Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said the investigation would be carried out under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, after 13 reports were filed over the matter.

“Yes, we have received police reports and we have opened an investigation,” he was quoted by Utusan Malaysia as saying.

Yesterday, Sin Chew Daily issued an apology and attributed the gaffe to a “technical mistake”.

It said the digital version of the illustration was immediately changed, and the amended version would be republished today in print.

Earlier, PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden called for stern action against Sin Chew Daily, claiming that the illustration was a treacherous act that could not be easily forgiven.

Afnan said the crescent moon was an important symbol in the Malaysian flag since it represented Islam as the religion of the federation, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.