Catholic lawyers to lodge police report over Umno leader's 'priest and nun' joke

The Catholic Lawyers’ Society (CLS) of Kuala Lumpur will lodge a police report against Sepang Umno chief Noorazli Said over a purported “joke” involving a Catholic priest and a nun, which he falsely attributed to Psalm 129.

CLS president Kevin De Rozario, who condemned Noorazli’s remarks at the Umno general assembly, said the report would be lodged at the Petaling Jaya district police station today.

“The CLS wishes to place on record that Psalm 129 (Mazmur 129) contains no such content.

“The Psalm speaks of deliverance and the triumph of the righteous over affliction and oppression.

“Noorazli's fabricated attribution is not only factually false but constitutes a distortion of sacred scripture for the purpose of a crude joke, causing offence to the Catholic community and the wider Christian faith,” he said in a statement to Malaysiakini.

Joke to praise Zahid’s wisdom

In the joke, a priest driving a manual Proton Saga spots a nun waiting at a bus stop and offers her a ride home.

Each time he changes gears, his hand brushes against the nun’s thigh and remains there, prompting her to remind him of Psalm 129.

After reaching home, the priest checks the Bible to find out what the psalm supposedly says.

“Do you want to know what Psalm 129 says? ... Go forth and seek further up and you will find glory,” Noorazli said.

The Selangor Umno leader used the joke to illustrate the importance of political wisdom while praising party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s leadership.

Noorazli did not elaborate in his speech on the source of the joke, which is said to be circulated in Christian circles.

“I’ve been checking; I have never heard of this sort of joke, and it doesn’t change the fact that it is inappropriate,” De Rozario, who demanded a public apology from Noorazli, told Malaysiakini.

Malaysiakini has contacted Noorazli for clarification and a response to the demands for an apology.

Demeaning

De Rozario added that the remarks demeaned the dignity of the priesthood and religious life, which are held in high esteem in the Catholic faith.

“Such conduct, made before a large public audience at a national political assembly, is wholly inappropriate and unbecoming of any elected representative or party leader,” he said.

Apart from a police investigation, De Rozario said Noorazli’s speech and its subsequent dissemination online should be investigated by the MCMC for a possible offence under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Separately, Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau similarly called on Noorazli to issue an unqualified public apology to Catholics and the wider Christian community.

He described Noorazli’s remarks, “whether intended as a joke or an insinuation” about the clergy, as “grossly inappropriate and offensive”.

“Sacred scripture, Catholic priests, and religious sisters should not be sexualised or ridiculed from the stage of a major national political party,” the Tamparuli assemblyperson said in a Facebook post.

Tangau (above) said Noorazli should acknowledge his poor judgment, withdraw the false reference to Psalm 129 and apologise.

Severe disrespect

Meanwhile, National Unity Advisory Council member Tajuddin Rasdi said humour should never come at the expense of respect for another person’s faith.

“Making jokes using other citizens’ faith is, to me, showing a level of disrespect that is lower than any class I can place. I hope the Umno leader who used that joke about Catholics apologises to our citizens as a whole.

“If the Umno delegate does not understand what being Malaysian is all about, I fear their party may not be the best to lead our nation with our diverse faiths, cultures and races,” he added.

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