KUALA LUMPUR – Ipoh Timur MP Howard Lee has defended his recent statement in which he referenced a Quranic verse, clarifying his position while expressing regret for any inconvenience caused by his remarks.
Speaking at a press conference in Ipoh, Perak, Lee said that he had sought guidance from religious scholars and ustaz (clerics) before sharing his statement on his TikTok page.
“I apologise to all Muslims regarding this issue, and also on behalf of anyone who might have committed the same wrongdoing,” Lee said.
“Before I dared to cite (the Quranic verse), I referred to Muslim scholars and ustaz (who) educated me on the issue. It wasn’t just based on my own studies.
“I use the term ‘cite’ because the accusation against me is for ‘interpreting’ the Quranic verse. I did not interpret it, I merely cited it, that too on the recommendation (of Muslim figures).”
Besides that, the DAP lawmaker also recalled a time when the party 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.”
He added that while some netizens had opted to leave “threatening” comments on his social media posts to supposedly express their criticism of his actions, he will not be lodging his own police report on the matter.
“To my friends reading the comments on my social media posts, don’t get worked up.”
While Lee confirmed that his statement on the matter had been recorded by police, he did not disclose where it was recorded.
Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain was reported to have said on September 22 that police would be calling Lee to record his statement and that the investigation was being handled by the classified crime investigations unit.
Perak police chief Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri had earlier informed that the original or first report lodged over the matter was made at the Jalan Tun Razak police station in Kuala Lumpur and one report was lodged by Perak non-governmental organisation, Jalinan Bersatu Sahabat, last Thursday.
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 Quran verse, which it deemed was a 3R (race, religion and royalty) issue. – September 26, 2023