M’sian gay, atheist student seeks refuge in Canada after backlash

KUALA LUMPUR — A Malaysian student who is both gay and atheist has sought refugee status in Canada after a local news site published a poll saying that he “can run, but he can’t hide”.

Canadian news site CBC News also reported yesterday (Jan 20) Mr Hazim Ismail, a student at the University of Winnipeg, as saying that a reporter from Malaysia had asked him to reveal the names of the people in Malaysia who had opened up about their homosexuality to him privately.

“People have just been, ‘You have to repent, you will not be safe.’ There was a poll about me: ‘What is going to happen to Hazim?’ And one of the options was, ‘You can run but you can’t hide’,” Mr Hazim was quoted saying.

Malaysian social news site Says reported last Wednesday Mr Hazim as saying that he longed to return to Malaysia to bring about positive change and published an online poll in Malay asking readers: “What do you think will happen ater this?”

The poll listed four options: “Hazim will return to Malaysia and be an LGBT spokesman”, “Malaysians will alienate Hazim”, “Hazim can run but he can’t hide”, and “Hazim will be given a second chance”.

Many of those who wrote in Says’ comment section told Mr Hazim to repent, with one Facebook user saying: “When you get HIV, then you’ll know the meaning of regret..then only you’ll know who God is..dunno lah..”

CBC News reported that Hazim has obtained a lawyer and was preparing for a refugee status hearing in April.

Mr Hazim reportedly received messages telling him not to come back to Malaysia and “taint our children”.

“Some of them think Canada turned me gay when I arrived,” said Hazim, who added that his sexual orientation did not change from before.

Mr Hazim had a GoFundMe campaign started for him last month to help fund the rest of his semester at the University of Winnipeg after his family disowned him and cut off funding upon discovering his homosexuality and atheism.

The crowdfunding campaign reportedly raised C$5,630 (S$5,593) in two months.

Malaysian law prohibits sodomy, but not homosexuality per se. Local religious authorities have repeatedly demonised the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. MALAY MAIL ONLINE