Insulting race and religion: Why the double standards?

7/28/2019 Insulting race and religion: Why the double standards?

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Act fast against Muslim offenders too, says PAS

BY YISWAREE PALANSAMYJULY 17, 2013UPDATED: JULY 17, 2013 06:24 PM

PAS wants the authorities to be consistent and take action against Muslims who offend the racialand religious sentiments of non-Muslims.

Its vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar and Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said today inParliament the authorities were quick to act on complaints made by Muslims but were indifferentwhen it came to non-Muslims complaints.

Dr Siti Mariah cited the case of sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee and their controversialRamadhan photograph where action had been swift. It was no so when non-Muslim sentimentwas involved, she said.

Why the double standard against those who called for bibles to be burnt? Those who had hurtthe religious sentiments of Hindus? It is also very wrong under the Islamic laws, Dr Siti Mariahsaid, citing Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali and its former vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Nordin whohave a reputation for making controversial statements against non-Muslims.

Mahfuz said, We need to look at ourselves as well before crying foul about others. Islam is fairand there should not be selected prosecution of anyone.

The sex bloggers were hauled up by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commissionover their controversial Ramadan posting which has caused an uproar among Muslims and non-Muslims.

Police have reclassified their case to causing disharmony, disunity and hatred on grounds ofreligion, which could see them jailed for between two and four years. - July 17, 2013

Retribution is quick if you're sexbloggers

COMMENT

In a flash, the authorities cracked their whips when a non-Muslim couple, infamous for theirexhibitionist sexual trysts, posted a photograph of themselves dining on pork ( bak kut teh ) soup.

Next to the photograph was a caption that linked the consumption of the forbidden meat toMuslims breaking their fast in the holy month of Ramadan.

The move courted an uproar and numerous quarters clamoured for the heads of Alvin Tan andVivian Lee to roll for being so blatantly and brazenly insensitive to Muslims.


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Defending his candidature, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had described Zulkifli as aman with calibre.

Muhyiddin ( left in photo ) also reminded the people that Zulkifli had since admitted his mistakeand apologised for insulting the Hindu faith.

So in the case of slighted Hindus, an apology is sufficient.

There is no justification for Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee's action as freedom of expression cannot beused as a shield to rattle religious and racial ties.

But the same rule must also be extended to those Muslims who insult the faiths and beliefs ofothers. In short, 1Malaysia needs one approach on issues concerning religious rows. Thereshould be no double standard.

Failing which, it would prove that 1Malaysia is the most hollow, superfluous, deceptive, insidiousand deceitful slogan ever coined to hoodwink a nation.

RK ANAND is a member of the Malaysiakini team.

Insulting race and religion: Why the doublestandards?

First Published: 6:59pm, Jul 17, 2013Last Updated: 7:07pm, Jul 17, 2013

Opinionby Zakiah Koya

It is indeed perplexing why the authorities go after some who insult race and religion but allowothers to get off scot-free.

(July 17): I AM just perplexed.

After all the admissions and the taunting and the ensuing uproar through the Internet, media,parliament and the streets - what more with one guy beaten up and left naked with writing on hisbody saying he had insulted Islam even if he may not have - the police have yet to do somethingother than wait in their stations for the perpetrators to come forward.

I am referring to the infamous sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee (known collectively asAlvivi) who insulted Muslims by posting a picture on their Facebook page of them eating 'bak kutteh' (a pork dish) and wishing Malaysian Muslims a Happy Ramadan.


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They have been grilled by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)and police and they have admitted to causing offence and have apologised through the media.

Their Facebook page has since been permanently shut down by Facebook, an act which upsetAlvivi who retaliated via their Twitter account using vulgar language.

As of yesterday, investigations are in the AG's court for 'further action' and the Inspector-Generalof Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has asked them to surrender themselves.

Yet they have taunted the police by saying the police should come and get them. As of thisafternoon, police are still waiting for the duo to turn up at Bukit Aman accompanied by theirlawyers.

My question is: Going by their comments and actions, Alvivi do not think they have made a gravemistake. Why in the world would police think that they would surrender?

It takes a spark to make a fire and this, as I see it, may well turn into one. No matter what wewant to believe about our unity, we are a multiracial and multi religious country where emotionscan rise unchecked in defending race and religion.

I am not old enough to have witnessed May 13, 1969, but I did witness the Kampung Medan riotsback in 2001. A few angry words exchanged between some Indians and Malays sparked the riotsin Kampung Medan which claimed six lives with more than 40 others hospitalised.

Those who were involved in the four-day mayhem did not even know why they were rioting - allthey knew was that they had to defend their own race to the death.

I remember so many residents there - both Indians and Malays - telling me that it wasirresponsible people who exaggerated the whole story and turned it into a racial thing and thatthey had never had problems amongst themselves before.

