After Nur Fitri case, women’s group lobbies for special law against pornography

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — In response to news of Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin’s conviction in the UK for possession of child pornography, a Muslim non-governmental organisation (NGO) today urged Putrajaya to enact a special law to restrict pornography in Malaysia.

In an anti-pornography campaign launched here, Wanita Ikram, a wing under Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia, said they hope the government will seriously look into more stringent rules against the possession and distribution of pornographic materials.

“We hope this campaign would get responses from the government to review pornographic acts.

“We also like to request the government to enact its own (Act), so there will be more authority to it,” said programme director and Wanita Ikram member, Ariza Mohammad.

Ariza added that Wanita Ikram plans to hand a memorandum on the request to the government soon.

The group’s campaign dubbed “Mothers Against Pornography” kickstarted today with members of Wanita Ikram and other Muslim NGOs handing out some 500 white roses to adults at the Taman Titiwangsa Park in the morning.

Attached with the rose was a sheet of paper containing details on how the public can lodge complaints to the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) if they know of anyone distributing pornographic materials.

Chairman of the Federal Territory branch of Wanita Ikram, Niekmah Haji Adam, said the campaign was started after they heard about Nur Fitri’s case.

“The case garnered wide media attention, and we here in Wanita Ikram of the Federal Territory has also been monitoring it closely,” Niekmah said.

According to British media last week, Nur Fitri, who was studying on a scholarship under Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) at Imperial College London, was found to be in possession of over 30,000 videos and photographs of child pornography when the police raided his home in London last November.

The Southwark Crown Court has confirmed that Nur Fitri was sentenced on April 30 to 18 months’ jail, correcting the initial statement from the London Metropolitan Police Service reporting a five-year term for the Malaysian.

MARA had immediately rescinded Nur Fitri’s scholarship when the maths student was sentenced on April 30 and that the latter was required to pay back his study loan.