A religious slur on a Domino’s Pizza order chit led to the arrest of four foreigners

GEORGE TOWN: As part of the inquiry into comments made last week disparaging Islam on a Domino’s Pizza order slip here, four citizens of Myanmar have been taken into custody.

According to Penang police head Datuk Hamzah Ahmad, 17 police reports were made regarding the event.

At a news conference held today at the Penang police headquarters, he informed reporters, “Four foreign nationals, three men and one woman, have been detained to assist in investigations into the case on the same day of the incident.”

The four, who ranged in age from 19 to 67, were taken into custody on May 16 at a hut located in a durian orchard in Sungai Ara.

While the 67-year-old who was remanded is out on police bail, three of them, including a woman of 28 years old, have been placed under detention until June 3.

According to Hamzah, the authorities are investigating every potential reason because of how delicate the issue is.

He also said that statements from a number of witnesses had been recorded.

The remarks section of an online purchase placed with the pizza company raised a police report, which prompted police to launch an investigation into the matter last week.

Apparently written when the purchaser placed the order online, the remarks made fun of Islam.

Section 298 of the Penal Code, which punishes religious provocation with a maximum sentence of one year in jail, a fine, or both, was the basis for the case’s opening.

In a statement, Domino’s Pizza said that it would leave the situation to the police and that it did not accept any form of aggression or prejudice.