Yet, the riots took place. Why? Because things got out of hand and words were twisted and

spread by irresponsible people who incited each other.

When the King was allegedly insulted in a Facebook posting recently, the police swooped in fastand contained it by arresting the woman who posted the offending remarks.

The woman had gone into hiding and was arrested in Ampang. The police showed that they wereserious and she is now likely to be charged under the Sedition Act.

When student Adam Adli lowered the flag depicting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, hetoo was arrested and consequently charged with sedition.

Police acted fast in these two cases above as they knew that Malay sentiments were highlycharged. But they have not been as swift when sentiments of other races are involved.

In the infamous cow-head incident when Malay rights group Pekida dangled a cow head inprotest of a temple being built in Shah Alam, police practically had to be cajoled into acting.

Yes, they did act, but not before the feelings of the Indians in the country were irreversibly hurt.

In many other cases - such as the speech by former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd NoorAbdullah which warned the Chinese of a backlash from the Malays and Perkasa leaders DatukIbrahim Ali's and Datuk Zulkifli Nordin's statements against non-Muslims, police have failed to act.


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This is why I am perplexed - why do some get caught while others get away with it?

Zakiah Koya is a specialist writer with fz.com.

PAS: Speedy action on sex bloggers but

none for Perkasa?BY BOO SU-LYNJULY 17, 2013UPDATED: JULY 17, 2013 06:33 PM

The picture depicting

Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee eating bak kut teh and describing it as wangi, enak,

menyelerakan (fragrant, delicious, appetising). - Picture taken from FacebookKUALA

LUMPUR, July 17 PAS criticised the authorities today for the apparent double

standards in leaving far right group Perkasa untouched over its previous threat to burn

Malay-language bibles, given the swift action taken now against the sex blogger couple

Alvivi over a Ramadan jibe.

The police and the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) are

investigating bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, popularly known as Alvivi, for their

controversial Ramadan greeting last week that featured them touting "bak kut teh", a

pork dish, as a buka puasa treat. Pork is forbidden to Muslims.


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Abdul Gani, are you only AG only for Muslims?

Appum: Abdul Gani Patail, as the attorney-general, shouldn't you be lookingafter the interests of all Malaysians?

Nobody is against you bringing sedition charges against the stupid couple forinsulting Islam, but what is good for the goose should be good for thegander, don't you agree? Or are you the AG only for Muslims?

Swipenter: What Alvivi (controversial bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee) didis not right, but there are others who did worse but were not investigated norcharged under the Sedition Act.

If you want people to respect you, your office and what it represents, pleaseapply the law evenly, without bias and impartially. We are really sick ofselective prosecution.

Abdul Gani, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Minister ofCommunication and Multimedia Ahmad Shabery Cheek, let us see you comeout to prosecute those who insult the religions of non-Muslims and not justplay to the Muslim gallery.

Louis: There is no question about it. The full force of laws must be appliedon these two irresponsible individuals. Insulting another religion should neverbe tolerated. It is good that the AG is looking into the case.

But before he proceeds to charge those two people, does he realise that

there were many cases of a similar nature - insulting other religions - byUmno supporters or leaders?

To quote a few - threat toburn Bibles, claims of mass conversionofMuslims in a church, journalists masquerading as a Catholic and spittingout the eucharist after receiving it from the priest.

Are those few acts not serious to warrant charges against them as well? Tanand Lee have at least apologised to the Muslims, but it does not absolvedthem from their silly act. What concerns the public now is whether the lawsare applied fairly to all.

The AG suddenly became so enthusiastic in seeing these two charged, butwas silent as a lifeless mouse on the threat of burning bibles, false allegationof mass conversions and lots more.

Vijay47: Abdul Gani, you came out rather strongly against"preventivedetention", suggesting that you hold a man's freedom and innocence beforeconviction in high regard.


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But don't such noble principles also exclude selective prosecution, a state ofaffairs directly within your purview? Wouldn't a system that practices suchunfair and unjust charging be as abhorrent as one that deprives a man of hisliberty?

You speak with forked tongue, kemosabe (faithful friend).

Tan Kim Keong: AG, the government must be impartial. You must makesure that you apply the same weight of the said Act on Perkasa presidentIbrahim Ali for his call to Muslims to seize and burn the bibles.

And also do the same to the two reporters who desecrated the holycommunion. Then, and only then, will the government be seen to beimpartial.

Multi Racial: Since they have apologised, we should accept it and move on.There are already so many murders and corruption cases on the AG's plate

which he has not acted.

These cases are far more important and the last thing we want is for BNgovernment to spend time on petty things.

Let's not glorify what these two youngsters did. There is no doubt what theydid was wrong and they should be punished. But this country has moreurgent matters to attend to instead of wasting our time on issues like this.

Giudice: What they did can be considered silly and perhaps rude andinsensitive. But sedition? Give me a break. This is another reason to get rid

of the Sedition Act.

