For merely hosting a parody video highlighting Kelantan's misplaced priorities with hudud, radio journalist Aisyah Tajuddin became the target of vitriol which included death and rape threats.

 

The intimidations on social media, coming from those who call themselves defenders of Islam's sacred laws, have alarmed her family who remains on high alert.

 

But Aisyah's father, Mohamad Tajuddin Mohamad Rasdi said his family was undeterred and they were throwing their full support behind her through these difficult times.

 

"She was a total wreck in the morning and I had to call people like Marina Mahathir and Ambiga Sreenevasan to talk to her.

 

"My role is to get her spirit back. She is a high-spirited person and my concern is to raise her spirits," he told Malaysiakini last night.

 

Both Ambiga and Marina are vocal and seasoned activists who have also become the target of threats for their public stance on human rights issues.

 

Tajuddin ( right ) said his 27-year-old daughter was still young and is not accustomed to such attacks.

 

Yesterday, Tajuddin made an impassioned plea for soul-searching over why Malaysian society could simply make threats of violence against those they disagreed with.

 

The father of five said while he was entitled to make a police report against those who had threatened his daughter, he also spoke about forgiving those who made the diabolical threats.

 

Not the way of the Prophet

 

More importantly, he said, the threats were a wake-up call on the reactionary way with which the Malay-Muslim community responds to matters of religion.

 

"When the Prophet went into Mecca, he was prosecuted and they had to leave their homes which were taken over.

 

"When they finally came back (conquered Mecca), they did not touch anyone. But such strong reactions (in Malaysia) is contrary to the Prophet's teachings," he said.

 

He added that questions also had to be asked over why Malay-Muslim intellectuals have not spoken out against such reactionary responses.

 

Aisyah had hosted a video for radio station BFM, in which she criticised the Kelantan government for prioritising hudud over post-flood reconstruction efforts, in a tongue-in-cheek commentary.

 

The video subsequently went viral, prompting virulent responses among some Muslims on social media.

 

BFM had since withdrawn the video and apologised, stating that there was no intention to criticise hudud and it was merely raising legitimate questions about its implementation.

Later this morning, Tajuddin said Aisyah was feeling much better as the family had gotten together to give her support.

 

"I am also grateful to people like Marina and Ambiga and other leaders who have spoken to her to comfort her," he said.

 

However, the architecture professor lamented only a handful from the academia have expressed concern to him, highlighting his point about the state of the intelligentsia.

 

He also thanked BFM for clarifying that Aisyah was not responsible for the video script as she was merely a presenter.

 

"Not that I disagreed with what was said (in the video), but BFM helped put things in the clearest picture.

 

"The management also has called to see how she is doing and have given her a week off to be on the safe side.

 

"For that I am very grateful," he said.