Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy urged the Higher Education Ministry to launch a thorough probe on UTM lecture module slides which denigrate the Hindu and Sikh religions

“Saying sorry is not enough,” he said.

“Although the UTM vice-chancellor (Wahid Omar) has apologised, the ministry must launch a thorough probe.

“Disciplinary action must also be taken against the lecturer who is responsible for the matter,” Ramasamy said at a press conference in George Town today.

“The police must also investigate the various police reports lodged against the lecturer,” he added.

He was referring to the recent UTM controversy over a series of slides shown to UTM students on Tamadun Islam and Tamadun Asia (Islam and Asian Civilisation) course, which he said has captured the attention of the public.

The slides contain details like “Hindus are dirty” and that “Muslims have taught Hindus about cleanliness and how to live a civilised life”.

These have touched on the sensitivities of the Hindu and Sikh communities, Ramasamy said.

Another slide stated that Kabir, the founder of Sikhism (a religion that has Islam and Hindu elements), had failed to understand Islam and as a result, the religion was influenced by Hinduism.

UTM came under heavy fire from several quarters who demanded the university apologise, and give an assurance that it would not repeat the mistake.

Meanwhile, on the two Hindu temples in Penanti, Penang – Muthu Marriaman and Sri Dharma Munisverar – which have been desecrated over a period of one week, Ramasamy said they were attacked by “unknown malicious elements.

“The Penang executive council condemns the act; we will leave it to the special task force under Penang police chief Abdul Ghafar Rejab to investigate,” he said.