Malaysian writer Uthaya Sankar, who was arrested over a Facebook post that allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad, has vowed not to write anything about Islam in the future.
According to the reports, Uthaya Sankar was arrested by the Kaula Lumpur police on Monday over a Facebook post that was put up on April 7.
In his post, Sankar had allegedly written about the issue of polygamy and the Prophet Muhammad, which was alleged to be insulting to Islam. He was Section 298A of the Penal Code, a law that stipulates offences related to creating disharmony and disunity, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of communications networks.
The police had said that they had seized a mobile phone and a SIM card from the suspect which are believed to have been used when uploading the post.
However, he was released after two days after police failed to secure a four-day remand order against Uthaya. They released him from custody on Wednesday.
Following his release from prison, Uthaya said he would never write about Islam in his life. “I always read about Islam, but I have learned my lesson. I will keep away from Islam and not write anything about Islam in the future, that would be the best,” he said. He was speaking to Malaysiakini after he was released from police custody earlier today.
Uthaya said this was the first time he had slept in a lock-up. “I had no problem and slept well last night. The lock-up was also clean and well maintained,” he said.
After his arrest, Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hasan had advised the public to be cautious while making public comments of sensitive matters. “The public should also be smart and prudent social media users and not use the platform to cause public anxiousness and threaten national harmony. Firm action without compromise will be taken against any individual who intentionally threatens public order and safety,” he had said.
