How death threats, hate speech trapped Rohingya man in Malaysia home for a year

Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani became a target of hate speech and death threats after misinformation spread online that he had demanded Malaysian citizenship

The attacks have taken a heavy toll on the activist’s family and his children no longer attend school due to safety concerns

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Rohingya activist Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani and his wife at their home in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:15am, 6 Apr 2021Updated: 11:15am, 6 Apr 2021

Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, a Rohingya Muslim refugee and activist who fled persecution and ethnic strife in Myanmar, has called Malaysia home for nearly three decades.

Now, it’s more like a prison.

Zafar, 51, has not left his home on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur for nearly a year, after misinformation spread online that he had demanded Malaysian citizenship, triggering a wave of hate speech and death threats against him and his family.

“I’m still scared. For a year, I’ve not set foot outside. I’ve not seen the earth outside,” said the father of three.

Zafar has reported the false accusations and online attacks to the police, but to his knowledge, no charges have been filed. He has denied making any demand for citizenship or the same rights as citizens for Rohingya in Malaysia.

More than 100,000 Rohingya live in Muslim-majority Malaysia, long seen as friendly to the persecuted minority even though they are not officially recognised as refugees.

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