Cops to probe khatib on '1.2m Chinese nationals given citizenship' claim

Police are set to investigate a khatib (preacher) for allegedly making false claims during a Friday sermon at a mosque in Padang Serai, Kedah, where he suggested that Malaysia had granted citizenship to 1.2 million Chinese nationals.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail described the incident as “highly regrettable” and confirmed that authorities had received a formal complaint.

“The sermon allegedly discussed the issue of granting citizenship to Chinese nationals, with claims that the number now exceeds a million.

“This is highly regrettable, as it tarnishes the integrity of the mosque institution,” he said, according to New Straits Times.

Saifuddin assured the public that the situation was being closely monitored and confirmed that the police had already launched an investigation into the matter.

Previously, he said that only 203 China nationals had been granted Malaysian citizenship since 2013 under Sections 15(1) and 19(1) of the Federal Constitution.

Saifuddin in his winding-up speech at the end of debates on the Supply Bill 2025 said this was contrary to an often-repeated claim that there are some 1.2 million China nationals who entered the country but never left and were subsequently granted citizenship.

He then warned that if the sermon was found to have incited racial hatred or hostility, the Bukit Aman Special Task Force would take further action.

The minister also voiced disappointment that despite denials by former leaders Muhyiddin Yassin and Hamzah Zainudin in the past, baseless claims about citizenship continue to circulate.

He labelled the allegations as misleading and defamatory.

Misuse of mosque

Saifuddin expressed concern over the misuse of the mosque, a place intended to promote faith and unity, for spreading divisive rhetoric.

“The mosque should be a space for fostering piety, good deeds, and justice - not for sowing division,” he said.

He further noted that it appeared the khatib had deviated from the official sermon text, choosing instead to voice personal opinions.

“It is deeply regrettable that the Friday sermon platform, an important religious obligation, was misused in this manner,” he added.

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