Hindu religious symbol desecrated by Muslim man in Langkawi, Malaysia
Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia 
9 March, 2026
Case Summary
In Langkawi, Kedah, Hindu religious sentiments were insulted after a video surfaced showing a Muslim man named Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak desecrating a sacred Hindu religious symbol. According to reports, Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak, who was a Malaysian activist, circulated a video on social media in which he was seen repeatedly stepping on a soolam (trishul), a sacred trident associated with Lord Shiva, at an outdoor location associated with an old Hindu temple site. The act provoked widespread outrage among members of the Hindu community in Malaysia, who regarded the soolam as a deeply revered religious symbol. The video was reportedly shared online with a caption describing the act as a “leisure activity”, further intensifying anger among Hindu devotees and prompting numerous police reports across the country. Following the incident, the Hindu non-governmental organisation Malaysia Hindudharma Maamandram coordinated a nationwide response by encouraging members of the Hindu community to lodge formal complaints with the police. The organisation circulated a ready-made police report template written in Bahasa Melayu that invoked provisions under Malaysia’s Sedition Act and the Penal Code, enabling individuals to formally report the desecration of the sacred symbol. The campaign also included a dedicated WhatsApp coordination line to organise the submission of reports and assist devotees in pursuing legal action against the accused. The incident occurred amid growing controversy surrounding Tamim Dahri’s activities involving minority religious sites. He had previously been detained alongside independent speaker Zamri Vinoth Kalimuthu in connection with a rally held outside Sogo Shopping Mall, where organisers protested against what they described as illegal non-Muslim houses of worship. He had also been linked to the demolition of a Hindu temple in Rawang, with videos of that incident circulating online. For many within Malaysia’s Hindu community, the trampling of the sacred soolam formed part of a broader pattern of hostility directed towards Hindu religious sites and symbols.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representation. Within it, the sub-category selected here is - Desecration of Hindu religious symbols. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The other sub-category selected is - Attack on temples. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. This case has been added to the tracker as a religiously motivated act of desecration targeting a Hindu religious symbol after Malaysian activist Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak was filmed repeatedly stepping on a sacred soolam (trishul) at a site linked to an old Hindu temple. The soolam/trident/trishul associated with Lord Shiva holds deep religious significance in Hinduism and is widely regarded as a sacred symbol representing divine power, protection, and the presence of the deity. By repeatedly stepping on the soolam in a public setting and allowing the act to be recorded and circulated online, the accused engaged in conduct that directly desecrated an object of profound spiritual importance to Hindus. Such actions represent more than mere misconduct or vandalism; they constitute a deliberate act, rooted in religious animosity that undermined the sanctity of a revered Hindu religious symbol. Within Hindu religious tradition, sacred symbols such as the soolam are treated with deep reverence and respect, as they embody divine authority and are closely associated with temple worship and devotional practice. Acts that defile or degrade these symbols are widely regarded as sacrilegious because they violate the sanctity attached to objects representing the divine. By trampling upon the soolam, the accused targeted a symbol intrinsically connected with Hindu religious identity and devotion, thereby inflicting not only symbolic damage but also deep emotional and spiritual harm upon members of the Hindu community who regard such symbols as manifestations of their faith. The circulation of the video across social media further intensified the harm caused by the incident. When acts that insult sacred religious symbols are recorded and shared publicly, the offence extends beyond the immediate act of desecration and becomes a widely disseminated spectacle that exposes a much larger audience to the insult. Such dissemination amplifies the humiliation experienced by the affected religious community and contributes to a hostile environment in which sacred Hindu symbols are treated with ridicule and disrespect. The deliberate sharing of the footage therefore, magnified the impact of the desecration, ensuring that the insult to Hindu religious sentiments reached a broader public audience. Given that the act involved the deliberate trampling of a sacred symbol intimately associated with Hindu religious worship and identity, the incident reflects targeted hostility towards a symbol central to Hindu faith. By desecrating the soolam and allowing the act to be circulated publicly, the perpetrator inflicted symbolic harm upon an object revered by the Hindu community and undermined the sanctity attached to it within Hindu religious practice. For these reasons, the case has been categorised as a religiously motivated act of desecration targeting Hindu religious symbols and has therefore been documented in the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the accused desecrated the trishul. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 10 March 2026.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
