GEORGE TOWN, Oct 7 — Penang Police said today that it has arrested two local men for selling floor mats with designs resembling a mosque and Kaaba — the holy Islamic structure in Mecca. In a statement, they said that the two men aged 26 and 41 are the employee and owner of the shop, respectively. The police said it received a report from a local man yesterday over the matter.
The complainant said it saw the floor mats being sold on at one of the bazaar tents here, and subsequently bought one of them on Saturday. The police said the case is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code, and Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, while a remand request will be lodged today. Section 298 handles “uttering words or others with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person”, while Section 14 handles “insulting behaviour”.
In April this year, Johor State Islamic Religious Affairs Department seized 11 floor mats bearing the images of the Kaaba from a supermarket. Hypermarket Aeon Big (M) Sdn Bhd and the product's supplier A&R Fashion Collection later said in a joint statement that the product was mislabelled as “doormat”, but was actually meant for use as a mini “sejadah”, or prayer mat..