On January 16, 2012, Historian Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim said that there is no written proof of the existence of Puteri Hang Li Po and for that matter, the 5 legendary "Hang" warriors, Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekiu and Hang Lekir.
WOW! And to think that I was told of the Hang's stories and being "educated" into believing the stories since I was young, this announcement by the qualified historian is almost "unbelievable". What would they claim next? I remember declaring myself as Hang Tuah when fighting with other kids when I was small. I am proud of being a Hang Tuah. But now, that pride vanishes into thin air.
One thing for sure, the education system in Malaysia sucks badly. They have been spoonfeeding or brainwashing almost 3 generations of young children and youths into believing a LIE. The state government of Melaka even "approved" various cemeteries as purportedly belonging to the legendary warriors. There is even a state stadium named after Hang Jebat. The town main road is named Jalan Hang Tuah. Hahaha...what a fool we Malaysians have been made into. Even the State of Melaka also believes in such a lie. This is truly MALAYSIA BOLEH.
Now I wonder what other stories that I've been told and "educated" with when I was young that will be debunked in the future as lies. Oh ya, one very obvious one is the "Ketuanan Melayu truth" which the BN propaganda have been pushing very hard in order to win the votes of the Malays.
Well, at least there is one thing that has stood the test of time which I can trust with my life, the Bible.
Showing posts with label nation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nation. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Unfair Tax Deduction in Malaysia
"Our lives begin to end, the day we become silent about things that matter"
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. Only a person who risks is free.
MALAYSIANS ( CHINESE & INDIANS )
BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE UNASHAMEDLY BY YOUR GOVT. WHO DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE AN OUNCE OF INTEGRITY.
WHAT A SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS - MIGHT AS WELL BE RULED BY THE TYRANT MUGABE
M'sia tax deduction methods - Fair?
When non-Malays do their religious obligations, it is NOT tax deductable unless the Church or temple has applied and obtained the approval for tax exemption, which is normally very stringent and seldom approved..
Even if approved the donation is restriced to 7% of your aggregate income.
(This has been revised to 10% from YA 2009 for company.)
Whereas zakat qualifies for 100% and is deducted from the tax liability.
Example.
Ah Chong donate to temple : RM10,000.
His Annual income : RM100,000.
Tax Relief : RM 23,000 (For Individual) + RM 7,000 (For Donation)
Chargable income : RM70,000
Tax payable : RM7,125
Ahmad - same income and relief
Chargeable income : (RM100,000 – RM23,000) = RM77,000
Tax payable : (Rm7125 + 1680) = RM8,805
Less zakat : RM 10,000
Tax refundable : RM (1,195)
Ah Chong has the same annual income & donated the same amount, but he still needs to pay tax of RM7,125
Yet, Ahmad is entitled to a tax refund of RM1,195.
He is also deemed a dutiful tax payer and honours his religious obligations.
How do you like that?
THIS IS CRUDE BUT STRAIGHT TO THE POINT !
Do you know that 90% of the people paying income taxes in Malaysia are the non-Malays?
Yes, you are one of them.
Malays who are taxable usually prefer to contribute to Zakat (tax deductible
from NETT tax) and give to State Religious bodies (not Govt or Income Tax Dept)
PAY YOUR TAXES DUDE, SO THAT THE MALAYS CAN ENJOY THEIR LIVES n CALL YOU PENDATANGS !
13th GE is our last chance for CHANGE
If you don't protect your future generation, your children or grand-children may spit on your grave!
As Patrick Teoh exclaims, "Niamah!!!"
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. Only a person who risks is free.
MALAYSIANS ( CHINESE & INDIANS )
BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE UNASHAMEDLY BY YOUR GOVT. WHO DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE AN OUNCE OF INTEGRITY.
WHAT A SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS - MIGHT AS WELL BE RULED BY THE TYRANT MUGABE
M'sia tax deduction methods - Fair?
When non-Malays do their religious obligations, it is NOT tax deductable unless the Church or temple has applied and obtained the approval for tax exemption, which is normally very stringent and seldom approved..
Even if approved the donation is restriced to 7% of your aggregate income.
(This has been revised to 10% from YA 2009 for company.)
Whereas zakat qualifies for 100% and is deducted from the tax liability.
Example.
Ah Chong donate to temple : RM10,000.
His Annual income : RM100,000.
Tax Relief : RM 23,000 (For Individual) + RM 7,000 (For Donation)
Chargable income : RM70,000
Tax payable : RM7,125
Ahmad - same income and relief
Chargeable income : (RM100,000 – RM23,000) = RM77,000
Tax payable : (Rm7125 + 1680) = RM8,805
Less zakat : RM 10,000
Tax refundable : RM (1,195)
Ah Chong has the same annual income & donated the same amount, but he still needs to pay tax of RM7,125
Yet, Ahmad is entitled to a tax refund of RM1,195.
He is also deemed a dutiful tax payer and honours his religious obligations.
How do you like that?
THIS IS CRUDE BUT STRAIGHT TO THE POINT !
Do you know that 90% of the people paying income taxes in Malaysia are the non-Malays?
Yes, you are one of them.
Malays who are taxable usually prefer to contribute to Zakat (tax deductible
from NETT tax) and give to State Religious bodies (not Govt or Income Tax Dept)
PAY YOUR TAXES DUDE, SO THAT THE MALAYS CAN ENJOY THEIR LIVES n CALL YOU PENDATANGS !
13th GE is our last chance for CHANGE
If you don't protect your future generation, your children or grand-children may spit on your grave!
As Patrick Teoh exclaims, "Niamah!!!"
Friday, May 22, 2009
All are created equal before God.
It is very upsetting to hear that the government blatantly uses all its agencies to promote disunity and racial polarization. Come on lah, after half a century since Independence, the government is still using the "divide and rule" method to ensure that they are in power. There is no race that is higher or better than other races. All are created equal, special and unique in God's eyes.
I'm really disgusted with what our government is doing. Waiting for next General Election.
The Star Online, 22 May 2009.
BTN course teaches disunity
AS parents we are glad that our grown up children attend the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) course, which is compulsory for government servants. They are all mature professionals.
But what angers me is that, instead of talking integrity, unity and harmony among the various races, participants are taught about disunity and racial hatred. Is this what our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib wants for 1MALAYSIA?
Throughout the five days of the course, participants are repeatedly told not to question Malay rights and so on. The course coordinators keep talking about social contracts and telling non-Malays not to question Malay rights and so on.
Many participants, including my Malay friends, are upset.
Are we still living in a primitive age? If the BTN course is to be conducted in this manner, it is better to abolish it or let it concentrate on only one ethnic group.
The course is not bringing unity but only arousing anger and hatred.
As it is handled by the Prime Minister’s office, please do not say that they do not know what is going on.
DISAPPOINTED,
Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
I'm really disgusted with what our government is doing. Waiting for next General Election.
The Star Online, 22 May 2009.
BTN course teaches disunity
AS parents we are glad that our grown up children attend the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) course, which is compulsory for government servants. They are all mature professionals.
But what angers me is that, instead of talking integrity, unity and harmony among the various races, participants are taught about disunity and racial hatred. Is this what our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib wants for 1MALAYSIA?
Throughout the five days of the course, participants are repeatedly told not to question Malay rights and so on. The course coordinators keep talking about social contracts and telling non-Malays not to question Malay rights and so on.
Many participants, including my Malay friends, are upset.
Are we still living in a primitive age? If the BTN course is to be conducted in this manner, it is better to abolish it or let it concentrate on only one ethnic group.
The course is not bringing unity but only arousing anger and hatred.
As it is handled by the Prime Minister’s office, please do not say that they do not know what is going on.
DISAPPOINTED,
Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
What to do when you are being arrested by the police?
Written by John Lim, The Edge
Arrested? Don't panic.
There have been an alarming number of arrests over the past week related to the detention of Wong Chin Huat and the Perak State Assembly.
Ordinary citizens, protesters, and even lawyers have been hauled up. However, many are oblivious about their rights upon being arrested, which could lead one to be intimidated or abused by the police.
The Edge Malaysia gives readers a summary from the Bar Council's Red Book, which advises Malaysians what they should do if they are arrested by the police.
Stop!
If stopped by a police officer not in uniform, one should ask the officer to produce his/her Police authority card, which denotes the officer's rank and name:
Types of police authority cards
Red: Suspended police officer, who has no authority to do anything to you.
Blue: Inspector and above
Yellow: Below rank of inspector
White: Reserve police
Always note the name and ID of the police officer.
On being stopped, you are only obliged to give Personal Particulars: full name, age, address, and occupation.
Am I under arrest?
