Anwar: Attacking Teresa does Islam no favours

KAJANG: Pakatan Rakyat supremo Anwar Ibrahim today reminded the Malays that the act of self-proclaimed Muslim NGOs protesting against DAP leader Teresa Kok today was unIslamic.

“Today they were so busy attacking Teresa Kok. We (Muslims) gain nothing (from such actions).

“If we truly want to be great, if we want to help Muslims, we should concentrate on dakwah (preaching), on improving our mosques, not insulting others,”  Anwar told FMT after having hi-tea with residents of Kampung Sungai Kantan here.

Earlier today, a group of 50 Malays from Pewaris, Pekida and other bodies – calling themselves Council of Islamic NGOs – slaughtered chickens in front of Menara Maybank near Puduraya and smeared the blood on a poster with faces of Kok, DAP secretar-general Lim Guan Eng, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang and Machang Bubuk MP Lee Khai Loon.

The poster also had the words “Chauvinistic Chinese of Kangkung descent” written in Malay.

The protest was in response to Kok’s satirical Chinese New Year greeting video in which she and several actors poked fun of national issues.

The protesters also offered a reward of RM1,200 for anyone who can slap Kok and show photographic evidence of the deed.

Touching on this issue, Anwar reminded the locals here that the rights of all Selangorians should be protected, not just that of Malays.

“I want to ensure every person in Selangor — Malays, Chinese, Indians, our rakyat — has their rights protected. We can make a change,” he said, to applause and cheers from the Malay audience.

Anwar is PKR’s candidate for the Kajang state seat by-election. The seat fell vacant following the resignation of incumbent assemblymen Lee Chin Cheh of PKR on Jan 27.

The Election Commission has announced the by-election nomination date to be on March 11 and polling date on March 23.