Churches’ Council Invites Umno Leader For Dialogue After ‘Priest And Nun’ Joke
The Council of Churches of Malaysia has invited Sepang Umno chief Noorazli Said to an interfaith dialogue after his controversial “joke” about a Catholic priest and a nun at the Umno general assembly drew widespread condemnation and 86 police reports.
The council said the public backlash against the division leader was justified as his remarks had no place in Malaysia’s multireligious and multiracial society. It also welcomed Noorazli’s apology over his remarks “to those who were offended”, saying willingness to apologise and forgive were essential steps towards achieving true reconciliation.
“With this hope of reconciliation, CCM extends a sincere invitation to Noorazli to a dialogue at the CCM Ecumenical Center at his earliest convenience,” the council said in a statement carried by FMT.
The council also extended the invitation to other elected representatives, community leaders and faith leaders “who believe that peace, mutual respect, and reconciliation are crucial building blocks for a progressive and prosperous Malaysia”.
In the joke, which Noorazli delivered during the debate on Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s policy speech at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre, he recounted a story about a priest driving a manual Proton Saga who offered a nun a ride home. Each time the priest changed gears, his hand would brush against the nun’s thigh, prompting her to remind him of Psalm 129. The punchline, which Noorazli attributed to the psalm, was a sexual innuendo.
The line he quoted does not appear in Psalm 129 of the Bible. Noorazli used the joke to illustrate the importance of political wisdom while praising Zahid’s leadership, Malaysiakini reported.
The Catholic Lawyers’ Society of Kuala Lumpur lodged a police report against Noorazli, with president Kevin De Rozario calling the remarks “wholly inappropriate and unbecoming of any elected representative or party leader”. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia also condemned the joke, with Kuching Archbishop Simon Poh saying it had no place at any official assembly in Malaysia.
Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, Sabah Umno treasurer Salleh Said Keruak and Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau all demanded that Noorazli apologise. Federal police referred their investigation paper to the Attorney-General’s Chambers on 18 September.
Noorazli apologised on 15 September, saying he had not intended to insult anyone or any religion. He also said he took the matter as a lesson to be more careful in future when choosing an analogy.
