WONDERING NO MORE, THERE WAS A WAY OUT

It's not about the past, and it's not about the future, its about taking this moment you're living in right now, and making it count. To your PROSPERITY Click this link http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-37067


 

-->

Egyptian Muslims forget Muhammad’s letter to Christian monks at Mt. Sinai

Muhammad’s letter to Christian monks at Mt. Sinai

One issue often discussed on news sites and blogs over the last several days is the many attacks on Egypt’s Christian communities. Several outlets have reported that violence by Mohammad Morsi supporters has left dozens of Christian churches, Coptic-owned businesses and properties burnt. Fears of widespread sectarian strife seem to be growing among Egypt’s Christian minority.

The violence against Egypt’s Christians reminds me of the important symbolism of Muhammad’s letter to Christian monks at St. Catherines, Mount Sinai (Egypt) in 628 AD.

In his letter, Muhammad championed universal peace and harmony between Christians and Muslims. Not only did he outline how Christians are to be treated by Muslims, but Muhammad also touched upon human rights, including freedom of conscious, freedom of worship, and the right to protection in war.

Here is an English translation of Muhammad’s letter:

--> “This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
 
No compulsion is to be on them.

Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.

Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.

The Muslims are to fight for them.

If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.

Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.

No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

The attacks by some Egyptian Muslims on their fellow Egyptian Christian citizens is deplorable for the simple fact that the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, would have condemned any violence towards Christians and people of non-Muslim faiths.

One has to wonder if the Egyptian Muslims involved in these attacks can even call themselves “Muslims” with any sense of integrity or legitimacy.

In Borders case, common sense triumphs over bad faith

Borders : Common Sense over Bad Faith by dinobeano

MY Comment : On Saturday, I wrote about the Brave Tudung Judge Dato Zaleha Yusof's damning judgement against JAWI, the Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Religious Affairs. The Judge called a spade a spade and criticised all 3 Respondents for their mala fide conduct. I reproduced the Conclusion of that Judgement so that the public can see the printed word and  feel the emotion of disgust in the words used by the Judge.

Yesterday, I was told another case came before Tudung Judge Zaleha. This time it involves Ezra Zaid, son of dissident politician Zaid Ibrahim. This time, the counsel was Malik Imtiaz Sarwar who echoed the Judge's own judgement in the Borders' case that then Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein Onn had abdicated his duty when he surrendered his decision making to JAKIM on whether a book is dangerous to the society.

This point of Fatwa and its effects had been dealt with by Zainah Anwar in her piece entitled Malaysia: Fatwa cannot be challenged. Yet, we have moron Ministers like Zahid Hamidi making remarks that pre-empted the court which will be hearing the case on the word "Allah". That is contemptuous.

Today, I was pleasantly surprised to read in the Malay Mail a well analysed article of what the Borders' Judgement is about. Kudos to my friend Rosli Dahlan who argued that case and who will appear on 28th August in the Syariah Court to seek Nik Raina's long deserved final release. See the Malay Mail article below:..."

In Borders case, common sense triumphs over bad faith

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — In the face of Malaysia’s rising religious conservatism, a civil court judge has boldly ruled on reason and common sense to uphold a Muslim storekeeper’s constitutional right to sell a book Islam’s gatekeepers here found offensive.

The court case involving the local Borders’ sale of Canadian author Irshad Manji’s book “Allah, Liberty and Love” has been closely-watched since it hit national headlines last year after Islamic enforcement officials seized the stock and charged the store manager Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz with violating publication and distribution laws.

Five months after pronouncing the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (JAWI), the home minister and the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Islamic affairs guilty of abusing their powers to illegally prosecute the bookstore’s Muslim manager, Datuk Zaleha Yusof of the Kuala Lumpur High Court has finally released her grounds of judgment.

Though couched in the language of the court, the judge’s strongly-worded explanation kept to a strict interpretation of the law that has given hope to Malaysians that their civil liberties as laid down in the country’s founding document remain as robust as the day they were conceived half a century ago.

“I am satisfied that the applicants have shown existence of illegality, abuse of discretionary powers, irrationality, unreasonable exercise of power, unconstitutionally and that there exists procedural impropriety on the part of the respondents,” Zaleha wrote in her grounds of judgment released last week.

“Looking at the whole scenario of the case, it is hard not to agree with the applicants that there are elements of mala fide in the handling and carrying out of the actions of the respondents,” she added.

Mala fide, meaning bad faith in Latin, carries a heavy meaning in law, as the judge noted.

“In law, mala fide can be inferred when there was absence of care, caution and a proper sense of responsibility.”

She observed that JAWI — named the first respondent in the bookstore’s suit — had acted in bad faith “when they exercised their dominant position and enforcement powers for a collateral purpose by: (i) prosecuting the 3rd applicant, who is a Muslim, when they could not do so against the 1st applicant (as the corporate owner of Borders bookstore) or the 2nd applicant (as the person responsible over the display and sale of the Publications, and who as a non-Muslim could not be prosecuted under the Act 559”.

Nik Raina was the third applicant, while Borders’ assistant general manager in charge of merchandising Stephen Fung Wye Keong was the second applicant. The bookstore, which is licensed under the name Berjaya Books Sdn Bhd, was the first applicant.

The home minister and the Islamic affairs minister were named the second and third respondents respectively in Borders’ suit.

The religious enforcers had also acted in bad faith, the judge said, when it raided the bookstore in popular shopping mall Mid Valley Megamall on May 23, 2012 to seize copies of Manji’s books despite the Home Ministry only banning them over a week later on May 29.

