Children are returning from school with anti-Pakatan Harapan propaganda, where Harapan is painted as anti-Islam, according to some of the coalition’s leaders.
In separate incidents after the general election, they relate how their children or grandchildren came home from school sharing how they were told Islam is under threat if Harapan takes over Putrajaya.
Selangor executive councillor for health, Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud, said her grandchild told her schoolchildren will all wear skirts to school if Harapan comes to power.
“Yesterday my 12-year-old grandchild asked me who DAP was, because her friend in school said if Harapan or DAP came to power, she would have to wear a skirt to school, the azan would no longer be allowed and Islam would be gone from Malaysia.
“I heard other mothers saying the same (happened with their children). Isn’t it sinful to spread slander and plant hate?” the Amanah leader asked on Twitter yesterday.
She said this is “extremism in the making” and could have an irreversible impact on the new generation.
“They are growing up with hatred. It’s sad. I feel sorry for this generation, but maybe those spreading these rumours will be happy. This will just drive non-Muslims further from Islam,” she said.
Spreading on TikTok
This echoed a Facebook posting by PKR’s outgoing Kuala Perlis assemblyperson Nor Azam Karap, who shared what his 11-year-old daughter told him when he asked her if her friends had teased her in school on Monday because her father lost in GE15.
“My daughter said no one teased her but a friend said: ‘Luckily Harapan didn’t win, or else all girls would have to wear skirts to school’.
“My daughter replied: ‘My daddy is with Harapan, but I don’t wear a skirt to school’,” he related in a Facebook post.
He suspects this is likely picked up by young children from the social media platform TikTok, which is popular among youths.
Earlier, it was reported that youth users of TikTok were threatening a repeat of the May 13, 1969 communal riots, and accusing the DAP of being anti-Islam.
TikTok said it is on high alert and is aggressively removing “violative” content, but many social media users say they received a reply from TikTok that the inflammatory content they reported did not violate the social media platform’s code of conduct.
Meanwhile, PKR’s Nibong Tebal MP-elect, Fadhlina Sidek said her daughter shared how her friends said Allah would not bless her mother because she works with non-Muslims.
However, her daughter defended her by saying Fadhlina works for all Malaysians and that God blesses everyone who does good.
“Her mummy almost fainted when hearing her reply. Long Live Malaysia!” she shared on Facebook.
The Harapan leaders’ claim matches that of other parents who in social media posts since polling day related what their children told them.
Among them, they shared how their children asked them about the May 13 riots after watching TikTok videos and shared the same rumour about school uniforms and the azan.
Inflammatory posts calling for communal violence
Earlier the Centre of Independent Journalism (CIJ)’s social media monitoring programme for GE15 found a “well-coordinated and paid attempt on social media to generate anti-DAP and anti-Chinese fear and hatred since the elections”.
It said most of the inflammatory posts were on TikTok and mainly called for Perikatan Nasional to govern the country.
It said that the posts also contain images of weapons and guns, with messages warning the Malay majority to beware of DAP and Harapan.
In response, PN leaders have denounced such posts and called for calm during this period of political impasse.
Police have also issued warnings that such posts could be against the law.
Social media users have also tried to counter the sentiments by sharing photos of themselves with friends from other ethnicities with the hashtag #KitaKawan. – Malaysiakini