Supporters of Hoslan Hussain - some with shoes in their hands - today submitted a memorandum to the Agong in a bid for royal intervention over the controversial imam’s jailing.

protest in support of shoe throwing iman hoslan hussain placard About 50 supporters converged at the Federal Territories Mosque this afternoon and were later led by Jingga 13 chief Fariz Musa and PAS Youth secretary Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil in a 2km march to the new Istana Negara on top of the hill off Jalan Duta.

The group, armed with banners in support of the 46-year-old father of seven, chanted slogans such as "Free Hoslan", "Uphold justice" and Pardon Hoslan".

With the exception more than a dozen police officers guarding the palace, their presence was at a minimal as only two traffic police officers guided the protesters along the way to the palace.

The memorandum, which calls on the Agong to grant Hoslan a royal pardon, was received by the palace's private secretary Mohd Khairy Abdul Rahman.

protest in support of shoe throwing iman hoslan hussain 5 Hoslan, a former imam at Ar Rahimah mosque, Kampung Pandan, had appealed to the Federal Court on Feb 22 an eviction order from his house within the mosque's compound.

However, Hoslan, who had no legal representation, was told by the court that this could not be done as he had filed the appeal out of time.

Angered that the court would not listen to his plea, he hurled both of his shoes at the panel of three judges consisting of Zulkifli Ahmad Makinuddin, Suriyadi Halim Omar and Zaleha Zahari.

He was later sentenced by the judges to serve a one-year jail sentence for contempt of court.

‘Smokescreen for corruption’

"Hoslan has already been in jail for two weeks, he has been punished enough. Allow him to return to his family," Fariz told journalists after handing the memorandum to the palace.

protest in support of shoe throwing iman hoslan hussain 4 Fariz said the memorandum also called on the Agong, who is the head of Islam, to intervene in Hoslan's allegation of corruption involving his mosque.

He adds that the Hoslan had in 2007 lodged a report with the then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) over the allegation but was sacked by the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) on disciplinary grounds and subsequently evicted from his home owned by the mosque.

Along the way to the palace, anti-Hoslan leaftlets were also spotted scattered on the street accusing Hoslan defying the Federal Territories Islamic Affairs Department's (Jawi) by refusing to read from its prepared sermon and being rude to mosque officials.

The leaflet, entitled ‘The truth behind the shoe-throwing religious teacher Hoslan’, also claimed that he had stolen electricity and water when he refused to move from the house despite being offered low-cost flat elsewhere under the People's Housing Project (PPR).

It was unclear who had left the leaflets there.

"Hoslan may have been wrong (in throwing his shoes at the judges) but the main issue of corruption is being covered up," said Fariz.

protest in support of shoe throwing iman hoslan hussain 7 Meanwhile, earlier at the Federal Territories Mosque, PKR legal bureau chief Latheefa Koya accused the three judges who sentenced the iman of being emotional, which resulted in the exceedingly excessive sentence.

She said that it was the sense of being wronged by MAIWP, and subsequently the courts, which drove Hoslan to hurl his shoes at the bench.

"If he cannot get justice in the courts then where else can he get justice? What he did was a manifestation of his frustration," she said.

‘Lack of compassion’

PKR vice-president N Surendran, who was also present, described the protest as a "mercy mission", and said the judges "excessive" sentence has created a sense of injustice among the rakyat.

"The judges did not consider that the case has been delayed since 1999 and that Hoslan was unrepresented.

“ protest in support of shoe throwing iman hoslan hussain 6 They did not think about his feelings and the pressure which led to the (shoe-throwing) incident, or who is to care for his family (when he is in prison)," he said.

Surendran adds that the sentence has also violated the law as section 228 of the Penal Code only allows for a sentence of up to six months’ jail or a RM2,000 fine, or both.

Hoslan is now represented by DAP national chairperson and veteran lawyer Karpal Singh, who had yesterday filed for a review against the sentencing on this grounds.

The iman is currently serving his sentence in Kajang prison.