[UPDATED] Crackhouse fiasco woman pleads not guilty to inciting religious disharmony

KUALA LUMPUR – The woman who allegedly insulted Islam during an open mic comedy skit at the Crackhouse Comedy Club has pleaded not guilty at the sessions court here today.

Siti Nuramira Abdullah, 26, denied the charge against her after it was read before sessions judge Siti Amirah Ghazali.

The charge stated that she was accused of inciting religious disharmony when she had claimed to be a Muslim and to have memorised 15 chapters (juzuk) of the Quran before stripping off her headscarf and baju kurung at the said location on June 4.  

She was charged under Section 298A(1)(a) of the Penal Code, which relates to deliberately causing disunity, ill will or hatred on the grounds of religion.

If found guilty, Siti Nuramira could be slapped with up to five years in jail.

Judge Siti Amirah set bail at RM20,000 with one surety and ordered accused Siti Nuramira to report herself at the Brickfields district police headquarters on a monthly basis until the completion of the case.

In addition to ordering the accused to turn in her passport to the court, the sessions judge also barred Siti Nuramira from making any social media posts related to the case.

Deputy public prosecutor Najihah Farhana Che Awang appeared for the prosecution while the accused was represented by lawyers Datuk Shaharudin Ali, R. Sivaraj and Ramesh Chandran.

Prior to the bail amount set by the sessions judge, Najihah had requested the court to set the bail at RM50,000 on the grounds that the case had garnered much public attention.

She contended that a lower bail would affect the public’s perception of the judiciary.

In response, Shaharudin labelled the proposed bail amount as “preposterous” and stressed that the judiciary must remain neutral and avoid catering to external sentiments.

The sessions judge then set August 18 for mention.

Meanwhile, Siti Nuramira’s partner, Alexander Navin Vijayachandran, was also charged today at the Petaling Jaya sessions court under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

The section covers the misuse of communications networks and carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail, or a fine of up to RM50,000.

According to federal police secretary Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin, Siti Nuramira had been detained on July 9 after a video clip of her performance went viral, with her remand of four days set to end today.

Alexander, who was arrested the following day (July 10) for investigations, is also being remanded until today.

In the 45-second video of her performance, Siti Nuramira was cheered on by some audience members as she took off her clothes to reveal a spaghetti-string top and miniskirt.

The club subsequently lodged a police report at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail police station against the woman, adding that she and her partner had been barred from the venue immediately after the performance.

Her act eventually led to the Crackhouse Comedy Club’s operating licence being temporarily suspended by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), a move which has been criticised by some of the biggest names in Malaysian comedy and similar venues.

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias also said that DBKL will issue a show-cause letter to the comedy club as it was running with only a restaurant license, and not one needed for entertainment.

The Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) has also conducted a preliminary investigation into the video, with its director Datuk Mohd Ajib Ismail saying that the probe had been carried out by the Jawi Enforcement Division.

In a separate TikTok video which made the rounds on social media following the backlash against her act, the woman, who addressed herself as Amy, said that she had a pious upbringing and had worn conservative clothing when she was younger.

Speaking to The Vibes, club co-founder Rizal Van Geyzel admitted that his team was, at first, thrilled to see a Malay woman in a headscarf wanting to participate in the event.

However, the night soon went from comedy to nightmare as he asserted that staff and audience members were shocked and gobsmacked by the woman's disrobing stunt. – The Vibes, July 13, 2022