KUALA LUMPUR – An umbrella body for Hindus said today that it had previously complained about apparent insults to Hindus made by independent lawmaker Datuk Zulkifli Noordin(pic), but no action was taken “because he is a Muslim.”
Hindu Sangam said today a video of Zulkifli, making what the opposition has said are vicious attacks against Hinduism, had originally surfaced in 2011.
“At that point in time we already told the government, but they are reluctant to take action I think because he is Muslim and vice president of Perkasa,” Hindu Sangam president Datuk R S Mohan Shan told The Malaysian Insider today.
“He’s actually condemning the Hindu religion. We want the government to look into it again,” he said.
Zulkifli, who is also the Independent MP for Kulim-Bandar Baharu, is shown in the video delivering a religious lecture in which he questioned a Hindu trader on why Hindu gods did not prevent the latter’s shop from being flooded, and the purity of the Ganges River.
“I have been to Sungai Ganga before. How can you say it’s pure? There are chicken corpses and small sticks floating about,” Zulkifli was recorded as saying in a video titled “Zulkifli Noordin (PERKASA) menghina agama hindu” uploaded on YouTube yesterday.
Mohan said that branches of Hindu Sangam, other non-governmental organisations and Hindu temples had in 2011 lodged police reports against Zulkifli over the video and called for government action in a press statement, but had received no response.
“It went very quiet after a while,” he said.
In a press statement today, Hindu Sangam said: “Malaysia Hindu Sangam vehemently condemns Zulkifli Noordin for being a racial and religious bigot and strongly urges the Authorities to take immediate action against him under the Sedition Act 1948 (Revised 1969).”
Mohan also said that Hindu Sangam would ask the government to remove the allegedly insulting video from YouTube.
PKR vice president N Surendran has also called for Zulkifli to be taken to task for his actions, as reported by PAS organ Harakah Daily today
“We call upon the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General to immediately investigate and charge Zulkifli Noordin under section 298A,” added the lawyer, referring to Section 298A of the Penal Code that prohibits actions that cause disharmony, feelings of enmity and hatred.
The Cabinet interfaith committee said yesterday that it avoids publicly censuring individuals who spark religious tension so as to prevent giving them further publicity.
Zulkifli became an independent MP critical of the opposition when he was dismissed from PKR on March 6, 2010 over a police report he lodged against PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.
Zulkifli had taken issue with Khalid’s statement describing a Selangor enactment prohibiting non-Muslims from using the word “Allah” as “outdated”.
Attempts to contact Zulkifli have not been successful.
