Cow head protests
Encyclopedia
The Cow head protests was a protest that was held in front of the Selangor state government headquarters at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building
, Shah Alam
, Malaysia on August 28, 2009. The protest was called so because the act of a few participants who brought along a cow head, which they later desecrated.". The cow is considered a sacred animal to Hindu
s.
The protest was held due to Selangor state government's intention to relocate a Hindu
temple from Section 19 residential area of Shah Alam
to Section 23. The protesters were mainly Muslim
who opposed the relocation because Section 23 was a Muslim majority area.
On 28 August 2009, a group of 50 or so Malaysian Muslims marched from the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque
to the Selangor state government headquarters at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building
with the head of a cow – an animal deemed sacred in Hinduism
– and "stomped on the head and spat on it before leaving the site". The protest leaders were also recorded saying there would be blood if a temple was constructed in Shah Alam
.
The protest was caught on video by the popular Malaysian online news portal Malaysiakini
.
defended the protest, arguing that building a Hindu
shrine is unsuitable because the neighborhood is Muslim
, and that “the residents only wanted their voices to be heard [and] it was unfortunate that 'the publicity they received was negative because it was linked with racial and religious sentiments.'"
In response, Hishamuddin invited the protesters to a discussion. In a press conference later, Hishammuddin defended the actions of the protesters saying that they cannot be blamed. He cited several reasons:
The press conference which was also recorded by Malaysiakini, was almost as controversial as the protest; opposition politicians came out to denounce the Minister's actions and called for his resignation.
Embarrassingly for Hishamuddin, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
(MCMC), the government multimedia agency, sent a letter to Malaysiakini.com appealing for it to take down both videos of the cow head protests and the press conference by the minister. This has been interpreted by some as damage control by the government due to Hishammuddin's embarrassing press conference.
.
This is in comparison to the 2007 HINDRAF rally
where police brutality were obvious. Five thousand members riot police dispatched to the scene used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds.
Al-Jazeera's coverage of the 2007 HINDRAF rally
showed police officers using tear gas to disperse the protesters in spite of the civil nature of the rally and the participants carrying life-size portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Mahatma Gandhi
, to indicate the nonviolent nature of their protest. The police arrested 240 people.
, who is the Selangor State Assembly
woman for Batu Tiga
, which includes Section 23 Shah Alam
was directly criticised and insulted by the protesters for not stopping the relocation of the temple. She is also the Welfare, Women's Affairs, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee Chairman in the Selangor State Executive Council which oversaw the relocation of the temple. Rodziah expressed her opinion that the relocation of the temple was guaranteed by freedom of religion and advised the protesters to respect other's beliefs and religions.
The Selangor Pakatan Rakyat
state government organised a townhall meeting following the incident but was forced to end it abruptly due to the meeting being hijacked by protesters believed to be from UMNO and became rowdy. Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was forced to temporarily shelve the relocation of the 150-year-old Sri Mahamriamman temple following the failed town hall meeting.
The Selangor state government has announced on October 19, 2010 to be proceeding with the relocation of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple from Section 19 Shah Alam
to Section 23.
. Two of the protestors were fined RM3,000 for sedition while one of the two was also ordered to serve a week in jail.
Eyzva Ezhar Ramly, 31, was charged under the Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948
for “inciting racial animosity with carrying a cow-head” along with the other accused, Mohd Azmir Mohd Zain.
Mohd Azmir was also charged under the same act for carrying and stepping on a cow-head with “the intention to create racial tension” and was fined RM3,000.
Four others who were also originally charged under the Sedition Act
were given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal after they pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Building is Selangor's state secretariat building. It is located at Bukit SUK, Section 5, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. It was constructed between 1982 and 1984. The building was officially opened on 2 February 1985 by Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah of...
, Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
, Malaysia on August 28, 2009. The protest was called so because the act of a few participants who brought along a cow head, which they later desecrated.". The cow is considered a sacred animal to Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s.
The protest was held due to Selangor state government's intention to relocate a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
temple from Section 19 residential area of Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
to Section 23. The protesters were mainly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
who opposed the relocation because Section 23 was a Muslim majority area.
On 28 August 2009, a group of 50 or so Malaysian Muslims marched from the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque
The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque is the state mosque of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located in Shah Alam. It is the country's largest mosque and also the second largest mosque in Southeast Asia after Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. Its most distinguishing feature is its large blue...
to the Selangor state government headquarters at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Building is Selangor's state secretariat building. It is located at Bukit SUK, Section 5, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. It was constructed between 1982 and 1984. The building was officially opened on 2 February 1985 by Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah of...
with the head of a cow – an animal deemed sacred in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
– and "stomped on the head and spat on it before leaving the site". The protest leaders were also recorded saying there would be blood if a temple was constructed in Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
.
The protest was caught on video by the popular Malaysian online news portal Malaysiakini
Malaysiakini
Malaysiakini is a political news website published in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Since its launch on November 20, 1999, it has been widely considered to be one of the leading non-government owned paid-news agencies in Malaysia. Compete.com estimates that Malaysiakini now attracts over...
.
