Muslim group rails at DAP MP over niqab insult
(Malay Mail Online) – A pro-Barisan Nasional NGO today protested against DAP’s Taiping MP, Nga Kor Ming, for allegedly insulting Muslim women wearing the niqab (face mask) in a Facebook post made earlier this month.
The group gathered at the DAP’s headquarters here at about 2pm, where they submitted a memorandum to criticise the post in which Nga purportedly called women in niqab as “sakit otak” or “brain damaged” in Malay.
The post showed a picture of a Malay man in a songkok and a Malaysia Airline stewardess juxtaposed with a photograph of three women dressed in niqabs and captioned, “Do they look like stewardess?”; it was accompanied by a cartoon with a speech bubble saying “sakit otak”.
“This is clearly an extreme form of provocation and utterly rude… it is a form of insult that we cannot accept,” the group’s spokesman, Zulkarnain Mahdar, told reporters outside DAP’s main office.
The offending post could not be found on Nga’s Facebook page while attempts to contact the Taiping MP were unsuccessful.
It is believed that the post, supposedly made on December 13, was intended to mock an Umno delegate who recommended during the party’s annual general assembly earlier this month that Muslim female flight crew with local carriers be made to wear the veil.
Zulkarnain said while the culture of wearing niqab may not be associated with the Malays, the Taiping MP should still respect the customs and practices of faiths other than his own.
He said making such assertions suggested that Nga viewed those wearing the niqab or the veil as “low class” when — according to him — the practice was deemed to be required of Muslim women.
“Even if you want to whack the (Umno) delegate and play politics, you don’t have to resort to such tactics.
“Such provocation could result in unwanted incidents. His action could force people to use this sentiment,” Zulkarnain said, stopping short of explaining what his statement meant.
According to the group, the photo posted by Nga has been shared by more than 3,000 Facebook users.
The memorandum was handed over to DAP officials under police supervision.
The group dispersed shortly after speaking to the press.
