We’ve all heard of the Crackhouse Comedy Club fiasco by now but what actually happened?
How it began
A video was posted on TikTok belonging to an account named “@mie_8099” depicting a woman removing her tudung and baju kurung after introducing herself while performing at Crackhouse Comedy Club located around Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
In the 53-second video clip, the woman (later identified as Siti Nuramira Abdullah) also admitted that she was a Malay and a Muslim who memorised 15 chapters of the Quran.
The video of her making a mockery of Islam while performing at said club subsequently went viral, prompting the making of a report which lead to a police investigation of the incident.
How it’s going:
1) The investigation involving Siti Nuramira Abdullah
The investigation was carried out by the Bukit Aman Classified Criminal Investigation Unit under s298A of the Penal Code for causing disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will on grounds of religion. The case was also investigated under s233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for the improper use of network facilities or network services.
Besides, the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) is also in the midst of conducting their own preliminary investigation into Siti’s viral routine which allegedly insulted Islam. It should be noted that according to the Syariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997, those found guilty of insulting or causing contempt against Islam can be fined up to RM3,000 or imprisoned for up to two years, or both.
On the 13th of July, Siti was charged under s298A of the Penal Code with causing disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will, or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion. She pleaded not guilty. If convicted, she will face a maximum of five years imprisonment. The court set RM20,000 bail with one surety and the accused need to surrender her passport until the disposal of the case. Moreover, the court has also fixed August 18 for mention.
2) The investigation involving Siti’s boyfriend, V. Alexander Navin
On the 13th of July, Navin was charged in the Sessions Court on two counts of improper use of network facilities by making and initiating the transmission of offensive videos on Instagram and YouTube. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to the two charges, he had allegedly made and initiated the transmission of offensive communications with intent to annoy others via the Instagram app using the Twitter profile name ‘greenleafyconnoiseur’ and on YouTube, using the profile name ‘Alex & Amy @ insta Greenleafyconnoiseur’, last June 5 and June 16.
It should be noted that both charges were filed under s233 (1) (a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and punishable under s233 (3) of the same law, whereby on conviction, he is liable to a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment for up to one year or to both and shall also be liable to a further fine of one thousand ringgit for every day during which the offence is continued after conviction. The judge allowed Navin bail of RM20,000 in one surety and fixed Sept 1 for case mention.
3) The investigation involving Crackhouse Comedy Club co-founder Rizal van Geyzel
A day after Siti’s controversial stand-up routine, several police reports were lodged against Rizal regarding his older videos. The police reports include one made by the Bersatu’s associate wing which alleged that he had insulted the Malays.
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) secretary Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin said in a statement that Rizal was detained to assist in the investigation which was being carried out under s4 (1) of the Sedition Act 1948 for issuing statements that tended to be seditious and s233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for the improper use of network facilities or network services.
“A remand order against the suspect will be made tomorrow to complete the investigation process and the investigation paper on the case will be referred to the Attorney General’s office for further instructions,” she said adding that the public should not make any speculation and statement that could disrupt the investigation.
Conclusion:
The situation revolving around the Crackhouse Comedy Club is still ongoing. Please stay tuned for future updates.