Wira: Ahmad Shabery, I agree that the two should be prosecuted. However,I wish to draw to your attention that degradation of the religious beliefs ofothers had been committed by some Umno supporters all these years withimpunity.

Some were even rewarded with a special face-to-face meetingwith thehome minister with no apology forthcoming. One alleged racist was evengiven the chance to stand as an Umno candidatein the last general election.

Thus, it is not inconceivable that the couple could have learnt from the

uncouth behaviour of those seeking power in Umno Will you too push fortheir prosecution under the Sedition Act?

Dudeno: I think sedition is a bit too far. These two were just idiots on socialmedia rather than trying to incite rebellion.

Utusan Malaysia comes much closer to the 'sedition' definition but why hasno action been taken against them? Double standards?


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Charge Alvivi if you must, but go after allothers, too

YOURSAY 'It will be double standards when people like ex-judgeMohd NoorAbdullah or Malay rights group Perkasa can get away with hate speech.'

Bloggers Alvivi 'could face sedition charge'

Quigonbond: It'll be an overkill to charge the two bloggers with seditionwhen they have apologised quickly.

It will also be double standards when people like former Courts of AppealsjudgeMohd Noor Abdullahor Malay rights group Perkasa can get awaywith hate speech.

It is high-time the BN government is consistent with its treatment of allintransigents. If they allow self-policing when it comes to Perkasa, theyshould also accord the same treatment for others.

And the BN government should not have needed to enforce the Sedition Actor the likes of it if only the mainstream media has been free to react.

In a working a democracy, the Alvivi stunt would have been easily met withpublic outcry expressed through the mainstream media, and Alvivi (bloggersAlvin Tan and Vivian Lee) would have been morally wounded in the process,

never to repeat their act again.

In the end, it was a stupid stunt by rationally stunted undergraduates. Themainstream media can deal with them. There is no need to charge them andwaste public funds.

Argonist: If a young couple can be charged over spurious irresponsiblebehaviour, why shouldn't seasoned politicians and journalists, who havedeliberately and without repenting, struck malicious blows at the SeditionAct, be allowed to roam free to continue their vitriolic hate speeches andcomments?

The BN government has become so embedded in a despotic democracy thatit cannot recover to the 1957 state of democracy.

Lokaikai: I was also angry with this couple, but since theyapologised andexpressed their regret, just like Perkasa vice-president Zulklifi Noordindid,shouldn't they be punished with caution or a final warning?

Abasir: PM Najib Razak is on record as having said that Zulkifli had


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apologised for his very public derogatory comments on Hindus and Hinduism.

That apology was clearly good enoughfor the Umno high command to fieldhim as a winnable candidate.

Since we have tremendous love for the PM and greatly admire his stellarleadership, I suggest MCA do the same: put up Alvin Tan or Vivian Lee as acandidate for any by-election that may come along soon.

Malays with 'keyakinan' aka 'nambekai' will definitely support the move.

Keturunan Malaysia: I don't condone a wrong. Do not do to others whatyou do not want others to do onto you... simple.

Nonetheless, do we need to hang a person for stealing a loaf of bread? If so,perhaps, we should first start off by hanging all those that stole a loaf ormore of bread before, now and in time to come.

What I see now are baboons deciding which laws to apply and whom to applyit against.

Odin: Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and Communication and MultimediaMinister Ahmad Shabery Cheek, I do not think that what the couple has doneis proper, but if you are going to charge them, then you must do the same tothe likes of Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli.

Although Zulkifli has tendered his apology, Umno Youth chief and Youth andSports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has implied that in cases where a party

has shown disrespect to another religion or the followers of same,an apology alone was insufficient.

Pemerhati: Under the Umno-controlled government, Malaysia hasdegenerated into a country where there is rampant corruption by theUmnoputras and their cronies and massive discrimination against the non-Malays in almost every field (e.g. public service employment, enrolment intouniversities, purchases of houses, and zakat tax exemption for Muslims butdenied to other religious groups).

Now the Umnoputras and their lackeys (e.g. Khairy, Ahmad Shabery, AG andthe police chief Khalid Abu Bakar) are displaying their blatant double

standards and a complete lack of any sense of fair play and justice by bayingfor the blood of Alwivi, who made fun of Islam and later apologised.

In sharp contrast previously we have had a group involved in the cow-headincident which insulted the Hindus and the then home ministerHishammuddin Hussein met themin a friendly manner and they were let offwith small fines.


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Then Zulkifli insulted the Hindus in a big way and apologised and all wasforgotten. So why don't these people stop hounding Alvivi since they haveapologised?

Antiumnoa: Why only prosecute when Islam is insulted? What aboutPerkasa chief Ibrahim and his burn the Bibles comment, the cow-head gangand Zulkifli for insulting Hindus.

It's okay to insult other religions except Islam?

Insulting race and religion: Why the double standards?

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