Award-winning journalist Karim Sulaiman, 52 passed away at 4am Monday (17 Feb 2014).

Karim who won the prestigious Hadiah Kajai journalism award in 2001 suffered from the rare medical affliction 'Sleromyxoedema'.

Friends from the journalism fraternity gathered at the Khairiyah Mosque near his home in Taman Sri Gombak in Kuala Lumpur for ablution and prayers for the burial at the Batu Muda Muslim cemetery in Gombak.

Karim had been diagnosed as having being afflicted with Scleromyxoedema which was traced back to the year 2000 when he started to suffer bouts of migraine and breathing difficulties. This was exacerbated by high blood pressure and diabetes.

Friends who visited him was told that his body felt like being roasted; even revealing once to a colleague that his body felt like“...it's on fire”.

The physical manifestation of the condition became apparent in 2003 when his appearance began showing outward signs of the condition. He lost weight, became gaunt and physical movement limited as his skin clung tautly to his body

During his tenure with Berita Harian, Karim was a prolific writer and contributor on current affairs and lifestyle issues. He also served a stint in the United Kingdom as Berita Harian London Correspondent.


Scleromyxedema is a rare skin disorder characterized by the rapid growth of fibroblasts (a type of connective tissue cell) and mucin deposition in the skin (dermis), in the absence of thyroid disease. Mucins, are proteins that make the skin more viscous. They may also be called mucoproteins or proteoglycans. The cause of scleromyxedema is currently unknown.