Umno's Noorazli defends sincerity of apology over priest-nun analogy

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Noorazli Said, the head of Umno, defended the sincerity of his apology following criticism over a controversial priest-nun analogy at the 2026 Umno general assembly. He stated that only the individual and God can truly know the sincerity of a person's heart, and his apology should not be subjected to political assessment.

Noorazli emphasized that his intention was never to insult Christianity, Christians, priests or nuns. He acknowledged that his reference to Psalm 129 was inaccurate and accepted the criticism. If his words had hurt the feelings of the Christian community, he apologized. Noorazli also noted that a priest from his area had reached out to express support and encourage him to continue doing good.

He urged the issue not to be diverted from the substance of his remarks to speculation about the sincerity of his apology. As a Muslim, Noorazli adhered to the teachings of his faith while respecting the sanctity of other religions. He questioned whether society could achieve reconciliation if every apology became a subject of political scrutiny before being accepted, asking when peace would ever be achieved.

Noorazli called for fairness in assessing apologies and urged his critics to not claim to know what was in his heart. He encouraged Malaysians to embrace common values such as mutual respect, compassion and forgiveness, and stated that he chose to learn from the incident and move forward with respect for all religions, as his religion teaches love, tolerance and mutual forgiveness.