'Marina, resign from SIS to distance self from Comango'

Marina Mahathir has come under fire from Muslim groups for threatening legal action for being labelled a “mastermind” behind human rights coalition Comango, with one pressure group challenging her to resign from Sisters in Islam (SIS).

In a statement, National Muslim Youth Association (Pembina) expressed doubt that being on the board of directors, Marina could truly be ignorant of such a “big decision” by SIS with regard to its involvement in Comango.

As such, Pembina president Ibrahim Mohd Hasan said, if Marina's claim was true, she should resign from that post to prove her claim.
"We urge Marina to resign from SIS if she is not involved in Comango. This action will be consistent with her threat to sue Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) for saying she is behind the Comango demand," Ibrahim said.

"We are puzzled as to why she, as an SIS board member, said she was not involved in such a big issue like Comango and how she can still remain in it. We also ask what Marina's job is, as a board member."

If Marina is not involved in Comango, Ibrahim added, "we challenge her to resign from SIS".

Isma defends flyer distribution

Meanwhile, Isma in a separate statement defended its action in distributing flyers on the Comango issue after it sent its report to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Its deputy president, Aminuddin Yahya (left), said the demands sought by Comango, which included freedom of religion, including becoming apostate, abolition of Malay rights, removing syariah laws, recognising the rights of the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders and freedom to propagate Shi'ite are serious matters that would affect Islam and the sovereignty of the country.

"As a board director in SIS, Marina has to be directly accountable for its action. It is impossible that a board director does not know the activities of its organisation.

"Marina's threat to file a suit against Isma represents her hypocrisy in the issue of freedom of rights. When it befalls on her, she says she will sue," Aminuddin said.

Marina in a statement yesterday said she was mulling legal action against Isma for accusing her as one of the masterminds behind Comango.

Isma claims to have ample proof to show Marina's support for the Comango movement.

Comango has earned the wrath of several Muslim pressure groups for submitting a critical human rights report to the United Nations' Universal Periodical Review (UPR) in Geneva in September.