Namewee, the film producer to be

This is a press conference in which Namewee talks about his plans to produce a film based on the 1Malaysia concept.

For those who wants to know more about Namewee, please visit his blog here.

If the authorities think that Namewee's video is seditious in nature, please visit Lau Chee Kin's blog on his encounter with a group of Malay youths on Merdeka Eve night. Now we know why Najib's 1Malaysia is not working. The racist cancer may have already turned malignant.

Teo Nie Ching is dirty? Who are you to judge, Hishamuddin?

For more than a week, the rabid Utusan, MAIS and certain UMNO leaders continue to berate Teo Nie Ching for her visit to a surau in words that would even make a sailor blush. As usual, UMNO would come out with "touching on the sensitivies of the Malays" and "don't play with fire" statements [so what else is new] to make sure that every one knows that they are still in existence. As though this not been enough to crucify Teo Nie Ching, Hishamuddin now has to come in with one more nail to claim she is not fit to enter the surau as she was "dirty". Read here Malaysiakini report.

On what moral ground does Hishamuddin has to pass judgement on another person when he himself is one heck of a sinner himself. More so the party he belongs to is involved in corruption, money politics, money laundering, rape and what have you.

My advice to Hishamuddin, don't throw stones at others when you are living in a glass house or as Christ would have put it when he asked a crowd when they were about to stone a prostitute, "For those without sin, cast the first stone."

The latest on Namewee

Last night, close to midnight, 3 patrol cars swooped in at Namewee's house to take him in for questioning with regard to his recent video "Nah!". However, he was not at home and according to his manager, he was probably in discussion with a lawyer about his case. Read here for the news.

For you guys who wish to show your support for Namewee, please visit his website at;

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Namewee-huang-ming-zhi-Official-Page/160059088428?v=wall&ref=ts

Teo: Nik Aziz encourages me to visit more surau

Shrugging off attacks by Umno and Selangor religious authorities over her visit to a surau last week, Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching said she is emboldened to visit even more Muslim houses of worship after being encouraged to do so by PAS' Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

According to a Harakahdailyreport, Teo said her 20-minute meeting with the top spiritual leader of the Islamist party today bore fruit in the form of his assurance that there was nothing wrong with non-Muslims visiting and entering suraus and mosques.

“Tok Guru (Nik Aziz) clarified to me that from the viewpoint of Islam, it is not an issue for a non-Muslim to enter a surau or mosque.

“He said that in fact, during the time of Muhammad, non-Muslims entered the mosque (of Medina) to meet with the Prophet,” she said about the meeting with Nik Aziz in Kuala Lumpur following the filing of the Kelantan government's suit against Petronas.

The first-term MP drew a firestorm of criticism from Umno politicians, pro-Umno blogs and Malay dailies over her visit to the Al Huda surau in Serdang on Aug 22.

Her critics claimed that she had committed a grave insult to Muslims for speaking in the prayer hall, which is considered off-limits to non-Muslims.

The Selangor Religious Council said it will issue Teo a written reprimand, while Teo said she plans to write to the Selangor Sultan to apologise and explain her action.

After speaking to Nik Aziz today, however, Teo said she was told it was Umno - not Islam - that was being overly-restrictive on the issue of non-Muslims entering mosques.

According to her, Nik Aziz said Umno had become so desperate and narrow-minded that the party had given the wrong understanding of Islam to non-Muslims.

“He also told me that in Malaysia, Umno uses Islam to scare non-Muslims and has made Islam an exclusive religion, whereas Islam is for all human beings,” said Teo.

Teo said she will continue visiting mosques and suraus when invited. The parliamentarian yesterdayvisited the Al-Muhajirin surau in Bukit Mahkota, where she handed RM500 to People Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel.

Unlike her visit last week, Teo wore a head scarf and a loose-fitting baju kurung to avoid a repeat of accusations that she was disrespecting Muslim norms in suraus and mosques.

“I will still carry out my duties as member of parliament when invited. Since the (Aug 22) incident was blown out of proportion, I have received support from the people,” said Teo.

When contacted, Teo said further that Nik Aziz expressed the hope that mosques can be more open to non-Muslims in order to bridge the gap between the races.

Asked about whether Nik Aziz had mentioned the matter of proper dressing, Teo said Nik Aziz assured her “as long as the dress is proper... it is enough.”

Asked whether the headscarf is compulsory for her to wear, Teo said: “Nik Aziz told me 'it's okay. But if you wear it, that would be better.”

In a related development, Selayang MP William Leong in a press statement today said his visit to the Masjid At-Taqwa in Selayang Baru scheduled for tomorrow morning has been cancelled.

Leong was earlier criticised for his allegedly resorting to the same "ploy" as Teo, bringing financial assistance, as a means of entering the place of worship to deliver a ceramah to the congregation.

[Source: Mkini]

UMNO is now in a fix. The National Fatwa Council has also come out in support of Teo Nie Ching's visit to the surau. They announced that it was alright for a non-Muslim to do so, so long as the visit is done with decorum. Read here statement released by PAS VP, Mahfuz Omar.

A word of encouragement from Pak Lah

Words of encouragement have poured in for Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching after she was pulled into a centre of a political storm by Umno and Perkasa over a recent surauvisit, with former premier Tun Abdullah Badawi the most notable surprise VIP sending her a Twitter message “Don’t worry, you'll be fine”.

Indeed, the past week has been tough for the 29-year old UK-trained lawyer, especially with Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali hurling violent words and rehashing the shooting of American civil rights fighter Malcolm X in a bid to intimidate her on Sunday.

Tun Abdullah

So worried were her parents that Nie Ching had to call home to reassure them. DAP secretary-general and Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng later held a press conference to slam Umno-BN for politicizing the issue.