If the officer continues to ask for more, you can ask “Am I being arrested?” before proceeding. You are arrested if the officer says yes, doesn't allow you to leave, wants to take you to the police station, or handcuffs you.
Before arresting you, however, the officer must give a reason for the arrest. Also, the officer cannot arrest you if you are only deemed a potential witness or want to take a statement.
Post-arrest
If you are arrested, you do have several rights that you should exercise. The first thing you should do is make a call to inform a relative or friend, as well as find legal counsel.
The Legal Aid Centre (details below) is an alternative resource should you not have a personal lawyer to contact.
Inform the following details of the time, place, and reason for the arrest, as well as the Police station that you are taken to.
Once a presence of a lawyer is requested, you have a right to consult the lawyer before giving a statement to the police.
Other Rights
- You are allowed to have one set of clothing with you in lock-up
- Personal belongings are to be recorded, placed in safe custody, and returned upon release.
- You are allowed to bathe twice a day, and have access to medical attention, food and water.
Doing time
The police can detain you for up to 24 hours only.
For any period longer than that, the police have to obtain a Remand Order from a Magistrate, to whom the police must give reasons why it is necessary to detain you for more than 24 hours.
Questioning
A person under arrest does have a right to remain silent by answering the questioning officer “I will answer that in court.”
In giving a statement (known as a 112 Statement), it is advised that you have a lawyer present. You also have the right to refuse to answer a question if the answer is likely to incriminate yourself.
The statement given here can/will be used against you in court to prove that you have admitted or confessed to committing the criminal offense charged, or admitted to certain facts that tend to show you are guilty of the offense charged.
During this time, the Bar Council advises you to do the following:
- Bring along a notebook or writing paper, writing down every question asked. If you don't have a notebook and/or pen, request for them.
- After carefully considering each question, write down your answers before reading them to the police officer.
- Before signing to confirm the 112 Statement, compare it against what you have written down in your personal notes. You have to right to correct or change the statement before signing it.
- If you have been threatened, beaten or forced to make a statement, it's within your rights to lodge a police report against the offending officer.
- What you have said in the statement can/will be used against you in court to prove that you have admitted or confessed to committing the criminal offense charged, or admitted to certain facts that tend to show you are guilty of the offense charged.
Body Search
A police officer can perform a body search upon arrest if they suspect you have evidence relating to a suspected offense.
However, it is advised that you request the body search be done while accompanied by a lawyer. The search must be done in a confined place, and it is within your rights to be searched in private. Only a female police officer can conduct a body search on females.
There are four types of body searches:
1. Pat down search, where only the outer clothing is searched.
2. Strip search, which is done to search for concealed evidence, object, contraband or weapon. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of an officer ranked inspector and above ( i.e., those with blue Police Authority Cards).
3. Intimate search, where a search is conducted beyond the mouth, nose, and ears. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of an officer ranked Assistant Superintendent and above.
4. Intrusive search, which is done to find objects in the body. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of the Officer in charge of the Police District and must be carried out by a Government Medical Officer or Medical Officer.
Seeking help: Legal Aid Centres
Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-2691 3005 / 2693 2072
Selangor 03-5510 7007
Negeri Sembilan 06-6013 844
Melaka 06-2845 519 / 06-2864 514
Johor 07-2235 698
Perak 05-2550 523
Kedah & Perlis 04-7333 467
Kelantan 04-7448 660
Pahang 09-5159 244 / 09-2969 410
Pulau Pinang 04-2617 451 / 04-3316 830
Arrested? Don't panic.
There have been an alarming number of arrests over the past week related to the detention of Wong Chin Huat and the Perak State Assembly.
Ordinary citizens, protesters, and even lawyers have been hauled up. However, many are oblivious about their rights upon being arrested, which could lead one to be intimidated or abused by the police.
The Edge Malaysia gives readers a summary from the Bar Council's Red Book, which advises Malaysians what they should do if they are arrested by the police.
Stop!
If stopped by a police officer not in uniform, one should ask the officer to produce his/her Police authority card, which denotes the officer's rank and name:
Types of police authority cards
Red: Suspended police officer, who has no authority to do anything to you.
Blue: Inspector and above
Yellow: Below rank of inspector
White: Reserve police
Always note the name and ID of the police officer.
On being stopped, you are only obliged to give Personal Particulars: full name, age, address, and occupation.
Am I under arrest?
If the officer continues to ask for more, you can ask “Am I being arrested?” before proceeding. You are arrested if the officer says yes, doesn't allow you to leave, wants to take you to the police station, or handcuffs you.
Before arresting you, however, the officer must give a reason for the arrest. Also, the officer cannot arrest you if you are only deemed a potential witness or want to take a statement.
Post-arrest
If you are arrested, you do have several rights that you should exercise. The first thing you should do is make a call to inform a relative or friend, as well as find legal counsel.
The Legal Aid Centre (details below) is an alternative resource should you not have a personal lawyer to contact.
Inform the following details of the time, place, and reason for the arrest, as well as the Police station that you are taken to.
Once a presence of a lawyer is requested, you have a right to consult the lawyer before giving a statement to the police.
Other Rights
- You are allowed to have one set of clothing with you in lock-up
- Personal belongings are to be recorded, placed in safe custody, and returned upon release.
- You are allowed to bathe twice a day, and have access to medical attention, food and water.
Doing time
The police can detain you for up to 24 hours only.
For any period longer than that, the police have to obtain a Remand Order from a Magistrate, to whom the police must give reasons why it is necessary to detain you for more than 24 hours.
Questioning
A person under arrest does have a right to remain silent by answering the questioning officer “I will answer that in court.”
In giving a statement (known as a 112 Statement), it is advised that you have a lawyer present. You also have the right to refuse to answer a question if the answer is likely to incriminate yourself.
The statement given here can/will be used against you in court to prove that you have admitted or confessed to committing the criminal offense charged, or admitted to certain facts that tend to show you are guilty of the offense charged.
During this time, the Bar Council advises you to do the following:
- Bring along a notebook or writing paper, writing down every question asked. If you don't have a notebook and/or pen, request for them.
- After carefully considering each question, write down your answers before reading them to the police officer.
- Before signing to confirm the 112 Statement, compare it against what you have written down in your personal notes. You have to right to correct or change the statement before signing it.
- If you have been threatened, beaten or forced to make a statement, it's within your rights to lodge a police report against the offending officer.
- What you have said in the statement can/will be used against you in court to prove that you have admitted or confessed to committing the criminal offense charged, or admitted to certain facts that tend to show you are guilty of the offense charged.
Body Search
A police officer can perform a body search upon arrest if they suspect you have evidence relating to a suspected offense.
However, it is advised that you request the body search be done while accompanied by a lawyer. The search must be done in a confined place, and it is within your rights to be searched in private. Only a female police officer can conduct a body search on females.
There are four types of body searches:
1. Pat down search, where only the outer clothing is searched.
2. Strip search, which is done to search for concealed evidence, object, contraband or weapon. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of an officer ranked inspector and above ( i.e., those with blue Police Authority Cards).
3. Intimate search, where a search is conducted beyond the mouth, nose, and ears. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of an officer ranked Assistant Superintendent and above.
4. Intrusive search, which is done to find objects in the body. This can only be conducted with the authorisation of the Officer in charge of the Police District and must be carried out by a Government Medical Officer or Medical Officer.
Seeking help: Legal Aid Centres
Kuala Lumpur Tel: 03-2691 3005 / 2693 2072
Selangor 03-5510 7007
Negeri Sembilan 06-6013 844
Melaka 06-2845 519 / 06-2864 514
Johor 07-2235 698
Perak 05-2550 523
Kedah & Perlis 04-7333 467
Kelantan 04-7448 660
Pahang 09-5159 244 / 09-2969 410
Pulau Pinang 04-2617 451 / 04-3316 830
Thursday, August 28, 2008
It is time to face the facts
The Permatang Pauh by-election has ended with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim garnered a higher majority compared to his wife in the last general election. It is indeed a sign for the ruling coalition to face the fact that the people are not happy with the country progress. Many are asking for changes to be made to the nation's economy and not forgetting matters like judicial credibility, government transparency and equal and fair treatment among the races. After the March 8 general election, the government has yet to come up with concrete steps to help the people. Instead, the petrol price has been increased shortly after the election even though the party promised that they would not do so during their election campaign.
So it is no wonder that the people are not happy with the leaders of this country. This led to the incident where the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Najib were thrown with water bottles during the Permatang Pauh by-election. It was reported that as he was leaving one of the campaign stations, the Opposition party supporters jeered at him and threw water bottles. He was not hit and managed to escorted to another place. The Federal Reserve Units had to step in to prevent further scuffles between the supporters of the two parties.