JAWI’s arrest and prosecution of Nik Raina was also carried out in bad faith, the judge said, “for what was a non-offence at the time of the raid”.

“It can also be inferred when the 3rd applicant was deprived of her liberty without due care, caution and responsibility, when the 1st respondent arresting and prosecuting her despite knowing that she was neither the owner of the bookstore; nor had control over the selection of publications therein,” the judge wrote.
The home minister — then Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein — had acted in bad faith when he made an order in a “casual or cavalier fashion, in rushing the Prohibition Order to prohibit the publications, almost as an afterthought”, the judgment read.

Other highlights from the grounds of judgment:

On a state’s right to act against a Muslim, under state law:

“However, I must again emphasize, clear reading of item 1 of List II of the Ninth Schedule as I mention just now, shows that the state cannot enact laws in regard to matters included in the Federal List.

“Since matters pertaining to publications, printing and printing presses fall within List I i.e. the Federal List, validity of section 13 of Act 559 is questionable as it seems to be ultra vires the Act 301 and the Federal Constitution.

“Even if it is a valid law, what amounts to ‘contrary to Islamic Law’ as provided by that provision is also questionable as it is too wide. Members of public must be made known what publication is contrary to Islam law or precept of Islam.

“Otherwise, as the learned counsel for the applicants has submitted, a Muslim employee who works in a bookstore that also sells Christianity bibles, books on Buddhism or Hinduism or any other religion besides other books, we do have many such bookstores now, would be committing an offence.”

On the state’s discretion to ban books:

“Further there is nothing in the said Act 559 which provides for any state religious bodies to prohibit any publication. It only creates an offence of publication. In order to follow and adopt a harmonious interpretation of the laws, the only logical approach is for section 7 of the Act 301 to support section 13 of the Act 559 i.e. notification to the public first than only the enforcement action.

“We live in a multireligious and multiracial society. Such approach, in my opinion, would be harmonious and avoids any tension, controversy and conflict in our society and law.”

On JAWI’s action against Nik Raina because she is a Muslim:

“Applying that principle, as it stands now, I am of the opinion that the criminal charge against the 3rd applicant in the Syariah High Court is an infringement of Article 7 which is a provision concerning fundamental liberties, guaranteed by our Federal Constitution.”

On the home minister’s dereliction of duty by passing his job to JAWI without checking:

“I also must state here that I agree with the learned counsel for the applicant when he submits that the 2nd respondent, by the averments in his affidavit, has abdicated his duties when he stated that the 1st respondent can perform seizures without any prohibition order from the KDN, as section 7 of Act 301 clearly states that the powers of prohibition with respect to publication lies with the Honourable Minister of Home Ministry. Hence, there is a procedural impropriety here which warrants a judicial review.”

Next, the Syariah Court hurdle

Yau Su Peng, the chief operating officer for Berjaya, voiced her relief that the civil chapter of the court case involving the store and its employees was nearing an end, but held reservations that the book on the legal saga could finally be closed.

“We are very appreciative of the commonsense approach taken by the Court but personally I question why it has taken so long (the raid by JAWI on our Borders outlet in Gardens occurred in May 2012) for justice to be pronounced,” Yau told The Malay Mail Online in a recent email interview.

The syariah charge against Nik Raina has yet to be withdrawn, she observed, even as the Attorney-General’s Chambers had last month confirmed it had asked the Federal Territory Syarie chief prosecutor and JAWI to do so.

“We are still waiting though, since the decision was given in March 2013, for JAWI to formally withdraw the charges in the Syariah Court against Nik Raina,” Yau said.

She said Borders, through its lawyers, had appealed to JAWI drop its prosecution against Borders’ Muslim manager in the Islamic court before the end of Ramadan so that Nik Raina could have a happy celebration with her family without the charge hanging over her.

“Sadly, this was not to be and we have been given the date of 28 August as the date on which the parties are to return to the Syariah Court to have the charges withdrawn formally,” Yau said.

Malaysia practises a dual-track justice system where Muslims are bound by both secular and Islamic laws but non-Muslims have legal recourse only in the civil court.

What more do you want, Mahathir!

by Mariam Mokhtar@ http://www.malaysiakini.com
 

If the Third Prime Minister of Malaysia, (Tun) Hussein Onn, had not nominated Mahathir Mohamad as his successor in 1981, the course of Malaysian history would have been very different.

Mahathir may have left office after 22 years in power, but today, he pops up like those annoying advertisements which appear, without warning, on your computer screen. Mahathir’s messages act in a similar way to some of those adverts; they can harm your computer with malware or other unwanted files, when they are “opened”. Perhaps, we need a spam-blocker that will work on Mahathir.

How will we ever learn from history, if we are prevented from examining what has gone badly wrong for this nation? Mahathir’s policies continue to divide the nation, but many Malays are under the illusion that he is their saviour. Sadly, after 56 years of independence, it is mostly non-Malays who are more Malaysian than the Malays.

Until we get a change in government, only one man can stop Mahathir’s deleterious effects on the nation - Najib Abdul Razak - but he either won’t or can’t bring himself to perform this saintly task. Such is the hold that Mahathir has over Najib.

Yesterday, Mahathir urged that MAS be privatised. His penchant for privatisation enables profitable companies to be annexed by his cronies or UMNO Baru nominees. This practice has all but bankrupted the nation.

