ISMA sees evil behind marital-rape sensation

The NGO's website says the issue is being played up as part of an anti-Islam agenda.

PETALING JAYA: ISMA’s website has accused the “liberal social media” of sensationalising the issue of marital rape to paint an ugly picture of Islam.

An article on ISMAweb today said news reports and commentaries on the issue have been presented in such a way as to show that Islam is a “problematic religion that is unjust to women”.

The article, written by ISMAweb editor Razali Zakaria, did not name any specific website, but said the sensation was sparked by a news report quoting Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria as saying that “there’s no such thing” as marital rape in Islam.

Harussani’s comments first appeared on the Malay Mail Online and the report was picked up by various Malaysian-based news portals, personal blogs and social media sites. It was also featured by the right-wing Israelnationalnews.com.

Razali noted that the issue of marital rape made its recent appearance in the news with the launching of a campaign against it by the State Assemblywoman for Damasara Utama, DAP’s Yeo Bee Yin.

He also noted that Yeo’s campaign was not directed at any religion or even at religion per se, but he said the “liberal and secular news portals, which are closely associated with the Jews, have found in it an opportunity” to attack Islam.

“Why didn’t they seek comments from the priests of Christianity and other religions?” he asked. “Instead they have chosen to trap the Perak Mufti into giving a statement.”

Razali also questioned Tony Pua’s motive in posting on his Facebook Harussani’s comments side by side with Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin’s opposing opinion. He speculated that Pua was indirectly inviting comments that would put Islam in a bad light.

He described Pua as “a racist and chauvinist” and one among the “infidel leaders of the DAP tribe”.

Razali prefaced his article with the following quotation from the Quran:

And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. – Ar-Rum, 21

“In truth,” Razali said, “there should be no such thing as a problem in marital relations between believing Muslim couples.”