Would NST be suspended?

These two images on the right are creating some controversy in Australia.

One shows Virgin Mary shrouded in a burqa while the other depicts a holographic image of Osama bin Laden that morphed into an image of Jesus Christ. (read more here and here)

I think it’s just a matter of time before other parts of the world too take notice and make noise (both the Christian and Muslim nations).

Of the two images, one could land a Malaysian newspaper - the country’s oldest broadsheet NST - in trouble with the government.

Why? Because on Aug 31 the daily reproduced the Osama-into-Jesus picture protest in Australia and reproduced the ‘offending’ image.

So far no one has protested loudly over the NST re-publication of the image. Today a letter-writer had pointed out in my publication about it. Others could follow suit too, I don't know.

Going by our government’s standard ‘breach of peace’ argument and past history of actions for the reproduction of the Muhammad cartoons and the recent Makkal Osai Jesus publication, NST should be worried if the protest grows louder.

However being an Umno-linked paper, and headed by people close to the premier, perhaps ‘close-one-eye’ syndrome could be extended to the daily too.

We should be monitoring this situation.