It is ironic that the man who once said that “Melayu mudah lupa”, should forget his role in handing the national airline carrier, on a golden platter to Tajuddin Ramli. Few MAS employees will ever forget how the company’s performance plummeted with Tajuddin at its helm.

Mahathir observed that UMNO Baru had failed to tap into young, smart Malay professionals. He claimed that UMNO Baru, unlike PAS, did not like, and possibly feared people who were smarter than its leaders. Again, Mahathir mudah lupa. He once isolated younger men in his cabinet, like Anwar Ibrahim and Musa Hitam, in an attempt to contain their political aspirations.

When Mahathir was the Education Minister in the early 70s, he quelled student unrest with an iron fist. Did he forget that the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), which many associate with UMNO Baru, stops young adults from their right to full political expression?

Younger people find the Opposition coalition more appealing and UMNO Baru is aware of this. In GE13, voters at polling centres were separated into one queue for elderly people and another for young adults.

EC officials ensured that the queues for the elderly moved relatively fast, whereas queues for the young moved with laborious slowness. In many instances, young voters, simply gave up and left despite staying in line for hours. UMNO Baru reasoned that young people were more impatient and impetuous, and welcomed their absence.

We are told that Najib is known as Bapak Transformasi (Father of Transformation). History will be the judge of his success at transforming both the nation, and his party, UMNO Baru.

Fears of greatest treachery

Najib realises that the nation is ripe for change but he is tortured by the recalcitrance of his party members. Like them, he has only his own interests at heart, and not the interests of the rakyat who elected them to office. He has only himself to blame for the bad example he set, which strengthened the UMNO Baru delegates’ resolve against reform.

Najib knows his enemies from outside the party, but he fears that the greatest treachery to befall him will come from within his own party. He knows that many within his own cabinet would not hesitate to stick a knife into his back.

The new Home Minister Zahid Hamidi is openly defying Najib’s authority and also that of his cousin, Hishamuddin Hussein, the former home minister. Recently, Zahid unearthed 260,000 hard-core criminals, whereas Hishammuddin had found none and even had the audacity to tell the rakyat that the increase in crime was just a perception.

Zahid recently found 250,000 Shiite Muslims, when Hishammuddin did not even allude to them during his tenure as Home Minister. These are attempts to discredit Hishammuddin, and Najib, the cousin who put him there.

These machinations are possibly designed to unseat Najib at the crux of his political career, the UMNO Baru general assembly which will be held later this year.

Earlier this month, Zahid warned that if the Sedition Act 1948 was abolished, four aspects of the Federal Constitution, namely the special rights of the Malays, the status of Malay rulers, the status of Islam as the federal religion and the status of Malay as the national language would be affected. Putting on a defiant tone, he advocated for the Act to be retained and said that he was unwilling to compromise on this issue.

When Najib promised to repeal the Sedition Act, last year, was he using this as a carrot to trick the public into voting for UMNO Baru in GE13? Did Najib have any intention of keeping this promise or was it just a ploy to get the voters to think that he was a reformist?

Perhaps, Najib will use Zahid’s interjection as a convenient excuse not to repeal the Sedition Act and so win back the support of the hardliners in UMNO Baru.

Unlike Zahid, Najib is facing the most important battle in his political life. Is Zahid’s opposition to the abolition of the Act  a means to present himself as the true defender of the Malays and of Islam in Malaysia?

All roads lead to Mahathir
 
Zahid is not acting on his own and it is glaringly evident, that all roads lead to Mahathir. The former PM has been very vocal in the past few weeks and will continue until the UMNO party conference.

Mahathir will continue to instigate and foment dissent. His divisive policies are symbolic of his rule. When he left office in 2003, few outside of UMNO Baru were moved when he wept as he made his resignation speech. His successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi gave us hope, but even he failed the rakyat miserably.

Mahathir claims that UMNO Baru is the only party that can save the Malays. This is another of his damned lies. In truth, UMNO Baru has caused the downfall of the Malays; ordinary Malays have become beggars in their own land because of his policies, and the UMNO Baru elite are just pimps living off everyone else.

Today, time is running out for Malaysia, and if Najib does not act to defuse the racial and religious time-bomb set by Mahathir, it will cause untold damage to the country. Mahathir cares for nothing but the continuation of his legacy, through his son, Mukhriz. A leader who does not give a damn for the peace, prosperity and economic stability of the country, might as well be called the Father of Corruption. Apa lagi Mahathir mahu (What more do you want, Mahathir)?

‘Allah’, a non-issue really

For centuries, Christians in Islamic countries, especially in the Middle Eastern countries where Islam was born, have been using the word Allah without stirring up any storm in the tea cup. 

 

COMMENT

 
By Bishop Paul Tan

The reason why I write this short article is to dispel all doubts about facts, truths and rationality in the use of the word Allah, a non-issue really. It becomes an issue when it is being politicised which is the case in Malaysia. This article is not intended to be polemical.

First, allow me to make a few introductory remarks.
(1) I do not pretend to speak for every Christian, less still for everyone. I speak for many people who do not profess the Islamic faith in Malaysia and perhaps for a number of Muslims in and out of Malaysia.
(2) I do not claim that Christians must use the word Allah. It is up to everyone in accordance to his or her conviction.
(3) I only claim for every human being the right and freedom to use any word found in any language. Upholding this principle, I personally claim that I have the right to use the word Allah.

