PRESS RELEASE 

• Pertubuhan MUAFAKAT, a Malaysian Muslim NGO, strongly condemns the outrageous, irresponsible, and also dangerous act the Sarawak Tribune newspaper has committed in reprinting part of the controversial Danish cartoons of Prophet Muhammad in its Saturday February 4 issue.

• At the same time MUAFAKAT is strongly opposed to all violent responses to the cartoons whether in Malaysia or anywhere else.  

The published cartoons or for that matter any pictorial representations of the Prophet are extremely sensitive and offensive to Muslims. This is because they strongly believe their religion Islam strictly prohibits such representations so as to prevent human corruption of God’s revelation to Prophet Muhammad and also to prevent corruption of the traditional portrait of the Prophet as a man of God whose moral character, life style, and integrity is sought to be emulated by every Muslim male and female.

It is extremely important for non-Muslims in this country to realize that the Prophet is a role model for all Muslims even though in everyday life many of them may not be able to totally emulate him. MUAFAKAT shares with other Muslims the strong sentiment that to caricature the Prophet is to ridicule and to attack the very basis of Muslim religious life. For this reason we consider the publications of the cartoons by newspapers especially by a Malaysian one as outrageous, displaying a total lack of respect for Muslim religious beliefs.

In the context of Malaysia’s religious plurality where a harmonious inter-communal living could only be guaranteed through the inculcation of mutual understanding and respect among followers of the different religions Sarawak Tribune’s publication of the cartoons can only be described as irresponsible and extremely dangerous. Now that the deplorable act has happened right here in our country and despite that Muslims are duty bound to maintain law and order and peace in society as insisted by Islam itself we now have to appeal to Muslims to cool their anger and to exercise the spiritual virtue of sabar (patience).  

• In the wake of Sarawak Tribune’s insensitive act and for the sake of Malaysia’s well-being MUAFAKAT would like to urge all fellow Malaysian non-Muslim individuals, groups, and organizations to fully understand Muslim religious sensitivities and accordingly to refrain from acts that are deemed insulting against Islam and Muslims. We hope the Sarawak Tribune’s extremely dangerous “error” is the last news of religious blasphemy we would be hearing from any quarter in this country. 

• MUAFAKAT calls on the government to carry out a full investigation into Sarawak Tribune’s publication of the cartoons of the Prophet and to ensure that such incidents will not happen again. That the authorities will be issuing a show-cause letter against the Sarawak Tribune is most welcome. But a full investigation is called for, since it is inexcusable for a Malaysian newspaper editor to claim an “oversight” when the controversial cartoons have been for weeks not just the talk of the town in this country but also the talk of the whole world. It is not enough for an editor to resign and apologize and take full responsibility for the reprinting of the caricature. It is the publishers of the Sarawak Tribune that must take full responsibility and face all the consequences of their action. They owe an apology to all Muslims in this country. 

Issued by;

Professor Datuk Dr Osman Bakar
President MUAFAKAT
7 February 2006