I'm sure that if Datuk Najib was hit, the police would arrest the people to find the perpetrator. Maybe then Datuk Najib need to seek advice from Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney. No matter how we may dislike our leaders, we should never resort to physical attack against him/her. To our leaders, the people have spoken. It is time to face the facts.
So it is no wonder that the people are not happy with the leaders of this country. This led to the incident where the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Najib were thrown with water bottles during the Permatang Pauh by-election. It was reported that as he was leaving one of the campaign stations, the Opposition party supporters jeered at him and threw water bottles. He was not hit and managed to escorted to another place. The Federal Reserve Units had to step in to prevent further scuffles between the supporters of the two parties.
I'm sure that if Datuk Najib was hit, the police would arrest the people to find the perpetrator. Maybe then Datuk Najib need to seek advice from Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney. No matter how we may dislike our leaders, we should never resort to physical attack against him/her. To our leaders, the people have spoken. It is time to face the facts.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Ant & The Grasshopper
Got this beautiful story cum analogy from an email. Hope everybody can learn from it.
Older Version
The Ant works hard the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
Modern Malaysian NEP Version
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant ' s a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
TV1, TV2 & TV3 show up to ! provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The majority of the Malaysian Parliment stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper allowed suffering so?
Khairy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant 's house .
Nazri goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
Most of the related people criticizes the Malaysia Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.
The local news paper & the Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .
Deputy minister immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
Hishammudin makes 'More Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.
The Ant; fined for failing to comply with 30% sharing and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes; its home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by maju ---------.
Prime Minister announces to the whole Malaysia that this is part of the NEP and all have to respect, no question ask and have to follow it.
Many years later
The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company. 100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in Malaysia because of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the Grasshoppers, Malaysia is still a developing country!!!
All bcos the ANTS are still doing their work.............................
Older Version
The Ant works hard the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
Modern Malaysian NEP Version
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant ' s a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
TV1, TV2 & TV3 show up to ! provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The majority of the Malaysian Parliment stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper allowed suffering so?
Khairy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant 's house .
Nazri goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
Most of the related people criticizes the Malaysia Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.
The local news paper & the Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .
Deputy minister immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
Hishammudin makes 'More Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.
The Ant; fined for failing to comply with 30% sharing and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes; its home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by maju ---------.
Prime Minister announces to the whole Malaysia that this is part of the NEP and all have to respect, no question ask and have to follow it.
Many years later
The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company. 100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in Malaysia because of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the Grasshoppers, Malaysia is still a developing country!!!
All bcos the ANTS are still doing their work.............................
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Respect Cannot Be Demanded; it must be earned
Paradigm Shift must happen in the minds of the people before changes can happen in society. I must say that I clearly respect Raja Petra for his unbias thinking. If only the majority of people can see and evaluate various issues in his manner, this world would be a better place to stay.
Raja Petra: Respect Cannot Be Demanded; it must be earned
Submitted by Raja Petra Kamarudin on Tue, 2005-05-24 06:24.
Respect cannot be demanded; it must be earned Raja Petra KamarudinAli Al-Ahmed, the director of the Saudi Institute in Washington, wrote the following in his piece, Hypocrisy Most Holy, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal on 20 May 2005:
"With the revelation that a copy of the Quran may have been desecrated by U.S. military personnel at Guantanamo Bay, Muslims and their governments -- including that of Saudi Arabia -- reacted angrily. This anger would have been understandable if the U.S.government's adopted policy was to desecrate our Quran. But even before the Newsweek report was discredited, that was never part of the allegations.
"As a Muslim, I am able to purchase copies of the Quran in any bookstore in any American city, and study its contents in countless American universities. American museums spend millions to exhibit and celebrate Muslim arts and heritage. On the other hand, my Christian and other non-Muslim brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia -- where I come from we are not even allowed to own a copy of their holy books.Indeed, the Saudi government desecrates and burns Bibles that its security forces confiscate at immigration points into the kingdom or during raids on Christian expatriates worshiping privately.
"Soon after Newsweek published an account, later retracted, of an American soldier flushing a copy of the Quran down the toilet, the Saudi government voiced its strenuous disapproval. More specifically, the Saudi Embassy in Washington expressed "great concern" and urged the U.S. to "conduct a quick investigation.""Although considered as holy in Islam and mentioned in the Quran dozens of times, the Bible is banned in Saudi Arabia. This would seem curious to most people because of the fact that to most Muslims, the Bible is a holy book. But when it comes to Saudi Arabia we are not talking about most Muslims, but a tiny minority of hard-liners who constitute the Wahhabi Sect."The Bible in Saudi Arabia may get a person killed, arrested, or deported. In September 1993, Sadeq Mallallah, 23, was beheaded in Qateef on a charge of apostasy for owning a Bible. The State Department's annual human rights reports detail the arrest and deportation of many Christian worshipers every year. Just days before Crown Prince Abdullah met President Bush last month, two Christian gatherings were stormed in Riyadh. Bibles and crosses were confiscated, and will be incinerated. (The Saudi government does not even spare the Quran from desecration. On Oct. 14, 2004, dozens of Saudi men and women carried copies of the Quran as they protested in support of reformers in the capital, Riyadh. Although they carried the Qurans in part to protect themselves from assault by police, they were charged by hundreds of riot police, who stepped on the books with their shoes, according to one of the protesters.)
"As Muslims, we have not been as generous as our Christian and Jewish counterparts in respecting others' holy books and religious symbols.Saudi Arabia bans the importation or the display of crosses, Stars of David or any other religious symbols not approved by the Wahhabi establishment. TV programs that show Christian clergymen, crosses or Stars of David are censored."The desecration of religious texts and symbols and intolerance of varying religious viewpoints and beliefs have been issues of some controversy inside Saudi Arabia. Ruled by a Wahhabi theocracy, the ruling elite of Saudi Arabia have made it difficult for Christians, Jews, Hindus and others, as well as dissenting sects of Islam, to visibly coexist inside the kingdom."
Another way in which religious and cultural issues are becoming more divisive is the Saudi treatment of Americans who are living in that country: Around 30,000 live and work in various parts of Saudi Arabia. These people are not allowed to celebrate their religious or even secular holidays. These include Christmas and Easter, but also Thanksgiving. All other Gulf states allow non-Islamic holidays to be celebrated."The Saudi Embassy and other Saudi organizations in Washington have distributed hundreds of thousands of Qurans and many more Muslim books, some that have libeled Christians, Jews and others as pigs and monkeys. In Saudi school curricula, Jews and Christians are considered deviants and eternal enemies. By contrast, Muslim communities in the West are the first to admit that Western countries-- especially the U.S. -- provide Muslims the strongest freedoms and protections that allow Islam to thrive in the West. Meanwhile Christianity and Judaism, both indigenous to the Middle East, are maligned through systematic hostility by Middle Eastern governments and their religious apparatuses."The lesson here is simple: If Muslims wish other religions to respect their beliefs and their Holy book, they should lead by example."
Malaysia, of course, is not as bad as Saudi Arabia, if what Ali Al- Ahmed wrote above is correct and not an exaggeration. However, though Malaysia is not as drastic as Saudi Arabia, the attitudes here and in Saudi Arabia are similar. For example, we Muslims condemn non-Muslims as ‘members of hell’ (ahli neraka). We justify this, no doubt, by saying that this is what Islam says, so to dispute this would be unIslamic and tantamount to blasphemy. If I were to say I do not agree to this, I would be condemned by fellow Muslims who would advice me to go find a guru (teacher) so that I can improve my religious knowledge. Some will even say that I am now no longer a Muslim for daring to argue against the concept that all non-Muslims are automatically destined for hell. Sure, the Hindus too feel their religion is the correct religion and all other religions are wrong or false. The Christians, Jews, Buddhists and all others too feel the same way. But do you hear Malaysian Christians, Hindus or Buddhists label Muslims as Members of Hell?
We allow the Quran to be published in all languages and we encourage those of other religions to read the Quran in the hope they may convert to Islam once they have read it. But the Bible cannot be published in Jawi (Arabic alphabet) and, until quite recently, the Bible was forbidden in Bahasa Malaysia. Today, due to political pressure and to ensure the non-Muslims will not desert the ruling party, the Bible may be published in Bahasa Malaysia but it has to be stamped as ‘non-halal’ (forbidden for Muslims). We want the non-Muslims to understand Islam. We want the non-Muslims to understand Islam by reading the Quran in the language they understand best; whether it is English, Chinese or any language of the world; but we refuse to allow the Muslims to understand the other religions -- and they would certainly not understand the other religions if they do not read the holy books of that religion. In fact, we do not even regard the holy books of the other religions as holy books. But we want the others to treat and respect the Quran as a holy book. Our excuse for not allowing Muslims to read the Bible is to prevent them from being influenced by Christianity whereby they may leave Islam and become Christians. Are we admitting that Islam is so bad, and Christianity better, that if Muslims were to read the bible they may discover how better Christianity is and leave Islam? Is our confidence level in Islam so low that we are scared of allowing Muslims to understand Christianity because we feel once they understand Christianity they may convert? We demand that non-Muslims respect Islam. But we do not want to show other religions this same respect. Respect cannot be demanded. It has to be earned. And have we earned this respect of those from the other religions?