In this present Malaysian context, it must be said explicitly: it is not that Christians want to use the word to confuse Muslims; rather, it is taking a stand that no one has the power to take away the God-given right to a human person the freedom to use whatever word he or she wants to use provided the rights of others are not being violated.

If certain Muslims in Malaysia feel that their rights are being violated, they have only to look at history to know that for centuries, Christians in Islamic countries, especially in the Middle Eastern countries where Islam was born, have been using the word Allah without stirring up any storm in the tea cup.

To say that using the word Allah may confuse the Muslims in Malaysia is tantamount to casting aspersion on them because it is accusing them of having a faith so weak that, unlike their Muslim brothers and sisters in other countries, they are easily shaken because people of other faiths use the word Allah for God. Sikhs, Bahai’s, Maltese, Mizrahi Jews, etc., use Allah. More of this later.

In the same setting, I would like to emphasise that Malaysia is a constitutional or parliamentary democracy and not a theocratic state, in concrete, an Islamic state; say what you want, the fact remains that at the inception of the Federal Constitution, our founding fathers did not want Malaysia to be an Islamic state.

Our founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman’s statement on the matter is the best testimony.

The Sultan of Selangor and the Sultan of Pahang have banned non-Muslims from using the term Allah. Our Federal Constitution does not give any sultan the power to dictate to people of other faiths what religious rules that they must follow.

People of faiths other than those of Islam have their own religious heads who govern and tell them what is right or wrong in accordance with their religious beliefs.

Facts and reasoning

My claim of human right for everyone on the use of any word from any language, in this case the word Allah, is based on the following facts and reasoning.

Allah is a pre-Islamic word used by Arabs, e.g., the Arabs in Mecca, before Prophet Muhammad was born.

For these Arabs, the word, Allah, means “creator deity”. It is therefore not an Islamic creation and Muslims have no exclusive claim to it although they may and have injected into it specific nuances.



If the Holy Prophet Muhammad wanted Muslims to use a specific word with special connotations that others did not have, he would have created a new word and not use a word already used by the Arabs and Arab Christians before his time.

Besides, Christians, Mizrahi Jews, Bahai’s, Maltese, Sikhs, and others use the same word. The Skhs have publicly proclaimed that their Holy Scriptures have used the word Allah 37 times. The Sikhs ask the rhetorical question: Are they also forbidden to read and pray their Scriptures?

This word Allah and its cognates are found in many languages. Just to give a few examples:
in Urdu/Persian/Dari/Uyshur, it is the same word, Allah; in Bengali, and in Bosnian languages, it is also Allah; in Czech and Slovak languages, it is Allach, etc.,

In the Holy Quran, it is written clearly that Jews, Christians, Sabeans worship Allah. Allow me to quote only one surah – surah 2:62: “Those who believe in the Quaran and those who follow the Jewish Scriptures and the Christians and the Sabeans… who so believe in God (Allah) and the last day…

In our own country, in Sabah and Sarawak, our Bumiputera, e.g., Kadazans, Ibans, Bidahyus, Melanaus, etc., have been using the word Allah in their languages for umpteen years.

No country in the world, including the Arab countries in the Middle East and, closer to Malaysia, Indonesia, forbids non-Muslims from using the word Allah. Christians in these countries have been using it for centuries. At present, there are about 10 to 12 million Arab Christians using the word Allah for God.

If some Malaysian Muslims claim that non-Muslims cannot use the word because the Malaysian Muslims’ understanding of Allah is unique to them, then logically they are saying that the Arab Muslims also have a different understanding of Allah from their understanding because the Arab Muslims use the word Allah for God and allow Christians to use the same word.

Consequently, we would be a laughing stock of enlightened people in the world if we were to continue to make criminals of people of faiths other than those of Islam because they use the word Allah.

I have in my possession a Dutch Gospel according to St Matthew or in Malay Language, Injil Matius, in the book “Nuevve Testament.” It was translated into the Malay language in 1629. In it, the word for God is translated as Allah. There are other Christian literatures translated into the Malay language after 1629 using Allah for God.

There is only one God

Permit me to quote wholesale Malaysiakini on what lawyer Annou Xavier said:
“The May 4, 2009 order by the court, according to Annou, stated the applicant (Jilil Ireland Lawrence Bill, a Melanau Christian) be given a declaration that it is within her legitimate expectation to use the word Allah and have ownership, to obtain, use and import such materials including printing items with the word for her own practice.”

He further brought MAIS’s attention to a circular, dated April 11, 2011 and endorsed by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak himself, which stated that the government has agreed that non-Muslims may import, buy, print, distribute, read and use the bible in any language, including Bahasa Malaysia.
Further to this, although the issue is still pending on the appeal to the court of appeal, KL High Court has ruled on Dec 31 2009 that the ban on the use of the word “Allah” by people of faiths other than those of Islam is illegal.

There is only one God, call Him/Her/It whatever you want, Brahman, God, Almighty, Absolute, Allah, Shang Ti or Tian or Tian Zhu. The One Creator does not change just because we humans change the word or the meaning of the word. He is the One Creator of all creatures.

Hence, to forbid people who profess faiths other than those who profess Islam is to say that Allah is not the creator of non-Muslims.

This would indeed be a blasphemy to Allah. A greater insult would be to confine Allah to Muslims and consequently logically to admit that there are other gods, true or false, besides Him/Her/It. This would be against the very tenet of Islam that there in only one God.

God does not speak in human words. Words are created by the human mind that wants to convey to others that which he or she sees, hears, smells, touches and tastes.

