CSOs DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INCITEMENT OF VIOLENCE

15 NOVEMBER 2022

CSOs DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INCITEMENT OF VIOLENCE

The Centre for Independent Journalism, Pusat KOMAS, Sisters in Islam and #KamiNampak campaign jointly condemn the incitement of violence by actor Zul Huzaimy and call on organisers of the public forum to issue an apology for their oversight.

Zul Huzaimy’s words in a public forum have instigated sentiments of violence and genocide towards non-Muslims. These sentiments that advocate for violence have no place in any society and pose significant danger towards minority communities. Organisers of the public forum also bear responsibility in their negligence for permitting such speech to continue unaddressed during and after the event.

“We call on all political actors to stop weaponising hate speech for political gains,” added Wathshlah Naidu, CIJ’s Executive Director, “Race and religious based hate speech can lead to intolerance and often are the precursor to violent crimes. In exercising freedom of expression, we urge political actors to adhere to international standards on equality and non- discrimination and prevent the spread of hate speech.”

“Eventhough Zul Huzaimy tried to clarify the incident in an Instagram post, his earlier statement could spark and protract large-scale atrocities and engender human rights violations. Race and religion should not be used as a tool to malign others,” said Dr. Ryan Chua, Programme Director of Pusat KOMAS. 

“The harmful rhetoric in a forum geared towards young Malaysians needs to be rejected by all parties involved,” said Jason Wee, #KamiNampak campaign coordinator, “in an event during election season, political candidates should be swift in reaffirming the rights and safety of all communities.”

“There is no space in religion for the cultivation of hatred, intolerance, prejudice, and discrimination. Such a statement may be a precursor to hate crimes and a violation of international human rights. Race and religion should not be used as a political tool,” said Adam Idris, Manager of Advocacy, Legal Services and Research, Sisters in Islam (SIS). 

A video was widely reshared on 13 November showing actor Zul Huzaimy, or better known as Spark, speaking at Karnival Penghayatan Islam TDM Berhad in Kemaman on 4 November 2022. The session was titled “Himpunan Anak Muda: Konvoi Anak Muda & Sembang Santai”. 

In the video, Zul Huzaimy said: “There are two types of Kafirs – Zimmi, Harbi. We need to take care of Zimmi because they follow, the ones we need to know, notice because they support our authority. It’s okay, that’s the right we want. Correct? The Harbi, that can’t speak our language, how many of them.. for me, if I follow my instincts, I would have slaughtered many. Many of you feel the same, correct? That’s why we think there are laws in our country, correct?” The audience was heard cheering on the speaker.

Original BM transcription:

“Kafir ni ada dua, Zimmi, Harbi. Zimmi yang kita kena jaga sebab dia ikut, yang kita kena ambik tahu, ambik kisah sebab dia menyokong pemerintahan kita. Takpe, hak itu yang kita nak. Betul? Yang harbi ni. Dok reti bahasa ni. Buat apa ni? Kalau saya ni, kalau ikut darah panah saya, hoh! Banyak dah saya sembelih. Sungguh. sama gak dengan saudara-saudara betul tak? Sebab kita pikir ada undang-undang di negara kita. Betul tak?”

For media contact, reach out to:
Wathshlah Naidu
Executive Director, Centre for Independent Journalism,
exec_director@cijmalaysia.net

Material:
Event posters (Source: TDM Berhad Instagram Page)