Until Muslims can learn how to respect other religions; never mind if you think those religions are wrong; Islam will never be respected by the non-Muslims. And the more Muslims demand that non- Muslims respect Islam, the more you will gain their disrespect. Copyright © 2004 Malaysia Today | www.malaysia-today.net
Raja Petra: Respect Cannot Be Demanded; it must be earned
Submitted by Raja Petra Kamarudin on Tue, 2005-05-24 06:24.
Respect cannot be demanded; it must be earned Raja Petra KamarudinAli Al-Ahmed, the director of the Saudi Institute in Washington, wrote the following in his piece, Hypocrisy Most Holy, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal on 20 May 2005:
"With the revelation that a copy of the Quran may have been desecrated by U.S. military personnel at Guantanamo Bay, Muslims and their governments -- including that of Saudi Arabia -- reacted angrily. This anger would have been understandable if the U.S.government's adopted policy was to desecrate our Quran. But even before the Newsweek report was discredited, that was never part of the allegations.
"As a Muslim, I am able to purchase copies of the Quran in any bookstore in any American city, and study its contents in countless American universities. American museums spend millions to exhibit and celebrate Muslim arts and heritage. On the other hand, my Christian and other non-Muslim brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia -- where I come from we are not even allowed to own a copy of their holy books.Indeed, the Saudi government desecrates and burns Bibles that its security forces confiscate at immigration points into the kingdom or during raids on Christian expatriates worshiping privately.
"Soon after Newsweek published an account, later retracted, of an American soldier flushing a copy of the Quran down the toilet, the Saudi government voiced its strenuous disapproval. More specifically, the Saudi Embassy in Washington expressed "great concern" and urged the U.S. to "conduct a quick investigation.""Although considered as holy in Islam and mentioned in the Quran dozens of times, the Bible is banned in Saudi Arabia. This would seem curious to most people because of the fact that to most Muslims, the Bible is a holy book. But when it comes to Saudi Arabia we are not talking about most Muslims, but a tiny minority of hard-liners who constitute the Wahhabi Sect."The Bible in Saudi Arabia may get a person killed, arrested, or deported. In September 1993, Sadeq Mallallah, 23, was beheaded in Qateef on a charge of apostasy for owning a Bible. The State Department's annual human rights reports detail the arrest and deportation of many Christian worshipers every year. Just days before Crown Prince Abdullah met President Bush last month, two Christian gatherings were stormed in Riyadh. Bibles and crosses were confiscated, and will be incinerated. (The Saudi government does not even spare the Quran from desecration. On Oct. 14, 2004, dozens of Saudi men and women carried copies of the Quran as they protested in support of reformers in the capital, Riyadh. Although they carried the Qurans in part to protect themselves from assault by police, they were charged by hundreds of riot police, who stepped on the books with their shoes, according to one of the protesters.)
"As Muslims, we have not been as generous as our Christian and Jewish counterparts in respecting others' holy books and religious symbols.Saudi Arabia bans the importation or the display of crosses, Stars of David or any other religious symbols not approved by the Wahhabi establishment. TV programs that show Christian clergymen, crosses or Stars of David are censored."The desecration of religious texts and symbols and intolerance of varying religious viewpoints and beliefs have been issues of some controversy inside Saudi Arabia. Ruled by a Wahhabi theocracy, the ruling elite of Saudi Arabia have made it difficult for Christians, Jews, Hindus and others, as well as dissenting sects of Islam, to visibly coexist inside the kingdom."
Another way in which religious and cultural issues are becoming more divisive is the Saudi treatment of Americans who are living in that country: Around 30,000 live and work in various parts of Saudi Arabia. These people are not allowed to celebrate their religious or even secular holidays. These include Christmas and Easter, but also Thanksgiving. All other Gulf states allow non-Islamic holidays to be celebrated."The Saudi Embassy and other Saudi organizations in Washington have distributed hundreds of thousands of Qurans and many more Muslim books, some that have libeled Christians, Jews and others as pigs and monkeys. In Saudi school curricula, Jews and Christians are considered deviants and eternal enemies. By contrast, Muslim communities in the West are the first to admit that Western countries-- especially the U.S. -- provide Muslims the strongest freedoms and protections that allow Islam to thrive in the West. Meanwhile Christianity and Judaism, both indigenous to the Middle East, are maligned through systematic hostility by Middle Eastern governments and their religious apparatuses."The lesson here is simple: If Muslims wish other religions to respect their beliefs and their Holy book, they should lead by example."
Malaysia, of course, is not as bad as Saudi Arabia, if what Ali Al- Ahmed wrote above is correct and not an exaggeration. However, though Malaysia is not as drastic as Saudi Arabia, the attitudes here and in Saudi Arabia are similar. For example, we Muslims condemn non-Muslims as ‘members of hell’ (ahli neraka). We justify this, no doubt, by saying that this is what Islam says, so to dispute this would be unIslamic and tantamount to blasphemy. If I were to say I do not agree to this, I would be condemned by fellow Muslims who would advice me to go find a guru (teacher) so that I can improve my religious knowledge. Some will even say that I am now no longer a Muslim for daring to argue against the concept that all non-Muslims are automatically destined for hell. Sure, the Hindus too feel their religion is the correct religion and all other religions are wrong or false. The Christians, Jews, Buddhists and all others too feel the same way. But do you hear Malaysian Christians, Hindus or Buddhists label Muslims as Members of Hell?
We allow the Quran to be published in all languages and we encourage those of other religions to read the Quran in the hope they may convert to Islam once they have read it. But the Bible cannot be published in Jawi (Arabic alphabet) and, until quite recently, the Bible was forbidden in Bahasa Malaysia. Today, due to political pressure and to ensure the non-Muslims will not desert the ruling party, the Bible may be published in Bahasa Malaysia but it has to be stamped as ‘non-halal’ (forbidden for Muslims). We want the non-Muslims to understand Islam. We want the non-Muslims to understand Islam by reading the Quran in the language they understand best; whether it is English, Chinese or any language of the world; but we refuse to allow the Muslims to understand the other religions -- and they would certainly not understand the other religions if they do not read the holy books of that religion. In fact, we do not even regard the holy books of the other religions as holy books. But we want the others to treat and respect the Quran as a holy book. Our excuse for not allowing Muslims to read the Bible is to prevent them from being influenced by Christianity whereby they may leave Islam and become Christians. Are we admitting that Islam is so bad, and Christianity better, that if Muslims were to read the bible they may discover how better Christianity is and leave Islam? Is our confidence level in Islam so low that we are scared of allowing Muslims to understand Christianity because we feel once they understand Christianity they may convert? We demand that non-Muslims respect Islam. But we do not want to show other religions this same respect. Respect cannot be demanded. It has to be earned. And have we earned this respect of those from the other religions?
Until Muslims can learn how to respect other religions; never mind if you think those religions are wrong; Islam will never be respected by the non-Muslims. And the more Muslims demand that non- Muslims respect Islam, the more you will gain their disrespect. Copyright © 2004 Malaysia Today | www.malaysia-today.net
Friday, April 04, 2008
Malay Malaysians May End Up Sleeping in the Street
Posted by Raja Petra Kamaruddin
Sunday, 16, March 2008
Indonesia is one of the world's most richest countries in terms of natural resources. God has blessed Indonesia with gold, uranium, copper, oil, timber, beaches, seas and other wealth. The land is fertile with abundant rain. Stick a twig into the ground and it grows into a tree. Yet Indonesians sleep in the streets. Food is expensive. The average Indonesian eats some rice, tempe,tauhu and may be some vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. An average Nasi Padang meal for four persons in a single star Indonesian restaurant can cost RM60.00 (160,000 Rupiah). This is way beyond the income of the average Joko or Ketut in Indonesia.
Why is this so? The answer is because the ruling elites in Indonesia do not care about the people. They have pillaged the country. They craft policies that only serve to keep the elites in power and the wealthly.The same thing is happening in Malaysia. There are also millions of Indonesians who go to school and university but do not learn skills that can help them survive in the real world. They are very poor in European languages like English or Dutch. All their education is in Indonesian. So they cannot keep up with the latest developments and technologies. They cannot compete. They remain poor.
