‘The Star’ says sorry for its front page
This comes after politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties criticise daily for its layout that apparently links Muslims praying to terrorism.
PETALING JAYA: English daily The Star has issued an apology for its Saturday’s front page, saying on hindsight, it should have been more sensitive to the feelings of its Muslim readers.
The Star Media Group said the layout of its front page, which featured a headline about terrorism, followed below by a picture of Muslims praying, was the result of “error of judgment” on its part.
“It has been the practice of The Star to respect the first day of Ramadan every year and to place the picture of Muslims at the first tarawih prayer on the front page of the paper.
“This has been done over the last decade or so.
“This year, there was an unfortunate coincidence of the lead story being of a terrorist leader, that led to many linking the headline and the picture, which was never the intention of the newspaper.
“We sincerely apologise for the error of judgment on our part,” it said in a statement today.
In 2011, The Star found itself in hot water after social media users pointed out that it had published three pork-centred advertisements in one publication, during the Ramadan month.
The daily’s apology today came after politicians from both the ruling and the opposition parties criticised the daily for apparently linking the Muslims praying in the picture to terrorism.
Earlier today, Pahang Umno Youth head Shahar Abdullah said while the headline, “Malaysian terrorist leader” was not related to the picture in question, putting them together can confuse the public.
“It can lead the public into thinking that The Star’s publication was referring to the Muslims as terrorists,” he said in a statement.
“The Star, as one of the senior newspapers, should be more alert to the sensitivities of this country, where the majority of its population are Muslims.
“Whether the (layout of the) front page was intended or not, I urge The Star’s editors to apologise to the Muslims and promise to be more sensitive.”
Amanah Youth chief Mohd Sany Hamzan labelled the front page as “extreme”, saying the English daily had appeared to link the Muslims to terrorism activities.
This is against what Islam is all about, as the religion rejects any form of violence and extremism, he said.
“The Star’s action is very dangerous and will create a bad image of Islam, especially in this country.
“Hence, Amanah Youth urges The Star to apologise for creating a misunderstanding, as if the Muslims who are performing tarawih prayers are terrorists.”
He also urged the government to take stern action against the daily to ensure the country’s harmony wouldn’t be affected.
The youth wing of Malay rights pressure group Perkasa, on the other hand, did not only call for an apology. It also urged for the abolished Internal Security Act (ISA) 1969 to be revived.
This was especially so as there appeared to be a rising number of insults towards Islam, said the wing’s chief, Azrul Akmal Saharudin.
“The insults are happening because there is no legal preventative instrument, like ISA, that can control actions that can affect the (country’s) peace and harmony.
“This differs from when ISA was still in effect.”
Wanita PKR chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, in a statement, said she was upset at the insensitivity displayed by The Star.
“Misleading visual representation influences the way readers perceive an issue. Therefore, it is clearly unacceptable to associate a picture of Muslims praying with terrorism.
“Not all Muslims are terrorists and it is very irresponsible and unprofessional of The Star to depict the situation as such.
“We wish to remind The Star that terrorists come from all backgrounds, not only Muslims, and that news publications have a social obligation to keep a balanced view while reporting.”
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
Zuraida, who is also Ampang MP, wanted to know which editor at The Star approved the “highly inflammatory front page”.