Follow-up to Malysian religious rumours SMS

Link: State News

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants firm action taken against those who spread short messaging service (SMS) information and e-mail that a group of Malays would be “embracing Christianity” in Ipoh yesterday.

Najib said he had already spoken to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan on the matter and wanted the authorities to conduct an immediate investigation.

“Firm action must be taken against those responsible because the SMS message is dangerous as it can lead to racial conflict and create a tense situation in the country,” he told reporters after closing the Johor Umno Convention here Monday.

Najib who touched on the SMS in his speech earlier, regarding the message as an incitement, said: “We must find out who is behind the SMS message.”

This is going to be nigh-on impossible, surely? Unless the Minister wants the mobile operators to manually go through their text logs — only to find out the message originated from a pay as you go sim or something like that!

As for those who forwarded the message: How do you punish someone for forwarding a text message? Interesting. I suppose, depending on local laws, you could prosecute someone for ‘inciting religious violence’ if such a law exists. But what if you just forward one message? Are you still inciting violence? What if you changed the context of the message and forwarded it? And is it only messages that garner the attention of the Deputy Prime Minister that are subject to punishment?