According to the police, investigations are being carried out to find those responsible. However, so far, no arrests have been made. Despite the death threats, according to the filmmaker’s lawyer, no police protection has been offered.

I must say it saddens me that Khairi, Arjun, and the other cast members and production team of ‘Mentega Terbang’ are facing such an ordeal simply because some people disagreed with the content of the film. Disagreement should never result in extremism, threats, and harassment. 

It is also infuriating to see how the authorities did not address this issue at its roots. What we hear and read are repetitive statements and articles about how offensive the film is and how offended certain people are.

Even with the death threats, acid splashing, and damage done to properties, we have yet to hear the authorities warn the perpetrators of the consequences. We have yet to hear the authorities lash out in order to stop these extreme acts.

What we do hear, is some of them giving these perpetrators “gentle” advice - which honestly feels more like mollycoddling them.

Mollycoddling perpetrators 

A day after my show ‘Love in Georgetown City’ was shut down, the Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor made a statement to the media. He said, “Art and entertainment activities that are left uncontrolled will only lead to the destruction of humankind.”

Imagine having your hard work dismissed simply because others do not have the ability to understand its true nature, and then being forced to bow down to your bullies, only to end up being lectured with a statement like this. Honestly, it felt like a slap on the face.

Yesterday, the chairperson of Gerakan Pembela Ummah Mohd Zai Mustafa said that threats made against Khairi and Arjun were irresponsible and extreme.

However, he also said that it was understandable why Muslims were uncomfortable with the film. Zai also stressed that if the filmmaker did not learn from the experience then they have to be prepared to face the consequences.

In other words, Khairi and team were asked to stop making such films or else, “padan muka”. 

PAS Youth information chief Khairul Nadzir Helmi Azhar also came forward to mollify the perpetrators with his advice, reminding them that while Muslims must continue to raise awareness about the film, they cannot overdo it. Right.

Even Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil had nothing better to say except a very simple “I strongly condemn such threats. Follow the law, don’t take matters into your own hands.” Not very strong indeed.

Let me ask you something. If a member of Parliament made an offensive remark (as they regularly do) in Dewan Rakyat and ended up receiving death threats and his/her property splashed with acid, do you think these are the reactions we’d be seeing? 

I don’t think so. 

Oh, how I wish we have leaders and politicians who would show us that we, the ordinary Malaysians, deserve the same respect and care as others. How I wish they would go all out to make us feel safe, protected, and heard, even if we have differing opinions.

Maybe the reason we don’t have enough of them is that they are part of the problem. They are the reason we face extremism among us. 

In our country, every time a leader or a politician says something considered offensive, one can expect a violent-natured comeback. 

Most of the time, instead of a “We will make every effort to correct your false perception” - which is a polite, respectful, and civilised way to engage in a disagreement - we will hear “Don’t you dare challenge our religion!” 

You may search on Google “Jangan berani cabar Islam!” to see for yourselves how many times our leaders and politicians have resorted to such violent tactics to make a statement. 

Now, how can we expect to control extremism among our people when it is the leaders and politicians who are normalising extremism by supporting violence and empowering extremists to take matters into their own hands?

What else do you think “Jangan berani cabar Islam” means if not to provoke their supporters, who’d most probably end up taking the inferences as direct instruction?

Most likely, the protestors who threatened my show four years ago as well as the perpetrators who threatened ‘Mentega Terbang’ a few days ago learned from the same leaders and politicians. 

It makes perfect sense why they are mollycoddling the perpetrators, no? Because they created them.

So, what do we do about it? You tell me.