Amidst The Cross Protest, Jannah Shows Us What It Means To Be A "True Muslim" In Malaysia
"People like Jannah are the real Muslims in our country." That was what Marina Mahathir wrote about a Sinar Harian reporter's actions in protecting a fellow colleague from being attacked by a group of angry protesters at the church cross protest in Taman Medan.
By Samantha Khor — 21 Apr 2015, 02:39 PM
Amidst the controversy and bad blood resulting from the Taman Medan church protest, a heartwarming story from The Star reporter Nicholas Cheng reminds us that there is yet hope for a moderate and open-minded Malaysia despite everything that's been happening lately.
Cheng, who was one of two reporters covering the protest on Sunday, recounted his experience in a FB post where fellow reporter Jannah from Sinar Harian protected him from some protesters who were angered by Cheng's line of questioning
Cheng admitted that while his questions are practical, his tone may have bordered on being "sarcastic". A few protesters began to threaten him and even grabbed onto his shirt while he was interviewing them.
A few of them also threatened a reporter, saying “you better write about us nicely, or else” with some holding on to his shirt as he interviewed the protesters.
thestar.com.my
That was when Jannah came to his rescue and told him to stick close to her. Both reporters then went on to conduct interviews together. Jannah followed Cheng closely wherever he went and even accompanied him to his car after.
While reports and conflicting opinions regarding the church protest had some of us shaking our heads at how some people in the country are acting, Cheng noted that what Jannah has done for him serves to remind him "why Malaysia is a beautiful place" and that it's a story that is much worth telling
Cheng's post has been widely circulated on social media, largely due to it being shared by Marina Mahathir on her personal Facebook page. As of now, the post has been shared over 2,000 times.
So, what does Jannah think about all of this? Speaking to Free Malaysia Today, the Sinar Harian journalist said that she felt that it was her responsibility to protect Cheng from the angry mob, adding that their actions towards Cheng shouldn't have happened as he was only doing his job.
"I only want everyone to respect each other. Even though he's Chinese, I don't want him to be attacked, yelled at, or beaten up," she said.
"I don't deny that the questions asked by Cheng might have incited their anger, but he was only doing his job as a journalist to ask questions and get their responses," she added.
"I understand that the residents there are angry but they should not have lashed out at Cheng as he was only here to fufill his duties. That's not what Malay culture is about and it goes against Islamic teachings."