He said the issue should not be further played up, Bernama reported.

He said the compound notice was cancelled following a discussion between the director-general of the local government department and the Kota Bharu Municipal Council.

“This issue has been resolved and I hope such an incident will not happen again. We need to respect Islam and non-Muslims also need to be defended. This is all within the framework of the Federal Constitution,” he said at a press conference here.

Nga added that there was also no issue of the federal government intervening in local government affairs, as claimed by some parties.

“I would just like to remind all local authorities that when we enforce the law, don’t get too carried away. We should understand the essence and spirit of the Federal Constitution,” he said.

On June 26, a non-Muslim woman was issued a compound notice by the Kota Bharu council for allegedly dressing “immodestly” in public, as she was found to be wearing shorts.

The action was taken against the 35-year-old woman during a surprise inspection of her shop in accordance with the business licensing bylaw.

The adoptive father of the woman had stated earlier that the compound notice had been settled and he hoped the issue would not be blown out of proportion or politicised.