As if scripted, many of us are loathe to authenticate the information, and instead, simply forward it. To add insult to injury, some even included a caveat saying they weren’t sure how true the data was but shared it anyway. — The Star
MALAYSIANS found themselves in a web of fake newsmongers once again, with a series of fraudulent reports furiously making the rounds on social media, misleading many.
And as if scripted, many of us are loathe to authenticate the information, and instead, simply forward it. To add insult to injury, some even included a caveat saying they weren’t sure how true the data was but shared it anyway.
In swooped “archaic” mainstream media to handle the task of checking and dismissing this sham. No, the Prime Minister doesn’t have a Palestinian son-in-law. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is committed to the Palestinian cause but that’s not because one of his four daughters is married to a Palestinian.
The most well-known daughter, Nurul Izzah, is married to Malaysian Chinese Yin Shao Loong. Contrary to speculative belief, he isn’t related to either DAP leader Lim Guan Eng or former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The low-profile Yin is a policy researcher whose late father was a Malaysian military doctor. His great-grandfather embraced Islam and is buried in Kedah.
Nurul Nuha is married to a Malay Malaysia Airlines pilot, while her sister, Nurul llham, is married to a Japanese Pakistani. Nurul Hana is a student in the United States finalising her master’s degree.
On Aug 26, the New Straits Times was forced to expose a fraudulent news report credited to it by displaying a screen grab of the fake NST website featuring a couple at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The image of the couple was passed off as that of the PM’s daughter and his alleged Palestinian son-in-law. Instead, the screengrab is that of Malaysian Nurul Ain Haron and her Palestinian husband Mohamed AM Shaat. The picture was taken upon their arrival at KLIA Terminal One on Nov 14 last year after they were evacuated from Gaza.
If that wasn’t enough, on the same day, Universiti Malaya had to issue a statement dismissing a social media post claiming a huge cave formation exists beneath the city. The university’s geology department chief, Asso Prof Dr Meor Hakif Amir Hassan, pointed out that the university had no “renowned geologist named Dr Sarah Jamal”. Neither was there such a geologist registered with the Board of Geologists Malaysia.
The contents of the viral article weren’t based on facts but to the public, they seemed real, and many were convinced, especially following the sinkhole incident at KL’s Jalan Masjid India on Aug 23 which took a life.
“Dr Sarah Jamal” had claimed that beneath the developed Kuala Lumpur City, “lies a huge cave” which was formed millions of years ago and that “limestones had gradually eroded by the underground water which formed a large cavity under the surface”.
It was pure fantasy. It’s uncertain what the writer was smoking or drinking when composing the fake article, but it was obviously a work of fiction.
City Hall was also kept busy having to dismiss another bit of fake news: that Jalan Yap Ah Loy had been renamed Jalan Palestin.
The “news” byte even came replete with the voice of a man angrily claiming the road’s name, an honour to a famous Chinese Kapitan, had been changed.
Yap Ah Loy was an important figure in early Kuala Lumpur, and in his administrative role, he helped develop KL into a commercial and mining centre during the 19th century.
The truth is, Jalan Raja Laut 1 was renamed Jalan Palestin in 2020 at the directive of then Federal Territories minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, now in Bersatu, during the previous administration.The fake news had triggered unnecessary disputes and ill-feelings, clearly aimed at making the Chinese community, the core support for Pakatan Harapan, turn on the PM for his commitment to the Palestinians.
It was surely a politically motivated and concerted move to attack him, and dovetails with the on-going effort to chip away at the support of the non-Muslims for the Madani government, and the Pakatan coalition especially. These detractors are using social media platforms to troll the government almost daily, whether on record or via fake news.
Unfortunately, the perception is that the government isn’t fighting back hard enough or effectively. Ironically, when these Pakatan leaders were in Opposition, they gave Barisan Nasional a hard time for using social media. But now that they’re in government, these Pakatan leaders are on the defensive instead of the offensive. They look helpless.
Perhaps they’re bogged down with government work, but if they don’t respond strongly, it will be politically costly. The Palestinian issue has certainly resonated with Malay voters, but it has not garnered the same sentiments with non-Malays, even though it’s a simple humanitarian issue.
Although only 41 injured Palestinians and 86 of their family members, including children, were brought in for medical treatment, there’s still been a political backlash with unnecessary fears created that this would lead to the flood gates opening for Palestinian refugees, with questions even raised over the need to help them.
The criticism seems ridiculous because more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 77,000 injured since the Israeli attacks. Nearly 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced and more than 14,000 children have been killed in the war of vengeance, while over 7,000 people remain missing.
Do the maths – 41 injured Palestinians don’t amount to even 0.001% of the Palestinian casualties, killed, injured or displaced.
There’s also another misconception, or simply a fake narrative – the reason behind Malaysia helping when neighbouring Egypt has refused to aid Palestinian patients, as one Sarawakian writer wrote on a portal.
On the contrary, Egypt has allowed 40,000 family members to attend Egypt schools while over 1,000 injured Palestinians are in the United Arab Emirates, 3,000 orphans and 1,000 injured in Qatar. Saudi Arabia is hosting 1,000 family members.
The United Nations Human Rights Watch said, “Egypt’s healthcare system is strained” with “over 40 hospitals across the country treating Palestinians.”
In fact, there’s even a Palestine Hospital in Cairo that’s become a comforting refuge and community hub for displaced Palestinians.
The hospital was founded in 1979 by Dr Fathi Arafat, the late Palestinian Liberation Front leader Yasser Arafat’s brother. It is one of the services offered by the Palestinian Red Crescent in Egypt.
The narrative against the Palestinians who are here with their families is, this is the start of more coming in. Importantly, they’re not refugees, they are patients seeking medical treatment.The healthcare system in Gaza has broken down, and contrary to popular scammer clickbait, Arab countries do want to help them. The nearest country is Egypt, and it has helped the most.
Palestinians who have managed to cross over to Egypt are the lucky ones because Israel has closed its gates at the border.
Rather than believe everything circulated on social media, no matter how convincing, it’s still vital that information is verified, especially by journalists.
The government or non-governmental organisation has no plans to send Palestinians to any state outside KL. So the hysteria is quite unfounded.