From what comes through these senses, the human person extrapolates with his/her intelligence all the common features of similar things and comes up with a symbolic word, e.g., that is a “tree”.
God is spirit. The Absolute has no human body through which It comes to know. The Almighty does not speak in any human language. He/She/It is beyond and above all limited human language.

Why must one pray in a particular language, be it in Latin or in Arabic or in Pali, etc.,? This human rule seems to say that God or Allah can only understand that one language. This is tantamount to limiting the power of God to being able to understand only one language.

It is also equivalent to saying that there are other gods who can understand other languages. It defeats the basic belief of the monotheist religions that believe that there is only one god, one god, creator of all things.

Hence, to limit that absolute being to any human word would be equivalent to making Him/Her/It a human being. This is what we humans say: “to anthropomorphise” the Absolute Almighty. It would be an insult to make Him/Her/It less than what IS.

From the above, it is clear that to forbid anyone from using any word for that Absolute Almighty is to fall into irrationality and absurdity. It is against all reasoning, all facts and truths.

Bishop Paul Tan is the immediate past president of the Catholics Bishops’ Conference of Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.

Home Minister Zahid revokes PR of Resort Owner

MY COMMENT: We have idiots and bigots in Najib's Cabinet. The Prime Minister should realise that some of Cabinet colleagues are embarrassing him with ridiculous decisions.Unfortunately. that does not seem to bother him. In fact, nothing seems to concern except his survival as UMNO President and Prime Minister.

The withdrawal of permanent resident status of a resort owner is an example of this idiocy. The man has apologised for his error of judgement. That should be enough. But No, this Minister is so insecure that he must show his power as Home Affairs Minister. I hope the resort owner will sue the Minister and the Government for the revocation of his permanent resident status. --Din Merican

Home Minister Zahid revokes PR of Resort Owner

by Zulaikha Zulkifli @ http://www.malaysiakini.com

The government has revoked the permanent residency (PR) of the owner of a resort in Sedili Besar, Kota Tinggi, who recently courted controversy by loaning a surau to Buddhists.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his ministry made the decision after the National Registration Department (NRD) probed the 45-year-old Singaporean’s PR status.

“(The decision) is because the PR status is given as a benefit, and not as a privilege,” said the minister.

He was speaking at a press conference after an open house event in Kuala Lumpur this morning.Zahid said the government had the right to do so on individuals who acted outside the law, especially involving the sanctity of Islam.

"I hope those holding permanent resident status in the country will use this issue as a lesson and not misuse the facilities given, via, the generosity of the Malaysian government.

"The man (resort owner) was not sensitive to Muslims in Malaysia as a whole, and in fact, had disparaged Islam as the official religion of this nation," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

The minister said followers of Buddhism who had used the surau had initially sought permission to use a hall at the resort.

"Unfortunately, the hall had been booked and the resort owner allowed them to use the surau. By right, as a Muslim, he should have been aware of the consequences of his action.

"The stringent action was taken because it touched on religious sensitivities... that is all. A similar action, too, will be taken if othe rreligions are insulted," he added.

'Allah only for Muslims' 

The owner was drawn into controversy when a YouTube video of his surau was uploaded with the title 'Chinese Buddhists pray in surau; Surau becomes temple' and captioned, ‘Surau tainted by heresy’.

The owner, who explained he had offered the surau for his Buddhist guests to meditate as his other facilities were occupied, was subsequently remanded while the authorities probed the matter.

Zahid said the PR revocation will take immediate effect. “Yes, with immediate effect. We have informed the owner while he was in the lock-up. He is the only one who is affected - his family (will not) as they have not done any wrong,” he said.

The revocation of the PR status means that the man, who has a family, is no longer allowed to work or own commercial assets in the country, and must get a work permit or have a Malaysian partner.

On another matter, the minister also called on all Muslims to stand firm against non-Muslims' use of the word ‘Allah’, on which the government’s appeal will be decided on Aug 22.

“I am not pre-empting the court decision. But it is important that the use of ‘Allah’ is defended.

“The word ‘Allah’ can and must only be used in Islam alone. Period!” he said.The government is appealing a 2009 court ruling lifting the Home Ministry's ban on the use of 'Allah' in the Malay bible.

Catholic Archbishop Murphy Pakiam has questioned the government’s insistence on the appeal, arguing that Prime Minister Najib Razak signed a 10 point solution in 2011 allowing its use.

From Allah to permanent residency, Zahid shows no mercy

NEWS ANALYSIS BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
August 17, 2013
Latest Update: August 17, 2013 06:48 pm

 

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic) has shown the firm, hardline and inflexible side of Putrajaya today when speaking on usage of the Arabic term Allah and a prayer room.

On both counts, he makes Malaysia appear to be a cold and hard country where Muslims have no intention of dialogue, understanding and forgiveness.

In short, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's Global Movement of Moderates has no place at home.

Consider the issue of Christians using the word Allah to describe God. Putrajaya has made an appeal against a 2009 High Court ruling which will finally be heard next month.

The Roman Catholic Church has objected to the appeal, saying it was irrational and illogical as Najib's promise before the April 2011 Sarawak state elections explicitly allowed Catholics to use the word “Allah".

But Zahid today said non-Muslims must respect the rights of Muslims over the matter and there cannot be any compromise.

"They must respect. The use of the word Allah is exclusive to Muslims. Full stop,"  he said.
"All Muslims irrespective of their religious and political inclination must be united over the issue," he said.

