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Malaysian rapper Namewee arrested after posting controversial video

Screen shot of Namewee “Like A Dog” video on YouTube
Screen shot of Namewee “Like A Dog” video on YouTube

Malaysian rapper Namewee has been arrested by the local police amid controversy over his dog-theme video that was released for the Chinese New Year holiday.

A post on Namewee’s Facebook page said that the rapper will continue to cooperate with the police in their investigations. Written in Mandarin, Malay and English, the post said, “Thanks for your continuous support. Let’s pray and hope that Namewee will be released tomorrow.”

The post did not mention the date of Namewee’s arrest or details of the police investigations.

A number of netizens have criticised Namewee over the video entitled “Like A Dog”, saying that it was denigrating Islam. The rapper defended himself, however, saying the video did not touch on religious or racial sensitivities.

In the video posted on YouTube, Namewee and other individuals, who wore dog masks, were seen dancing at a public space in Putrajaya. The rapper also sang about how dogs are supposed to bark in different countries including Malaysia.

In response to criticisms that the video was filmed near a mosque, Namewee said, “The scenes that appeared in the music video was on a major road in Putrajaya, it was not shot at a mosque area.

“To say it was in front of a mosque is wrong as it never happened. I hope the media will correct this and not convey fake news that could cause confusion towards the community.”