A LAWYER has slammed the police for delaying their investigation into controversial Islamic preacher Firdaus Wong, over a video in which he advises a teacher on how to secretly convert minors to Islam.

Rajesh Nagarajan said months have passed without action, suggesting the police are being selective about which cases to pursue.

“It is regrettable that the police, after such a long duration, have failed to take action against Wong. This smacks of selective investigation and the police should be held accountable for misusing their powers for not completing their investigation against Wong. This is despite clear evidence that has been submitted to the police,” Rajesh told The Malaysian Insight.

In June, a video went viral of Wong instructing a teacher on how to illegally convert non-Muslim minors to Islam. Uploaded on Wong’s TikTok account, the video sparked public outrage. The four-minute clip showed Wong advising how non-Muslim children could pray in secret without their parents’ knowledge.

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism condemned the video, labelling it immoral, unconstitutional, and illegal.

Numerous police reports were lodged, including one from activist Arun Dorasamy, whose lawyers are Rajesh and his partner Sachpreetraj Singh.

In late June, Petaling Jaya police chief Shahrulnizam Ja’afar confirmed an investigation had been opened into the case. The case was classified under Section 505(c) of the Penal Code for incitement, an offence punishable by two years in prison sentence, a fine, or both upon conviction.

Rajesh condemned the double standards in handling investigations involving the sensitve issues of race, religion, and royalty. He pointed to the swift seven-day investigations promised by police for similar cases, such as the one involving former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, compared to the prolonged silence in Wong’s case.

Rajesh expressed concern that Wong’s case would be recommended for “no further action” (NFA), which has happened to other cases involving Islamic preachers.

“I’m very confident that after a long period of time, the police will NFA the police report. That is what they’ve been doing for all the previous cases involving Islamic preachers, for example in the case of Muhammad Zamri Vinoth Kalimuthu,” he said.

He urged the police to conclude their investigation and recommend charges to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for justice. – September 12, 2024.