Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Sains Malaysia
MyJurnal

Abstract

Malaysia has previously experienced various incidents and issues involving race and religion and it has caused problems in terms of relations between races and religions. Issues involving religion and race often involve Islam, which is also the official religion of Malaysia. Islam is often a sensitive subject because it is often used as a tool to maintain the hegemony and status quo by the government in the context of Malaysia. In 2013, a non-governmental organization known as " COMANGO" submitted several demands involving human rights in Malaysia to the United Nations (UN) at the Universal Periodic Assessment (UPR). COMANGO was said to have made several demands that challenged the position of Islam and Malays in Malaysia and also promoting free sex. This issue has received widespread coverage in the Malaysian press; especially the mainstream press and it is seen as an issue that can benefit the government to strengthen their power by playing this issue to the general public. Therefore, this article aims to examine the messages delivered by the mainstream press on this issue, specifically Utusan Malaysia and The Star. The findings of the study show that the two newspapers provide almost the same coverage with little differences. Utusan Malaysia is seen as strongly opposing to COMANGO demands and elevates the UMNO party as a party that really fight for Islam while The Star, although seen as giving COMANGO more opportunities to express their stance, is seen to be cautious in their reporting on the issue