KUALA LUMPUR – Ipoh Timur MP Howard Lee will be more careful with citing Quranic verses, said Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, after the two had a briefing session last night.
In a Facebook post this morning, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) said he had met with the DAP lawmaker in Kuala Kangsar, during which the minister had advised Lee to be more cautious when quoting Quranic verses.
“It was a very constructive meeting, an understanding (was established) that Islam must still be upheld as the federal religion in Malaysia.
“(Lee) agreed with my advice to be more careful in quoting verses from the Quran so as to not cause any misunderstanding, especially in the era of social media,” Na’im said in the brief post.
The minister also shared several photos of his session with Lee.
On September 26, police recorded Lee’s statement to assist investigations over allegations that he insulted Islam through his own interpretation of a Quranic verse.
Lee had previously defended his statement in which he referenced a Quranic verse, insisting that he had sought guidance from religious scholars and ustaz (clerics) before sharing his statement on his social media platforms.
Lee had also recalled a time when DAP was allies with PAS, saying: “Then, it was allowed and even encouraged (for DAP) to learn (about) the Quran, but when I cite the holy book now, I am repeatedly attacked.”
Perak police chief Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri had said the first report lodged over the matter was made at the Jalan Tun Razak police station in Kuala Lumpur while another report was lodged by Perak non-governmental organisation, Jalinan Bersatu Sahabat.
The group had urged for police to investigate the matter as it viewed Lee’s actions to be an insult to Islam as the MP is a non-Muslim, yet had made his own interpretation of a Quranic verse, which was deemed a 3R (race, religion and royalty) issue. – October 3, 2023