GEORGE TOWN, July 15 — Despite the increase in savagery as well as the number of people baying for her blood on social media, Seri Delima assemblyman Syerleena Abdul Rashid refuses to succumb to fear.
A post on Facebook by someone with the online handle JA Gmum, with the title “Darahnya halal tidak berdosa dia dibunuh, Dia Pengkhianat Islam” (her blood is halal, it is not a sin to kill her, she is a traitor of Islam) started spreading from July 13.
There was a comment by one user with the name Khairul Annuar Ismail who said “benar...dan sungguh benar...aku dah standby dah..hanya tunggu semboyan berbunyi jer...berbunyi je aku ONlah..”
[Translation: “true, and very true...I am on standby...just waiting for the siren to sound...once it rings, it’s on.]
Syerleena said she noticed the poster was spread and shared on social media this morning.
The post was a threat placed on top of an old defamatory poster with her picture that claimed she had said she will attack the Islam institution especially Jakim for DAP.
“This poster, which was not true and defamatory, was spread and shared many times and now it has resurfaced,” she said.
She said it does not make sense that she would attack the Islam institution as claimed in the post.
She believed the new threat that “her blood was halal to be killed” was made after she lodged a police report over a death threat she received last week.
She also believed that they are posted by supporters of Pakatan Harapan’s political opponents.
“If anyone is unhappy with me, they can come to me and I am open to criticism, that is what we call mature politics. When will they stop spreading lies and threatening me?” she asked.
She said she will not be frightened by such threats even though she will now be more careful about her personal safety.
“I will continue to serve the people. Such threats have never stopped me but in fact gave me the strength to continue serving as an assemblyman,” she said.
Syerleena lodged another police report against the threats on Facebook today.
She hoped the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will investigate and take action against the people behind them.
Last week, Syerleena received a handwritten note with the words “maut menanti kamu” (death awaits you) at her service centre in Island Glades here.
At the same time, the poster with her picture claiming she will attack the Islam Institution for DAP resurfaced and was shared on social media then.
She had previously lodged numerous reports against the same poster that was shared several times since last year.
She had again lodged police reports over the death threat as well as against the poster last week.
