KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has invited the public to attend a gathering in solidarity with Palestine scheduled to take place tomorrow.
On social media, Anwar shared a poster of the event, which is set to take place tomorrow night at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
“Come on Malaysians, gather at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil tomorrow night as a sign of our solidarity with Palestinians,” Anwar said briefly in the caption for the post.
Earlier today, Anwar’s press secretary Mohd Faizal Hassan had hinted at a large-scale solidarity gathering.
Faizal also said that the event will not have a ban on chanting the “takbir,” which is the name for the Arabic phrase “Allahu Akbar.”
Faizal was likely referencing yesterday’s Freedom for Palestine gathering organised by Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) and MyCARE, which incited backlash on social media after they allegedly barred participants from chanting the takbir.
VPM chairman Datuk Dr Musa Mohd Nordin later clarified to Scoop that he had not disallowed chants of the takbir, claiming instead that he had merely discouraged the chant as such activity would “isolate non-Muslims.”
“(Rally attendees who insist on chanting the takbir) are people who can be quite conservative and extremist. I think they come from a background of conservatism (where the Israel-Palestine war) is perceived as being all about Muslims and the Jewish (community).
“I did not make any mention of stopping takbir chants, but the ground rules (of the rally) were very clear from the start. They think they can express their Islamism, but VPM is respectful of other religious groups.”
While Dr Musa has since issued a public apology to those unhappy with the rally’s proceedings, he insisted that he did not prevent takbir chants and also denied labelling an attendee as a “Zionist” for holding up a poster supposedly degrading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He added that police had given the rally organisers “clear instructions” to take “swift action against hate speech or posters and agent provocateurs intent on derailing our humanitarian and peaceful rally.”
Yesterday’s rally saw the attendance of about 10,000 participants, including former Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar as well as Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil. – October 23, 2023