“We the people shall keep you safe,” Guan Eng promised her.

Still despite her youth, Nie Ching has managed to hold up well and accepted many of the criticisms leveled at her with good spirit. She has apologized to the Selangor Sultan and is now careful to wear the headscarf or tudung when she goes to Muslim places of worship.

“I will clarify and apologise to the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, over the issue,” she said in a statement on Saturday.

DAP Jangan main api!!! Bangsat!!!

Umno Youth

However, befitting the spunk that one would expect from a YB, she has not stopped going tosuraus even though Umno Youth members have ratcheted up their rhetoric with words that do not reflect well of their culture – DAP Jangan main api!!! Bangsat!!!

Umno leaders are apparently upset because to them, it was haram or illegal for Nie Ching to enter the surau at Kajang the previous weekend although she had been invited by the suraucommittee to do so.

Teo Nie Ching at the surau in Bangi

Matters came to a head when Umno newspapers Utusan and the Star further heated the issue to help BN gain political mileage over DAP.

However, unfazed, Nie Ching has since visited anothersurau - the Al-Muhajirin surau in Bangi. Again, her purpose of being there was to hand over a donation on behalf of the Selangor state government.

Muslim leaders including PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat and former Perlis mufti Dr Asri Zainul Abidin have repeatedly said there was nothing wrong for a non-Muslim to enter a mosque or a surau. According to PAS vice president Mahfuz Omar, the National Fatwa Council encourages it as an effective way to propagate Islam.

However, Perkasa’s Ibrahim believes differently and has called on the government to ban non-Muslims from entering Muslim places of worship.

It is really unbelievable. This is bulan mulia and all Muslims are expected to, besides the mandatory fasting, do good to their fellow beings, whether Muslim or otherwise. But what have we here. A bunch of UMNO linked bozos are spewing hate, lies and what have you at non-Muslims who going about doing charitable work to the Muslim community in their constituencies. The least people like Ibrahim Ali and Utusan could have waited until the festive season is over then have the matter brought up, but in a dignified way. Teo Nie Ching may be naive about proper behaviour in a mosque but does not mean Ibrahim Ali and his ilks can start crucifying the poor girl. Allow me to cite extracts from The Beatitudes in the Bible when Christ said:

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10

With this episode, the support for the BN is further eroded as everyone including Muslims in this country can see the bullying nature of UMNO, more so on a girl who is doing good for the community.

The mosque visits controversies

What has Teo Nie Ching and William Leong have in common other than they are MPs and from the Opposition? Their recent visits to a surau and a mosque which was done with good intention but ended up being ostricised by all UMNO linked groups and media. Of course, as usual, Utusan has to take the lead in their daily rabid exercise against anything the Opposition do, twist the facts around and make the latter look bad. This is gutter journalism at its worst. Read here with regard to Teo's case and here William's case.

It was indeed heartening to note that other Muslim leaders stood up to these critics, especially Tok Guru himself. To further counter the UMNO assault, PAS Youth has decided to take UMNO on in a debate to determine the facts whether non-Muslims should be allowed in a surau or mosque, or is this nothing more than a political maneuver. Read here for story. The

former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin also supported the view that it was perfectly alright for a non-Muslim to be seen in a mosque.

Despite all the hullabaloo about her visit to the Al-Huda surau visit in Kajang, last weekend saw her visiting the Al-Muhajirin surau in Bangi.

In truth, was an offence committed by the two MPs? They did not go there to party nor were there uninvited. Both of them were invited guests of the mosque committees and they were there to partake in breaking fast with the Muslims in their constituencies, including handouts to the needies. Let's reflect.

In September 2007, MCA's Ng Yen Yen made a visit to Masjid Sri Damansara to present some token gifts to those going on the haj. She came inside the mosque and gave a short speech, but no Umno leader made any ruckus of it. You can check it up with the mosque on the visit. I bet the mosque still has some photos of the visit. In November 2006, during his three-day visit to Turkey, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii). He became the second pontiff to pray silently in a gesture of reconciliation to the Muslim world. The late John Paul II had visited a mosque in Damascus, during a trip to Syria. Pope Benedict XVI toured the Blue Mosque accompanied by Ali Bardakoglu, the minister of religions affairs. The Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Mustafa Cagri, explained to him the mosque's history and architecture. The sultan of Selangor, as the head of Islam in the state, should invite more foreign dignitaries to visit the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, the Shah Alam mosque, during these foreign dignitaries' visits to Malaysia to see how progressive Malaysia is as a Muslim nation.

Some time in May or June 2008, Khalid Samad visited the Catholic Church in Glenmarie to thank the parishioners for voting him into office. He was welcomed into the church where the mass was being held to a resounding applause. He humbly responded, "I hope I still deserve that five years from now." Mind you, he gave his speech almost close to the altar. I could see the look on Khalid Samad's face to know that he was so warmly welcomed by the Catholic community.

Uh oh, Namewee has done it again!

After his debut release of his version of "Negaraku-ku" a few years ago followed by another video an expressing his frustration over the services of TNB in his area, Namewee now released yet another video. This time, he took a dig at racism and his target is none other than the racist headmistress, Siti Inshah. This video has since been removed from YouTube. For more on this story, click here.

Undoubtedly, Namewee is but one angry youth and if the government were to act sitively, instead of ostricising him, they can engage his service to promote inter-racial harmony when all our politicians have failed, and failed miserably. He has ideas in which our leaders can tap from. So, Najib what say you?

Well, I guess its a matter time now before our mata-mata invites him to Bukit Aman for a teh tarik session, wakakaka.