S'porean loses Malaysian residency status over prayer hall row

Malaysia has revoked the permanent residency status of a Singaporean resort owner who was arrested on a charge of defiling a place of worship after he allowed Buddhists to use a Muslim prayer room.
Syed Ahmed Alkaff, a 45-year-old Singaporean with Malaysian permanent residency status, was arrested on August 11 at Tanjung Sutera Resort in southern Johor state under Section 295 of the Penal Code for injuring or defiling a place of worship.
He had allowed a group of Buddhists from Singapore to use the prayer hall for chanting. Alkaff was later released on bail.
Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his office had decided to revoke the man's permanent residency status with immediate effect as he did not respect religious sensitivity.

"The revocation is of immediate effect and the man was informed of this decision while he was remanded. Let this be a lesson to those who the government has graciously and generously awarded citizenship and permanent resident status that they must abide by the law or lose the privilege," he told reporters.
Malaysia, a Muslim majority country, has large non-Muslim ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.