Merry Christmas, PAS, as if you have not made a fool of yourself long enough.

Two days ago, PAS Youth Chief Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi warned Muslims not to celebrate Christmas as it has an element of “syirik” (idolatry) which is against Islamic teachings. Not only Muslims must not celebrate Christmas, they must also not post Christmas greetings on Facebook as it would be an acknowledgement of the Christian religion.

Mr Khalil, the son of Hadi Awang, the president of the PAS Islamist party, is precisely the type of ignorant and dumb Muslim who has done more harm than good to Islam, when the religion is supposed to be a religion of peace. With Muslim like Muhammad Khalil, can you blame the non-Muslims for linking the religion to terrorism, hatred, weakness, fear and whatnot.

As the world’s fastest growing religion, why was he so fearful of Christmas when Islam will be the largest religion in the world by 2070? Was he admitting that Islam is huge only in quantity but not in quality? Or does Muhammad Khalil, son of Hadi Awang belong to a special group of Muslims who are not only weak, but also fake, hence the tremendous fear of even posting greetings on social media?

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and wife Siti Hasmah have no problem whatsoever of wishing all Malaysians a joyous and blissful Christmas. Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan has also wished Malaysians a Merry Christmas, and even thanked her nun teachers during a Christmas hi-tea reception for inculcating good values that shaped her into being a better person.

The biggest wish came from the Queen of Sultanate of Johor, Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, who reminded Malaysians that everyone has a right to celebrate their own festive holidays. She said – “Instead of seeing shadowswhen there are none, I feel – as do my husband and our family – that everyone has a right to celebrate their festive holidays.”

The 59-year-old Queen shared her experience as a teenage student where she celebrated Christmas along with her Christian schoolmates in Britain, while not neglecting her faith as a Muslim. She said – “Have I forgotten about Allah and being a Muslim because I am in London during the days before Christmas? The answer is a simple ‘no’.”

The Raja Zarith Sofiah message was obviously a slap in the face of a racist, extremist and more importantly, a weak Muslim like Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi. Does the son of Hadi Awang dare to proclaim he’s more Muslim and Islamic than the 93-year-old PM Mahathir, Wan Azizah and the Sultanate of Johor combined?

It’s either Muhammad Khalil the son of Abdul Hadi Awang or the Sultanate of Johor was right on the issue of Christmas greetings and the festival celebration. Both can’t be either right or wrong at the same time. If Khalil believes he was right, then the holy boy should lecture the monarch to prevent the royalty from the deviation of the teaching of Islam, no?

However, the funny thing about Hadi son’s narrow-minded view of Christmas was that not everyone within the PAS agrees with him. PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan sent out his Christmas festive greetings to everyone, as did the Federal Territories Mufti, Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, who said – “Muslims can wish Christians Merry Christmas, as long as their religion is not glorified.”

It appears Khalil was quite alone in his stupid self-indulgence on Christmas greetings. Jordan’s King Abdullah II invited Catholic and other leaders celebrate Christmas in the spirit of fraternity and harmony the holiday symbolizes. Even Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas joined the Dec. 18 gathering in downtown Amman, together with Catholic and other Christian clergy.

Heck, the King Abdullah II even enjoyed lively carols, performed by the Jordanian Catholic Fountain of Love choir, and sacred holiday songs – including “Ave Maria.” Has the Jordanian king suddenly transformed to become a Christian? Did Khalil the son of Hadi realise that under the 1994 peace treaty with Israel, Jordan is recognized as the custodian of Jerusalem’s Christian and Muslim holy places?

Jordan was not alone in promoting a moderate teaching of Islam. A video made by the Egyptian Fatwa Institute and uploaded to YouTube earlier this month “encourages” Muslims to extend the Christmas holiday greetings to Christians and to maintain friendly relations with those around them, regardless of their religion.

The video warns viewers not to “fall prey to the extremists and the fanatics, who take from the religion only that which suits their whims. Whenever someone disputes with their narrow ways, they take the easiest path and accuse him of heresy.” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sent out holiday greetings to various world leaders, calling Jesus “the prophet of peace and friendship”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also extended his Christmas greetings – “I wish that the Christmas, celebrated by our Christian citizens from different denominations, traditions and churches in line with their beliefs, will lead to the strengthening of the climate of solidarity in our country. I wish our Christian citizens and the whole Christian world a merry Christmas.”

So, who is a small fry, gullible and ignorant Muslim like Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi to warn Muslims not to celebrate Christmas? Can he prove that the God has gotten angry over the un-Islamic actions of Jordanian King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan – extending Christmas greetings?

Perhaps the son of Hadi Awang should ask his father why they had missed the golden opportunity to become part of the new federal government. After 61 years in power, the previous corrupt and evil Barisan Nasional stunningly lost power to the Pakatan Harapan coalition. Unfortunately, the PAS Islamist party wasn’t part of the Pakatan coalition, when they should have been.

It was as if the God had played a terrible joke on the so-called holiest political party. PAS, previously under spiritual leader Nik Aziz, was part of now-defunct opposition Pakatan Rakyat.However, under Hadi leadership, the party had allegedly preferred a RM90 million bribe offered by crooked Najib Razak instead of fighting corruption. So, Hadi pulled out of the opposition coalition.

Ironically, the God had chosen to punish the Barisan regime at a time when the PAS was aligned and supported the corrupt ex-premier Najib. Perhaps racist, extremist and fanatic Muslims like Muhammad Khalil and Hadi Awang was the reason why God has punished PAS. Otherwise, how do you explain an Islamist party missed the chance after decades of struggle?

