A 24-year-old Sri Lankan Hindu migrant worker, Anojan Sivarasa, is facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia over a Facebook comment allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad. Anojan had posted this comment in response to a comment by a Muslim user derogating Lord Shiva. However, Anojan deleted the comment within minutes and later posted an apology video, but screenshots had already been circulated by Sri Lankan Muslims and sent to his employer in Saudi Arabia. His employer subsequently alerted Saudi authorities, setting off the legal proceedings that culminated in a death sentence.
The controversy began after a social media dispute in Sri Lanka following an incident during a Hindu pilgrimage. In late June 2026, a video circulated online showing a Muslim man kicking a dog as Hindu pilgrims passed. The footage triggered heated exchanges between users of different religious backgrounds.
During the online argument, a Facebook user identified as Nafeesa M Mafas posted a derogatory comment about the Hindu deity Shiva and the Shivalingam in Tamil.
The post read:“Is it because you carve the **** [stone] and worship it as the *Sivalingam*… that it wasn’t enough? 😂
On a side note:
Please don’t ask, ‘Sister, why have you stooped to this level?’…
It’s painful for me, too…”
The comment mocked Hindu worship of the Shivalingam, using insulting language about the religious symbol.
Anojan responded with a comment in Tamil targeting the Prophet Muhammad: “If I had the Prophet Muhammad in my hands, I would have cut off his head and taken it.”
The comment by SL Muslim Nafeesa M Mafas that started all this:
“What’s up, you guys worship Shiva’s amputated dick?”
“Was that not enough?”
“Furthermore”
“Please don’t ask me why I’m stooping to this level”
“I’m also having a hard time”.It’s to this jibe that Anojan replied https://t.co/TLDTPgAmfz
— ArunAnnow (@ArunAnnow) October 7, 2026
According to Anojan’s brother, Hamsidan Sivarasa, the Muslim people in Sri Lanka were responsible for bringing the post to the attention of his employer in Saudi Arabia.
“People in Saudi Arabia knew nothing about this matter. It was individuals in Sri Lanka who sent emails to the company where my brother worked. I do not even wish to mention who those people are,” Hamsidan told BBC Sinhala.
@TheCommuneMag The real culprits are Sri Lankan Muslims.
#SaveAnojan https://t.co/Ydsh9w79tY— Aditi Singh (@singh39969) October 8, 2026
The company subsequently notified Saudi authorities, who registered a case against Anojan. He was arrested on 1 July 2026, and his personal devices were seized. His social media accounts were also deleted by Saudi officials.
The case initially resulted in a five-year prison sentence and a fine of three million Saudi riyals, approximately US$800,000, imposed by the Al-Ahsa Criminal Court. The proceedings took a drastic turn on 17 September 2026, when Saudi prosecutors sought to have him prosecuted under Sharia law rather than the country’s cybercrime legislation. The appellate court granted the request and increased his punishment to death.
The case has triggered widespread concern in Sri Lanka, with political leaders, Buddhist and Hindu religious figures, and civil society groups appealing for clemency. Anojan’s family has also met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who pledged to pursue diplomatic efforts to secure his release.
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