KUALA LUMPUR – Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) chairman Datuk Dr Musa Mohd Nordin has issued an apology for the kerfuffle caused during the Freedom for Palestine rally co-organised by the group yesterday, following public backlash over some of his orders issued to gathering attendees.
In a series of tweets today, however, Dr Musa insisted that his call to discourage participants from chanting the “takbir,” which is the name for the Arabic phrase “Allahu Akbar,” did not amount to a full-on clampdown on the expression.
“The takbir issue is a non-issue. (Former Permatang Pauh MP) Nurul Izzah Anwar and Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia president Badlishah Sham Baharin said the takbir during their speeches,” Dr Musa said.
“Many in the crowd did say the takbir, which we did not stop. The MC (master of ceremony) just reminded (the crowd) that this is a multi-religious gathering and we ought to do chants that everyone can join in.
“We were hoping to be inclusive in our humanitarian gathering. The chants led by our two performers were very well received and was the most exhilarating time of the rally (as) all joined in enthusiastically in the chants irrespective of race and religion,” he added.
He also repeated his denial of labelling an attendee as a “Zionist” for holding up a poster degrading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I actually explained that we should respect the adab (manners) and decorum of our rally. We must not stoop to the level of the hate discourse (propagated) by Zionists.
“This is in keeping with PDRM’s (Royal Malaysian Police) order for us to keep within the boundaries of a humanitarian rally.
“PDRM gave clear instructions to our security team to take swift action against hate speech or posters and agent provocateurs intent on derailing our humanitarian and peaceful rally.”
Towards the end of his post, Dr Musa said he realises there are certain quarters unhappy with how the rally was conducted, saying: “As such, on behalf of VPM, we apologise for any of our shortcomings.”
Yesterday, Dr Musa told Scoop that the poster of Netanyahu was considered “provocative” by the rally’s security team, leading to Dr Musa informing the man that if he insists on holding the placard up, “he can start his own rally.”
Dr Musa added that a separate group of Palestinian citizens present at the rally were also involved in “provocations”, causing the event’s security personnel to threaten them with police action.
“I think they (a group of Palestinian attendees) were not interested in listening to the talks, they kept interrupting (speeches). My security told them: ‘If you misbehave, we will have no choice but to report you to the police, and this may threaten your stay in Malaysia’.”
He also said that attendees who insisted on chanting the takbir were people who can be “quite conservative and extremist”, saying: “I think they come from a background of conservatism (where the Israel-Palestine war) is perceived as being all about Muslims and the Jewish (community).
“I did not make any mention of stopping takbir chants, but the ground rules (of the rally) were very clear from the start. They think they can express their Islamism, but VPM is respectful of other religious groups.”
Meanwhile, during a press conference in Parliament today, Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said that the supposed ban on takbir chants during the rally has violated rules on the 3Rs of race, religion and royalty.
“By accusing whoever chants the takbir of being an extremist, this is a 3R issue. Why were demonstrators prevented from chanting takbir? Why is this issue being ignored?” he questioned.
“When I was studying in London, I joined pro-Palestine protests and there was no issue with chanting the takbir alongside Marxist and socialist groups. No one claimed that it would invite slander or hurt their feelings,” he added.
Besides that, PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden announced that the party will be holding yet another gathering outside the US embassy here to show its condemnation of Israel.
The gathering, he said, will be held this Saturday and will “allow takbir chants and condemnation of Zionists.”
The Freedom for Palestine rally yesterday was also organised by non-governmental organisation MyCARE and saw the attendance of about 10,000 participants. – October 23, 2023