{
  "id": 7311504,
  "title": "Sabah leaders call for apology from Umno man’s remarks on Christianity",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/sabah-leaders-call-for-apology-from-umno-mans-remarks-on-christianity-7311504",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T11:30:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/09/14/sabah-leaders-call-for-apology-from-umno-mans-remarks-on-christianity/235221"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two leaders from Sabah have urged Sepang Umno chief Datuk Noorazli Said to apologize for his remarks about Christianity and the Bible at the recent Umno general assembly. Tenom MP Datuk Arthur Kurup deemed Noorazli's comments \"highly inappropriate\" and inconsistent with the expectations of a political figure, while Tuaran MP and Tamparuli assemblyman Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau called the joke \"grossly inappropriate and offensive\". Kurup stated that political differences should not justify making fun of someone's religion for personal gain, emphasizing that Malaysia is built on a multi-racial and multi-religious foundation. He reminded political leaders that matters concerning race, religion, and the royal institution should be handled with care. Kurup also warned against using religion as a tool for political jokes. Tangau called on Noorazli to apologize to the Catholic community for his remarks, urging him to acknowledge his \"poor judgment\", withdraw the reference to Psalm 129, and offer an unqualified public apology. The controversy began when Noorazli made a joke about a priest and a nun at the Umno general assembly on Saturday, with the punchline supposedly taken from Psalm 129, which does not exist in that form. After receiving criticism, Noorazli claimed that his intention was to highlight the importance of focus, perseverance, and wisdom in achieving goals, and that the joke was meant as an analogy.",
  "summary": "KOTA KINABALU, Sept 14 — Two Sabah leaders have called on Sepang Umno chief Datuk Noorazli Said to apologise over...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Sabah leaders call for apology from Umno man’s remarks on Christianity",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/sabah-leaders-call-for-apology-from-umno-mans-remarks-on-christianity",
        "published": "2026-09-14T11:30:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}