A 65-year-old Muslim man’s guilty plea was overturned by a judge after he disputed facts in a case where he slapped a 21-year-old Chinese man for eating in public during Ramadan.
The defendant initially pleaded guilty but disagreed with case details claiming the victim had bruising on his right cheek after being slapped. The judge overturned the plea due to this disagreement.
After the plea was overturned, the prosecutor informed the court that the Attorney General’s Chambers had instructed the case be classified as a Discharge Not Amounting to Acquittal.
The incident occurred at 3:45 PM on March 17, 2025, in a shopping mall in Johor Bahru. The Chinese victim was approached by the Muslim man who questioned his ethnicity, demanded to see his identification card, and slapped him for eating during the fasting month.
Although the defendant’s children apologized and the victim accepted their apology, he filed a police report due to the public disrespect. The case gained attention from Malaysia’s Minister of National Unity Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
“This is a provocation that does not reflect the unity and harmony of our country,” Datuk Aaron stated.
The incident went viral on social media with 3.8 million views. Many Muslims commented that this behavior does not align with Islamic teachings.
Johor North District Police Chief Balveer Singh confirmed the victim filed a police report at approximately 9:00 PM on Sunday, stating he was slapped twice on his right cheek.
