KUALA LUMPUR: PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden questions why Chinese vernacular schoolchildren are allowed to wear costumes with replicas of weapons while Hamas-inspired costumes worn during Palestine Solidarity Week are considered extreme.
The Alor Setar MP also called out Cabinet member Nga Kor Ming, over a post on the latter's X account with a picture of two pupils wearing a face-covering mafla (scarf) while holding replicas of firearms saying: “Schools are not the place for conflict, extremism and terrorism.”
“Was he (Nga) referring to the costumes (worn by the children)? If yes, how about school programmes held in several SJKC (Chinese vernacular schools), where students freely wear costumes with weapons such as Japanese samurai?
“We never questioned this and said it was extreme but why when it comes to pupils wearing clothes like Hamas fighters, they are considered extreme?
"Was he (Nga) trying to say that Hamas is a terrorist organisation?” he told reporters at the media room in the Parliament building here on Wednesday (Nov 1).
Afnan Hamimi demanded the Local Government Development Minister explain himself as he claimed that Nga’s statement was against Malaysia’s stance of not recognising Hamas as terrorists, unlike several other countries.
“If Nga is saying Hamas is a terrorist organisation, that would contradict the Prime Minister’s statement who said Malaysia will not consider Hamas as a terrorist group.
“The public knows that this conflict goes beyond religion, it is a humanitarian crisis. I hope such a misunderstanding can be fixed, especially for a minister.
"I also hope the minister can provide an explanation,” he added.
Checks on social media found that several individuals, including Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, had posed the same questions to Nga.
“How about this? Is this not extremism and terrorism?” Dr Akmal said, adding a screenshot of a now deleted post by a Chinese school’s account showing its pupils wearing costumes while holding samurai swords.
