Stop the hate vigilantes, urges activist, as pro-Anwar group continues to harass refugees in defiance of Muslim preachers

A vocal charity worker has called for police reports to be lodged against individuals and groups engaging in threats, intimidation and harassment of refugee communities, amid an escalating campaign of xenophobia led by a pro-Anwar Ibrahim group despite reminders from prominent Muslim preachers that their actions go against Islamic teachings.

Salman al-Farisi, a Pahang-based activist who has spoken out against a brazenly xenophobic campaign targeting Rohingya Muslim refugees, said the behaviour of groups prowling city streets to hurl insults at migrants, including forcing them to vacate their rented homes, should not be allowed to continue without consequences.

Salman singled out the latest incident involving an individual calling himself “Tok Singa” (lion), who posted a video of himself harassing a Rohingya refugee staying at a home he rented, and issuing him an ultimatum to leave the premises.

“We want you to get out today,” the man was heard saying, while the tenant appeared to plead with him to give them more time as they had nowhere else to go.

“Where you go is your business. These neighbours here don’t want you guys to be around. If you don’t leave, we’ll come and cause trouble every single day.”

Checks showed that the man harassing the refugee was convicted of assaulting a lecturer and causing permanent blindness in the victim’s left eye four years ago. In June last year, the Kota Bharu Sessions Court sentenced him and three others to three years in prison, but they managed to stay the sentence pending the outcome of their appeal.

Salman said threats and intimidation constitute criminal offences regardless of who commits them.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a ‘lion’ or a ‘pig’, your actions constitute a crime,” said Salman, citing Section 503 of the Penal Code on criminal intimidation, Section 507 on anonymous criminal intimidation, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

“We can choose to remain silent. But I think this evil has become increasingly entrenched,” he added.

The call comes amid a wave of anti-Rohingya and anti-migrant hostility beamed on social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, which has since spilled over into physical confrontations.

The online campaign is led by a group calling itself Surplus, whose leaders have openly expressed support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

In September, Anwar agreed with the narrative of Rohingya Muslims as troublemakers, claiming that the refugees have “invaded villages, broken laws, held illegal gatherings and questioned the position of Malaysians”.

This was followed by the prime minister’s sudden reversal of Malaysia’s decades-old policy of protecting Muslim refugees who were stripped of their citizenship by the Myanmar junta, alongside an announcement that a deal had been reached with the regime to deport thousands of Myanmar nationals under what is called a “voluntary repatriation programme”.

On Oct 8, Anwar gave a rousing welcome to Min Aung Hlaing, the Myanmar military leader cited for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

MalaysiaNow has previously documented how members of the Surplus group confronted and humiliated Rohingya refugees, filming the encounters and circulating the footage online.

In one disturbing incident, they surrounded a 30-year-old Rohingya man who fled Myanmar after his wife was murdered and his village burned down.

One of the men was heard telling him: “Now we don’t want you. We want to kill you, like Myanmar does to the Rohingya. Is that how it is?”

Muslim pushback

Their actions have been increasingly condemned by Muslim preachers and activists.

Among them is activist Firdaus Wong, who warned that the anti-Rohingya hate campaign was a prelude to greater crimes.

“The way we dehumanise them – and I will be as blunt as possible – is just a carbon copy of how the Nazi had done to the Jews. They begin with dehumanisation first, then they will start to justify with a greater crime,” Wong said on Sept 13.

A similar statement was issued by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation (Mapim), an umbrella group of Muslim NGOs nationwide, which urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to act against online xenophobic material targeting the Rohingya.

“Do not allow social media algorithms to determine who Malaysians should hate,” said its president, Azmi Abdul Hamid.

Just last month, at least two influential Muslim preachers with huge followings in Malaysia spoke out against the campaign of hatred towards Rohingya refugees.

Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad, at an event hosted by Anwar, said it was Muslims’ humanitarian and religious duty to ensure the protection of refugees.

“Be just, that is nearer to righteousness,” said Somad, who alluded to a frequently quoted anecdote from Islamic tradition about a prostitute who was forgiven her sins for feeding a thirsty dog.

“A single drop of water was enough to wash away her transgressions. If an act of kindness towards an animal, even one that is considered unclean, is counted as charity, how much greater, then, is the reward for kindness shown toward a fellow human being?” Somad said.

Earlier, Terengganu preacher Azhar Idrus reminded Muslims not to oppress people who were persecuted, and questioned rules prohibiting refugees from having jobs and education.

“We prohibit them from a lot of things. Then what do we allow?

“They cannot go to school. So what can they do? They cannot work. So what can they do? They cannot sell, so where can they sell? They cannot have homes, so where should they stay? They are not animals,” said Azhar.

More recently, a prominent Muslim consumer activist warned against harassing Rohingya refugees.

“When they are faced with oppression there, are we to assist in the oppression when they come here?” asked Nadzim Johan of the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association.