An article on Oct 11, entitled Jeff Ooi, Islam dan ISA'(Jeff Ooi, Islam and the ISA) on Malaysia Today, included an e-mail apology from a writer using the pen-name 'Anwar'.

It reads:

Merujuk kepada 'Islam Hadhari and Money Politics' pada lamanweb Screenshots, saya dengan ikhlas memohon maaf atas komen saya yang kurang teliti. Komen tersebut dibuat tanpa ada sebarang niat yang tidak baik. Saya juga menarik balik komen tersebut. Saya sungguh menyesal terhadap apa yang berlaku. Sebagai manusia biasa saya memang mempunyai sifat-sifat kelemahan. Oleh itu saya akan lebih berhati-hati di masa akan datang agar kejadian yang serupa tidak berulang. Sebagai menyambut kedatangan bulan Ramadhan yang mulia, marilah kita sama-sama buang yang keruh dan ambil yang jernih serta saling bermaafan.

(With reference to the 'Islam Hadhari and Money Politics' topic on Screenshots, I would like to tender my sincere apology for my careless comments. The comments were made without any ill intention. I also retract the comments. I regret what has happened. As a human being, I certainly have weaknesses. I will be more careful in future in order that such an incident will not recur. In the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, let us discard the bad and keep the good, and forgive one another.)

Anwar's repentance over his weakness, promise not to repeat his misdeed, readiness to retract his comment - said to have insulted Islam Hadhari - and apology should be accepted as the end of the matter.

In any case, he has been banned from posting any further messages on Screenshots as punishment, an action which has proved blogger Jeff Ooi's sensitivity to religious issues as the administrator.

Ooi had deleted the offensive comparison after he read it, and banned Anwar from further postings for failing to abide by guidelines and administrative warnings.

As such, the call by Umno Youth deputy head Khairy Jamaluddin for Ooi to apologise to the Malaysian public for allowing the use of the 'insulting' words on his blog, is off target.

This is also because Internet users, including Anwar, can post their comments without any prior censorship by administrators.

Compared to Ooi's actions, those of New Straits Times group editor-in-chief Kalimullah Hassan were actually more irresponsible and damaging.

In his article, Pendekatan Islam Hadhari serasi dengan kemodenan: Pak Lah ('Islam Hadhari's approach inline with modernisation: Pak Lah', Oct 3, Berita Minggu), he made misleading and possibly threatening accusations.

"Over the last few months, the abusive words that have been used in the free-est and most easily accessed media, that is the Internet, have hurt the feelings of Muslims in Malaysia," he wrote.

"First, the Bar Council allowed the publication of an article in its bulletin, which was truly hurtful, an article which said that the azan, which is broadcast to mark the prayer times is a form of noise pollution. Then, an unknown person by the name of Jeff Ooi, described Islam Hadhari and money politics as similar to 'sewage and urine'."

Kalimullah revealed his excuse as to why Ooi was targeted.

He said: "This is not the first time Jeff Ooi has used harsh words which hurt the racial and religious feelings of other people. His writings have 'slapped' a certain ethnic group in a prejudiced manner. He has also spitefully libeled many people and hurt many innocent people, with all of that reported in the independent media.

"I am angry because I have myself, like the others, been a victim of people like Ooi.'

Oh, so this is revenge, apparently!

Throwing oil on fire

Two facts which Kalimullah should have known, were twisted. Firstly, the writer of the article involving the azan had actually not considered it to be noise pollution.

Instead, he had criticised the intolerant attitude of some who considered the azan as noise pollution, and stressed that the use of loudspeakers to broadcast the call to prayer should be respected.

The azan issue, which has since died down, was purposely brought up again and tied to the wrongdoing of someone using the pen-name 'Anwar' (who is, from his e-mail apology, possibly a Muslim). Is that not throwing oil on fire?

This was repeated by Berita Minggu reporter Ismail Mat, when interviewing Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar (photo) in Parliament (Oct 10, Bicara, Berita Minggu).

Try reading the question he posed: "Recently, the issue of insulting Islam as in the azan case, insulting Islam Hadhari and the incident of mixing dressed chicken meat with pork has arisen. How does Datuk view the tendency for certain parties to touch on sensitive topics, including those linked to religion and race?"

The three incidents, which are separate matters (involving a human rights lawyer, an anti-Islam Hadhari Muslim and a businessman respectively), were purposely linked to make up what was termed as 'certain parties' who had 'tendencies' to touch on sensitive issues.

And that question was posed to a minister who has the power to make use of the Sedition Act and the ISA. The reason why that was done is not clear - to make a mountain out of a molehill, even going as far as telling lies, so that the Sedition Act or the ISA can be used against them?

Hiding behind ISA

Kalimullah's accusations concerning Ooi are most serious as these were made without concrete proof. If the responsibility for Anwar's wrongdoing is placed on Ooi's shoulders, then own Kalimullah's integrity is questionable, as is the veracity of his allegations.

If Kalimullah were an ethical journalist and if it is true that he has come across wickedness by Ooi and his small band of followers, as alleged in his article, he should have been courageous enough to confront them on the Screenshots blog, which is open to all.

Or, he could have engaged in polemics with them in the newspapers he administers in a gentlemanly and rational manner, rather than start a libelous campaign of made-up stories and exaggerations while hiding behind the Sedition Act and the ISA by instigating and urging ministers to act firmly.

If we compare the damage caused by Anwar's comment - which were only accessible to a limited number of Internet users, criticised and then quickly erased - with the libelous campaign launched by the New Straits Times and Berita Harian led by the '2Ks' (Khairy and Kalimullah) on racial and religious relationships, the damage caused by latter is many times more serious.

Now, the Malays and Muslims in our nation may have been confused by the libelous campaign into believing that 'the is a small group of rakyat who dared to bring up sensitive religious, racial and language issues' as alleged by the Berita Mingguan reporter.

Noh warned those involved to stop such actions. If they did not heed his warning, the police would take action. Investigations are also being carried out.

I think the libelous campaign, which has jeopardised racial and religious relationships as mentioned above, should also be investigated, and the police should be careful not to be influenced by open provocation from reporters with a hidden agenda.

For instance: "What are Datuk's comments about those involved who apparently consider the authorities as powerless to act against those who spread lies and instigate using the cyberworld?"

Who should apologise?

Who are 'those involved'? Ooi and his followers? If so, is that not yet another lie and arbitrary instigation which should be stopped?

In this cybe-age, Khairy is right in viewing the making of police reports as an outdated tactic which is no longer suitable.

And this writer would like to add this: Forcing someone to apologise without reasonable cause (as in Ooi's case) by means of a libelous campaign, blown up by the mainstream media, with threats of action under the Sedition Act and the ISA, is also an outdated tactic, which is probably no longer effective.

In short, if anyone apart from Anwar should apologise to the rakyat, it is surely not Ooi, but Kalimullah and Khairy. But I am not calling for them to do so, because I am not fond of doing meaningless things.

What I hope is that the parties involved will not disturb Ooi, who has been proven to be innocent in this episode.

Moreover Screenshots, which has played a role in the growth of the still limited independent media in our nation, should be encouraged and assisted, not subjected to attempts to sabotage and terminate it!