KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The British government retracted a naval recruitment advertisement after Malaysia complained that the video clip portrayed an ethnic Malay man as a terrorist, officials said Friday.
The British Defense Ministry withdrew the advertisement from the Royal Marines Web site and British cinemas Wednesday, a British High Commission official in Kuala Lumpur said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol.
The 40-second clip showed a man on a beach firing a machine gun into the air and shouting in the Malay language: "I'm the most evil man in the world. Come fight with me. I will kill you all." He appeared to be ethnic Malay or Indonesian.
"As soon as we became aware that the video has caused some offense, we withdrew the video," the British official said.
Malay Muslims make up nearly two-thirds of the 27 million people in Malaysia, which prides itself on religious moderation and is considered one of the Muslim world's most stable nations.
A Malaysian legislator complained about the advertisement in Parliament on Tuesday, but it was not immediately clear when the video first appeared on the Web site.
Zainal Abidin Bakar, an official in Malaysia's Foreign Ministry, said the clip hurt local sensitivities, but the government was still considering whether to send an official protest note.
"They have withdrawn the video on their own accord. It's a good gesture on their part," Zainal said. "They've realized their mistake and the sensitivity of the Malay community."
JULIA ZAPPEI
Associated Press Writer
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