– Finance twitter

What is the significance of religions?

Quick to follow in the foot steps of the London Bridge attack, the new target was Melbourne which happened yesterday, all carried out by ISIS followers.  Many leaders have tried to defray any accusation that the wanton act of this militants have anything to do with Islam.

Let's put matters into perspective.

Followers of any religion practice its teachings and doctrines. So when the followers promote peace and goodwill we credit that religion for guiding its followers to spread harmony and good relationships. Likewise when its followers kill others who disagree with their faith, should we look elsewhere to blame, or blame it on their beliefs, i.e. their religion?

Religion may be the saviour or destroyer of humanity. Most likely the destroyer. Unlike Islam which promote a self centred way to paradise, Christianity preaches an inclusive invitation to partake in a new life in eternity for all followers of Jesus Christ. That new life is not the state of the world we live in today certainly.

Can it be safely concluded that Islam promote destruction of other human beings who are not their sects or beliefs on the basis of what is happening now? Like in a bee colony, not all bees are soldiers but many are workers, yet their mission is the same - propagate and protect the queen. You can see the parallel.

To donate or not to donate my blood ...

I may not have donated as many as 52 times as this guy but have been donating from time to time as and when the occasion calls for it. So would the GH or Red Cross staff be visiting our church any time sooner for their next blood donation call? Blood derived from the Catholic community is definitely non-halal? So how?

An open letter from Rafizi to Najib

Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak

 Prime Minister of Malaysia

I choose to write an open letter to you on the first day of this parliamentary session because of its (the session’s) significance to us personally and to the nation as a whole. 

This can be my last parliamentary appearance as the verdict on the OSA charge that your government brought against me will be decided on 14 November 2016. I expect a speedy appeal process afterwards that in all likelihood I may not be around for the March 2017 session.

Given the brittleness of the state of the nation, your government’s actions in manipulating the widespread different interpretations (sometimes deliberately misinterpreted) of the impact of Dato’ Seri Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill to increase the maximum punishment that a shariah court can mete out (to be more in line with shariah requirements) will pit the Muslims and the non-Muslims. 

Your government’s lack of concerns, almost to the point of being indifferent to the criminal activities of the red shirt thugs who provoked racial sentiments, spew out criminal intimidations and threatened racial bloodbaths will position race-religion axis as the most emotive national issue of Malaysia to the detriment of the suffering rakyat.

If you think you can wield all the resources you can muster as the Prime Minister to dictate the course of events when high emotions out of these issues collide with each other, you are wrong. You will be swept away just as the very foundation of our tolerant multi-racial, multi-faiths society will be broken into pieces. When this happens, you will not be a Prime Minister anymore and that’s why this may very well be your last parliamentary session too.

Deliberate manipulation of RUU355 may lead to hatred between communities

I detest your government’s manipulation and inaction that eventually led to the widespread misunderstanding over RUU355. You allowed different interpretations that were taken out of context because the disagreements within the Muslims and between the Muslims and the non-Muslims benefitted you politically. The emotive disagreements over RUU355 took rakyat’s focus away from your misdeeds with regards to 1MDB specifically, and your government’s incompetence in managing the economy generally.

The Muslims are split between those who believe the refusal to support the motion; even the act of questioning the wisdom of putting through the motion at this time; tantamount to a rejection of Allah’s decree (and therefore it compromises our faith in Allah) and those who do not subscribe to the view.

The non-Muslims generally believe that a vote on the motion proposed by Dato’ Seri Hadi Awang is equivalent to hudud implementation. Those who are more subtle argue that a yes vote is the first step towards a back door hudud implementation.

Hence why your lack of concerns over the destructive nature of the disagreements arising out of the misunderstanding over RUU355 alarms me more than I was alarmed over your 1MDB misadventure. It is as if you want the Muslims to view the non-Muslims as being anti-Islam and similarly you want the non-Muslims to be vocally opposed to this so that the Muslims will view each Chinese, Indian, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists as being anti-Islam.

Because this is where your government’s manipulation over RUU355 had led us: a very real situation where the disagreements may transform into the hatred of each other because each (Muslims and non-Muslims) considers the other as having breached the mutual respect code that one community shall not meddle in the religious affairs of the other. 

Clear the air over RUU355 immediately 

I was shocked into a disbelief that it had descended to this point judging from comments made by average Malaysians in social media and on the web. The issue is actually very straight forward and if you, as a Prime Minister, had the honour to put the welfare of rakyat ahead of your obsession to remain in office – this issue could have been a non-issue in the beginning. It would have been an academic exercise if the public understands the process that a private member’s bill has to go through before it becomes a law enacted by parliament.

For a start, you owe it to the public to explain to them the various constitutional safeguards that effectively limit RUU355 to only 3 different major changes (as far as limit of punishment is concerned) from the status quo:

1. Shariah court may punish Muslims who are found guilty of consuming alcohols under the respective state enactments to a maximum of 40 lashes

2. Shariah court may punish Muslims who are found guilty of sexual slander (accusing someone of adultery without proof) or qazaf under the respective state enactments to a maximum of 80 lashes; and

3. Shariat court may punish unmarried Muslims who are found guilty of having sex outside marriage or zina under the respective state enactments to a maximum of 100 lashes (subject to the prosecutor’s ability to produce 4 witnesses who witness the intercourse in accordance to the shariah requirements).

