COMMENT | On the surface, it appears that a legal battle is raging, when in fact, we are engaged in propaganda warfare.

When I said that the president of the Bar Council's press statement about Riza Aziz's sweetheart deal was wishy-washy and non-committal, a lawyer friend took umbrage.

When I tried to glean an insight into the public spat between former attorney-general Tommy Thomas, the chief of the MACC Azam Baki and current Attorney-General Idrus Harun, my lawyer friend said that it was impossible for me to understand what had transpired, because "I am not familiar with legal matters".

This sounds like the criticism levelled by conservative Muslims when I write about polygamy, the tudung (headscarf), child marriages and their obsession with rituals. They claim that I am not qualified to comment, as I did not study Islam at university.

Must one undergo three years of intense study in a particular subject, to form an opinion?

The original remark of Thomas that he would "consider" Riza's lawyer's deal appears to have been twisted. His detractors have convinced themselves that the word "consider" means "to agree". Perhaps, they misunderstood the nuances of the English language...