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In defamation hearing, ex-UiTM VC says no authority claimed ‘Becoming Hannah’ threatened Islam
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — Former Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) vice-chancellor, Tan Sri Dr. Ibrahim Abu Shah, told the High Court today that no authority, including the Islamic Religious Council or the Department of Islamic Affairs, had declared that the book Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey posed a threat to Islam.
Ibrahim was responding to the cross-examination by lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, representing Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh in her defamation suit against Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer Dr. Kamarul Zaman Yusoff.
The lawsuit concerns two Facebook posts made by Kamarul in May 2017 about the book.The second defence witness also agreed that no authority, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, had banned the book since its publication in 2014.
Sangeet: When you expressed your views on the book, was there any court ruling in this country stating that it contravenes Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution?
Ibrahim: Not yet.
When questioned by Sangeet about the book’s content, Ibrahim agreed that it did not state that Islam is not the official religion of the Federation or any state.
The former Dewan Negara senator then said after reading the book for the first time in 2015 and expressing concerns about its content, he did not file a police report but instead raised the matter in Parliament.
However, Ibrahim maintained that although Muslims in the country may not be easily influenced after reading the book, that does not mean it does not pose a threat.
In the lawsuit filed in 2022, Hannah Yeoh claimed that between May 10 and May 17, 2017, Kamarul Zaman posted two Facebook statements alleging that she intended to spread Christianity through her political activities.
The lecturer also cited her biography, Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey, as part of a purported Christian agenda and accused her of seeking to turn Malaysia into a Christian nation.
In his statement of defence, Kamarul Zaman argued that his Facebook posts were not defamatory, asserting that he had a duty to inform the public about the book’s content, fearing it might influence them toward Christianity.
The trial resumes today.
