{
  "id": 7287755,
  "title": "Umno division leader prepared to apologise over lewd ‘joke’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/umno-division-leader-prepared-to-apologise-over-lewd-joke",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T09:35:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/09/14/umno-division-leader-prepared-to-apologise-over-lewd-joke"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sepang Umno division leader Noorazli Said expressed readiness to apologize if his lewd \"joke\" about Catholic clergy offended the Christian community. In a Facebook post, he clarified that the intent behind the joke aimed to emphasize the importance of focus, perseverance, and wisdom in achieving goals. Noorazli emphasized that the joke was not intended to insult, belittle, or demean anyone or any religion. However, he acknowledged that religious figures or references can be misconstrued and cause misunderstanding within Malaysia's diverse society. The incident taught Noorazli a valuable lesson to exercise more caution when using analogies in the future. Two Umno leaders and a Sabah MP had previously requested an apology from Noorazli. Additionally, the Catholic Lawyers Society of Kuala Lumpur has announced its intention to file a police report regarding the matter.",
  "summary": "Sepang Umno chief Noorazli Said also says the joke was an analogy and that he never meant to insult anyone.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malaysiakini",
        "title": "'Imagine if it was an imam': Akmal slams Catholic joke, tells Umno delegate to apologise",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/imagine-if-it-was-an-imam-akmal-slams-catholic-joke-tells-umno",
        "published": "2026-09-14T07:00:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Umno leaders call on Sepang chief to apologise over Catholic clergy joke",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/umno-leaders-call-on-sepang-chief-to-apologise-over-catholic-clergy",
        "published": "2026-09-14T07:43:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Vibes",
        "title": "Catholic Lawyers' Society condemns UMNO leader's derogatory remarks",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/catholic-lawyers-society-condemns-umno-leaders-derogatory-remarks",
        "published": "2026-09-14T08:27:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}