Sep 2, 2007
Malaysian rapper threatened with punishment on 'terrorist'
video
By Reme Ahmad
THE FOUR MASKED MEN 'terrorist video' in YouTube. They issued a
warning to Malaysian rapper Wee Meng Chee.
FOUR masked men have appeared in a YouTube video clip warning a
Malaysian rapper who had been accused of insulting Islam and the
Malays that he would 'receive punishment' if he were to return
home.
The clip echoes the video threats made by Middle Eastern
terrorists. Speaking in Malay, one of the men read from a
statement: 'We would like to give a warning to Namewee that if you
were to return to Tanah Melayu you will receive punishment for
insulting Islam.'
Namewee is the nickname used by the 24-year-old Wee Meng Chee, an
undergraduate based in Taiwan. Tanah Melayu literally means Malay
Land.
The 18-second video ended with the four men chanting 'God is
Great'. Last month, Mr Wee parodied the national athem in a rap
video that was also posted on YouTube. The clip infuriated many and
is now the subject of a government probe into possible
sedition.
Amid the uproar, Mr Wee posted a second clip in which he rapped
about the discrimination against the Chinese, corrupt cops and
indolent civil servants, most of whom are Malay. He also poked fun
at Muslim morning prayers broadcast from mosques, saying they acted
as his alarm clock. The video again triggered a flood of abusive
responses from Malays, and also expressions of support from ethnic
Chinese in Malaysia. T
he masked-men video clip became widely known after Malaysia's top
blogger and an opposition politician, Mr Jeff Ooi, posted a link to
it, asking: 'That's how Malaysians use YouTube?'
The four men who appeared in the clip, which has been watched about
7,000 times, wore black ski masks with only their eyes visible.
They stood in front of a brick wall. They wore black T-shirts, with
two of them also wearing what looked like military fatigues. One of
them carried what looked like a sheathed dagger.
The comments posted under the video were not supportive of the
scare tactics. 'This is really stupid...do not shame the Malays
further,' said one posting which called the four men 'terrorist
wannabees'. Another added: 'I believe that the majority of the
Malays in Malaysia are moderate and tolerant Muslims who will not
agree to such stupid act as shown by the 'terrorists' in the
video.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhB1i4AMRKw
