KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) said today it will head to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) around noon to determine why Turkish author and journalist Mustafa Akyol was detained.

Akyol was held by immigration authorities last night and prevented from boarding a flight to Istanbul, after the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) accused the scholar of teaching without official credentials from the religious authorities.

"We need to determine the grounds of his detention,” Suhakam corporate communications head Jesrina Grewal told Malay Mail Online.

She added that Suhakam’s visit will be led by commissioner Jerald Joseph and the human rights body was also in touch with the Turkish embassy.

Akyol had spoken at two public discussions and lectures over the weekend organised by Muslim moderate group, the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF).

The Sunday roundtable discussion held at the Royal Selangor Golf Club was titled: "Does freedom of conscience open the floodgate to apostasy?”

A public lecture held later that day at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur was titled: "Is democracy still relevant? The experience of Turkey, Malaysia and other nations”

The author of "Islam without extremes: A Muslim case for liberty”, a 2011 book that argues for Islamic liberalism, was scheduled to speak at another lecture yesterday at the Nottingham University’s Malaysian campus here.

But the lecture titled "The Islamic Jesus: The commonalities between Judaism, Christianity and Islam” was cancelled last-minute.