KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 – UMNO having a close door event which non-Muslim reporters were barred to cover the launch of an Umno event which held on today at the Putra World Trade Centre here that the aimed is to uphold Islam as the religion of the federation.
Security officials were posted at the entrance of the event organised by the Puteri Umno wing titled DIAN or Daulatkan Islam Agama Negara, an acronym in Bahasa Malaysia that literally translates to Upholding the Sovereignty of Islam as the National Religion to screen reporters seeking to enter the hall where Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was to officiate.
One of the officials asked this “Sir, are you Muslim?” to Malay Mail Online and mainstream newspaper reporter, who replied in the negative. He said this event is only open to Muslims while non Muslim cannot enter the event due to they just follow the instructions from higher up.
“In the meantime, the organiser has a right to impose restrictions on its coverage which organiser have it right to barred any people to enter the event while also calling the reporters to respect the decision,” a representative of the event organiser who declined to furnish his name said when he was contacted.
“Meanwhile, there were no specific reason, we wanted Muslims only in the hall because they understand better but for non-Muslims cannot due to the understanding is different,” he said when asked for a reason for excluding non-Muslims from covering the event that was publicised as seeking to promote Islam among the younger generation, including dealing with facing threats towards Islam.
