KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 ― Islamic preacher Datuk Kazim Elias said yesterday that his critics have defamed him with accusations of racism over a six-year-old video that showed him berating the Chinese and Indians for partying instead of defending the country.
News website Sinar Online reported Kazim as saying that there was nothing wrong with his 2009 lecture, claiming he had merely focused on the responsibility of Muslims to defend governance as mandated in Islam.
“We wholly deny the accusations because they are defamatory allegations that do not take the lecture in its entirety,” Kazim was quoted saying.
The video has earned the ire of at least one ethnic Chinese group in Tumpat, Kelantan that lodged a police report this week after receiving snippets of it through text messaging app WhatsApp.
National news agency Bernama reported yesterday the Islamic preacher as saying that his critics only focused on the portion of the video that contained the controversial remarks and disregarded the larger theme of the lecture that was being recorded.
In the video just over an hour-long, Kazim criticised Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese and Indians for having fun drinking and dancing in clubs while the Malays worked hard for the country as soldiers, police officers, firefighters and cleaners.
“Now who is the master, who is the slave? … Our race is guarding the jungles. Where are the Chinese? Are there Hindus? How many Hindus are soldiers? Many are robbers. Freely going to Giant, nightclubs, wearing sexy clothes, hanging out in Tesco,” he added, naming two hypermarkets.
In comparison, Kazim suggested that the Malays might be the ones who are “slaves” now, as they have to work hard serving non-Malays who are living carefreely.
The remark made was part of an over hour-long lecture on the topic of the Malay rulers, which is also available in his collection of lectures sold nationwide.