Can a minister say all this before law courts decide on the matter? Does this mean the government will disregard a court ruling contrary to its stand? Why even bother having the courts in the first place?

Every time he opens his mouth, he disrespects every intelligent Malaysian, a group to which he does not belong.

The same with revoking the permanent residency status of a Singaporean who runs a resort in Johor because he allowed a group of Buddhists to meditate in a surau or prayer room.

Is that the minister's prerogative without getting all perspectives but immediately flexing his powers? Does he wonder what impact that action has on other investors thinking of coming to Malaysia?

Did the resort operator even commit an offence that is listed in the law? Or was his offence that of people taking offense to what happened in the resort?

Won't this scare off others from investing in Malaysia – where their permits can be withdrawn at slight hint of an offence? Where is the stability, the rule of law when governments decide on what is popular rather than what is rational?

Zahid might be a popular elected leader who believes the Home Minister must be one who is firm and acts without fear or favour.

But that's the job of the police and the courts, not the minister. His duty is one of judgment tempered with discretion and moderation, not of extremes and harshness. - August 17, 2013

Dr M, prime minister for life

Mariam Mokhtar | August 16, 2013

Mahathir fed the Malays a false premise that Malaysia was their land and that the world owed them a living.

COMMENT

 

The political analysts who postulate that former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad prevented reform within Umno Baru are wrong; Mahathir is the major obstacle for any meaningful reform in Malaysia, not just for Umno Baru.

Like it or not, we are all Mahathir’s children – that man and his policies have affected all of us, in one way or another, in the same manner the behaviour of an errant and irresponsible father, will impact on his children.

Mahathir’s existing policies make non-Malays despise many Malays, because the Malays are reticent about speaking up against the injustices and attacks against other religions and cultures.

Mahathir’s policies make Malays arrogant and so they demand that those who refuse to bow to Malay needs and Muslim doctrine, should leave the country or have their citizenship revoked.

Mahathir’s racist policies may unite all in Umno Baru, but it is the nation which is left divided. Mahathir may not be in government, but his henchmen ensure that his legacy is preserved and that his family dictatorship continues with his son, Mukhriz.

Mahathir is like the prime minister for life, who refuses to leave office with dignity. His supporters are so deferent to him, that they treat him like a de-facto monarch.

The impact of the Iranian revolution in the late 70s also marked a turning point in our history. In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini swept into Iran and the Iranians embraced him having suffered years of oppression at the hands of the corrupt Shah of Iran, a puppet of America.

The resurgence of Islam throughout the world, may have energised PAS but it was Mahathir who felt threatened. He had to make Umno Baru more Islamic than PAS, in an attempt to entice the Malays who had drifted to PAS.

Mahathir fed the Malays a false premise that Malaysia was their land and that the world owed them a living. He tinkered with the education system, so that Malays became uncompetitive.

To proceed unhindered, Mahathir removed the controls which should have prevented corruption. With his men in the judiciary, the police, the civil service and the media, these institutions voiced only his thoughts and suppressed all other opinions.

Mahathir’s closest allies are beholden to him. He gave them an economic leg-up and like the transformation which Cinderella underwent, they became billionaires overnight. Why bite the hand that feeds them? Reform is the last thing on their minds.

A confused sore loser

Further down the Umno Baru pecking order, the party member or politician may not realise that he is part of a slick well-organised syndicate, run along the lines of the mafia.

One who is loyal to the party will be amply rewarded, but one who decides to opt out of the “family” is sought-out and destroyed.

As long as he is loyal to the party, he will be afforded protection and riches, as well as power. With this in mind, why would Umno Baru politicians and active supporters desire reform?

With apologies to American Express cards, the Umno Baru slogan might as well have been “Making the Impossible, Possible”. How else would a TNB meter-reader become a Cabinet minister? How else would a son of a minister have a special role in the Tourism Ministry? How else would members of this elite club get away with crimes ranging from financial mismanagement, abuse of taxpayers’ money, sexism, racism, nepotism, cronyism, extremism, murder and money-laundering?

Would a CEO of a public listed company dare to admit that it is his prerogative to say when he will retire?

All these injustices happen because the rakyat are compliant. Mahathir triumphs because few dare oppose him.

In the past few days, Mahathir said that in a mature democracy, losers should accept defeat and wait for the next election to try again.

For a start, Malaysia is not a mature democracy. In fact, it is not a democracy. Elections are rigged. Leaders refuse to leave willingly. The will of the people is not respected. He should have also said that in a mature democracy, the ruling party does not cheat in the elections.

Mahathir is a sore-loser. When he lost to a PAS candidate in 1969, he blamed the Chinese for switching allegiance from Umno to PAS. Did he have a hand in instigating the race-riots of 13 May? By the end of the year, he was sacked from the Umno Supreme Council and expelled from Umno. He then wrote his racist book, “The Malay Dilemma”.

When Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah locked horns in an Umno election in 1987, Umno was declared an illegal organisation following litigation. Mahathir acted with venom when he won by a tiny margin; he purged people from his ministry, he stripped the judiciary of its independence, he ordered a crackdown on his detractors. Mahathir does not accept defeat willingly.

At a press conference organised after the Perdana Global Peace Foundation conference on the Palestinian cause, Mahathir said the rakyat had to pay for the price of freedom with an increase in gun crime and shootings.

Is Mahathir a little confused? He equates freedom with an increase in shooting. Does he think the Palestinians, who are being shot at and who do some of the shooting, have much freedom?

