Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) has filed a RM10 million suit against Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia over its article ‘ PAS benarkan tarian lucah, Abim hina isteri Rasulullah?’ (PAS allows provocative dance and Abim insults the Prophet’s wife?) which was published last month.

Abim president Amidi Abdul Manan filed the suit as the plaintiff and named publishers Utusan Melayu (M) Sdn Bhd, the daily’s editor-in chief Abdul Aziz Ishak and journalist Lukman Ismail as defendants.

 

The writ of summons was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry at 9.30am today through Abim’s lawyer, Mohd Khairul Anwar Ismail from the firm Anwar Ismail & Associates.

They claimed that two paragraphs of the article are defamatory to Abim as they painted a picture that the Islamic organisation is bad, does not have integrity and cannot be trusted and has no credibility.

The defendants’ publication, it claimed, was malicious and was done with the intention to lower Abim’s reputation and goodwill in the eyes of society as an Islamic and Muslim propagation organisation.

Abim claims that it is also to sow hatred and insult in the eyes of society and sensationalise and provide cheap publicity for a political purpose.

Amidi, in his statement of claim, said the article was false and untrue and claimed that it was wild and malicious towards the NGO when it gave the Saidatina Khadijah award to PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

He claimed that this was not the first time that it had come up with the Saidatina Khadijah award, as it is not meant to humiliate the Prophet’s wife. Abim went on to claim that such a similar name was used as an award even in government departments.  

Amidi said that the writ was filed after it sent a letter of demand dated Feb 22 to the Umno-owned daily.

Abim, through Amidi, is seeking RM10 million in damages, along with aggravated and exemplary damages, and an injunction to prevent the defendants from repeating and publishing the defamatory statements again.

Also present during the filing was Abim secretary-general Mohamad Raimi Ab Rahim.