Malaysian Teen Receives Death Threats After 'Liking' Israel on Facebook

A Malaysian teenager who 'liked' an 'I love Israel' Facebook page has received death threats and is being investigated by police for 'sedition.'

A teacher of the 17-year-old in Penang, northwest Malaysia, posted a screen grab of the student's 'like' on her own page, and the teen was forced to seek police protection after receiving a torrent of threatening and abusive emails, reports Malay Mail Online.

Police though, have responded by placing the boy under investigation for 'sedition.'

One teacher from the school allegedly responded with a death threat, writing: "We just burn hahaha."

They "scolded me and wanted to burn me", said the teen, who has not been named, in the police report, and denied 'liking' the page.

A representative of the boy's family said they wanted an apology from the teacher and the school.

The director of the Penang Education Department, Osman Hussain, said he was considering transferring the teacher to a different school.

"Let this also be a warning to all teachers in Penang not to go to Facebook and post rants against their students there," he told The Malay Mail Online. "We are living in Malaysia, so we must have mutual respect for each other despite our differences so the students also should be made aware of this," he said.

However, police have revealed that the boy is now himself the subject of an investigation.

"We are investigating him under Section 4 (1) (a) of the Sedition Act," Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi told the paper.

If found guilty, he could be fined up to $1,500 or jailed for three years.

Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and some Malaysian NGOs have organised boycotts of corporations including McDonald's, Starbucks and HSBC for allegedly supporting Israel.