Malaysian stand-up Harith Iskander accused of 'making fun of Islamic teachings'

Malaysian comedian Harith Iskander faces police action after making a pun about the word ‘ham’ deemed to have mocked Islam.

The stand-up posted a joke on social media about an iced coffee drink called ham sap kopi, as hamsap is the Cantonese word for lewd as well as containing the name of the pork product forbidden to Muslims.  

He wrote: ‘I’m SO confused. My iman tergugat [my faith is at risk]. This kopi will lead me down the wrong path in so many ways.  Not just tempting me to become hamsap but ALSO confusing me with the word "ham" in it.’

Yet that apparently innocent joke attracted complaints to police, including from the government’s religious ministry the Malaysian Islamic Development Department, known as Jakim

They also want to summon the comic in for questioning and have lobbied Malaysia’s media watchdog to suspend his social media accounts and removal of the allegedly offensive content.

‘Jakim will never compromise with any act of making fun of Islamic teachings and hurting the sensitivities of Muslims,’ the department’s director general Sirajuddin Suhaimee said in a statement.

Police chief Datuk M. Kumar of the  Johor state confirmed to local media that he was investigating ‘statements likely to incite public mischief or provoke groups, and for improper use of network facilities’

He warned against making comments about race, religion and royalty on social media, adding: ‘Stern and uncompromising action will be taken under the prevailing laws against any individual deliberately endangering public order and safety," he said.

Fellow Malaysian comedian  Shahrol Azizie Azmi also reported the post to police, saying: ‘Not all perspectives can be turned into comedy material.’

He reportedly said: ‘Harith has paved the way for [religion] to be made a mockery. This is something disrespectful. Don’t fool around with issues related to Islam.’

Iskander, 58,  was named the ‘funniest person in the world’ in an international competition run by America’s Laugh Factory comedy clubs in 2016. 

He released a Netflix comedy special, I Told You So, in 2018 and regularly tours across Asia and Australia, having been to university in Perth.

He has not posted on social media since making the ‘ham’ joke on Facebook on January 18.

Published: 23 Jan 2025