If you are truly concerned about the well-being of the multi-racial Malaysians, you could have clarified from the outset that RUU355 does not have the legal power to enact amputations, stoning to death, beheading or any of the much feared punishments that the opponents of shariah laws often talk about. It does not have the power because our Constitution is very clear on the division of jurisdiction between Federal and State governments and between criminal courts and shariah courts; therefore when there is an overlap of jurisdiction for a particular offence (for example theft), it is kocriminal courts that shall administer the legal process because the power over policing and home security lies with the Federal government.

dep

But you may have chosen to be quiet personally over this very basic rule because it benefits you when the rakyat generally does not understand the distinction. You could have thought that if you had clarified earlier, the Muslim opponents of RUU355 would have pointed out that it is not hudud in entirety as some quarters could have claimed. When it is not hudud in entirety, Muslim MPs can discuss on its merits and may agree or disagree accordingly. This would not have benefited you politically, because it benefits you politically when rakyat sees Muslim MPs from the opposition bench as Muslims who sold out to kowtow to the Chinese from the DAP. 

You were almost most irresponsible when you did not explain to the public that effectively any or every decision with regards to RUU355 has to get your consent as the head of government. It is you who has the final say to give the green or red light as to whether Dato’ Seri Hadi Awang can or cannot read his motion in Dewan Rakyat (let alone debate or vote for it).

Your government did not explain that the motion RUU355 included in the Order Paper of Dewan Rakyat is effectively a procedural motion with legislative teeth because only bills presented by the government that can be enacted as laws. Therefore, any opposition MP who want to push for a specific law has to table a motion on his proposed law (called private member’s bill) so that the Dewan Rakyat can vote whether or not the proposed law has merits to be referred to the minister in charge of the areas of law. Even if the motion is allowed to be read and debated and eventually is passed by the Dewan Rakyat, the effect of such a motion being passed by the Dewan Rakyat is nothing more than passing the ball back to your court. To your feet almost literally.

The Standing Order is very clear that nothing can happen unless and until the Minister in Charge (in this case Dato’ Seri Jamil Khir) comes back to re-table a complete and improved bill (taking cue from the private member’s bill) to Dewan Rakyat for voting. You could have admitted to the rakyat that the decision whether or not to increase the maximum punishment a shariah court can mete out is actually your government’s decision.

Save whatever dignity left of your premiership 

While I understand your shrewdness in not doing your national duty as the highest public official to maintain harmony in our society, I do not understand your lackadaisical attitude towards the damage you inflict to your father’s legacy and reputation.

I went to Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) which had played one of the most prominent roles to shape me as who I am today. Your brother went to MCKK. Your first son was my junior by a year and I met you personally to receive him in 1994 when he registered as a new student.

We grew up in MCKK admiring your father Allahyarham Tun Razak as a patriot who always put the national interest ahead of his. We were inspired by your father’s determination to help the poor people of all races and because of that he did not have to be apologetic when he rolled out programs for the poor Malays because all races understood the necessity of it then.

We understood from your father’s leadership that Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation and it is the duty of the majority (Malays) to be fair to the minorities and to protect them. 

Your leadership thus far has only served to undo those key tenets of your father’s legacy. 

Thus it is at this junction I would like to end my open letter to you: even if you cannot be a statesman like your father, at the very least do not destroy his legacy any much further than you had done already.

Do the necessary, put a stop to the deliberate manipulation of the misunderstanding over RUU355 so that we can go back to the real issue that matters more to the ordinary citizens: your government’s inability to create a Malaysia that is prosperous and fair for them.

Rafizi Ramli

MP for Pandan

17 October 2016

10 things about: Siti Kasim, lawyer and activist

Siti Kasim is one of the few Malay-Muslims who dares to speak out against hudud and what she terms “man-made” laws.

But the 53-year-old litigation lawyer, with her dyed blonde hair that she has had since she was in her 20s, tells me that she’s not a hero, even though a video and news of her flipping the bird to rude hecklers at a recent forum about PAS’ Shariah Bill has gone viral.

She jokes instead about how she would have “dressed to the nines” if she had known about the video.

Siti, who is co-deputy chair of the Bar Council committee on Orang Asli rights, also frequently champions for the indigenous community on land issues. The activist, who describes herself as more of an “on the ground person”, visits the Orang Asli community in Kelantan once a month to find out about their concerns and to get lawyers to represent them.

Not only does she do Orang Asli work, she also helps a group of Rohingya refugees manage their rented accommodation at a shoplot in Selayang as they can’t communicate with their landlord.

Siti, who has a 26-year-old daughter, spent 17 years in the UK from 1987 to 2004, during which she studied law at the Queen Mary University of London.

Vivacious, outspoken and unapologetic, Siti talks about how she deals with criticism, the sacrifices she makes for being opinionated and her dislike for former deputy prime minister and ex-Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM) leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

In her own words:  

I’m born a Malay. I’m a Muslim. It will affect me if I don’t speak up and wait for others, until when? So I have to do it, at the expense of my family who are also upset with me. My siblings are very unhappy with me. They get all these WhatsApp messages from other people, not to them specifically, you know we’re all in group group kan. Saying stories about me being a murtad, all the made-up stories, they viral it through WhatsApp. 

