Malaysian doctor to take 'legal action' against commenters sexualizing her newborn daughter
Dr. Amalina Bakri, a Malaysian doctor based in the United Kingdom, revealed her plans to take legal action against people who left inappropriate comments targeting her 9-month-old daughter.
Bakri, who rose to fame for her public health advocacy, said that the highly disturbing comments started flooding in after she answered a question during a Q&A session on her Instagram page about female circumcision services in the U.K.
Assalamualaikum, saya berbelah bahagi untuk menulis kenyataan ini tapi saya mengambil keputusan utk bersuara kerana sesetengah lelaki melayu Islam (dan juga perempuan) yang membuat kenyataan lucah terhadap anak perempuan saya yg hanya berumur 9 minggu.
— Dr. Amalina (@DrAmalinaBakri) December 20, 2022
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Saya byk membuat Q&A utk berkongsi ilmu medikal kpd ‘followers’ saya. Kenyataan yg saya buat di sesi Q&A di Instagram telah menjadi viral apabila kenyataan saya menjawab soalan drp ‘follower’ diambil oleh penulis artikel tabloid utk jadi bahan berita mereka.
— Dr. Amalina (@DrAmalinaBakri) December 20, 2022
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“No, it is illegal [to circumcise babies] in the UK,” Bakri wrote in her reply, which she reiterated in her Twitter thread on Tuesday.
Several Malaysian tabloids reportedly took the doctor’s brief and accurate response out of context, incorrectly quoting her by writing headlines such as “Circumcising female babies is haram in the UK – Dr. Amalina.”
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The U.K.-based doctor responded to the inaccurate reporting, stating that she had “never disputed Islamic law” and that everyone should follow Malaysia’s rules if they are living in the country.
“I have stated that if you are in Malaysia, you must follow the fatwa and the laws of the country,” she said. “My statement was then picked up by Malaysian tabloids who wrote such headlines.”
In a Twitter thread, Bakri shared some of the highly sexualized comments tabloid readers wrote that targeted her infant daughter.
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One user wrote that uncircumcised women would feel more pleasure and satisfy their husbands in bed.
Setelah artikel ini keluar di Facebook, bermacam kata-kata jelik, lucah dan hinaan yg dikeluarkan. pic.twitter.com/oQEcZaCH2O
— Dr. Amalina (@DrAmalinaBakri) December 20, 2022
In response to that comment, another wrote, “[Dr. Amalina's daughter's] going to marry a Caucasian man just like her mother."
The comments reportedly struck a chord with Bakri, who wrote in a tweet, "I would not be bothered if those words were directed at me. But they went too far when they made lewd remarks about my innocent child. Please leave my daughter alone."
Saya tidak terkesan sekiranya kata-kata tersebut ditujukan kpd saya, tapi mereka sudah melampaui batas apabila membuat kenyataan berbaur lucah terhadap anak saya yg tidak ada dosa sekalipun. Please leave my daughter alone. pic.twitter.com/S5ztP9HOVb
— Dr. Amalina (@DrAmalinaBakri) December 20, 2022
The Malaysian doctor also criticized the publications for using clickbait headlines and trivial stories they took from her Instagram Stories to “sensationalize what I say, as well as allow Malay Muslims to fight and slander one another.”
“Where are your morals? There is no moderation in the comments section either. I hope the authorities are aware of this situation. Thank you, and Assalamualaikum,” she continued.
Bakri also shared an infographic made by the Islamic Council of Britain that condemns female genital mutilation (FGM). As described in the infographic, FGM carries a non-medical reason to cut, remove or alter the external female genitalia.
The operation, which is often performed by “untrained women with no medical knowledge in unsanitized and unclean conditions,” is illegal in the U.K. and punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.
In another tweet, Bakri warned those who left harmful comments that she is “in the process of taking legal action so that it becomes a lesson to all.”
Utk makluman, saya dalam proses utk mengambil tindakan undang-undang supaya menjadi pengajaran kpd semua. Saya juga ingin menegur penulis-penulis artikel yg suka membuat headline clickbait atau mengambil cerita remeh pic.twitter.com/tTCE8YngEb
— Dr. Amalina (@DrAmalinaBakri) December 20, 2022