FAC News - Tuesday, February 19, 2002 7:53 AM

Prosecute Kabbani for criminal defamation: Lim

Lim Kit Siang, the Chairman of the Democratic Action Party, has asked the Malaysian government to prosecute Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani for criminal defamation for alleging that Malaysia is linked to extremist Islamic groups in the US. Lim said Kabbani, the Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA), has made this allegation without furnishing any evidence.

"In making his allegation," said Lim, "Kabbani said when the Islamic organisations in the US were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for possible links with several extremist groups, Malaysia was inevitably linked."

Lim added, "This is the first time such an allegation linking Malaysia with terrorism had been made publicly and internationally."

"Is it now suggested that all these adverse US media reports are all because of the so-called funding of US extremist Islamic organisations by a former Cabinet Minister as Kabbani alleged?" asked Lim.

"To protect Malaysia's national interest and honour, the Attorney-General should consider whether there is a case to prosecute Kabbani for criminal defamation against the government and country unless he can produce evidence to substantiate his allegation."

"Kabbani should also be required to produce evidence to substantiate his allegation that a former Cabinet Minister had contributed US$10 million to an extremist American organisation, or he should be declared a persona non grata and prohibited from entry into Malaysia."

"Would Kabbani be given such VIP treatment by the Malaysian government and the Malaysian mainstream media if he had alleged that a member of the present Cabinet had been funding extremist Islamic organisations in the US and that this had been discovered by the FBI?" asked Lim.

"Kabbani would have been hounded and bundled out of the country immediately after he had opened his mouth, and rightly so, if he had made a similar allegation against a current member of the Cabinet without producing any proof."

"And there is no reason why he should be treated differently, just because he is making an allegation against a former Cabinet member who is regarded as UMNO's Public Enemy Number One."