They feel it’s an embarrassment, people kutuk-kutuk I dalam WhatsApp, and they’re in that group. So I try to explain to them. Of course, they’re just normal Muslims. They don’t want anything bad, biasalah, orang Melayu kan, malu. I understand their concern and all that, I try to explain to them. I love my family. My daughter supports me.

I discovered there is no requirement to wear tudung in the Quran. But now, tudung is the first precursor to be a Muslim. You don’t wear tudung, you don’t have the right to speak. Where does this come from? Muslims here have been taught what kind of Islam? Go back to the Quran. Read it. There’s no such thing as “kepala”, the word “head”, in the Quran, Surah An-Nisa. This kepala is added by the translators... breasts are specifically mentioned in the Quran... God says cover your breasts.

When he [Anwar Ibrahim] got caught, I can tell you I was the happiest person in London. I’m not joking because I think Malaysia was safe at that time. But then unfortunately, of course, the people have already been brainwashed by then. He already set in place this brainwashing in school. I blame it on him, he’s the one who brought in Islamisation to Malaysia. It’s nothing wrong to bring in good things, but he’s bringing in Wahhabism kind of Islam. This is where it’s not right. Why you want to bring Wahhabism interpretation of Islam? Because they mix the Arab culture into Islam.

Preachers are human beings as well. Who are they? They’re not God. Some of them can’t even read Arabic words.

They call me “makcik”, “perempuan tua ni”, calling me all kinds of names lah, “makcik tua ni”, “kubur kata mari” or something like that, [criticising] my blonde hair, my not wearing tudung. They took out pictures—I wear sexy clothes with my shisha and all that—they pick up from my Twitter before. Eh hello, I’m not stupid okay. Anything I put up on social media is because I like those pictures. They want to use that as a tool to shame me. If I see that, I say thank you very much for uploading that again because that’s one of my favourite pictures. Lepas tu, mereka tak tahu nak cakap apa.

I have a loud voice, I don’t yell. But during that forum, I had to raise my voice because they were heckling so loud. What gives me the courage? I don’t know, I don’t think it’s because of courage or being brave or what. I wasn’t mad. To be honest, I wasn’t even angry or anything. I just find that they’re stupid, you know. So I want to show their stupidity.

I am a human being. If I say that I don’t get hurt, I’m lying. Of course I get hurt, but luckily I’m the type — so what. My friends support me... all the good comments actually compensate for the bad ones.

They forget I’m speaking up for them also, you know. They don’t understand that. Yang pakai tudung ni kan, you can see a lot of them pakai tudung but actually wearing very tight, tight pants and all that — they don’t realise that if we allow these Islamists to actually control you, it will become like Acheh. The women are the ones who will suffer most. These people forget that I’m trying to uphold their dignity in the future.

I’m not surprised by the prejudices shown by the public now. That’s why I take it in my stride. It’s the way people are being brought up, to be judgmental. That’s how I see it — they can’t help it. Once they get to know you, they realise it’s just you. You’re not trying to grab the limelight or trying to pretend, or trying to speak about something you don’t know about.

[Source: MMOnline]

'ADIOS' is now a dirty word?

Upon the death of PAS Spiritual Adviser, Haron Din, Jeff Ooi of DAP tweeted the following line, 'Adios Haron Din.  Let there be peace.'  Immediately, there was an uproar accusing Jeff Ooi for being rude to Islam, etc.  He has since been told to 'surrender' himself to the authorities by the IGP and has willingly done so.  After four hours of questioning by the police at the Penang northeast police headquarters, he has been released.

I am at a lost.  Do these people understand the meaning of  'Adios'?  It simply means 'Goodbye' in Spanish.  If they don't know, why didn't they at least google for the meaning instead of jumping the guns?  Or are they anti-Spanish?  This is the result of a mediocre education system.

Now if  'Adios' is deemed to be a bad word denoting disrespect, rude, uncouth and callous, then they might as well consider the following words to be haram too, all which mean 'Goodbye'.

• Au Revoir [French]
• Arrivederci [Italian]
• Auf Wiedersehen [German]
• Sayonara [Japanese]
• Zai jian [Mandarin]
• Joi gin [Cantonese]
• Annyeong [Korean]; and the English word itself 'Goodbye'.

Perhaps these two musical videos can illustrate the usage of the word.

What Jeff Ooi has tweeted is totally pale in comparison with the antics of some of the UMNO leaders.  Here are just some examples.

Way to go, Siti ....

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Lawyer and activist Siti Kasim has justified showing the middle finger to her hecklers at a forum about PAS’ Shariah Bill, describing them as “Islamist hooligans” and “brainwashed morons”.

She said the audience at the forum on “Pindaan Akta 355: Antara Realiti Dan Persepsi” organised by the Karangkraf Group in Shah Alam Monday was full of “Islamists”, or Malays who thought they were trying to uphold God’s laws but who were unwilling to listen to anything else that went against their ideals.

“I have been to so many forums. I have asked hard hitting questions but never in my wildest dream that someday I will show a finger in a forum to the audience.

“I don’t regret it one bit. To me, those Islamists hooligans deserve the finger and more. Crass? Rude? Since when a woman cannot be crass and rude in the face of hooligans and brainwashed morons?” Siti wrote in a Facebook post yesterday.

She also accused PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan, who was one of the speakers at the forum about PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s Bill that seeks to amend the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355), of misleading the audience in terms of the law.