The children of the elite are sent overseas for their education. An average Indonesian university graduate cannot bring world class skills to his employers. He or she therefore earns a pittance. This is happening in Malaysia. Bumiputra university graduates only strike it rich if they get Government jobs where they do not do much work but earn a good salary with a pension. In the private sector they may not get a job or earn only a pittance. That is why 100,000 graduates remain unemployed in Malaysia.
Bumiputra university graduates are turning up for interviews as taxi drivers and shop assistants. What about those who flunk out after SPM? They become Mat Rempits (Motorcycle Racers ). Last Saturday I saw another Mat Rempit get killed at the road races in Shah Alam (near Section 7).
In Malaysia, just like in Indonesia,food is getting very expensive. But the wages and salaries of the people, especially the Malays, is not keeping up with the increase in prices. Instead of developing the competitive ability of the people,the Government has been using the failed NEP to provide subsidies and dish out money on a plate. Everything is subsidised, even cooking oil,flour, rice, sugar, fuel, etc. The Government has been providing these subsidies so that the people will keep voting for the ruling party. So it has never been to the Government's advantage to make the Malays independent. A Malay who is independent of the Government may not vote for the BN. It is therefore better to keep feeding with subsidies. So, for the past 50 years, everything has been subsidised. But now with 27million people in the country of which more than half are Malays, subsidies are getting more expensive. There is also much much more thievery and wastage by the elites in Malaysia. But there is no bottomless well full of money. Everything has its limits. The money will soon run out. Without the subsidies for cooking oil, sugar,flour and petrol, how are the people, especially the Malays, going to survive? Already university graduates cannot find jobs or compete in the private sector. What happens when the oil money runs out? What happens when (not if, but when) the Government cannot simply spend billions of oil money to sustain its voting base any longer? That is when we may see people sleeping in the streets, just like in Indonesia. If that happens this country will go up in flames. We will all be consumed.
In Indonesia, the Government has not mobilised its hundreds of millions of people (over 250 million Indonesians) with the competitive skills to grow enough food for themselves. Hence food is expensive. They do not even have simple survival skills like coming to work on time, organising themselves to do simple tasks, maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness and so on. They are poorly read and not informed about many things that are going on around the world. Their Government has failed in all these aspects. Hence the average Indonesian remains poor.
The same thing has happened in Malaysia. Our young people, especially the Malays, do not possess basic survival skills. We are not talking about competitive skills but just basic survival skills. The Government is not serious about giving them useful competitive skills either. The Mat Rempits are being glorified by the politicians as saviours of the nation (Mat Cemerlang). Correction. they are drug users, gang rapists, snatch thieves and street fighters.
When an efficient Policewoman called Nooriyah Anvar was appointed Chief of Traffic Police she went after the Mat Rempits with a vengeance. Does anyone remember her? She confiscated their bikes on the spot. But soon the Mat Rempits called their political muscle and Nooriyah Anvar was kicked out. To date she holds the record of being the shortest serving Traffic Police Chief in Malaysia. She has been replaced by Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hamza Taib.
So the Government is not serious about improving the position of the Malays. It serves the Barisan Nasional Government to keep the Malays down and out. Then the Malays can go to the Government for crumbs. This way the ruling elites get to keep the whole loaf to themselves. Go and visit Indonesia. This is what is happening over there. It is happening over here too.
Does Malaysia have a problem? yes the Malays are not happy, the Chinese are not happy and the Indians are not happy. They spoke out at the polls two weeks ago and hope things will change for the better, now they have some oppositions who promised change. The Malays are being duped by their corrupted leaders by using the religion, the Chinese and Indians are being marginalised by the ruling elites. Let us all Malaysians wake up and fight the corrupt system for the benefit of everyone. Let us all unite and stand together and change the system for once and for all. We are not Malays, Chinese or Indians, we are Malaysians.
Sunday, 16, March 2008
Indonesia is one of the world's most richest countries in terms of natural resources. God has blessed Indonesia with gold, uranium, copper, oil, timber, beaches, seas and other wealth. The land is fertile with abundant rain. Stick a twig into the ground and it grows into a tree. Yet Indonesians sleep in the streets. Food is expensive. The average Indonesian eats some rice, tempe,tauhu and may be some vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. An average Nasi Padang meal for four persons in a single star Indonesian restaurant can cost RM60.00 (160,000 Rupiah). This is way beyond the income of the average Joko or Ketut in Indonesia.
Why is this so? The answer is because the ruling elites in Indonesia do not care about the people. They have pillaged the country. They craft policies that only serve to keep the elites in power and the wealthly.The same thing is happening in Malaysia. There are also millions of Indonesians who go to school and university but do not learn skills that can help them survive in the real world. They are very poor in European languages like English or Dutch. All their education is in Indonesian. So they cannot keep up with the latest developments and technologies. They cannot compete. They remain poor.
The children of the elite are sent overseas for their education. An average Indonesian university graduate cannot bring world class skills to his employers. He or she therefore earns a pittance. This is happening in Malaysia. Bumiputra university graduates only strike it rich if they get Government jobs where they do not do much work but earn a good salary with a pension. In the private sector they may not get a job or earn only a pittance. That is why 100,000 graduates remain unemployed in Malaysia.
Bumiputra university graduates are turning up for interviews as taxi drivers and shop assistants. What about those who flunk out after SPM? They become Mat Rempits (Motorcycle Racers ). Last Saturday I saw another Mat Rempit get killed at the road races in Shah Alam (near Section 7).
In Malaysia, just like in Indonesia,food is getting very expensive. But the wages and salaries of the people, especially the Malays, is not keeping up with the increase in prices. Instead of developing the competitive ability of the people,the Government has been using the failed NEP to provide subsidies and dish out money on a plate. Everything is subsidised, even cooking oil,flour, rice, sugar, fuel, etc. The Government has been providing these subsidies so that the people will keep voting for the ruling party. So it has never been to the Government's advantage to make the Malays independent. A Malay who is independent of the Government may not vote for the BN. It is therefore better to keep feeding with subsidies. So, for the past 50 years, everything has been subsidised. But now with 27million people in the country of which more than half are Malays, subsidies are getting more expensive. There is also much much more thievery and wastage by the elites in Malaysia. But there is no bottomless well full of money. Everything has its limits. The money will soon run out. Without the subsidies for cooking oil, sugar,flour and petrol, how are the people, especially the Malays, going to survive? Already university graduates cannot find jobs or compete in the private sector. What happens when the oil money runs out? What happens when (not if, but when) the Government cannot simply spend billions of oil money to sustain its voting base any longer? That is when we may see people sleeping in the streets, just like in Indonesia. If that happens this country will go up in flames. We will all be consumed.
In Indonesia, the Government has not mobilised its hundreds of millions of people (over 250 million Indonesians) with the competitive skills to grow enough food for themselves. Hence food is expensive. They do not even have simple survival skills like coming to work on time, organising themselves to do simple tasks, maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness and so on. They are poorly read and not informed about many things that are going on around the world. Their Government has failed in all these aspects. Hence the average Indonesian remains poor.
The same thing has happened in Malaysia. Our young people, especially the Malays, do not possess basic survival skills. We are not talking about competitive skills but just basic survival skills. The Government is not serious about giving them useful competitive skills either. The Mat Rempits are being glorified by the politicians as saviours of the nation (Mat Cemerlang). Correction. they are drug users, gang rapists, snatch thieves and street fighters.
When an efficient Policewoman called Nooriyah Anvar was appointed Chief of Traffic Police she went after the Mat Rempits with a vengeance. Does anyone remember her? She confiscated their bikes on the spot. But soon the Mat Rempits called their political muscle and Nooriyah Anvar was kicked out. To date she holds the record of being the shortest serving Traffic Police Chief in Malaysia. She has been replaced by Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hamza Taib.
So the Government is not serious about improving the position of the Malays. It serves the Barisan Nasional Government to keep the Malays down and out. Then the Malays can go to the Government for crumbs. This way the ruling elites get to keep the whole loaf to themselves. Go and visit Indonesia. This is what is happening over there. It is happening over here too.
