July 12 trial for Mujahid's defamation suit against Harakah

KUALA LUMPUR: The trial of a defamation suit brought by Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof against Harakah involving cosmetics entrepreneur Muhammad Sajjad Kamaruzzaman, or better known as Sajat, who performed the umrah (minor pilgrimage) dressed in telekung (female prayer garments), will begin in July.

Lawyer Noorazmir Zakaria, representing Mujahid, told Bernama that High Court Judicial Commissioner Quay Chew Soon set July 12 and 13 for the trial of the case during the proceedings via e-Review today.

On Aug 12, the former minister in the prime minister’s department filed the defamation suit and named Harakah reporter Aziz Muda; its editor-in-chief Wan Nordin Wan Yaacob; and its online portal harakahdaily.net operator Galeri Media Serbanika Sdn Bhd and the newspaper’s printer, Percetakan Turbo (M) Sdn Bhd, as the defendants.

In his statement of claim, Mujahid claimed that, on Feb 7, Aziz, Wan Nordin and Galeri Media had written and published defamatory words against him on harakahdaily.net via an article titled “Sajat: Mujahid dan K'jaan PH patut dipersalahkan” and another one titled "Keterlanjuran Sajat kesilapan Mujahid dan kerajaan PH" published on Harakah newspaper dated Feb 10-13.

The Parit Buntar member of Parliament said the defamatory words implied that he was an irresponsible man for allowing the public, especially Muslims, to engage in Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transexual (LGBT) activities and that he was the main reason for Sajat to wear telekung and behave like a woman while performing umrah.

Mujahid claimed that the defamatory words had tarnished his dignity, credibility and reputation as the minister in charge of religious affairs at the material time.

Meanwhile, in their statement of defence filed on Sept 28, last year, the defendants said Mujahid should be man enough to be responsible for the statement he made and should not be offended by the criticisms hurled at him by the public, especially the media practitioners, in connection with the issue.

-- BERNAMA