Zul Noordin defends caning of pork-sausage boy, blames father

KUALA LUMPUR — Independent MP Zulkifli Noordin wants the Home Ministry to investigate Beginda Minda @ Noor Azman, whose 10-year-old son was caned for bringing pork to a school in Sarawak, whom he now claims has dual identities – that of a Muslim and a non-Muslim.

The former PKR MP told a press conference in Parliament today that when Noor Azman was a witness in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s trial in 1998, he had used his Muslim name.

“His name was Noor Azman Abdullah @ Beginda Minda, Islam. But according to his marriage certificate in 1999, he was known as Beginda Anak Minda, married to Angela, and identified as having no religion,” Zulkifli claimed.

He further explained that when Noor Azman’s son was born in May 2000, the child was known as Basil anak Beginda and was not identified as a follower of any faith.

“But in the November 1999 general election, he stood with the name Noor Azman Abdullah. And if you go to the Election Commission’s website, he used this name.

“He lost that election badly and lost his deposit. In 2001, he stood in Sarawak and there, too, he used his Muslim name.

“Do you see what is wrong with this? In 1998, a Muslim; when married, no religion; when he had a child, also no religion, and yet in the general election and in the Sarawak state election, he was Muslim,” said Zulkifli.

He questioned the possibility of a citizen holding on to dual identities and urged the ministry to look into the matter.

“How can someone have two different identities? This cannot be correct. One of them must be false. I want the ministry to check into this matter,” he said.

The issue of Noor Azman’s religion was raised when his son, Basil, was reportedly caned by his schoolteacher in Sarawak after he brought non-halal food to school.

Pork is considered a non-halal (non-kosher) meat to Muslims and Hebrews.

It was, however, later claimed that the boy had been wrongfully caned since he was not a Muslim.

In his defence of the schoolteacher’s actions yesterday, Zulkifli had pointed out that the child’s father was a Muslim, which made him Muslim as well, thus justifying the act of caning him.

DAP MP Chong Chieng Jen, however, claimed yesterday that in his interview with Basil’s mother, it was discovered that the boy was not a Muslim.

Zul also claims caning may be due to other reasons

Zulkifli also claimed today that the state Education Department had investigated the matter and it was discovered that Basil had not been caned for bringing pork sausages to school but over a different matter.

“The question now is whether he was really caned because of the sausages. We do not know. (Deputy Education Minister Datuk Seri) Wee Ka Siong, three days ago, conducted an investigation and it was done by the state education department... the boy was caned because of another matter, not the sausages,” he said.
- Malaysian Insider