Namewee is in trouble again.
Shortly after landing in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 3:30pm on Sunday (21st August) afternoon, the controversial rapper was arrested by police in relation to his “Oh My God” music video which allegedly insulted Islam.
Namewee, whose real name is Wee Chee Meng, will be remanded for a total of 4 days under Section 295 of the Penal Code for injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class. The remand order was granted by magistrate registrar Ahmad Tajudin Zain and will be effective until Thursday (25th August).
Wee was brought to Penang’s magistrate court this morning (Monday, 22nd August) at 10:20am and was handcuffed while being led by 2 unknown personnel.
A day before his arrest, Namewee uploaded 2 videos on his YouTube page, the edited version of “Oh My God” and a short 3-minute video showing the rapper’s body condition before being remanded.
Watch the edited music video here:
In July, the 33-year-old released the music video for “Oh My God”, a Mandarin song which touched on the main religions in Malaysia, including Islam. Featuring Taiwanese band Nine-One-One (911), the video, directed and produced by Namewee, was shot in a number of places of worship in Penang.
It also includes a montage of visuals and sounds of religious prayers, a church choir singing, Buddhist meditation chants and gongs, and even the ringing of Hindu temple bells. Namewee can be heard saying, “Hallelujah”, “Om Mani Padme Hum”, “Allah”, and“Namo Amitabha” in the video.
It was soon taken down after complaints from various unnamed non-governmental organisations, although Wee has stated that the video was made with the best of intentions and “to promote harmony within all religions”.
UPDATE (23rd August, 12:40pm):
Penang police will seek the assistance of Interpol in locating the 3 men who were featured in Namewee’s music video.
Datuk Abdul Ghafar Rajab, Penang police chief, said that based on information obtained from Namewee, they are sure that the 3 men are Taiwanese. He continued, “Investigations are on-going and we will get assistance from Interpol to find the 3 men to record their statements. So far, police have recorded statement from 7 people.”
The police will also hold a meeting with Penang Islamic Religious Department (JAIPP) to determine the extent of damage caused by the rapper.