260,000 hardcore criminals, 250,000 Shiites

For those who are unaware, the Emergency Ordinance (EO) is similar to the Internal Security Act (ISA) and people can be detained without trial.

Suaram once claimed that the EO can be ‘10 times worse than the infamous ISA…’. The police use it to detain or restrict the movements of communists and suspected criminals, when the lack of evidence means it is difficult to convict them.

Is Mahathir trying to scare the rakyat into demanding a return of the EO? Does he know something we don’t?

Will Opposition politicians and activists be conveniently arrested and silenced? Are these ploys to install his son as prime minister?

When Hishammuddin Hussein was the Home Minister, he claimed that the public only perceived a rise in crime. Within weeks of becoming Home Minister the new man on the job, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, had uncovered 260,000 hardcore criminals.

Either Hishammuddin was sleeping on the job or Zahid has really tackled his work with utmost dedication.

As we approach the Umno Baru conference, crime has escalated and we are told that Malaysia has 260,000 hardcore criminals and 250,000 Shiites.

Are these numbers used by Mahathir in his attempt to convince the Umno Baru delegates that Najib is a failure so that Mahathir’s men will be chosen to replace him?

When asked for his views about the Shiites in Malaysia, Mahathir said that there were “better ways to deal with them”.

Has he forgotten how he once dealt with a group of Muslims in Memali, in Kedah? Innocent villagers were killed because he did not know of a better way to approach them.

The MCA is now obsolete, the Indians have all but rejected the MIC, so when will Malays seriously think about their future and reject Umno Baru, the party that is Mahathir’s creation?

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.

Let me ask you a question...

Are you trying to start an online business...?

If so, let me know if this sounds like you:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-37067/specialoffer.html

You want to make money online, but you keep getting caught up in all of the technical stuff that goes along with starting an online business...

HTML, CSS, FTP, PHP and a dozen other things you have to have to know to get a website online and making you money... right?

Or, do you FINALLY feel like you've got things figured out, and as you are about to move forward on your dreams...

You get ANOTHER email... from ANOTHER guru... telling you about the NEW shiny object of the day...

And your plans... that you felt SO confident about just minutes earlier... fall to the ground as you reluctantly turn your back on your "plan" and start moving towards the next new thing...

If that sounds like you... Then don't worry. I can help.

http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-37067/specialoffer.html

When morons masquerade as God

Vidal Yudin Weil | August 15, 2013

We have travelled and lived around the world where Houses of God welcome everyone irrespective of creed for prayer and refuge.

 COMMENT

Some of Malaysia’s Muslim clerics are poisoning the minds of their flock and segregating them from national integration with other races and faiths.
The operator of the resort who allowed non-Muslims to meditate in his surau was arrested and remanded for a crime which does not exist…!

When we read the whole report, we could not stop laughing because we are unable to understand the seriousness of the whole matter that it generated such uproar.  Imagine the resort operator was arrested because Buddhists were praying in his surau.

We have travelled and lived around the world where Houses of God welcome everyone irrespective of creed for prayer and refuge.

It is saddening to see this country degenerate and gone to the scavengers in the pits; we could not find or identify any criminal intention or act on the part of the poor man that will warrant his arrest.
Have the Muslim clerics of this country gone nuts that they have become so sensitive and totally forgotten all the fundamental tenets of logic, reason, and decency that make them civilized human beings?

It is now crystal clear that these people are really sick with paranoia when they hook up trivial innocent matters and preposterously spinning it into ridiculous issues connecting to Islam, when in actual fact such are obviously not the cases.

These clerics are poisoning the minds of their flock and segregating them from national integration with other races and faiths.



It will be interesting for the relevant authorities to answer the following pertinent questions:

• Who owns the land and buildings of the resort – private, Jakim (Department of Islamic Development) or government?

• Who financed the construction of the resort particularly the surau – private, Jakim or government?

If the answers to the above questions are both private, the resort operator has all the rights in the world to allow whosoever he deems fit to pray or meditate in his buildings.
What the police did was grave and vulgar abuse of power outside their statutory jurisdiction and trespassing.

The arrest and remand of the resort operator is both illegal and unlawful which justify for a writ of Habeas Corpus immediately.

p/s: The photographs used in this article were taken in Southern Thailand where Buddhist monks regularly pray alongside Muslims in mosques.

The author is retired and blogs at http://legalandprudent.blogspot.com giving no quarters to anyone.

Malaysia: Crisis in Political Leadership

by Mariam Mokhtar (08-12-13) @ http://www.malaysiakini.com

Malaysian Prime Ministers display fascinating quirks and characteristics; Dr Mahathir Mohamad assumes the role of the Pied Piper of Hamelin who leads the children (Malays) to a catastrophic end; Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is like Rip van Winkle who slept when he should have been working to improve the nation; and Najib Abdul Razak appears to act like Nero who fiddled while Rome burned.

Najib’s entry into politics is a lacklustre, predictable story which might explain his inability to inspire the nation. His role in undermining Malaysian democracy is pivotal.He places more emphasis on sound-bites and slogans, than on sound policies. Najib is English educated, and a well travelled man. Some consider him a roué but he comes from a family with an impeccable political pedigree. The reason he failed as PM is simple.

At the age of 23, Najib became a career politician, when he was elected unopposed as MP. The seat was vacated when his father, Abdul Razak Hussein died. Najib was propelled into politics during the psychedelic 70s when wine, women and song preoccupied the young men of that era.

