KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the viral video on social media related to the issue of infidel (kafir) was taken out of context, in a malicious attempt to mar her image and credibility.
In a Facebook post today, Fadhlina also described the spread of the video as intending to cause a commotion on issues related to 3Rs (religion, race and royalty) by distorting the true meaning of her speech so that she would be blamed with hate speech, false accusations and slander besides threats to her safety.
In clarifying the video, Fadhlina said the viral video was a clip taken from her private meeting with a certain group, which was taken by another party and disseminated with an interpretation to create polemic and defamation.
“The post was deliberately produced to create a polemic to distort the original meaning of the viral video clip, which shows me giving a speech stating that I do not allow my children to express the term ‘kafir’ at home.
“In the video recording (closed event), I touched on the spreading of hateful, ‘ghuluw’ (extremism) and takfiri sentiments among a few people, to the point of slandering me and that my life will not be blessed because I work for infidels.
“I mentioned, that I don’t allow my children to say the term ‘kafir’ which has the connotation of hatred towards non-Muslim citizens who live together in our beloved country.
“On the issue of the term ‘kafir’ or ‘non-Muslim’, it is not my intention to prohibit the use of word in the Quran, let alone denying the terms used in the Quran,” she said in a statement uploaded on her Facebook account today.
On the other hand, Fadhlina said it was an issue of choosing the appropriate term in daily life, taking the example of the late scholar Prof Dr Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi and the former rector of Al-Azhar University Prof Dr Ibrahim al-Hudhud who acknowledged the use of ‘ghayru Muslim’ (non-Muslim) including in social usage.
Fadhlina, who is also PKR Wanita chief, said she did not intend to reply to the viral issue because those who heard the speech could judge the true context to be conveyed, but the sentiments of the viral video which, among other things, posed a threat to her and her family’s safety which is something she cannot compromise.
“Friends advised that a police report be made for security reasons. A group of lawyers suggested taking legal and civil action against those involved. Lawyers are also gathering evidence through social media. It seems that many social media users have acted out of control including being too extreme in their reactions,” she said.
In the statement, Fadhlina also apologised if she had hurt the feelings of any party, due to misunderstandings, slip of the tongue and mistakes on her part.
Yesterday, Fadhlina’s political secretary, Atiqah Syairah Shaharuddin filed a police report in Kuching, Sarawak regarding the spread of a viral video and a picture of the Minister of Education’s poster which was allegedly edited and slanderous, causing negative reactions from netizens. —Bernama
