SIX-TERM Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has grown accustomed to the call for subuh (dawn) prayers although many non-Muslims would have no qualms admitting that the azan could be disruptive to their sleep.
“Typically, Muslims pray five times daily and they would wake up very early in the morning … no doubt I’m sometimes awaken by the azan but I regard that it’s good for me to wake up early,” she said in response to a TikTok interview by Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid.
“Another aspect of Islam that fascinates me is that Muslims fast during Ramadan whereby they have to abstain from eating and drinking for so many hours … I sometimes follow their footsteps but I start at 9am (burst into laughter) till the time for me to break fast with my Muslim friends.”
Although some netizens regarded the entire interview exercise by both DAP lawmakers as “part of an act”, such publicity is deemed healthy for the 60-year-old DAP vice-chairman as fake news claiming that she is against Islam being made Malaysia’s official religion has again been making its rounds on social media ahead of this Saturday’s (July 6) Sungai Bakap by-election.
“For anyone who comes across such article on WhatsApp groups or social media, please tell your friends that I never made such a ridiculous statement,” pleaded Kok in a recent Facebook post.
The damning article is believed to have emanated from a blog post in 2019 which painted Kok as “anti-Islamic”.
Ironically, it is still circulating on social media and instant messaging apps even though the content was ruled defamatory by the High Court in 2020.
Towards this end, a review by JomCheck which is Malaysia’s first and only academe-media-civil society fact-checking alliance has found that Kok had in 2020 won a defamation suit against Selangor PAS leader Syarhan Humaizi Abdul Halim who had published two articles – including the one sent to JomCheck for review.
The then presiding judge found the PAS leader guilty for defaming Kok by publishing the said article on his Facebook page and awarded Kok RM80,000.
In essence, the court did not agree with the defendant’s counsel that Kok was anti-Islam after alleging that both she and DAP were against Jawi writing on road signs besides having rendered support to a Beer Festival held in Kuala Lumpur back then. – July 3, 2024
