Woman who allegedly acted indecently in comedy club charged with causing disharmony among Muslims

KUALA LUMPUR: A woman who allegedly acted indecently in a comedy club was charged in the Sessions Court here with causing disharmony on grounds of religion among the Muslims.

Siti Nuramira Abdullah, 26, pleaded not guilty to the charge before judge Siti Aminah Ghazali.

The woman was charged with committing the offence by stripping to reveal herself in a skimpy outfit at the comedy club at Taman Tun Dr Ismail, here at 6pm last June 4.

The charge was framed under Section 298A(1)(a) of the Penal Code which provides an imprisonment for up to five years, if found guilty.

Deputy public prosecutor Najihah Farhana Che Awang did not offer bail as the offence is non-bailable, but said that should the court want to grant bail, proposed the amount at RM50,000t with one local surety as the case had received widespread public attention.

A low bail amount will affect the public's perception of the judiciary, she said and also requested for an order for the accused to report herself at the nearest police station once a month, to surrender her passport and to not issue any statement on the case to the media and the social media.

Lawyer R. Sivaraj, representing the accused, request for a low bail on grounds that his client, who is single and working as an executive at an information technology company, could not afford to pay a high bail.

"There is no possibility that my client will flee as she has cooperated with police during her four-day remand.

"Our client is also prepared to accept additional conditions set by the court if bail is allowed," said the lawyer, who is assisted by lawyer Datuk Shaharudin Ali.

Siti Aminah allowed the woman bail of RM20,000 with one surety and ordered her to report herself to the Brickfields police station once a month, as well as surrender her passport to the court.

"The accused is also prohibited from uploading any content on this case on any social media platform and print media," she said.

The court set Aug 18 for mention.

However, Siti Nuramira failed to post the bail and was taken to the Kajang Prison.

On July 9, police arrested a woman following a 54-second video, which went viral, of a woman in baju kurung and wearing a hijab, who claimed to be a Muslim and having memorised 15 chapters of the Quran, stripping herself to a skimpy outfit followed by cheering and laughter from the crowd during a performance at a comedy club.

-- BERNAMA