A man's quest to deepen his knowledge about Islam has landed him in trouble with the law.

Wan Sulaiman Wan Ismail, 54, from Perak, has been raising questions on what he considers as disparities between what was written in the Quran and what was practised by Muslims.

Among those whom he sought answers from were officials in the Perak Mufti's office.

"I consider them to be my teachers in religious matters, which is why I went to consult them and ask for their advice.

"But they just told me to just follow whatever they say," Wan Sulaiman told a press conference today.

Undeterred, he pressed on by posing the questions to the Perak religious authorities (Jaip), officials at the Perak state mosque, and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).

For that, Wan Sulaiman has been charged with Section 15 of the Perak Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment (SCOE) 1992 by the Perak Islamic Department (Jaip).

Section 15 of the Enactment makes it an offense to "deride, insult, ridicule, or bring into contempt by his words or acts, the Quranic verses or Hadith". A guilty person faces a RM5,000 fine, or a three-year jail term, or both

"I am a Muslim and I love my religion. I only wanted to deepen my appreciation of Islam," he said in a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.

'Publicly shamed'

The charges against the businessman has even prompted Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria ( photo, below ) to call him an "outright liar" who is "giving classes without sanction (from the authorities)".

Wan Sulaiman denied any wrongdoing, saying Harussani probably had him mistaken with someone else.

"I am not a ustaz. Why would I be giving classes?" he told reporters at the event co-organised by new NGO Freedom Fund Malaysia.

Wan Sulaiman said Jaip raided his house, confiscated his personal notes, including one put up on his living room wall, and screened his mobile phone and computer.

They even told him that his living room is considered a 'public space' and he is not allowed to put up his own interpretations of the Islamic faith on the wall.

"I am just a private individual. Apart from family and close friends, I have not discussed my views publicly," Wan Sulaiman said.

The prosecution by Jaip, according to him, has caused people in his community to boycott his business.

He claimed it has also caused his family to shun him, with some family members even sending him death threats.

"I have been shamed publicly. This is very unjust and I believe injustice is un-Islamic," he said.

Wan Sulaiman's hearing was first set for May 21 but has now been postponed to July 2.

Freedom Fund is seeking donations to help defray Wan Sulaiman's legal fees. They ask that the donations be tagged clearly for Wan Sulaiman, through their website .

Freedom Fund was set up last month to crowdfund donations who are "persecuted" in Malaysia.