JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 21 — A 56-year-old Singaporean man has been jailed for 14 days and fined RM7,000 after admitting to demeaning Islam during a trip in Johor Bahru last month.
Mohamed Anim Atam pleaded guilty to the charges before Magistrate A. Shaarmini. The court ordered the sentence to commence from the date of his arrest on Aug 18, failing which he would face three months in prison.
The incident occurred at approximately 5pm on July 30, as the accused travelled from Jalan Tun Razak to Jalan Meldrum.
While riding as a passenger in an e-hailing vehicle, Mohamed Anim allegedly described the Quran’s contents as lacking compassion and focused only on killing. His remarks were overheard by the driver, Muhamad Danial Haikal Nadzahakim, 29.
The driver subsequently uploaded a two-minute and 20-second video of the conversation to social media, which quickly went viral.
In the clip, the driver can be heard criticising the passenger’s views and cautioning him about the sensitivity of the remarks. The passenger was heard apologising to the driver before exiting the vehicle by the roadside.
Mohamed Anim, a security guard in Singapore, was charged under Section 29B, a specific provision addressing the deliberate intent to hurt the religious feelings of any person through words, sounds, or gestures. The section provides for a maximum of one year’s imprisonment, a fine, or both.
During the proceedings, the accused appealed for a fine, citing high blood pressure and ongoing divorce proceedings.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Eizlan Azhar requested a proportionate sentence, noting that the offence touched upon highly sensitive issues involving race, religion, and royalty (3R), and had caused significant public outcry via social media.
The case came to light after a police report was lodged on July 31. Mohamed Anim was later arrested at the Sultan Iskandar Building along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, Bukit Chagar, at 4.15pm on Aug 18.
