UKM Lecturer sues blogger for defamation

(MySinchew) – SHAH ALAM: A Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) senior lecturer Thursday filed a defamation suit against an assistant director at the Islamic Training Institute of Malaysia (ILIM) over an article on the Wahhabi issue posted on a blog.

Dr Azwira Abdul Aziz, 41, of UKM's Quran and Sunnah Studies Department who is also a member of the Perlis State Fatwa Council filed the suit through lawyer Adnan Seman @ Abdullah at the High Court Registry here at 10.40 a.m.

He is seeking RM500,000 in general damages and RM500,000 in exemplary damages from Zamihan Mat Zin of ILIM's Quran and Core Knowledge Centre who also owns a weblog at al-ghari.blogspot.com, as well as cost and other relief deemed fit by the court.

In his statement of claim, Azwira said Zamihan had on March 6 last year posted on the weblog an article entitled "Kisah Lama dari UKM" which contained statements associating him with the Wahhabi ideology which were not true and defamatory.

Words in the article, among others, carried a meaning that he followed the Salafi Al Wahhabi methodology, a Wahhabi fanatic and promoted a deviationist teaching, he said.

Azwira said the posting of the article disparaged his dignity among the public, especially the Muslim community.

He said that he had sent a solicitor's letter on May 11 to Zamihan to seek a written apology and damages totalling RM500,000 but the defendant had failed and/or refused to comply.

He told reporters later that he filed the suit to clean his name and reputation that had been tarnished following the posting of the article on the weblog and to correct public perceptions on the Wahhabi issue.

"Wahhabi is a term created to disgrace an individual with different views on religious questions. The defendant tried to associate me with the ideology when I am not a Wahhabi follower," he said.