Does Malaysia have a problem? yes the Malays are not happy, the Chinese are not happy and the Indians are not happy. They spoke out at the polls two weeks ago and hope things will change for the better, now they have some oppositions who promised change. The Malays are being duped by their corrupted leaders by using the religion, the Chinese and Indians are being marginalised by the ruling elites. Let us all Malaysians wake up and fight the corrupt system for the benefit of everyone. Let us all unite and stand together and change the system for once and for all. We are not Malays, Chinese or Indians, we are Malaysians.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Istana Zakaria
When the news about the Istana Zakaria was published, I was not sure of the reason why it created a big huhah. Only when I saw these pictures I was hit by the reality of the issue. The "castle" is really impressive and for the owner to build it without the local municipal permission is indeed a slap of unfairness to the public.A tinge of envy swept over my heart as I look at the pictures. This guy Zakaria (deceased) is very rich indeed. Of course some questioned as to how he can be so wealthy.
Could it be the people's money that he easily received via government tenders and contracts because of his political connections. Hahaha...no wonder the people voted for the Opposition during the last election. Even after the scandal was published in the media, the various government agencies failed to take actions against this Zakaria. What lah!That all being said, I have to agree that this Zakaria had high class mentality. Maybe he thinks he can be like the Sultan of Brunei.
Proposal to punish non-Muslims for khalwat
Proposal to punish non-Muslims for khalwat
By IZATUN SHARI (The Star - 2rd April 2008)
KUALA LUMPUR: Non-Muslims committing khalwat (close proximity) with Muslims should also be held liable for the crime, two Islamic bodies have proposed in a resolution to be sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers.
The Islamic Institute of Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) and Syariah Judiciary Department Malaysia said non-Muslims found committing khalwat with Muslims should also be sentenced, perhaps in the civil courts.
"Muslims are sentenced in Syariah courts ... but we don't have the jurisdiction to sentence non-Muslims," Syariah Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Asri Abdullah said at a seminar on reviewing Syariah laws organised by Ikim and the department.
"Their non-Muslim partners can probably be sentenced in the civil courts, to be fair to both parties," he told reporters after closing the two-day seminar on Wednesday.
He said the proposal, contained in a draft resolution from the seminar's findings, would be forwarded to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AG's Chambers).
"It is up to the AG's Chambers or the relevant authorities to decide how to create such law," he said, declining to say when the proposal would be made to the Government.
The two bodies have also proposed stiffer penalties for Muslims caught in such offences as khalwat, prostitution, alcohol consumption and gambling.
My response:
- From the moral aspect, it seems to be a good idea. Sin is crouching near the couple who loves to be in secluded places. Desires or lust to be exact finds more opportunities to rear its ugly head in dark quiet places. However, I am against the idea of the giving the responsibility of enforcing moral obligation into the hands of the government. Moral issues should not be govern by the government but it should rest with the parents, and religious institutions. There is a danger of giving the government agencies the power of enforcement as abuses of power will definitely become rampant.
- The suggestion itself indirectly indicate that the two islamic bodies wants to enforce its beliefs upon the non-muslim people. It is a subtle way of doing it. And the gist of it is that it is trying to encroach on the freedom of others. Why should there be punishment for something that is not wrong in a person's religious beliefs? It should not be.
- Punishment should be in the hands of God. Why should human enact laws that punishes people when first and foremost the wrongdoing is unto God, then to others, and to society.
- The two islamic bodies should not focus on this issue but should spend more time thinking about how to educate and instill good religious beliefs among the muslims themselves. Why think about the non-muslims when they can't even take care of the muslims?
- Stiffer penalties does not help much to reduce the wrongdoings. They must find ways to find the root of the problem and deal with it accordingly. Death by hanging for drug traffickers does not help much in eradicating drug problems in Malaysia. In fact the drug problems have become worse.
By IZATUN SHARI (The Star - 2rd April 2008)
KUALA LUMPUR: Non-Muslims committing khalwat (close proximity) with Muslims should also be held liable for the crime, two Islamic bodies have proposed in a resolution to be sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers.
The Islamic Institute of Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) and Syariah Judiciary Department Malaysia said non-Muslims found committing khalwat with Muslims should also be sentenced, perhaps in the civil courts.
"Muslims are sentenced in Syariah courts ... but we don't have the jurisdiction to sentence non-Muslims," Syariah Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Asri Abdullah said at a seminar on reviewing Syariah laws organised by Ikim and the department.
"Their non-Muslim partners can probably be sentenced in the civil courts, to be fair to both parties," he told reporters after closing the two-day seminar on Wednesday.
He said the proposal, contained in a draft resolution from the seminar's findings, would be forwarded to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AG's Chambers).
"It is up to the AG's Chambers or the relevant authorities to decide how to create such law," he said, declining to say when the proposal would be made to the Government.
The two bodies have also proposed stiffer penalties for Muslims caught in such offences as khalwat, prostitution, alcohol consumption and gambling.
My response:
- From the moral aspect, it seems to be a good idea. Sin is crouching near the couple who loves to be in secluded places. Desires or lust to be exact finds more opportunities to rear its ugly head in dark quiet places. However, I am against the idea of the giving the responsibility of enforcing moral obligation into the hands of the government. Moral issues should not be govern by the government but it should rest with the parents, and religious institutions. There is a danger of giving the government agencies the power of enforcement as abuses of power will definitely become rampant.
- The suggestion itself indirectly indicate that the two islamic bodies wants to enforce its beliefs upon the non-muslim people. It is a subtle way of doing it. And the gist of it is that it is trying to encroach on the freedom of others. Why should there be punishment for something that is not wrong in a person's religious beliefs? It should not be.
- Punishment should be in the hands of God. Why should human enact laws that punishes people when first and foremost the wrongdoing is unto God, then to others, and to society.
- The two islamic bodies should not focus on this issue but should spend more time thinking about how to educate and instill good religious beliefs among the muslims themselves. Why think about the non-muslims when they can't even take care of the muslims?
- Stiffer penalties does not help much to reduce the wrongdoings. They must find ways to find the root of the problem and deal with it accordingly. Death by hanging for drug traffickers does not help much in eradicating drug problems in Malaysia. In fact the drug problems have become worse.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Do you want to join too?
Okay, for those who feels the same way like I do about the BN and want to find an alternative political party to support, do consider DAP. The DAP is doing membership drive campaign and are looking for future leaders of this country. If you are interested to join DAP, you can email me for further details. Come, join me.
Voice of tomorrow
Yeahhhhhhh.... I did it, I did it, I signed up as a DAP member. After considering the various facts that happened in this country, my choice of political party is now DAP. I have been a strong supporter of the BN in the past but what happened in the past few years have changed my mind. UMNO has been too arrogant (or at least, some of the leaders in UMNO) and think that they can bulldozed their way in everything that want to do. Their leaders think that they are invincible and that the Malays will blindly support them. Maybe they think the Malays are a stupid bunch who will just obey and follow the UMNO leaders.
My deepest condolences to MCA and also MIC, the component parties in BN who are mere puppets for UMNO arrogant leaders. Looks like MCA and MIC have failed to uphold the interest of their respective supporters. So now, I pledge my support to DAP. Show me how you leaders exercise the powers entrusted to you and if you do well, you will continue to gain my support.
My deepest condolences to MCA and also MIC, the component parties in BN who are mere puppets for UMNO arrogant leaders. Looks like MCA and MIC have failed to uphold the interest of their respective supporters. So now, I pledge my support to DAP. Show me how you leaders exercise the powers entrusted to you and if you do well, you will continue to gain my support.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Muslim leaders oppose ban
MUSLIM community leaders have spoken out against a school’s attempt to ban non-halal food from its canteen, calling the move a step backwards for the community.
Ridzuan Wu, chairman of the Centre for Contemporary Islamic Studies, which promotes conversations between different religious groups, said: “I think we’ve come to that stage in Singapore when it’s really not practical to look at things in such a narrow way.”
A furore started when Boon Lay Garden Primary School wrote to parents last Friday, saying that only halal food could be eaten or taken into its canteen, which sells only halal food.
The announcement upset non-Muslim parents, who felt it smacked of discrimination. The school said on Monday that it had made a mistake and will not go ahead with the move.
Yesterday, religious leaders said it was not wrong for Muslims and non-Muslims to dine together, as long as Muslims eat halal food.
Religious leaders and school principals The Straits Times spoke to all pointed to the need for more education to avoid misunderstandings. – The Straits Times / Asia News Network
Ridzuan Wu, chairman of the Centre for Contemporary Islamic Studies, which promotes conversations between different religious groups, said: “I think we’ve come to that stage in Singapore when it’s really not practical to look at things in such a narrow way.”
A furore started when Boon Lay Garden Primary School wrote to parents last Friday, saying that only halal food could be eaten or taken into its canteen, which sells only halal food.
The announcement upset non-Muslim parents, who felt it smacked of discrimination. The school said on Monday that it had made a mistake and will not go ahead with the move.
