Crime & Courts

Celebrity preacher Da'i Syed happy to be reunited with family after temporary release

SHAH ALAM: Celebrity preacher Syed Shah Iqmal Syed Mohd Shaiful said nothing could describe his feelings when he was reunited with his newborn daughter after being granted a temporary release from the Kajang Prison last Friday.

"No words. She was only 16 days old when I was sent to prison. (On Aug 30)

"The night before, I read a book with her. The next day (Aug 30), I was planning to hold a ceremony to shave her head.

"But Allah, with His best plans, saw me shaving my hair instead as I was sent to prison.

"Alhamdulillah, now I get to be with my baby and wife," he said after spending 21 days in prison before he was granted a stay of execution on his sentence for raping a woman five years ago.

According to Syed Shah Iqmal's Instagram, his daughter was born on Aug 14.

Popularly known as Da'i Syed, he was met after case management proceedings today where he was accompanied by his wife, Hana Ismail, and a team of lawyers.

On Friday, High Court judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin granted Syed Shah Iqmal a stay of execution on his 10-year jail sentence and three strokes of the rotan pending an appeal against the decision.

On Aug 30, Sessions Court judge Norazlin Otman found him guilty of raping a woman five years ago and ordered him to serve the sentence immediately.

She had said there were no special circumstances that warranted it and his appeal at the High Court was not an automatic right to it.

Syed Shah Iqmal described his 21 days in prison as the darkest, most bitter time in his life.

"I was treated well and my health was good while in prison. I looked like I lost a little weight but I ate well.

"I got to preach in prison and teach (fellow prisoners) to read the Al-Quran and celebrated Maulidur Rasul with them and shared knowledge.

"It was a truly different experience," he said, adding that he was thinking of venturing into business to support his family.

Meanwhile, Hana said she prioritised quality time for her little family.

"We are living on borrowed time. I want to spend time well with my husband and my child for as long as we can," she added.

In her judgment, Norazlin stressed Syed Shah Iqmal's role as a celebrity preacher had a huge impact on society, especially Muslims in the country, as well as youngsters and university students.

She said his act against the victim was unacceptable by common sense and that he, as someone who is trusted, had used his position on the victim, who is weaker.

Syed Shah Iqmal was charged with raping a 23-year-old woman at 1.35pm in a room at the condominium in i-City in Section 7 on Sept 11, 2019.

The charge under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code carries a maximum 20-year jail term and whipping.

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