KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — A member of the Federal Territories and Perlis fatwa councils has defended the controversial Demi Tuhan Aku Bersaksi, following a pre-screening of the yet unreleased RTM telemovie.
Ahmad Kamilin Jamilin said the production is not insulting tahfiz schools, where students learn Quran memorisation, instead saying it ought to be watched by all Malaysians.
“There is even no exposure of the ‘aurat’ whatsoever, or mingling among the sexes as I saw it,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday, referring to the intimate parts of Muslims that have to be covered from the opposite sex.
He also denied that there are no elements depicting the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) or sodomy, after some Muslims lambasted the production for allegedly depicting their existence in tahfiz schools.
“As for the photo which went viral in connection to the telemovie, the character shown on it is only from a scene depicting bullying,” he said, referring to a photo of the main lead Syafie Naswip clad in a towel.
“The only thing we can see clearly is the struggle of youths with a tendency to behave unnaturally, yet able to change despite internal conflict and terrible external challenges.
“As a former tahfiz student and now an operator, I do not think the sentiments perceived as insulting towards such institutions outweighs the moral lessons it can impart,” he said.
The telemovie was screened for Ahmad Kamilin, along with Federal Territories Mufti Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad and several other religious figures.
RTM had previously defended the film, saying it is laden with positive message and reflects the reality faced in Malaysian society, while the Department of Broadcasting Malaysia was also quoted as saying the film is under review.
This comes as several Muslim groups are urging federal Islamic agency Jakim and the National Fatwa Council to watch the film before it is aired, claiming it is part of an attempt to smear Islamic institution.
Syafie is said to play a “former transwoman” who enters a tahfiz school, only to be harassed and verbally assaulted as a sinner for her past.
Sexual abuse in tahfiz schools are frequently reported in local media. Most recently, a Magistrate’s Court in Ipoh recognised an alleged sexual abuse may have been committed at a tahfiz school previously owned by preacher Datuk Kazim Elias, and questioned why its investigation was closed.
