PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden is offended by some Malay language news portals which described the man suspected of firing a gun in Terminal One of the KL International Airport (KLIA) on Sunday (April 14) as someone with in-depth knowledge of Islam.
He was specifically referring to the headlines of Malay language Sinar Harian news portal entitled “Suspek kes tembak di KLIA hafiz al-Quran” (Suspect in KLIA shooting case is an al-Quran hafiz) and that of Utusan Malaysia’s “Kes tembak di KLIA: Hafizul hafiz al-Quran” (KLIA shooting case: Hafizul is an al-Quran hafiz). (Editor’s Note: ‘Hafiz’ refers to someone who can memorise by hard Quranic verses.)
Following this, the Alor Setar MP questioned the editorial direction of the said news portals if they wished to run a story of the suspect being arrested or to cast negative perception on graduates of tahfiz (Arabic word depicting the act of memorising) schools?
“If this has become a new newsroom practice, then are we not suggesting that in the future, the background of all arrested suspects in terms of where they studied, their hometown, which political party they support, which mazhab (Islamic school of thought) they belong to or what their religion is must be depicted in the storyline?” queried Afnan Hamimi in a recent Facebook post.
The son of former grand imam of the National Mosque Datuk Taib Azamudden Md Taib who holds a first degree in Usuluddin (Tafsir) from the Al-Azhar University in Egypt further contended:
“Did news reports of other suspects who were previously arrested made mention of where they studied or their field of study? Whatever wrong one does is the perpetrator’s own fault. It has no relevance to one’s field of study or educational background.
“The school or institution that provides the education is not at fault. The wrongdoer himself is the guilty party.”
For context, Sinar Harian reported that the male suspect identified as Hafizul Harawi was a Quranic scholar who had studied at a pondok school in Repek, Pasir Mas (Kelantan).
This was revealed by the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain who further said that outcome of a test conducted on Monday (April 15) found that the 38-year-old suspect was fluent in Quranic verses, among others.
“The suspect is indeed a capable person in religion,” the news portal quoted Mohd Shuhaily as telling a media conference at the Kelantan Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) yesterday (April 16).
“Regarding the suspect’s move to Kelantan, he was born in Selangor, grew up in Kuala Lumpur but once studied in a pondok school here (Kelantan).”
Shuhaily also did not rule out the possibility that the suspect who has since been remanded for seven days by the Kota Baru magistrates court yesterday morning (April 16) intended to flee to Mecca, Saudi Arabia via the Kelantan-Thailand border.
Meanwhile, the suspect’s estranged wife Farah Md Isa a.k.a. Farah Cie remains traumatised after witnessing the attack unfold at the KLIA’s arrival hall on Sunday (April 14) morning.
Further compounding her distress is the critical condition of her bodyguard known as Along who had shielded her when the suspect fired a shot at her. – April 17, 2024