Yesterday, religious leaders said it was not wrong for Muslims and non-Muslims to dine together, as long as Muslims eat halal food.
Religious leaders and school principals The Straits Times spoke to all pointed to the need for more education to avoid misunderstandings. – The Straits Times / Asia News Network
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Revathi's Freedom of Faith
Candlelight Vigil
In Support of Revathi's Freedom of Faith
Please attend the following peaceful candlelight vigil in support of Revathi, and many others like her, who are unable to fully exercise their Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of faith. The vigil is an initiative of civil society organisations including MCCBCHST (the Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism) and various women's rights groups (All Women's Action Society (AWAM), Sisters in Islam (SIS), Women's Aid Organisation (WAO), Women's Centre for Change, Penang (WCC) and Women's Development Collective (WDC)).
Date: Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Dataran Merdeka (at the flagpole)
Please come to show your support in affirming the supremacy of the Federal Constitution and its protection of our fundamental liberties, including the freedom of belief.
Please bring candles, candle-holders and banners.
***********************************************************************
Summary of Revathi's case :
Revathi, an ethnic Indian woman, has been held in a rehabilitation center run by Islamic authorities since January 2007 because she wants the State to acknowledge she is a Hindu and not a Muslim.
Revathi was born to Indian parents who had converted to Islam before her birth. She claims she was raised by her grandmother as a Hindu. She and Suresh were married according to Hindu rites in March 2004. Revathi was advised by the Malacca Islamic Religious Department to make an application at the Malacca Syariah High Court to confirm her status as a Hindu. She did as she was told.
However, the Syariah Court ordered her detained in a rehabilitation centre in Ulu Yam, Selangor under Melaka's Syariah criminal laws for 100 days. This detention was extended in Revathi's absence for a further 80 days supposedly because she had not "repented". In the meanwhile, Revathi's Muslim mother obtained a Syariah Court order granting her custody of Revathi and Suresh's 15 month old baby. That order was enforced on Suresh's Hindu family with the assistance of the police.
The family is now torn apart - with the mother in detention, the child with the grandparents and the father in limbo without his family.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
THE MALAYSIAN MALAY
THE MALAYSIAN MALAY
by Dr Syed Alwi of Singapore
quoted-printable Content-Length: 5485
Dear Editor,
As you know, I am an avid watcher of Malaysian affairs. I must confess that lately, Malaysia appears to be failing. Not a day passes by without more events that clearly highlight Malaysia 's race-religion fault-line. If things keep going this way, I fear for Malaysia 's future.
Today, schools in Singapore celebrate Racial Harmony Day. I can visibly see the joy in the children's faces as they wear their ethnic costumes and have fun together at school. But in Malaysia - even the right to choose a religion has become a sensitive, national issue. No doubt, there are many in Malaysia who hate my liberal views on Islam, family included. But I will say what I must say openly. I have come to the conclusion that Malaysia cannot progress any further without first addressing fundamental questions regarding its identity and soul.
I remember the days when we can laugh at Lat's cartoons on everyday Malaysian life. But sadly, the Islamic tide has polarised Malaysians. Some people ask why I should bother about Malaysian affairs since I am a Singaporean. May I remind Malaysians that it was Tan Siew Sin who once said that Singapore and Malaysia are Siamese Twins. Should Malaysia go down - it would hurt the region tremendously. Especially Singapore .
Where do you think Malay apostates would head for if Lina Joy loses her case? Singapore of course! I find the Malaysian Malay to be very under-exposed. For them, it's all Islam and the NEP and everything under the sun would sort itself out. I am sorry to say this - but Islam and the NEP may be the cause of the undoing of the Malaysian Malay.
There is nothing wrong with religion or affirmative action. But, like everything else in life, they must be taken in moderation and with a pinch of salt. A little doubt is good. Unfortunately in Malaysia , emotions over Islam have overcome reason. What we see today is the result of the NEP and Islamisation policies of the past thirty years or so.
No one owes Malaysian Malays a living. Let me assure you that should Malaysia fail - the Malaysian Malay will suffer enormously. And rightly so. After all - they have been pampered with all sorts of goodies over the years. They cannot now expect more goodies. Perhaps the day of reckoning for them, is near. Whatever it is, Malaysia had better wake up to the realities around her. The globalised world of the 21st century has no NEP to offer the Malaysian Malay. And humans cannot live by religion alone.
Regards,
Dr Syed Alwi
by Dr Syed Alwi of Singapore
quoted-printable Content-Length: 5485
Dear Editor,
As you know, I am an avid watcher of Malaysian affairs. I must confess that lately, Malaysia appears to be failing. Not a day passes by without more events that clearly highlight Malaysia 's race-religion fault-line. If things keep going this way, I fear for Malaysia 's future.
Today, schools in Singapore celebrate Racial Harmony Day. I can visibly see the joy in the children's faces as they wear their ethnic costumes and have fun together at school. But in Malaysia - even the right to choose a religion has become a sensitive, national issue. No doubt, there are many in Malaysia who hate my liberal views on Islam, family included. But I will say what I must say openly. I have come to the conclusion that Malaysia cannot progress any further without first addressing fundamental questions regarding its identity and soul.
I remember the days when we can laugh at Lat's cartoons on everyday Malaysian life. But sadly, the Islamic tide has polarised Malaysians. Some people ask why I should bother about Malaysian affairs since I am a Singaporean. May I remind Malaysians that it was Tan Siew Sin who once said that Singapore and Malaysia are Siamese Twins. Should Malaysia go down - it would hurt the region tremendously. Especially Singapore .
Where do you think Malay apostates would head for if Lina Joy loses her case? Singapore of course! I find the Malaysian Malay to be very under-exposed. For them, it's all Islam and the NEP and everything under the sun would sort itself out. I am sorry to say this - but Islam and the NEP may be the cause of the undoing of the Malaysian Malay.
There is nothing wrong with religion or affirmative action. But, like everything else in life, they must be taken in moderation and with a pinch of salt. A little doubt is good. Unfortunately in Malaysia , emotions over Islam have overcome reason. What we see today is the result of the NEP and Islamisation policies of the past thirty years or so.
No one owes Malaysian Malays a living. Let me assure you that should Malaysia fail - the Malaysian Malay will suffer enormously. And rightly so. After all - they have been pampered with all sorts of goodies over the years. They cannot now expect more goodies. Perhaps the day of reckoning for them, is near. Whatever it is, Malaysia had better wake up to the realities around her. The globalised world of the 21st century has no NEP to offer the Malaysian Malay. And humans cannot live by religion alone.
Regards,
Dr Syed Alwi
Aliran media statement
Aliran media statement
Lina Joy verdict: No freedom, no compassion
Lina Joy's 10-year battle to be herself as she wanted to be within the
confines of the supreme law of the country, the Federal Constitution, has
been dashed by the Federal Court's decision this morning. The freedom of
religion guaranteed by the Federal Constitution under Article 11 comes
across as hollow and meaningless. This decision has totally rendered null
and void the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.
Under the circumstances, the Federal Court's decision has a
devastating effect on issues of fairness and justice. Concerned
citizens will rightly wonder whether the judiciary is capable of
delivering justice for those who turn to it. They will be turned away from
the judicial system of the country thinking that the judges who are sworn
to uphold the Federal Constitution in the course of their duty are not
living up to their oath of office.
Lina Joy's case is something that has to be viewed strictly within the
confines of the Constitution without taking into account any other
consideration. When other considerations come into play, then justice
becomes the victim as is the case in the Lina Joy verdict.
This decision, looked at from another point of view, undermines the
judiciary itself. The judiciary cannot be technical in delivering its
verdict. Fairness and justice should be part of any judgment and should not
be sacrificed on technical grounds. Where is the compassion for someone who
has turned to the judiciary for a solution to free her from her
predicament? Can justice redeem itself? Is there hope for the ordinary
person in our judiciary?
It is really troubling when a issue such as this is politicised and blown
out of all proportion and pressure is mounted to deny justice.
Aliran Executive Committee
30 May 2007
Lina Joy verdict: No freedom, no compassion
Lina Joy's 10-year battle to be herself as she wanted to be within the
confines of the supreme law of the country, the Federal Constitution, has
been dashed by the Federal Court's decision this morning. The freedom of
religion guaranteed by the Federal Constitution under Article 11 comes
across as hollow and meaningless. This decision has totally rendered null
and void the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.
Under the circumstances, the Federal Court's decision has a
devastating effect on issues of fairness and justice. Concerned
citizens will rightly wonder whether the judiciary is capable of
delivering justice for those who turn to it. They will be turned away from
the judicial system of the country thinking that the judges who are sworn
to uphold the Federal Constitution in the course of their duty are not
living up to their oath of office.
