DAP’s Syerleena reports post depicting her as anti-Islam

She says the post appears to be part of a smear campaign that began in March when two Facebook pages labelled her as 'an attacker of the Islamic institution'.

PETALING JAYA: Syerleena Abdul Rashid wants the authorities to investigate the individual behind a social media post which appears to paint her as an enemy of Islam, following her police report on the matter in Penang today.

The DAP Wanita assistant publicity secretary said she was made aware of the latest post, which was among a series of similarly themed online messages targeting her, earlier today.

“As a Muslim, I take great offence at those who slander me in such a way,” she said. “Those who continue to spread these lies and continue to use this sort of political propaganda are the real enemies of Islam.

“I hope both the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will carry out investigations without prejudice and take immediate action against those who did this,” she told FMT.

Penang DAP women’s publicity secretary Josephine Tan and her assistant Gueny Koay accompanied her in lodging the report at the Patani Road police station at 10.30am.

Syerleena said she had never made the remarks or issued any statement as insinuated in the graphic being circulated.

She said the smears began in March when two Facebook pages had labelled her as “an attacker of the Islamic institution”.

The allegation was uploaded by an individual with a private account named “Johny Wick” and on a page under “Darul Ehsan Leaks” which had about 17,000-odd followers.

Johny Wick posted Syerleena’s picture at her oath-taking ceremony as a councillor in the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), accompanied with the words “I swear I will attack Islamic institutions, especially Jakim, for the sake of DAP”, referring to the Islamic Development Department.

The post by Darul Ehsan Leaks meanwhile featured a collage of Syerleena’s images and that of DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, with the same words.

Syerleena said she later found out that Darul Ehsan Leaks had taken down its post after she lodged a police report against both accounts.

However, on Aug 28 a new post with the words “I will struggle to change Malaysia’s official religion to Christianity after GE14” appeared on social media platforms.

She said she put up a denial against the allegation on her Facebook page and in various WhatsApp groups.

The latest post bears a caption under the one released on Aug 28 which reads: “Why do these things happen in this country? Because there are people who understand the religion, understand the Quran but give views which confuse the people.”

“I will be meeting my lawyers tomorrow to discuss what I should do and once I find out more I will hold a press conference,” Syerleena said.

She said although she could not be certain, she suspected those spreading the posts may be connected to PAS, based on their Facebook profiles.

She described the false propaganda as dangerous. “Using religion to mislead people is destructive because this will breed hatred and religious extremism,” she said. - FMT