UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has called for an open apology following a joke he said touched on religious sensitivities.
Akmal stressed that religion should not be used as material for jokes and said remarks made by the individual involved should be taken seriously.
He said people would understandably be angered if similar remarks were made about an imam or Muslims.
“Imagine if the joke about a priest had instead involved an imam and Muslims. Surely we would be angry.
“So, if we are angry when others treat us that way, we should not do the same thing to others,” he said in a social media post.
The controversy erupted after Sepang UMNO division chief Datuk Noorazli Said, speaking as the UMNO Selangor representative at the 2026 UMNO General Assembly, recounted a sexually themed joke involving a Catholic priest and a nun.
The joke also linked Psalm 129 in the Bible to a sexually suggestive phrase, although the phrase reportedly does not appear in the psalm.
Akmal subsequently urged the individual to issue a public apology to Malaysians over the remarks.
He also stressed that the joke did not represent UMNO’s official position, describing it instead as the personal view of the individual concerned.
“The joke he made in no way represents UMNO’s position. It was his personal view.
“An apology must be made!” he said.