“The speakers from PAS and Umno insisted it is not a HUDUD bill. Of course it is not a HUDUD Bill but it has everything to do with HUDUD. Without this amendment to the limit of punishment in the Shariah Courts, they wouldn’t be able to mete out the punishment already stated in their HUDUD ENACTMENT,” said Siti.

Hudud is an Islamic penal code that imposes punishments such as the amputation of limbs for theft and stoning for adultery.

Siti said the Bill seeks, via the introduction of a new Section 2A in Act 355, to remove the restriction on the range of punishments that shariah courts can impose, which are currently limited to three years’ jail, whipping not exceeding six strokes and fines below RM5,000.

She noted that death sentences cannot be imposed under the new Section 2A, but said the amendment appeared to confer shariah courts with “unlimited power” to impose other hudud punishments.

“Hudud offences include offences like zina (adultery), qazaf (false accusation of committing zina), syrub (alcohol consumption) and irtidad or riddah (apostasy) and according to the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code (II) (1993) 2015 Enactment, punishment for these is whipping, ranging from 40 to 100 lashes.

“The Bill also seeks to substitute the existing Section 2 in Act 355 with a new section that appears to widen the scope of the Shariah Court’s existing criminal jurisdiction, which is currently limited to offences by Muslims against Islam,” Siti said.

PAS has insisted that Hadi’s private member’s Bill only aims to give the shariah courts stronger punitive powers to offences listed under Act 355, while Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom reportedly said last month that there was a need to strengthen the Islamic courts as most of the fines and jail sentences have purportedly failed to deter offenders. 

[Source: MalayMail Online]

France: After Priest is Slain, Muslims Attend Catholic Mass to Show Solidarity

A GOOD MOVE BY THE MUSLIMS IN FRANCE

Muslims joined together in churches across France for a Catholic Mass on Sunday to show support after the killing of a priest.

Rev. Jacques Hamel was killed last week when two French teenagers slit the 85-year-old’s throat. The teenagers had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group.

A nun from the church of the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray was also taken hostage during the attack. 

“We are very moved by the presence of our Muslim friends and I believe it is a courageous act that they did by coming to us,” Dominique Lebrun, the archbishop of Rouen, said after the Mass.

Outside the church, a group of Muslims held up a banner that read: “Love for all. Hate for none.”

“Today we wanted to show physically, by kissing the family of Jacques Hamel, by kissing His Grace Lebrun in front of everybody, so they know that the two communities are united,” said Mohammed Karabila, president of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray Mosque.

Muslims also held Mass in Paris and in Nice, where more than 80 people were killed by a truck driver loyal to the Islamic State a couple weeks ago.

French Muslims also held vigils for the priest and held a “brotherhood march,” holding banners that read, “This is not a religious war” and “We are all brothers and sisters.”

Photo courtesy: World Watch Monitor

 Publication date: August 1, 2016

The Netherlands take a stand on Islamisation in the country. Closing the gates now after the horses have bolted?

Zakir Naik on the run?

Listen to this video about this preacher as India dares him to return to his home country for a showdown.


View video.

Please stop saying the Nice attacks have nothing to do with Islam (by Maajid Nawaz)

In the wake of the Nice attacks people are already saying: "But the terrorist wasn't pious. See! It has nothing to do with Islam."

Please stop.

Your good intentions towards us Muslims are only making the problem worse. This is as dangerous as saying it is everything to do with Islam.

Read full article HERE.

The Gay Question.

EXPOSED - GAY MALAY LEADERS IN NAJIB REGIME: YET BEAST-MINDED MALAYSIAN MUSLIMS CHEER KILLING OF ORLANDO GAYS
Written by FinanceTwitter

The Orlando mass shooting that left at least 50 people dead while injured another 53 can be used to provide an answer to a burning question. Nope, we’re not going into the debate of “Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all Terrorists are Muslims”. After the Sunday terrorising by Omar Mateen (full name: Omar Mir Seddique Mateen), the answer is obvious.

For as long as one can remember, while all terrorists targeting non-Muslims’ interest and innocent lives somehow ended up as Muslims, the Muslimswouldn’t admit they support terrorism. But if they don’t support such violence, as they claim they are, one would expect them to condemn and protest the killing of innocent lives – in a massive way.

Orlando Florida Terrorism - People Mourning

Was there any huge demonstration by Muslims community around the world condemning the Orlando terrorism? Nil, Nada, Nothing, Zero, Zilch. Therefore, can we conclude that Muslims actually do celebrate the slaughtering of innocent lives, as long as those being butchered were non-Muslims? Are you already mad and foaming on the mouth with this fact?

Look no further for proof but Malaysia, a country whose prime minister was President Barack Hussein Obama’s golfing buddy. Not only did some Malaysian Muslims celebrate the Orlando killing, some actually wished those injured would not make it. These show there’re Muslims in Malaysia who are no difference from ISIS who treats human no better than animals.
Malaysian Muslims Protest Gays Lesbians

Like it or not, some Muslims do love reading mass killing of non-Muslims by their Muslim brothers. It was what the Muslims do, or don’t do, that add fuels to Islamophobia. When we called Omar Mateen a radicalized Islamic terrorist, some Malaysian Muslims retaliated and justified that those gays deserved to be slaughtered because homosexuality is forbidden in Islam.

Recently, a 15-year-old boy was arrested by ISIS militants on charges of homosexuality and he was thrown from the top of a building in central Deir ez-Zor, Syria. Amazingly, the man who raped him – a prominent ISIS officer Abu Zaid al-Jazrawi – was just demoted and sent to the front lines. Going by these Malaysian Muslims’ logic, is their Islamic teaching the same as those practiced by ISIS?

