A former scholar from Malaysia, who shot to notoriety with his racially provoking online postings and steamy sex videos, has now published a video lampooning the Muslim call to prayer, also known as the azan. He has described the lampoon as an R&B cover of the azan.
The controversial video, titled Muslim Call to Prayer – Azan (R&B Cover), was posted by Eugene Tan on his Facebook page on April 21 and it features a shirtless Tan in a pair of shades, playing a keyboard while calling out the azan. The video, lasting 2 minutes 50 seconds, has by now been viewed several thousand times and received quite a few likes as well.
While some netizens have opined positively towards the video, some others including Muslims and non-Muslims have expressed fury.
“This idiot is really getting on my nerves! Can someone out there do mankind a favour and knock some common sense into this dimwit? You can hate the country and the leaders but mocking a religion is totally uncalled for,” said one user.
Tan, 27, is a former ASEAN scholar who was studying law at National University of Singapore. He first gained infamy in October 2012 when he, along with his Malaysian girlfriend Vivian Lee, who was at the time only 23-years-old, released a series of sex tapes on their widely viewed blog popularly known as Sumptuous Erotica. The blog channel has since been ceased. In July 2013, during the holy month of Ramadan, the couple, referred to as Alvivi by fans, sparked a controversy within the country’s Islamic community by posting a picture of them feasting on a delicacy called bak kut teh, which is a popular Chinese preparation comprising of pork. The picture was accompanied with the caption “Selamat Berbuka Puasa” that translates to “Happy Breaking Fast” alongside a halal logo. As known by most, the consumption of pork is considered haram or blasphemous by Muslims. The duo was eventually charged with sedition and ordered to pay a fine of $18,622 as well as serve prison sentences of five years each.
In 2014, both Tan and Lee acquired a permit from the court to leave for Singapore so they could shoot a documentary on their own lives. While Lee did return to Malaysia after the shoot, Tan jumped the bail and fled to the United States, where he is believed to have sought asylum.
Photo Credits: Malaysiakini