Lina Joy's case is something that has to be viewed strictly within the
confines of the Constitution without taking into account any other
consideration. When other considerations come into play, then justice
becomes the victim as is the case in the Lina Joy verdict.
This decision, looked at from another point of view, undermines the
judiciary itself. The judiciary cannot be technical in delivering its
verdict. Fairness and justice should be part of any judgment and should not
be sacrificed on technical grounds. Where is the compassion for someone who
has turned to the judiciary for a solution to free her from her
predicament? Can justice redeem itself? Is there hope for the ordinary
person in our judiciary?
It is really troubling when a issue such as this is politicised and blown
out of all proportion and pressure is mounted to deny justice.
Aliran Executive Committee
30 May 2007
NECF MALAYSIA’S RESPONSE TO THE LINA JOY JUDGEMENT
NECF MALAYSIA’S RESPONSE TO THE LINA JOY JUDGEMENT
Issued on 1 June 2007
NECF Malaysia is gravely disappointed by and dissatisfied with the Federal Court’s dismissal of Lina Joy’s appeal.
First of all, the Federal Court’s decision does not uphold the constitutional safeguard of freedom of religion. It is a person’s fundamental right to profess a religion of her own choice free from compulsion or interference by the state or its institutions. Freedom of religion under the Federal Constitution can only be restrained where a person acts contrary to any general law affecting public order, public health or morality. Therefore, it defies all logic that Lina Joy’s freedom to profess and exercise a faith of her own choice can be subject to administrative barrier in the NRD refusing to effect a change to her religious status except upon the order of the Syariah Court.
The foundational principle of supremacy of the Constitution over all other laws must be upheld.
NECF Malaysia is also deeply dismayed that the majority decision of the highest court has failed to bring about resolution to the present interfaith issues. By insisting that a person who no longer professes the religion of Islam but has embraced another religion to seek an order of the Syariah Court is equivalent to insisting that a muallaf 1 who has attained the age of majority is obliged to seek the clearance of the religious leaders or authority of his former religion. Mutual respect and tolerance surely cannot be fostered without due regard to the principle of reciprocity.
In affirming the decision of the Court of Appeal, the Federal Court has perpetuated a most unfair and untenable position for Lina Joy and others in a similar dilemma. They now cannot enjoy the full rights as citizens as they are trapped in a religion which they no longer profess and are unable to lawfully marry, have children and live in accordance with the values, precepts and practices of the religion of their choice.
Finally, NECF Malaysia is extremely concerned that the Lina Joy case demonstrates the highest civil court retreating in the face of the relentless onslaught on their position as the third institution in a democratic system of government. In the hierarchy of the judiciary, the Federal Court is vested the judicial power of the Federation.
In this case, the judiciary has unfortunately failed to play its most important role of being both the guardians and interpreters of our Constitution. As an institution above the fray of politics, it is the only institution that can neutrally and without partisan considerations decide the serious issues raised in the Lina Joy case. It is constrained only by true and loyal allegiance to the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution, the twin pillars of our Rukunegara.
In the civil court’s abdicating its judicial power in religious matters on the basis of Article 121 (IA) of the Constitution, the Federal Court is placing undue stress and strain on the government to legislate or amend related laws when the due exercise of its judicial power as interpreter of the Constitution would have brought about a fair and just resolution to the issues.
While the country has undergone a significant shift towards “islamization” since the 1980s, the proclamation of Malaysia as an Islamic country in 2001, though a political expediency, has had considerable psychological impact and further polarized Malaysian citizens of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. Religious vigilantism has been heightened among not only the religious ones, but also the bureaucrats. Administrative actions whether in policies or laws are being implemented without scrupulous regard to the requirements of the policies or laws but with the imposition of syariah rules and requirements. For example, non-Muslim police women are to wear Muslim headscarves for the annual parade. The happenings in recent years are indeed grave concerns. Among others, there are religious authorities breaking up families in the name of religion, the custody tussles between a non-Muslim parent and a Muslim parent, and public morality based on the principles of a particular religion.
The Christian community acknowledges the special position of Islam as the State religion for ceremonial purposes, and recognizes the application of Islamic family laws to those professing the religion of Islam in areas outlined in the Federal Constitution. We uphold the sanctity of the Malaysian Constitution as the supreme law of the land, and it is our hope that the Prime Minister, who has publicly declared to be the Prime Minister of all Malaysians, would fulfil his promises to establish a clean, just, harmonious and prosperous nation.
The decision of the Federal Court sets a landmark example of making legal judgement based on religious sentiment and thus inadvertently disregarding the fundamental right of an individual to profess and practice the religion of his or her choice. In the light of this, NECF Malaysia urges all Christian leaders to encourage their congregations to set aside time, both corporately and privately, to pray for our nation as a whole, in the next few weeks and months. Let us bring to God these matters of extreme gravity and urgency, and humbly ask Him to intervene so that truth, righteousness and godliness will prevail in our land.
The very basic structure of our nation, our institutions, our Constitution and the Rukunegara must remain the solid rock on which Malaysia will continue to prosper and stand tall among the community of nations, and on which all Malaysians strive and thrive together as a multiracial, multicultural and multi-religious society. Let us, the concerned citizens of Malaysia, exercise our rights to make a good decision at the right place and at the right platform.
_________
1 Muallaf: a convert from a non-Islamic religion who has chosen to profess Islam
• Issued on 1 June 2007 •
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
So Many Leaks (Bocor)
Haiyoo..... I think Malaysians are fond of being "bocor". First, there these two MPs who made comments on another lady MP about being "bocor" every month. Now, the Parliament building itself suffers from leak. hahahaaha... maybe its because the building leaks, all the people "working" there also wants to say bocor. Somemore, when the building bocor, the Minister quarreled about who's responsibility it should be. Haiyo.... thamby.... just do it lah. You wait wait... now PM already scold you. Apa lah.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Sorry.... but it's a bit too late lah
At last, they apologized. But then, it is only after a week. Too late lah guys. Even your mothers would be sad to hear your apology after so long.
Article by The Star on 19 May 2007
Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan demanded an apology from the MPs the next day.
Article by The Star on 19 May 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Nine days after they made their “bocor (leak)” remarks that led to an uproar among women’s groups, the two Members of Parliament finally made a formal apology to all Malaysian women.
Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, who made the remarks in Parliament on May 9, and Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusof who supported him, issued a public apology yesterday to women “who might have been offended” by their words.
Bung Mokhtar and Mohd Said however maintained that they were merely carrying out their duty as Barisan MPs in defending the Government against “the Opposition’s unfounded claims”.
In doing so, some of the Barisan MPs might have gone overboard but there was no intention to insult women, said Mohd Said.
On May 9, during a heated exchange in the Dewan Rakyat with Opposition MPs over the roof leak at Parliament House, Bung Mokhtar had said: “Mana ada bocor? Batu Gajah pun bocor tiap-tiap bulan juga. (Where is the leak? The Batu Gajah MP also leaks every month.)”
 |
A stern lecture: Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil looking serious with Mohd Said Yusof (left) and Bung Mokhtar at her ministry on Friday. She has told them not to trifle with gender issues and that sexism would not be accepted anywhere. |
Yesterday, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who held a 40-minute meeting with the two MPs at her office, told reporters that the two men were remorseful and the ministry had accepted their apologies.
“When I met them, before I could say anything, they raised their hands as if in surrender and said sorry to all women if they had offended them.
“Because of that, I accepted their apology on the ministry’s behalf with grace. That is the Malaysian way but in no way are we condoning the act,” she said.
Shahrizat said she conveyed to them her ministry’s stand on such matters.
“I would like to categorically state that sexism in any form, by words or action, by men or women, whether in Parliament made by elected representatives of both Government and Opposition or indeed anywhere else in this country, is not acceptable.
“I have in no uncertain terms communicated to the two MPs from Kinabatangan and Jasin the ministry’s unflinching stand on this matter – do not trifle with gender issues.”
Asked if the two MPs were required to personally apologise to Fong, she said it was up to them.
“I asked for an open apology and that would include Fong. I am looking at the bigger picture because a lot of women were offended by the remarks,” she said.
On whether they would be reprimanded, Shahrizat said the two men have already been punished “as the media had gone to town (with the issue)”.
At a DAP press conference in Petaling Jaya, Fong described the apology as “too little, too late”, LOONG MENG YEE reports.
Fong said she found the apology meaningless because “it did not come from the heart”.
“They apologised on Wednesday, but later retracted it. Now, they say sorry to all the women but didn’t specifically mention that they were sorry to have directed the remarks at me.
“Also, there is no sincerity on their part because they only apologised after being pressured,” she said.
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