Tim Cook - Pose with Male

Some Malaysian Muslims might not realize it but the iPhone they used to send message celebrating the Orlando terrorism came from a company called Apple, whose CEO Tim Cook is “gay” (*grin*). Guess what; a former MP – Zahrain Mohd Hashim – whom Malaysian Muslims had helped voting into the parliament is also “gay”.

Heck, not only “homosexual” Mr Zahrain got elected, he was also later promoted as Malaysia’s Ambassador to Indonesia by Prime Minister Najib Razak, a Muslim. There’s more; to balance the “Yin” and “Yang”, Najib had also promoted a “lesbian” – Azalina Othman – as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Zahrain Mohd Hashim - Malaysia's Ambassador to Indonesia
Azalina Othman – Minister in the Prime Minsiter’s Department

What should these Malaysian Muslims do about the gay and lesbian in their own backyard? Ahh, it’s OK for Malaysian Muslims to be gays or lesbians, as long as they keep it quiet and deny about their sexual preference. Get real, there are tons of gay within Muslim men and it wasn’t their fault. One just needs to pay a visit to Kelantan, the Muslim’s holiest city in Malaysia, to see gay men.

While some Malaysian Muslims are cheering hero American-born Muslim Omar Mateen slaughtered non-Muslim gay Americans, turns out Mateen was a gay himself who had visited gay nightclub Pulse and frequented other gay clubs in the past. And he had used a dating apps – such as Grindr and Jack’d– on his phone to meet other men.

Orlando Florida Terrorism - Omar Mateen - Middle School Yearbook Photo - Driver License Photo - Gay

Mateen’s family said his acts of murder were committed due to his hatred of homosexuality. But his ex-wife Sitora Yusufiy, who was married to Mateen in 2009 for three months, claimed in an interview on Brazilian television station SBT Brazil that she believed he was homosexual. In fact, Mateen’s father had even referred to him as “gay” in front of her on at least one occasion.

According to a former classmate, he, Mateen and a few other friends went tofour gay clubs in the Treasure Coast and West Palm Beach in 2006 – Kashmir Night Club in West Palm Beach, Byrd Cage in Port St. Lucie, Cold Keg in Melbourne and Rebar in Port St. Lucie. So, was Mateen really a gay but chose to hide it because of anger or shame?

Sitora Yusufiy – Omar Mateen’s Ex-Wife

But if he was gay, why did he choose spraying bullets on gays? His father claims it was the kissing incident – he saw two men kissing in Miami – that had actually fueled his rage and subsequently the shootings. Does it make sense that Mateen couldn’t stand the sight of two men kissing but had enjoyed partying in gay nightclubs, where people did more than kissing?

Was Omar Mateen a Muslim gay or a radicalised Islamic terrorist? Perhaps both. Perhaps he wanted to be open about being gay, like other happy gay couples, but was stuck because of his religion. Perhaps the sight of two men kissing was his tipping point and he snapped because he couldn’t enjoy such delicious moment – openly.

Orlando Florida Terrorism - Omar Mateen

And since he was radicalised from his trips to Saudi Arabia, allegedly performing “umrah”, he saw it as an opportunity to end his miserable and shameful life using Islam as a tool to kill all the happy gays on that fateful Sunday. Will he still get 72 virgins (guys) in heaven? If only the God could Whatsapp a message, or at least update His Facebook. -http://www.financetwitter.com/

The Hudud Bill

THE HUDUD BILL WILL GO THROUGH PARLIAMENT AND BE PASSED. NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT.

The MCA and Gerakan and Joseph Kurup will continue to remain in the BN, whilst the MIC will pretend nothing ever happened as is always the case.

After the bill is passed, they will then claim that there is "nothing to worry about" as the bill will not affect non Muslims - which pure bullshit.

History will tell us that it has happened before, when a bill was passed in the Selangor state

Assembly, after it was passed that was exactly what we were told that the provisions of that bill could not be enforced as it was ultra vires the Federal Constitution, and today we find out that is not true, and all BN members in the state assembly voted the bill. Ask Tan Seng Giaw he will tell you he was objecting the bill form the time it was proposed in the Selangor State Assembly.

This is the typical BN strategy employed by UMNO to use its non Muslim running dogs in the BN to support its strategy to pass these bills.

If these community traitors like the running dogs of UMNO are serious, they should not talk about quitting, after all the bill was proposed by UMNO without their knowledge, they should quit if they are gentlemen, quit immediately, not threaten to quit.

This move alone shows that UMNO values PAS more than it does to MCA, Gerakan,  MIC and Sabah-based parties, etc.

This sandiwara has been played over and over again and anyone who believes that Liow or his deputy are serious needs to think again.

No BN head worth his salt is serious, they have other things to worry about like the gains and the windfalls that will benefit them should they continue to be in the BN.

The bill has been tabled, if they are serious quit.

IT WAS DONE BEFORE WHEN A BILL WAS PASSED IN THE SELANGOR STATE ASSEMBLY, THEY SAID IT WAS ULTRA VIRES THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION AND IT WILL NOT AFFECT ANYBODY BUT IT DID.

Instant KARMA working at its best in Malaysia ……??

