Unemployed man jailed one month for damaging Quran books

Court - DayakDaily.com file pic. // Photo: Pixabay

By Dorcas Ting

KUCHING, Oct 23: An unemployed man was sentenced to one month in prison by the Magistrate’s Court here today after pleading guilty to damaging copies of the Quran last month.

Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan sentenced 29-year-old Abdul Ismail Saili after considering the facts of the case, the religious sensitivities involved, as well as mitigating and aggravating factors.

Abdul Ismail was charged under Section 292 of the Penal Code, which provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine, or both, upon conviction.

The offense occurred around 8.30am on Sept 17, 2024, along Jalan Setia Raja, next to a mosque in Kampung Tabuan Hilir.

According to case facts, the mosque chairman (the complainant) was alerted by his nephew who had witnessed Abdul Ismail discarding copies of the Quran into a drain in front of the mosque.

The complainant went to see for himself and discovered that eight copies of the Quran were missing from the mosque. He also found several of these copies floating in the drain, identifying them as belonging to the mosque.

A police report was subsequently filed, leading to Abdul Ismail’s arrest.

Further investigation revealed that Abdul Ismail had deliberately destroyed the Qurans, fully aware that his actions would be perceived as an insult to the religion.

Eyewitnesses had also taken photos of the incident, confirming that Abdul Ismail had torn, burned, and disposed of the holy books in the drain.

The complainant who is a Muslim, expressed deep regret over the incident, given the sacredness of the Quran in Islam.

Investigators found no evidence or medical documentation suggesting that Abdul Ismail suffered from any mental health issues. However, a preliminary urine test revealed that he had tested positive for Methamphetamine and Amphetamine.

The case was prosecuted by Inspector Nur Ain Wong, while Abdul Ismail was unrepresented. — DayakDaily