Singaporean grindcore band Wormrot were arrested in Lumpur, Malaysia on the night of New Year’s Eve by the local religious department, following a successful performance at the Rumah Api venue with ASILENT, according to the band’s blog. The band is touring throughout Indonesia for the month of January in support of their latest album, Dirge, available now on Earache.

The band released the following statement on their detention in Malaysia:

New Year’s Eve show in Kuala Lumpur was AWESOME!!! Thought we could rest after the show before heading back to Singapore the next day… SO WRONG. We were detained in two police stations for two hours since 3am by the JAIS – Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Selangor Islamic Religious Department) after they raided the hotel we were staying at, because of the Islamic law stating that unmarried Muslim men and women are not allowed to be in one room. There were seven of us (four boys and three girls) in that room getting ready to chill downstairs at the lobby… They tried to fine us 3000RM ($950 USD) each as well if our organizer didn’t call his lawyer, bail us out and the fact that we are foreigners. All I can say is, AWESOME show, great food, and being detained in the police station… Damn! What a way to start 2012

Despite ringing in the new year behind bars, the band-who happen to be Muslim themselves- issued a second statement regarding the religion:

Please do not think badly of the religion. Every religion is peaceful.  In every religion, there’s always some people who are extremists. Don’t condemn the religion just because of these jokers. Multi-racial, multi-culture with the same interest – music