1998 – Sri Raja Raja Madurai Veeran Temple in Kg Rawa, Anuar Ibrahim threatened the Hindus there to accept whatever he said, otherwise he said no temple bells will be sounded in Penang. Anuar Ibrahim was sacked as the Deputy Prime Minister in 1998 itself.

2007 – Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo gave green light to demolish the Padang Jawa Sri Maha Mariamman Temple that had sparked widespread anger and led to the 2007 Hindraf protests. Barisan Nasional lost Selangor in 2008 General Elections. Khir Toyo has lost everything since and now serving jail sentence.

2009 – The Cow head protests were held in front of the Selangor state government headquarters at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building, Shah Alam, Malaysia on 28 August 2009. The protest was called so because the act of a few participants who brought along a cow head, which they later desecrated. The cow is considered a sacred animal to Hindus. Barisan Nasional again lost Selangor in 2013 General Elections

2016 - The Terengganu Menteri Besar offered an island for controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik to consider founding the local branch or the South-East Asia regional research centre for the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) which he helms. Zakir's lectures were greeted with animosity by local Indian and Hindu NGOs who accused him of misinterpreting the Hindu religion. Within weeks Terengganu's Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin has stripped state Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman of all state titles effective April 22.

2016 – The 29-year-old man had smashed nine idols at The Sri Muneswaran Temple in Ipoh. Then he drove away from the temple but met with an accident in Fair Park a few kilometres away from the temple.
HINDU GODS don’t take revenge but you have to pay for your KARMA!!!  In Kali Yuga it’s instant.

Let's face it, there is no such thing as "moderate" in the vocab of UMNO anymore. To hold an anti-Christian seminar during this season of Christmas is most unthinkable.

Najib and all his pretenses about being moderate is nothing but one HUGE lie to mislead the rakyat and the world. His odious administration thrives only in corruption and endorsing racial & religious intolerance!!!No wonder, The Washington Post called him the Champion of Double-talks.

Quote:
Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to “stop his religious (moderation) pretence” and “throw the 1Malaysia lie into the bin”, for failing to end Christian-bashing in the country.

The old boy of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), outraged that his alma mater had the gall to hold another anti-Christian seminar after the outcry last year, said the moderate Islamic country that Najib tried to portray to the world was “long dead”.

Baru said anti-Christian programmes “whipped up feelings of insecurity and fear in Muslim youths by demonising Christianity”.

“What started as Umno using Christianity as the bogeyman to divide and rule the people is leading to the radicalisation of Islam in this country, and the consequences will be catastrophic,” the Ba Kelalan assemblyman said.

He said the anti-Christian seminar the university held recently was also “odious and dangerous” and the university’s continued programme was due to the failure of the attorney-general (A-G) and police to act on it.

“Why did the A-G not pursue the matter last year?” Baru questioned the lack of action on last year’s seminar on the use of the word “Allah” and Christology.

The seminar featured speakers from Indonesia where the audience was told that undercover Christian priests had been sent to Malaysia under different guises, including working with Muslim children as football coaches, to proselytise and convert Muslims.

“It was reported then speakers at that May 2014 talk claimed Christians were betraying God unless they converted to Islam and called the New Testament gospels ‘fake’ as Jesus Christ was not divine.
“This is clearly blasphemous against Christians and the A-G had no reason to stop investigations.
“No wonder UiTM is not bothered about all the police reports made against it last year.”

Baru said the A-G’s failure, combined with the reported presence of a police officer at the latest seminar, it was no wonder the university continue to hold these seminars with impunity.

He said what appalled him even more was that instead of warning them against holding the seminar, the police sent a speaker to the event.

“What does the police force have to do with strengthening the ‘akidah’ of Muslims?

“They are supposed to keep law and order, not dabble in religious instruction.

Unquote

The most divided nation ....

Let's study how divided we are and the outcome should put us into the Guinness Book of Records for being the most divisive nation.

1. First, we have the Bumiputra and the non-Bumiputras.
2. Then, we have Muslims and the non-Muslims.
3. Within the Muslim community, a sub-division is seen between Sunnis and Shiites.
4.  Amongst the Muslims, it is divided between UMNO Muslims, PAS Muslims and PKR Muslims.
5. If that is not bad enough, we are further divided between Semanjung and East Malaysia with different set of laws, polices and rulings.

6.  With the dichotomy of Bumiputra in place, it is sub-divided between UMNO bumiputras and non-UMNO bumiputras.

Now, the latest, a proposal is being made to divide the nation further and that is, trolleys at supermarkets will be marked for Muslims and non-Muslims usage.  If that is the case, what about the shopping baskets?  What about the plastic bags available to customers to put their purchase in?  I am totally lost for words.  Read news article HERE.


Quite frankly, at the supermarkets, why don't we trade in different currencies as well, one for Muslims and the other, for non-Muslims?  If this proposal was to be adopted and implemented, I am definitely going to shop elsewhere where I don't have to endure religious discrimination.  The authorities must think that the non-Muslims are suffering from some form of skin disease, like leprosy, that the Muslims must avoid at all costs.  What an insult !!!

Just thinking off the cuff.  What if the Hindus too demand for beef-free trolleys?

The government has launched 'Operations Cover Up'.

