KUALA LUMPUR - Even as the world mourns the lives lost in a shooting at a French satire magazine office, Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin mocked today the need to protect satire that is “racist, xenophobic, bigoted”.
The fatal attack sparked condemnation all over the world and debate about the freedom of speech.
Posting on Twitter in response to the US Embassy KL, which said satire should be protected because it is “intended to provoke thought”, Khairy alluded that exceptions had to be made when the content of the satire is offensive.
“Even racist, xenophobic, bigoted satire? Please. I condemn the murders. Like I condemned the cartoons,” he posted on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak joined other world leaders in condemning the terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people.
In a posting on his Twitter account this afternoon, Najib said Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, stands in unity with France after yesterday’s attack at the publication’s Paris office that has led to vigils around the world.
“Msia condemns in the strongest terms all acts of violence. We stand in unity with the French people. We must fight extremism with moderation,” Najib tweeted.
Putrajaya said in a statement later that Malaysia “strongly condemns” the shootings.
“Nothing justifies taking innocent lives. Malaysia is united with the families of the victims, the government of France, and the French people,” said Putrajaya.
Even a lawmaker from Islamist party PAS, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said the sensitive nature of Charlie Hebdo’s controversial cartoons on Islam cannot be used as a reason to justify yesterday’s multiple killings of the French satirical magazine’s staff members.
He said terrorism is a far greater evil than satirical comments and articles against Islam, adding that although PAS does not agree with the French magazine’s works, the party still believes any act of extremism is no way to protect the religion.
“PAS has always condemned all acts of violence, especially those perpetuated in the name of religion.
“We also condemn the ridiculing of Islam, but that does not justify violence and bloodshed,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted today.
US news network CNN reported today Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins as saying that the gunmen had said they were avenging Prophet Muhammad and had shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is great).
Charlie Hebdo, which satirises Islam and other religions, has printed a stream of controversial cartoons of Prophet Muhammad. Depictions of the prophet are prohibited in Islam.
US paper the Washington Post reported that Charlie Hebdo’s headquarters were firebombed in 2011 after the satirical weekly depicted Prophet Muhammad on its cover saying: “100 lashes if you are not dying of laughter”.
Media reports said an 18-year-old suspect has surrendered to the police, while the two other alleged gunmen are still on the loose. -Malay Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.