Here's What Went Down Outside A Surau In Johor During Friday Prayers
Multiple police reports have been filed following the incident.
By Sadho Ram — 07 May 2017, 07:09 PM
The man who was beaten up outside a Surau in Johor says sorry
28-year-old Toh Chai Eun, who was beaten up by upset Muslim worshippers for repeatedly honking his car horn outside a Surau in Johor, has tendered a public apology.
According to The Star Online, the self-employed man apologised to the Muslim community during a meeting at the Johor Islamic Religious Department office on 11 May.
"I was stuck on the road and had an important matter to attend to. I had no ill intention nor did I want to hurt anyone’s feelings," Toh was quoted by The Star Online as saying in a statement read out by his friend Mahadzir Abu Said.
The 28-year-old was wearing a neck brace after being injured in the assault that affected his speech and movement, The Star Online reported.
"I hope that my apology will put an end to this incident," The Star Online quoted him.
Meanwhile, the Surau committee has taken measures to ensure that there would not be a repeat of the 5 May incident
According to The Malay Mail Online, Surau chairman Mohd Khaiidzir Ismail, who was also present at the meeting between Toh and the state Islamic officials, has promised that they have taken measures to prevent a repeat of the 5 May incident.
"We do not want Islam to be labelled as a violent religion," Mohd Khaiidzir said.
"We never expected things to get out of hand. We have taken several measures to ensure that there would not be a repeat," Mohd Khaiidzir was quoted as saying by The Star Online, however, there was no word on what sort of the preventive measures have been taken.
Previously, on 5 May, a man was beaten up by members of the public during Friday prayers at a mini mosque in Taman Austin Perdana
The whole incident was recorded on mobile by passers-by and was later shared on social media platforms across Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube.
According to Muhammad Akmal Bakar, a witness at the scene, the man, driving a white Toyota Camry, had reportedly honked incessantly during the Friday prayers as his car was blocked by other vehicles parked outside the surau
"The sound, which lasted over two or three minutes, was very loud and (that had) interrupted the prayers," Muhammad Akmal Bakar was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail Online.
Bakar, an 18-year-old Form Six student, was there for Friday prayers for the first time.
He was further reported by The Malay Mail saying that he saw several people slamming their hands on the car and chasing after it
"The car was moving forward and back twice with speed. There were other individuals slamming the car using helmets," Muhammad Akmal Bakar was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail Online.
According to the mobile footage, while a man can be seen repeatedly assaulting the driver using a traffic cone, there were other congregation members who were trying to calm down the situation
Meanwhile, a woman, who was reported to be in the car with the man, was spotted attempting to stop the assault
According to reports, the driver suffered injuries to his back and spells of dizziness due to the assault. He had tried to escape from the scene, but failed to do so.
Following the incident, both the surau authorities and the victim have filed separate police reports, reported Malaysiakini
According to Johor Criminal Investigations Department Director Kamarulzaman Mamat, the incident occurred due to traffic congestion outside the surau at Taman Setia Indah, Johor Bahru, which had caused difficulty for the driver to pass through.
"The Chinese man had honked, which angered a few Malay men who were there for Friday prayers at the surau. In response to the Chinese man's action, a few individuals damaged his vehicle and assaulted him. Police, who received information (about the incident), rushed to the scene and managed to control the situation," Kamarulzaman was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini on Friday evening.
The police are investigating the case under Section 147 of the Penal Code.