Many govt offices/agencies have now gone gung-ho in implementing the sarong to all and sundry, including the non-Muslims, and despite the fact that all and sundry in UMNO have assured the non Muslims time and time again that anything Islamic will not be imposed upon them. What baloney.
Okay, on my part, the sarong is part of my casual wear at home and I have two of them, a blue and a maroon. I intend to have one of them kept in my car just in case I have to visit a govt office and then be told to dorn on a sarong. Being a personal item, I think I prefer mine as it is very pantang to wear somebody else's sarong. More so, when it has been worn many times over by members of the public.
So which one will I look better in if I am being forced to wear one in one of the govt offices.

Oh no, not the Cross again ...

Following on the heels of the incident in Taman Medan, now parents and students of the St Mary Labuk Catholic school in Sabah are demanding that the cross in the school should be taken down.

Read news article here.

After the cross, what's next?  Garlic not to be served in the school canteen?

Do we still want to host the 2017 SEA Games?

It is best not to host the SEA Games if we embarrass ourselves by making a fuss over the outfits athletes wear.

IN 2017 Malaysia hosts the SEA Games. But will we disgrace ourselves?

No, not because we may not top the table of gold medals as Singapore almost did in the excellent games organised by the city-state that ended recently.

Rather it is by the potential controversy – perhaps even disturbance – over the attire athletes wear to compete in the sport they contest.

If this is going to happen, it is best that we do not host the Games. The authorities had better not blandly say this will not happen as they have not come out to say categorically that any contention against what gymnasts wear in their sport is unacceptable. On the contrary, a Minister of the Government has conceded to the recalcitrants by stating that a dress code will be issued on what should be worn.

Rest assured it is not likely that Malaysia will win any gold medals if its team played hockey wearing the flowing jubah, or competed in the swimming pool fully clothed – if they are allowed on the pitch and in the pool.

Malaysia’s most successful body-builder Sazali Samad has won the Mr Universe title 10 times in nothing more than a tanga, revealing his six-pack and muscles without – rightly – a squeak about the barely hidden parts of his anatomy.

Clearly he could not have become Mr Universe dressed in a loose Baju Melayu. But, of course, he is male.

When the athlete is female, it would seem, the only focus is on parts of her anatomy that arouse impure thoughts in the male mind which then has the audacity to pin the blame on the innocent woman. Men cannot control themselves, but get on a hypocritical higher plane to obscure their base instincts.

When the XVI Commonwealth Games were organised in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 – the first in Asia and the last in the last century – we did not have the kind of nonsense and stupidity that followed Farah Ann Abdul Hadi’s superb gold medal performance in gymnastics in Singapore.

We have slipped further backwards since the last century. It is, however, complacent to describe the judgmental and holier-than-thou attitude on Farah Ann’s leotard as just nonsensical and stupid.

That attitude, along with the machinery that has been dangerously allowed to ride roughshod over Malaysian lives, has become pervasive and highly invasive.

How I wish my fellow Muslims will stop playing God. They must understand they should never judge the faith of others, especially of other Muslims, which is Allah’s remit.

These invasive Muslims also advise – indeed ordain – that their co-religionists not mix, even laugh, with others, that they do not venture out or open up to protect the sanctity of their faith.

Not venturing out is a sign of meekness, of not having self-belief. In the outcome you are diminished. The Chinese, for example, will go anywhere, meet anyone, be in any social or cultural circumstance. Yet, when they go home they remain Chinese. I wish that all Malays and Muslims would have the same strength.

Faith is strong when it is deep and internalised, not when it is loudly and aggressively proclaimed, like whistling in the dark, by someone afraid and uncertain.

I do wish our leaders would engage our people in sensible ways, to tell them about the depth yet simplicity of Islam. I fear they have also become afraid.

The current political situation is not likely to give them any courage to check the dangerous extremist and violating phenomenon in the Malaysian body politic, and to lead without short-term calculation for survival.

The zero-sum open political warfare now taking place in our country is causing extensive damage to Malaysia, and so does neglecting to address extremist religious threats which will overturn all the progress this country has made.

More than the personal animosity in this conflict, there is a distrust of normal processes of the political and administrative system. This is a damning indictment of whoever may have caused that system to be so distrusted.

More than that, there is a cry for change outside of that system.

This can take many forms – at worst, violent revolution – but the upshot is that, if there was a replacement of the incumbent Prime Minister, his successor would be equally subject to the same kind of political insurrection. This prospect does not provide for political stability.

Others will follow. He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.

This is not about one-man, one-shot, one-time. It is about political change and political change management.

The spectacle we are witnessing must shame the Malays. It does me. How we run and now threaten to ruin the country. How we pay little attention to detail because we are king of the castle. How we are now about to bring the house down.

If the threats of exposing past and present misdeeds are true, the ske­letons falling out of the cupboard will bury Umno – and the Malays.

While not all will mourn this, let us not forget it is this Malay foundation that gave Malaysia its stability.

What is different from the days of Tun Razak and Tun Dr Ismail is that the honour and justice that characterised the Malay leadership of this country seem to have been lost.

I cannot look into the eyes of a prospective investor at a roadshow and say: You can be assured of Malaysia’s political stability. Not long ago, that was our country’s strongest point above everything else.

When that everything else is also under considerable strain, in a challenging global economy, in the currency and volatile capital flows, there is all the more reason to work together and negotiate our way out of these dangerous straits.

Otherwise we will arrive in 2017 in a worse state than we are in now.

[Tan Sri Munir Majid, chairman of Bank Muamalat and visiting senior fellow at LSE Ideas (Centre for International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy), is also chairman of CIMB Asean Research Institute.]