He said the initiative should be a joint effort involving the religious affairs, the youth and sports, and the national unity ministries.

“Mutual respect and a spirit of togetherness must be cultivated from an early age to prevent such incidents from recurring,” he said in a statement.

Syahredzan also called for a meeting among representatives of the various religious communities to ease tensions arising from the incident.

He stressed the importance of safeguarding harmony in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

“Any act that could provoke racial or religious tensions must be avoided, and all religious insults or provocations – regardless of faith -should be met with decisive action by the authorities,” he said.

Police yesterday arrested a 21-year-old Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) student after a photograph showing him stepping on a copy of the Quran went viral.

The case is being investigated under Section 295 of the Penal Code for defiling an object considered sacred with the intent to insult religion, which provides for up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine or both.

The case is also being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for the improper use of network facilities, which provides for up to a year’s imprisonment, a fine of up to RM50,000 or both.

UMPSA said it was also investigating the student for sharing social media content touching on the “3R” issues of race, religion and royalty.

Syahredzan said he viewed the incident very seriously, and, as a Muslim and representative of a multiracial constituency, condemned the student’s actions.

The student’s father also filed a police report over concerns for his son’s safety.