News portals whacked for reports on anti-cross demo

An ISMA activist calls for fairness to the protesters.

PETALING JAYA: ISMA’s official website today highlighted a letter to the editor that called for fairness in judging the group that demonstrated against a Taman Medan church on Sunday.

The writer, Muhammad Farhan Nasri Hamdan, said he was disappointed with people who had condemned the protesters without knowing the reason for their action and he blamed the “liberal” and “wicked” media for this.

He said news portals such as FMT would “take every opportunity to sully the image of Muslims”.

Farhan called himself an ISMA activist, but the website disclaimed any association with his views.

He expressed disagreement with Sunday’s demonstration,saying the protesters should have instead sought a cordial meeting with the pastor of the church to seek the removal of the cross displayed outside the premises of the church.

“Nevertheless,” he added, “the public’s reaction to what happened is deeply disappointing. Without knowing the real reason why the residents had gathered there, people have condemned them as religious extremists.

“The root cause of the incident is the presence of the church itself, which was established in violation of rules set by the local authority.” He referred to news reports that the shophouse hosting the church did not have a permit to operate as a house of worship “In fact,” he adds, “the cross was also set up without a permit.”

He said the Muslim residents of Taman Medan were not trying to prevent people from carrying out acts of worship according to the demands of their religions. “They were only asking that a religious symbol be not so prominently displayed in a public area.”

He said people who would force their views on the Taman Medan residents were the ones who were truly incapable of tolerance in a multicultural society.

Farhan referred to reports about a Christian opposition to the construction of a mosque in Penampang, Sabah, saying such news had been virtually ignored by the “liberal and alternative” media.

“This is a clear illustration of the hypocrisy of some of the liberal media in this country,” he said.

“As Muslims, we are taught to respect people of other religions. We are also taught to verify the truth behind news reports.”