Last Sept 28, 2016, a Singaporean court sentenced a blogger, Amos Yee to six weeks imprisonment after being convicted of ‘wounding religious feelings’. Aged 17, Yee now faces the second sentence in a year, implying that he had repetitively committed the offence out of defiance, arrogance and ignorance. I must say that it is befitting that the court and the law of the country treats his case seriously, as should we.
Having convicted of the similar offence last year in 2015, Amnesty International stated that the day on which Yee was convicted was “a dark day for freedom of expression”. Without acknowledging the fact that Yee’s conduct was insensitive and constituted disrespect towards the races and religions of others, the international organisation further stated back then:
“Amos Yee is not a criminal. He should never have been charged, let alone convicted. He has been punished solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression.” (Rupert Abbott, South East Asia and Pacific Research Director at Amnesty International, July 6, 2016)
This reaction is nothing much different compared to that of our Malaysian citizens especially the liberal proxies in their attempts to impose the same narrative. A columnist of The Malay Mail Online claimed that “being insensitive isn’t a crime” and there was another columnist of a different news portal accusing that the law enforcement officers behaved like “thugs” and committed “police bullying”.
Recently, Maria Chin Abdullah, Bersih 2.0 chairperson, was reported as saying that: “It is not about keeping silent. People do all sorts of things, but it is not harmful. It does not bring physical violence to anybody. For me it is not about remaining silent, it is about allowing the space for people to express their anger. That is more important rather than criminalising it” (Malaysiakini, Oct 19, 2016)
Maria’s statement was in response to a question regarding her silence and inaction following the overboard and rude behaviour of Bersih 4 supporters who made mock graves and performed traditional Chinese funeral ritual for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife.
Not to mention, Maria and the liberal proxies have also yet to criticise or even express their regret for the act of Bersih 4 supporters who stepped onto the pictures of PM Najib and Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang which symbolise the Malay Muslim unity.
It seems that for Maria and the liberal proxies, as long as there is no physical harm inflicted on any person, anyone could behave and act in a manner of insulting, rude and outrageous towards anyone as an opportunity or rather a right to express their anger or feeling of dissatisfaction.
Dangerous and arrogant premise
Based on this dangerous and arrogant premise, Muslims were provoked by an incident too familiar just last month regarding the tweet by Sidek Kamiso and Bukit Jelutong Member of Parliament, DAP’s Jeff Ooi, which was nothing less than an insult to the former PAS mursyidul am the late Tuan Guru Haron Din.
Also quite recently, the media were preoccupied with the middle finger flashed by a lawyer and an activist, Siti Kasim, during a forum on RUU355 out of anger and outrage showing disrespect and not to mention, plain rudeness in a public event at a public space in front of the audience.
Not to my surprise, Mariam Mokhtar viciously defended her purportedly saying: “Siti’s middle finger is not just about the freedom to express a view that opposes the establishment. It is also about woman against man and common sense against the thinking of the brainwashed. It is about more than rude gestures and decorum. Siti reacted in the only way that the hecklers would understand. She fought fire with fire.” (Free Malaysia Today, Opinion, Oct 16, 2016)
The laws of this country are clear which provide as follows:
Under Section 509 of the Penal Code, "Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both."
Under Section 298 of the Penal Code, "Whoever, with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person, utters any word or makes any sound in the hearing of that person or makes any gesture in the sight of that person or places any object in the sight of that person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both."
Undoubtedly the liberal proxies intend to suggest the abolishment of these ‘over-sensitive’ provisions. However, Malaysians citizens should be wary of the implication and normalisation that will follow should the law enforcement bodies be prevented from taking any legal action against these kind of people in our midst, either by words or by gestures, especially when these intolerable and insensitive remarks or behaviour are made based upon the religion or race.
Islam is a religion of peace and it comes with good manner and attitude. Of course, the right to dissent as how Maria creatively fashioned it, in other words the right to express anger and dissatisfaction in any way that is not physically harmful is a dangerous premise to hold onto. It will only open doors for more serious degradation of modesty and manner if we fail to set the boundary.
DANIAL ARIFF SHAARI is an activist under the NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) and its agency known as Ikatan Peguam-Peguam Muslim Malaysia (IPeguam).
