmi is a covert Christian or a Shiah Muslim out to spread liberalism or alternative teachings.