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The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) is deeply concerned about
the targeted condemnation against a network of women's rights
organisations.The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) has been
raising questions over the absence of human rights standards in a
recent Syariah court decision to whip a woman for consuming alcohol.
JAG has also called for the repeal of the syariah criminal offences
law, which has been criticised by 40 Muslim organizations and two wings
of the ruling party UMNO, for allegedly insulting Islam and the nine
Malaysian monarchs, in their role as guardians of Islam.
According to online news site Malaysiakini, the organizations
lodged police reports against JAG on 1-9 October. One of the groups,
Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) is also mobilizing people to
lodge more police reports against JAG.This is a clear example of the
intimidation of women's voices defending women's human rights.
In July, the Syariah High Court in Pahang imposed a fine of RM5,000
and a sentence of six strokes of a whip on Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno
for drinking beer in public. Following international press coverage and
public outcry, the sentence was deferred to after Hari Raya (Muslims'
new year) celebrations in September. New Straits Times reported that
Kartika is the first person in Malaysia to be whipped for drinking in
public.
However, JAG has argued since 2005 that the implementation of the
syariah criminal offences has been problematic on syariah,
constitutional and legal grounds. JAG has called for a review of
Kartika's sentence, saying that it contradicts Malaysia's obligations
under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as well as other ASEAN level
commitments on women's rights. CIJ is worried that instead of
addressing these arguments, the groups who lodged police reports
resorted to inflammatory charges to shut down an opportunity to look at
the issue objectively. Calling for police action to be taken against
JAG under various undemocratic laws is tantamount to calling for
punishment against those who raise fair comment.
This is not the first public mobilisation against the women's
groups, as NGOs including those supposedly defending human rights have
in the past voiced strongly against the organising of dialogues on
freedom of religion. Forums on conversion to Islam organized by the
Article 11 coalition in 2006 and by the Bar Council in 2008 were
disrupted by angry protesters. In June, the Islamic party PAS has
called for government investigation into a feminist Muslim group,
Sisters in Islam, for being anti-Islam. Views contrary to the dominant
political and Islamic religious authorities in the form of speech,
publications and art are not tolerated by the state and its supporters.
CIJ views these actions as intimidation of genuine voices and while we
accept the rights of the groups to voice their protest against JAG, we
worry the implications on free expression could be damaging.
CIJ
deplores the call for and usage of restrictive laws against critics of
public interest issues. We believe that the issues raised by JAG have
to be resolved with level-headedness. Punishing JAG for raising the
question does not eliminate the problem itself.
We call on the authority not to take action against JAG and for the groups to stop their intimidation.
The Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia (CIJ) is a non-profit
organisation that aspires for a society that is democratic, just and
free where all people will enjoy free media and the freedom to express,
seek, and impart information.
Issued by
Gayathry Venkiteswaran
Executive Director
For more information please contact Wai Fong at 03 4023 0772
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