Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid said the statement could jeopardise the country’s unity even though the post had already been deleted.

“Fawwaz had weaponised his social media accounts to fan the flames of hatred among his supporters just to make political gains,” she said in a statement.

“That comment on (Fawwaz’s) social media page can disrupt public order, and it’s not too much to say that it can even cause a racial riot.”

The statement is also an offence under Section 499, 505B and 505C of the Penal Code as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1988, she said.

In the now-deleted Facebook post, Fawwaz said non-Muslims were working towards bringing down Islam.

The Penang PAS Youth chief has since apologised for the comment. He also claimed the statement was written and uploaded by an administrator of his Facebook page without his knowledge.

Syerleena said this is not the first time Fawwaz has attempted to incite racial and religious tension, but this time it was done in the midst of the upcoming state elections.

“He should be staying away from cheap publicity that capitalises on playing up racial and religious sentiments despite lacking the ability to debate economic issues and other broader policies for the benefit of society,” she said.

“I hope that the police will not remain silent and investigate Fawwaz for the best interests of the country, the people and religion.”