CONTROVERSIAL and playwright Faisal Tehrani is back with his latest satirical fiction novel “The Koro Riots”, which tells the story of men in a fictional country called Hujung Manani lose their genitals.

Faisal, whose real name is Dr Mohd Faisal Musa, said the book, although satirical, has anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism messages.

“The Koro Riots” revolves around its protagonist, the dictator Priapus, and his wife Datin Lotis, who uses black magic, namely the power of a weretiger.

“The book has elements of religious extremism, political extremism, feminism and anti-patriarchy.

“It is also about politics being dominated by ignorant and mindless politicians including religious leaders,” he said.

The book was launched in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

The academic further slammed the heavy-handedness of authorities in clamping down on dissent, especially on individuals with no influence.

“Based on the Rabat Plan of Action, there is a clear guideline on freedom of expression. There should be no hate speech and if one had uses hate speech, authorities must consider his or her degree of influence.

“If an unpopular person made a hate speech on the internet, which he has no audience or listeners, the government should not pay any heed as long as the speech is not geared towards violence.

“The bigger problem is when a very popular person with a huge number of followers and influence makes such a speech on the internet, which then gains widespread attention,” said Faisal.

Faisal is currently an academic at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He has won numerous literary prizes and awards.

Among his best remembered works are “1515” (translated into French and published by Les Indes Savantes), and “The Professor” (translated into English) in 2020. 

Faisal is also known as playwright, where his stage play “Ghaib” received good reviews. This year, Faisal’s written screenplay “Maryam Pagi Ke Malam”, directed by Badrul Hisham Ismail, premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival. – November 11, 2023.