Not like it’s some giant secret what’s going in Malaysia.
Via Malaysia Chronicle:
Time Magazine, which came under scrutiny last week for an article depicting the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Najib Razak apparent failure to deal with race relations and growing religious intolerance, will have to watch its columns.
The international weekly is said to be under ongoing scrutiny, with the matter of the article written by Zoher Abdoolcarim still under investigation by a unit tasked to monitor foreign publications at the Home Ministry.
A source said a handler at the ministry is preparing a report that will be submitted to the Ketua Setiausaha (Chief Secretary) of the ministry, soon and it is only then a decision will be taken on Time article.
Time Magazine was urged, in a meeting with several people, to report on ‘more positive’ aspects of Najib Razak’s leadership, the source said.
The article entitled “Losing Faith’ and published in the March 2 issue of the magazine, implies religious harmony is under severe strain in Malaysia, and lambast Prime Minister Najib Razak for his apparent mishandling of the deteriorating situation.
Time Magazine came under scrutiny in Malaysia when its distributor was ticked-off over an article that did not please the Malaysian authorities on the current government’s handling of religious tolerance level.
Time went further in its criticism of Malaysia, stating the country is not a progressive society under Prime Minister Najib Razak pointing out there is a critical front undergoing testing times, and that is religion.
“He has backtracked since to appease UMNO conservatives, many of whom want him out.” he wrote, adding that ‘religious jingoism is a bigger sin than political calculation, because how a society treats its ‘other’ reveals its core.’
Time, through the pen of its Asia Editor, Zoher Abdoolcarim said Malaysia — where US President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit in April this year — is an example among Muslim states and matters more because it is a study in how a country can or cannot reconcile Islam with the contemporary age.