KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — A group of Malaysians has started an online campaign to rally around Syed Azmi Alhabshi, the man who organised a pet-a-dog event which has been slammed as disrespectful to Islam.
The event had been a landmark for the Muslims who touched dogs for the first time in their lives. One right-wing group labelled the Muslims involved as gullible and argued that the event may have been meant to drive a wedge between the followers of the faith.
In a Facebook post which has garnered 1,559 “likes” and 694 “shares” in just six hours, the “Malaysians for Malaysia” group thanked Syed Azmi while urging the public to show their support for his “wonderful initiative” but glossed over the religious issue.
“Last weekend, Syed Azmi brought hundreds of Malaysians together to help address animal cruelty and overcome prejudice and fear towards dogs.
“Now, he is under attack by those who seek to perpetuate ignorance and irrationality,” the group said in its post today, also saying that those who support him should “stand up and speak out”.
In the same post, a poster featuring the message “Stand strong and terima kasih (thank you), Syed Azmi” said the event had brought Malaysians together with “so much hope, goodness and sincerity” and touched the lives of many.
“You reminded us that we are human beings with love and compassion for ALL of Allah’s creations, including dogs. We stand with you!” said the poster, which showed a photograph of a tudung-clad woman holding a toddler and sitting beside a dog, as well as quotes attributed to Syed Azmi.
Syed Azmi was quoted as saying in the Facebook poster that cruelty towards animals was not religion-specific but a national issue.
The “I Want to Touch a Dog” event, which was held last week at the Central Park in Bandar Utama, Selangor, drew nearly 200 volunteers and dog owners and offered Malay Muslims the opportunity to pet canines, an animal that many of them regard as culturally taboo.
Since then, several senior Islamic clerics have criticised the event, saying that it was “haram” or “forbidden” for Muslims to touch dogs as the animals are considered unclean according to Islamic teachings.
PAS leaders have also voiced their displeasure, with the party’s spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat claiming today that the event organiser has worms in his head, while Malaysia’s foremost Islamic authority Jakim yesterday said it would call up Syed Azmi for questioning.
The “Malaysians for Malaysia” movement is the same multi-ethnic and multi-religious group who in January banded together to protect local churches from planned protests by Muslim groups as tensions ran high over the use of Arabic word for God, Allah.
On February 16, “Malaysians for Malaysia” organised “A Walk in the Park” that saw a group of 50 people walking peacefully past houses of worship of different faiths in Penang, in a show of rejection of the racial and religious extremism sweeping the country.
Just days after the nation was shocked by the March 8 disappearance of Flight MH370, this group had also worked together with shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur to mount message boards for Malaysians to offer their comfort and support for the families of the 239 people on board the flight.
