PAS to lodge report over 'Welcome to Afganu' image

PAS to lodge report over 'Welcome to Afganu' image


Published: Aug 28, 2024 9:36 PM


The Terengganu PAS Youth Wing will lodge a police report tomorrow over an image apparently satirising the state’s ban on Muslim female athletes from participating in certain sports.

According to the party’s mouthpiece HarakahDaily, the image is an insult to Islam.

The police report will be lodged at the Terengganu police contingent headquarters tomorrow afternoon.

“Day by day, those who make fun of Islam are getting worse because they feel they have strong connections that allow them to hide behind fake accounts.

“We hope the police will conduct a detailed investigation alongside the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to find out who is this person insulting Islam,” the report quoted Kuala Nerus PAS Youth as saying.

AI-generated

The offending image posted on Facebook is an AI-generated image depicting a person leaping off a starting block at a swimming pool.

The person is dressed in a black burqa, and the image is captioned “Welcome to Afganu!” – apparently a portmanteau of “Afghanistan” and “Terengganu”.

The Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is known for its restrictions on women in public life based on its interpretation of Islam, including a 2022 rule that women should be dressed in loose clothing that only reveals their eyes – preferably a burqa.

HarakahDaily said the image is clearly linked to the recent controversy where two female Muslim athletes, Uzlifatil Jannah Ashraf and Ilyssa Ixora Imran, represented Terengganu in diving at the 2024 Malaysian Games (Sukma).

This is despite the Terengganu government directive barring Muslim female athletes from the state from competing in gymnastics and aquatic sports events at Sukma due to the athletic wear for each sport not being syariah-compliant.

The Terengganu Amateur Swim Association has apologised saying that it misunderstood the dress code issue, and it had signed up the divers at its own initiative and the divers were privately funded.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said her ministry will take in the two divers who both won bronze medals at their respective events.

They will continue training at the federal government’s National Sports School and have been shortlisted for the national back-up programme next year if they continue in several upcoming competitions.