6 days ago
Parents win landmark ruling as court bans Muslim preacher Firdaus Wong's video on secret child conversions
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — The High Court has ruled that a video post by Muslim preacher Firdaus Wong, which appeared to promote covert religious conversions of minors to Islam, is unlawful and unconstitutional.
Justice Amarjeet Singh ordered Firdaus to permanently remove the offending video from all platforms, Free Malaysia Today reported.
The court also issued a permanent injunction prohibiting Firdaus from uploading similar videos or making similar public statements in the future.
Firdaus was further ordered to pay RM10,000 in legal costs to the eight non-Muslim parents who brought the suit.
The video, posted in June 2023, showed Firdaus instructing a man on how to manage requests from underage individuals seeking to secretly convert to Islam.
The video went viral on social media and prompted multiple police reports against the preacher.
Police subsequently opened an investigation under Section 505(c) of the Penal Code for making statements conducive to public mischief.
The parents filed their legal suit on July 18, 2023, seeking a declaration that the video violated their constitutional rights.
Their lawyer, M Visvanathan, argued that the video breached Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution, which gives parents the right to decide the religion of children under 18.
Firdaus's counsel, Norazali Nordin, told the court he would seek instructions from his client on whether to file an appeal.
