Xenophon may sue Malaysian newspaper
May 3, 2012
INDEPENDENT senator Nick Xenophon has been subjected to an extraordinary attack by a state-controlled Malaysian newspaper - publishing a 2009 speech in which he was critical of Scientology, but replacing references to that religion with the word ''Islam''.
The deception has left Senator Xenophon stunned following a visit to Malaysia at the weekend to observe protests aimed at the ruling party. He told the Herald last night the word switch was an example of the kind of dirty tricks the ruling party employs and had used against the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
The article appeared in the New Straits Times and appears to be an attempt to discredit Senator Xenophon and Dr Anwar after the two met in recent days.
Headlined ''Anti-Islam Australian lawmaker comes under fire'', the article quotes from a 2009 speech the South Australian senator delivered in Parliament.
The article claims he said: ''Islam is not a religious organisation. It is a criminal organisation that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs.''
Hansard - the official record of the Australian Parliament - records his speech as: ''Scientology is not a religious organisation. It is a criminal organisation that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs.''
The press in Malaysia is often considered a mouthpiece of the ruling party that has controlled the country since independence. Senator Xenophon said he was seeking urgent legal advice to take the paper to court and wanted an immediate retraction.
Dr Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in the late 1990s and served a prison sentence for sodomy, only to be charged with the same offence again after his release in what appeared an effort to derail his political ambitions.
A Malaysian member of Parliament, Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, is quoted in the report saying Senator Xenophon was very outspoken against Islam and on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
''Should we let someone like Xenophon influence our culture and moral values through politics? By confiding in Xenophon, is Anwar also supporting the LGBT movement?'' he said.
He said Dr Anwar should be challenged ''on why he sought Xenophon as a confidant, as clearly Xenophon stands against Islamic values''.
The New Straits Times refused to comment last night.
Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opin...#ixzz1tkErS9s9