Barely a day old, the NGO Negara-Ku has already come under bashing from Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), which deems it a direct threat to its cause to uphold Islamic and Malay rights.

Isma posted a portrait of former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan on its website today and called her a deceiver.

"Name it whatever you want, we still know who you are and for whom you work for," Isma's president Abdullah Zaik Rahman ( right ) said in response to the anti-bigotry movement Negara-Ku.

Isma condemned Negara-Ku as a new front to champion "humanism, liberalism and religious pluralism".

This is something that will undermine Islamic and Malay rights in the country, it argued, but did not elaborate on this.

The full name for Negara-Ku is "A people's movement to reclaim our nation".

Other than Ambiga, its founders are national laureate A Samad Said and former judge and human rights commissioner Simon Sipaun.

Ambiga and Pak Samad ( left ) were formerly co-chairpersons of electoral reform group Bersih.

The NGO Negara-Ku is coalition of 60 other NGOs, including Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia, Pusat Komas and the Malaysian Indian Action Team (Miat).

Its first act was to introduce a unity pledge in six languages - Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese, Tamil, Iban and Kadazan.

Ambiga said Negara-Ku is aimed at opposing the "hidden agenda" of some quarters out to hike up racial and religious rhetoric in the country, especially since the 13th general election last year.

Pak Samad, Ambiga form new NGO to fight racism