Federal Mufti Says Move On After UMNO Delegate's Priest-and-Nun Joke

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

The federal religious authority has spoken: apologise, correct the record, and do not drag it further.

What preceded that advice was a sexually suggestive joke about a Catholic priest and a nun, told at Malaysia’s most prominent Malay political assembly, tied to a Bible verse the speaker had not read.

Mufti of the Federal Territories Ahmad Fauwaz Ali Fadzil stated that the individual involved should issue an apology and correct the situation — and that the matter need not be prolonged thereafter.

The statement follows a full public retraction by Datuk Noorazli Said, UMNO Sepang Division Chief, who delivered the remarks during the UMNO General Assembly 2026.

The joke depicted a Catholic priest repeatedly touching a nun’s thigh while driving. Noorazli cited Psalm 129 of the Bible as the punchline’s anchor.

The remarks were framed as an analogy for political focus, perseverance, and wisdom — offered as praise for UMNO President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Psalm 129 concerns endurance through suffering and divine protection; it contains no reference to the scenario described.

The Apology That Required a Second Attempt

Noorazli’s initial public response stated he was “prepared to apologise if he had offended anyone.”

The Catholic Lawyers’ Society of Kuala Lumpur lodged a formal police report.

Church leaders issued statements, and government ministers called for a legal review of the remarks.

A full retraction followed.

Noorazli stated the remarks were never intended to insult Christianity and acknowledged that his biblical reference was inaccurate.

National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang stated such remarks should not be tolerated.

UMNO Youth Chief Dr Akmal Saleh stated the delegate had “crossed the line.”

Sabah UMNO veteran Salleh Said Keruak and Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chief Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup demanded an apology.

DAP lawmakers Teresa Kok, Lee Chin Chen, and Syahredzan Johan rejected the initial conditional response.

MCA’s Chan Wun Hoong noted that political humour must not compromise interfaith harmony.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Director Datuk M. Kumar confirmed that police are investigating the remarks under Section 298 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

What If the Joke Had Been About an Imam?

Christian leaders across denominations and regions responded on 15 September — the eve of Malaysia Day.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia stated the joke had “no place in any official assembly in Malaysia.”

Kuching Archbishop Simon Poh noted that Catholic nuns have spent generations running hospitals, welfare institutions, and schools serving all Malaysians regardless of race or religion.

The Rt. Rev. Datuk Danald Jute, Bishop of Kuching and Chairman of the Association of Churches in Sarawak, issued a formal press statement condemning what he described as “disgraceful remarks” that crossed “every line of basic human decency and mutual respect.”

He stated that sacred scriptures and consecrated religious figures are not material for political comedy, and that distorting the Holy Bible for a laughing audience was unacceptable.

He called for an immediate, explicit, and unconditional public apology.

Bishop Jute also posed a direct question in his statement: what if a non-Muslim had publicly told crude sexual jokes about Muslim imams, or fabricated verses from the Quran?

He stated the response would have been swift — law enforcement action, public outrage, and possibly street protests — and asked why the sacred boundaries of the Christian faith should be treated with lesser regard.

He urged all politicians to permanently end faith-disparaging rhetoric on political platforms, and pointed to Sarawak as a model of interfaith coexistence. He closed with an appeal to the Christian community to respond “not with hatred or malice but with love and truth.”

Sarawak lawmaker Baru Bian identified the specific content of Psalm 129 in his rebuttal — endurance through suffering, divine protection, nothing else — and stated the distortion was unacceptable.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, X, Instagram, or Threads.

...