The Malaysian teacher behind the alleged rape joke that sparked nationwide conversations about the safety of schools has finally been identified.
Khairul Nizam Sanuddin, who teaches physical education at the SMK Puncak Alam high school, was named in legal papers indicating that he was taking student Ain Husniza and her father Saiful Nizam to court for defamation. Eight months ago, Ain recounted on video about the teacher apparently telling students in her class to target women above 18 years old if they wanted to commit rape.
“Not only battling SPM at this current moment but I also have to worry about court proceedings. We will proceed to enter appearance and prepare the defence,” the 17-year-old wrote on Instagram yesterday. SPM refers to the major high school examinations, very much like the O-Levels.
Ain has moved to a private school after receiving rape threats from her classmates who had also accused her of ruining her former school’s image. The teacher was transferred to the Selangor Education Department in May pending investigation by the Ministry of Education. His identity was undisclosed until yesterday.
In the widely-viewed TikTok video, Ain had quoted her teacher as saying: “If you want to rape someone, don’t rape those who are below 18, rape those above 18.”
Her video generally drew support from the public, creating awareness through the hashtag #MakeSchoolASaferPlace.
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