Comments on non-Malays taken out of context, says under-fire ulama

Muzliza Mustafa Muzliza Mustafa Updated 8 years ago · Published on 17 Jan 2018 7:00AM · 6 Comments

Ummah chairman Ismail Mina Ahmad says he’s ready to be investigated for making an allegedly seditious statement. – The Malaysian Insight pic, January 17, 2018.

GABUNGAN Pembela Ummah (Ummah) chairman Ismail Mina Ahmad said his comments that non-Malays did not fight the communists was in reference to a specific episode a few weeks after the Japanese surrendered in World War 2 when the Bintang Tiga group went on a revenge killing spree.

The 69-year-old ulama said his speech at “The rise of the ummah” convention over the weekend was taken out of context.

Ismail has been on the receiving end of statements by retired armed forces’ groups which said the remarks are a distortion of history.

The head of the umbrella body for some 300 Muslim civil society organisations said he never once made any reference to communists.

“I was speaking about Bintang Tiga. It is wrong to lump them together with the communists because Bintang Tiga never admitted that they were communists. They were referred to as Bintang Tiga based on the symbol on their uniform and cap. 

“What I was talking about was an event in a specific time frame within two to three weeks after the Japanese were defeated. Bintang Tiga went on terror spree and killed many Malays. At the time, they had gained control of some districts,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He denied saying that it was only the Malays who had fought against Bintang Tiga.

But with regard to its killing spree, Ismail said the facts and documents he read showed that no other races fought alongside the Malays after Bintang Tiga targeted Malayans suspected of being Japanese collaborators, or spies.

“Everything has to be taken in context. I said Malays, as the original settlers of Tanah Melayu, also had a role as Muslims to protect their land. They were the ones who fought against the Siamese, Portuguese, Japanese, English and also Bintang Tiga,” said Ismail.

Bintang Tiga was separate from the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and was another name for the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), a resistance group encouraged by the British and the MCP to fight the Japanese in the early 1940s. 

After the Japanese surrendered and before the British returned in 1945, MPAJA hunted down those they believed had worked with the Japanese. 

Historians writing about that period have said these collaborators were often Malays who were employed by the Japanese as policemen.

Ismail, who has set up a tahfiz school in Kedah, said he is ready to be investigated for making an allegedly seditious statement.

The Muslim activist, who was a student leader in his university years when he studied anthropology and sociology at Universiti Malaya, declined to respond to the statement made by the National Patriots’ Association president, brig-gen (rtd) Mohamed Arshad Raji, who blamed him for distorting history and instilling hatred among the races.

“He was referring to something that I did not say and he (was commenting based on) secondary information. He should have referred to my text before attacking me. I did my research and fact-checked before I spoke that day. I hoped he would have done the same,” said Ismail.

Arshad had also said Putrajaya must set the record straight about non-Malays who fought for the country and not let Muslim groups get away with distorting history. – January 17, 2018.

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Comments

  • Another lie to cover his initial lies. Please stop lying Ismail Mina, more so considering you are an ulama. By the way, going further back to history, Hang Tuah, a Muslim-Chinese put his life on the line protecting a weak Sultan of Melaka. Hang Jebat, another Muslim-Chinese died at the hands of his good friend fighting injustices committed by the useless Sultan of Melaka.

    Posted 8 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

  • Out of context statement in Bolehland is becoming a laughing stock these days. Ok, he said he was quoted wrong but what took this guy to rectify what was written so long? This guy calling himself a graduate and a leader is sheer BS and is a laughing stock himself to his fellow colleagues!!! You Lol

    Posted 8 years ago by Crishan Veera · Reply

    • It's always the case. When caught wrong footed, they will deny saying it. And out the blame conveniently on media mis-reporting. Just like their BN minister.

      Posted 8 years ago by Brandy henderson · Reply

  • Out of context? So, you did say it! Should have anticipated and clarify your statement in your speech and also not wait till now to give your excuse if that was the case.

    Posted 8 years ago by OneSirih Leaf · Reply

  • ha ha ha typical standard answer from a macai when confronted with facts.

    Posted 8 years ago by Leslie Chan · Reply

  • Why highlight an episode when the non Malays were not involved, how about when the Malays were informants to the Japanese army or those who were recruited into the Japanese army like Tun Abdul Razak and many other Malays while the Chinese were slaughtered.

    Posted 8 years ago by Xuz ZG · Reply