KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer and activist Siti Kasim has lashed out at Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Salleh over his stance on the issue of socks bearing the word 'Allah'.
The lawyer stressed that Akmal does not represent the Malay community, alleging that his stance is merely a political stunt aimed at gaining support from Malay Muslims for Umno.
"Sorry Akmal, but you certainly don't speak for me or many others, okay? We Malays aren't naive as we were before this. "Right now, don't exploit this matter to manipulate religious and racial sentiments for politics.
I've long said politicians, whether from PAS or Umno, are all the same," she said through a video post on her Facebook account.
Siti Kasim or Siti Zabedah Kasim claimed that Akmal and other politicians are exploiting the issue for political gain, given that previous racial and religious controversies have failed to provoke significant outrage within the Malay community.
"So now, he shifts focus to this matter—why? Because he wants to appear as the defender of religion and Islam, when in reality, it seems he's only defending his own interests," she added.
Therefore, Siti Kasim urged the public to refrain from engaging in the controversy and to allow the authorities to conduct their investigation.
"So shut up okay? You're not a hero to the Malays or to Islam. Let's wait for the police to investigate, there might be sabotage or a genuine mistake involved," she said.
Meanwhile, she advised Akmal to concentrate on resolving issues within his own party, highlighting allegations of sexual assault by an Umno youth leader against several teenage boys recently.
"At this point, you really should not be speaking. Umno members, in particular, focus on your own house. Look at the allegations of sexual harassment by the Umno Youth leader in Johor," she added.
Commenting further, she voiced her concern over how the issues has affected racial and religious harmony in the country. "I came across a video on TikTok calling Malays to be prepared. Prepared for what? With a person sharpening a machete—what's the purpose? The police must act on this," she added.
Yesterday, Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh said that he would not budge from the stance of urging Malay and Muslim individuals to boycott any business entity that insults Islam.
He was speaking on the issue of a boycott campaign against KK Mart supermarkets following the issue of socks with the word 'Allah'.
Dr Akmal said he represented the voice of Malay and Islam in this country.
"I have received numerous calls to discuss Umno Youth's action in launching a boycott campaign against KK Mart supermarkets; I will not entertain them. Instead, I will continue with an even stronger campaign to boycott the said supermarkets," he said.
