KUCHING: The Magistrates’ Court here sentenced a jobless man to one month in prison for intentionally damaging copies of the Al-Quran belonging to a mosque in Kampung Tabuan Hilir last month.
Abdul Ismail Saili, 29, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan to the charge under Section 295 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison, a fine, or both upon conviction.
The incident happened at around 8.30am on Sept 17 near a mosque in Kampung Tabuan Hilir, Jalan Setia Raja.
Abdul Ismail was accused of damaging several copies of the Al-Quran with the knowledge that his actions would be deemed an insult to religion.
According to the case facts, the mosque’s chairman was alerted by his nephew that a man had thrown the holy book into a drain in front of the mosque.
Upon inspecting the area, the chairman found eight manuscripts missing, with some recovered from the drain.
A police report was lodged, leading to Abdul Ismail’s arrest.
Investigations found that witnesses confirmed seeing him tear, burn, and throw the manuscripts into the drain.
A bystander, who managed to take photos of the act, expressed anger at the desecration.
During his urine test, Abdul Ismail tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine.
Insp Nur Ain Wong Abdullah prosecuted the case while Abdul Ismail was not represented by counsel.
