The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) will apply for a warrant to arrest comedian and lyricist Bob Lokman for refusing to present himself before the department.

"He was supposed to present himself at the Jais headquarters this morning (yesterday) but failed to do so. He stubbornly refuses to come and we will be applying for an arrest warrant," Jais director Marzuki Hussin was quoted as saying in the Malay daily Berita Harian today.

NONE Jais moved in on Bob on Monday night for delivering a religious speech without authorisation at a surau in Hulu Langat and was briefly detained at a nearby police station.

He was supposed to have his statement recorded at noon the following day but failed to comply for two consecutive days.

Bob could be charged under Section 12B Selangor Syariah Criminal Procedure Enactment 2003 for deliberately refusing to provide a statement.

PAS Youth election director Mohd Sany Hamzan who was with Bob that night has denied that the latter was giving a religious speech or had touched on political issues.

Jais had last month issued an order barring politicians in Selangor from making speeches at mosques or suraus.

Defiant

When contacted, a defiant Bob was adamant that he would not meet Jais officers to give his statement.

"Why should I attend? There is no benefit for Islam in this," he declared.

He also lashed out at Jais for attempting to exert its powers, claiming that one of its officers had been provocative during the raid.

"If they want to arrest me they can arrest me, I will not be attending. Their (Jais) attitude does not help in maintaining religious harmony."

Bob - the lyricist behind the famous 'Isabella' ballad of the 1980s - raised eyebrows last February when he appeared on the campaign trail for Pakatan Rakyat in the Merlimau and Kerdau by-elections.

He has been active on the ceramah circuit ever since.