Zunar: What part of my cartoon insulted Allah?

 

Political cartoonist Zunar said he deleted one of his drawings on social media to heed an order by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, and not because of a police report lodged by Kelantan PAS Youth.

In a statement to Malaysiakini, Zunar (above) said the king’s decree for all parties to stop taking advantage of the Allah socks issue led him to feel it was time for him to stop creating cartoons on the matter.

“Yes, I deleted the cartoon on social media, but not because I was afraid of the police report they (Kelantan PAS Youth) made.

“I certainly know what I drew. I just think after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s latest order, it was time to stop creating works on the issue,” he said.

On April 9, Kelantan PAS Youth made a police report in Kota Bharu against the Facebook page Zunar Cartoonist Fan Club, accusing the artist of insulting the holy word Allah.

Meanwhile, Zunar said he would not respond to the Islamist party’s Youth wing on the basis that its members do not have the capacity to think intellectually.

“This is because they do not understand satirical cartoons,” he said.

The artist went on to explain the cartoon only depicted the fear of some groups towards a symbol to the point of excessive interpretation.

Cartoon merely depicts phobia

“I want to ask the public, what part of the cartoon’s visuals is deemed to be insulting Allah or Islam?

“For those who want to think with common sense, the cartoon only depicts the fear or phobia some groups have towards a certain symbol, to the point of making an excessive interpretation,” he said.

Also on April 9, the Agong met with senior leaders of Umno and DAP at Istana Negara.

In a Facebook post, the monarch said the meeting focused on current developments related to issues of racial and religious sensitivity.

Those present were Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan, Malacca Umno chairperson Ab Rauf Yusoh, Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh and DAP deputy secretary-general Liew Chin Tong.

The king cautioned political leaders against taking things too far in expressing their views on racial and religious issues.

“Not only Umno and DAP, but also all other parties.

“Leaders must be a bridge or link among the plural people of our country with examples of mature behaviour,” he said.

The audience comes on the back of Akmal’s prominent role in leading a boycott of KK Mart after the convenience store chain inadvertently carried socks bearing the word Allah.

In the aftermath of the boycott call, three outlets were attacked with petrol bombs.

Previously on April 3, Sultan Ibrahim agreed to meet with KK Mart founder and executive chairman Chai Kee Kan.

Chai asked the monarch and all Muslims for forgiveness over the socks issue in a 15-minute-long session at Istana Negara.

Last month, images of socks bearing the word Allah being sold at KK Mart’s Bandar Sunway outlet went viral on social media, triggering an uproar.

The convenience store immediately apologised to all its customers, particularly the Muslim community, and halted the sale of the socks.

KK Mart and its former supplier have been charged with hurting religious feelings while the Umno Youth chief has been called up by police over the debacle. - Mkini