HEARING into a defamation suit by Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa against Harakah, involving cosmetics entrepreneur Muhammad Sajjad Kamaruzzaman, better known as Sajat, who performed the umrah dressed in telekung (female prayer garments), will begin in July.

Lawyer Noorazmir Zakaria, representing Mujahid, told Bernama that Kuala Lumpur High Court judicial commissioner Quay Chew Soon set July 12 and 13 for the trial of the case during the proceedings via e-review today.

On August 12, the former minister in the prime minister’s department filed the defamation suit and named Harakah reporter Aziz Muda, its editor-in-chief Wan Nordin Wan Yaacob, its online portal harakahdaily.net operator Galeri Media Serbanika Sdn Bhd and the newspaper’s printer, Percetakan Turbo (M) Sdn Bhd, as defendants.

In his statement of claim, Mujahid claimed that, on February 7 last year, Aziz, Wan Nordin and Galeri Media had written and published defamatory words against him on harakahdaily.net via an article titled “Sajat: Mujahid dan K’jaan PH patut dipersalahkan” and another one titled “Keterlanjuran Sajat kesilapan Mujahid dan kerajaan PH” published on Harakah newspaper dated February 10 to 13.

The Parit Buntar MP said the defamatory words implied he was an irresponsible man for allowing the public, especially Muslims, to engage in lesbian gay bisexual transexual activities and that he was the main reason for Sajat to wear telekung and behave like a woman while performing umrah.

Mujahid claimed the defamatory words had tarnished his dignity, credibility and reputation as the minister in charge of religious affairs at the material time.

Meanwhile, in their statement of defence filed on September 28, last year, the defendants said Mujahid should be man enough to be responsible for the statement he made and should not be offended by the criticisms hurled at him by the public, especially media practitioners, in connection with the issue. – Bernama, January 22, 2021.