KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that allegations claiming the government had failed to act over an incident involving the desecration of the Quran were unfounded.
He said the authorities are conducting a comprehensive investigation in accordance with existing laws.
The prime minister stressed that in a country that upholds the rule of law, action must be guided by due legal process rather than emotional pressure or perceptions shaped on social media.
“This country is governed by the rule of law, not emotion and speculation,” he said in a statement yesterday.
In this regard, Anwar urged all parties to fully leave the matter to the authorities and refrain from making speculation or statements that could undermine public harmony.
It was reported that a Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) student had been remanded to assist investigations into a case involving the alleged insult to Islam after stepping on the Quran.
On Friday, Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said police had completed the investigation papers for the case.
Kuantan police chief ACP Ashari Abu Samah said that the remand of the 21-year-old man, which was due to end today, has been extended until March 3 after instructions were received from the Deputy Public Prosecutor for several additional actions to be taken to complete the investigation.
In January 2023, the prime minister had stressed that Malaysia would not tolerate acts of burning religious books or texts, including the Quran, the Bible and Hindu scriptures, as Malaysians value humanity and respect the rights of every individual.
Condemning in the strongest terms the actions of Swedish-Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan for burning a copy of the Quran in Sweden, Anwar said there were widespread misunderstandings and prejudices against religions around the world, including Islam.
Malaysia distributed one million copies of the Quran worldwide in response to the desecration in Sweden. — Bernama