UMNO and Barisan Nasional response
Malaysia’s Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin HusseinHishammuddin Hussein
Datuk Seri Panglima Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein is a Malaysian politician and member of the United Malays National Organisation . He is the current Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs. He is the former Minister of Education, having served from 2004 to 2009. He has been mentioned as a likely...
defended the protest, arguing that building a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
shrine is unsuitable because the neighborhood is Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, and that “the residents only wanted their voices to be heard [and] it was unfortunate that 'the publicity they received was negative because it was linked with racial and religious sentiments.'"
In response, Hishamuddin invited the protesters to a discussion. In a press conference later, Hishammuddin defended the actions of the protesters saying that they cannot be blamed. He cited several reasons:
- Although the demonstration was illegal & without a government-issued permit, the protesters had limited the size of their demonstration
- The state government had made a poor decision in relocating the HinduHinduHindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
temple - The people should be allowed space to voice their opinions
- Similar incidents have happened before (pig heads being thrown into UMNO grounds)
The press conference which was also recorded by Malaysiakini, was almost as controversial as the protest; opposition politicians came out to denounce the Minister's actions and called for his resignation.
Embarrassingly for Hishamuddin, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission or Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia is the regulator for the converging communications and multimedia industry in Malaysia...
(MCMC), the government multimedia agency, sent a letter to Malaysiakini.com appealing for it to take down both videos of the cow head protests and the press conference by the minister. This has been interpreted by some as damage control by the government due to Hishammuddin's embarrassing press conference.
Police response
Many criticised the response of the police who were seen to just been standing by the side and allowing the protesters to stomp and spit on the head of the cow. This can be seen from the video clip of the protest caught by the popular Malaysian news online portal MalaysiakiniMalaysiakini
Malaysiakini is a political news website published in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Since its launch on November 20, 1999, it has been widely considered to be one of the leading non-government owned paid-news agencies in Malaysia. Compete.com estimates that Malaysiakini now attracts over...
.
2007 HINDRAF rally
The 2007 HINDRAF rally was a rally held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 25, 2007. The rally organizer, the Hindu Rights Action Force, had called the protest over alleged discriminatory policies which favour ethnic Malays...
where police brutality were obvious. Five thousand members riot police dispatched to the scene used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds.
Al-Jazeera's coverage of the 2007 HINDRAF rally
2007 HINDRAF rally
The 2007 HINDRAF rally was a rally held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 25, 2007. The rally organizer, the Hindu Rights Action Force, had called the protest over alleged discriminatory policies which favour ethnic Malays...
showed police officers using tear gas to disperse the protesters in spite of the civil nature of the rally and the participants carrying life-size portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, to indicate the nonviolent nature of their protest. The police arrested 240 people.
Pakatan Rakyat response
Rodziah IsmailRodziah Ismail
Rodziah Ismail is a prominent Malaysian politician. She represents the state constituency of Batu Tiga in the Selangor State Assembly. She is also the Welfare, Women's Affairs, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee Chairman in the Selangor State Executive Councillor, which is equivalent to a...
, who is the Selangor State Assembly
Selangor State Assembly
The Selangor State Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Selangor. The State Assembly is composed of 56 members representing constituencies throughout the state...
woman for Batu Tiga
Batu Tiga
Batu Tiga is a township in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located at the border between Subang Jaya and Shah Alam. However, it is nearer to Shah Alam than the city centre of Subang Jaya...
, which includes Section 23 Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
was directly criticised and insulted by the protesters for not stopping the relocation of the temple. She is also the Welfare, Women's Affairs, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee Chairman in the Selangor State Executive Council which oversaw the relocation of the temple. Rodziah expressed her opinion that the relocation of the temple was guaranteed by freedom of religion and advised the protesters to respect other's beliefs and religions.
The Selangor Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....
state government organised a townhall meeting following the incident but was forced to end it abruptly due to the meeting being hijacked by protesters believed to be from UMNO and became rowdy. Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was forced to temporarily shelve the relocation of the 150-year-old Sri Mahamriamman temple following the failed town hall meeting.
The Selangor state government has announced on October 19, 2010 to be proceeding with the relocation of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple from Section 19 Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
to Section 23.
Arrest and Justice
In July 2010, 12 cow-head protesters were fined RM1,000 each for illegal assembly by the sessions court in Shah AlamShah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
. Two of the protestors were fined RM3,000 for sedition while one of the two was also ordered to serve a week in jail.
Eyzva Ezhar Ramly, 31, was charged under the Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948
Sedition Act (Malaysia)
The Sedition Act in Malaysia is a law prohibiting discourse deemed as seditious. The act was originally enacted by the colonial authorities of British Malaya in 1948...
for “inciting racial animosity with carrying a cow-head” along with the other accused, Mohd Azmir Mohd Zain.
Mohd Azmir was also charged under the same act for carrying and stepping on a cow-head with “the intention to create racial tension” and was fined RM3,000.
Four others who were also originally charged under the Sedition Act
Sedition Act (Malaysia)
The Sedition Act in Malaysia is a law prohibiting discourse deemed as seditious. The act was originally enacted by the colonial authorities of British Malaya in 1948...
were given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal after they pleaded not guilty to the charges.