What would these tender, youthful Malay men from the pampered classes know about the real world? Najib’s appointment was a stunt, contrived to capitalise on his father’s popularity. But he lacked experience.

What practical and useful advice could Najib give the people of a nation which had been independent for barely two decades? Two years before he became an MP, rural villagers were starving, because of falling rubber prices. How would he advise these communities when he was a greenhorn himself?

In the book, ‘The Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Malaysia’, Abdullah talked about reform. Despite being in agreement with him on the need for change, Najib’s inaction is probably caused by fear (of losing his job).

He is also hampered by his father’s reputation. It is alleged that in previous by-elections, posters of Abdul Razak were displayed, to remind the electorate that Najib is his son. Only an insecure person would trade on his father’s image to prop up his own.

What was GE13 all about, if not change? Before GE13, Najib claimed that he would accomplish all manner of things. Post-GE13, he and some of his cabinet members gave excuses that it would take another five years to tackle these same issues. If Najib felt that he was not up to the task, then he should have left the job of change to Pakatan Rakyat.

Today, Najib may have agreed with Abdullah about change, but claimed that it would take a long time. He hasn’t even started the process of change.

Steps toward change

This writer disagrees with Najib about change taking a few generations. In a previous article, I wrote that ‘Najib could be our Super Hero’, and said that the change which Najib dreams about could be almost instant.

The first 11 steps might be those listed below. I am sure you can think of many more. First. Detain Mahathir for treason. Remove him and put him in solitary confinement before he faces trial. Najib may be surprised to see how the nation would be solidly behind him.

Second.The chairperson and deputy chairperson of the Election Commission (EC) should also be arrested for treason. It was the collusion of the EC which allowed cheating and bribery at elections.

Third. The Attorney-General, the Inspector-General of Police and the head honcho of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) are to be held for crimes against the state.

Not everyone in the civil service is corrupt. Many civil servants confide that they are disgusted by the orders they have to follow. Najib should promote senior staff members who are persons of principle and known to be free of corruption.

The Police, the Army, the judiciary or other institutions cannot simply be disbanded as this will lead to a state of anarchy, like after the invasion of Iraq. Good people with potential to lead will soon assume control. We have enough laws. They just need to be consistently enforced.

Fourth. Make the Police, Judiciary and media independent. With a free press, the people may learn the truth. An independent police and the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission will improve the performance of the police. True justice might finally be dispensed.

Fifth. Detain the warlords in UMNO-Baru (most are involved in money politics anyway) and immediately remove their sources of income, such as the taxi-permits which are allegedly awarded in bulk, to companies belonging to politicians and their cronies.

Without money, these people will have less opportunity to plot and scheme. UMNO-Baru politicians will learn the hard way, the truth of the saying, “No money, no talk”.

Sixth: Work with Bersih and the relevant NGOs which have compiled a dossier of corrupt politicians and BN cronies. They have slogged hard for the evidence. All Najib need do is to investigate, confirm and enforce.

Seventh: Provide a period of amnesty, so illegal immigrants can save themselves from being deported, but return home voluntarily. Most GLCs are run by cronies. The money trail should lead to their agencies which benefit from cheap labour on plantations, and deprive locals of jobs.

Eighth: Reduce the Prime Minister’s Department from 45,000 people to 450. This might focus people’s minds and make them concentrate on their jobs. A special unit should be set up to recover the money, lost because of corruption and illicit outflows. This money can be returned to the treasury.

Ninth: Abolish the NEP and ensure that needy people, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity are helped. Abolish quotas for university places and award scholarships to the best Malaysian students. Why should other nations profit from our brain-drain, whilst we collect the dregs of other countries?

Tenth: Provide a grace period for politicians and their cronies to ‘sing’ about their colleagues’ crimes. The first 20 people could be given immunity from prosecution, unless murder has been committed. Perhaps a reduced sentence in the most severe of criminal acts could be considered.

Eleventh: Replace the mullahs who serve only Mahathir and UMNO-Baru, with learned clerics who will foster good community relations and help the nation.

Malaysia is in a perilous state because one man, Mahathir, stands in the way of the Prime Minister. Mahathir wants to preserve his legacy. He claims ownership of Malaysia. He has succeeded because not even one prime minister has been courageous enough to stand up to him.

Mahathir triumphs because many UMNO-Baru politicians are unwilling to admit the severity of the Mahathir problem and are afraid of the dirt that he could reveal about them.

Once Najib has initiated the few steps necessary for change, he should call for fresh elections in a year’s time. If he knows he has been a good leader, then the electorate will vote for him.

Who knows, the rakyat might be thrilled to be liberated from Mahathir, and be willing to close one eye to his wrongdoings? Perhaps, the new independent judiciary could be lenient with him, if he is found guilty of criminal activities.

Malaysian history would take a different course if Najib were to start the process of change. Elections should not be bought by doling-out wads of cash or giving freebies. Elections should be won when voters respect a party and its convictions.

Is GVO The Ultimate Marketers Toolbox?

1) Product focused... 

When marketing on the internet, sometimes you feel like your head is going to explode! The amount of tools, systems, and services out there will make your head spin which make promises of easy riches when you use them. Every day, there seems to be another "magic tool" that pops up promising millions of visitors to your site and large sums of money in your bank account....effortlessly. It can get overwhelming and take focus away from what you should be doing to build your business. As you know, there are tools out there that not only make your life easier, but keep your business running on auto-pilot for you. The trick is to know which ones to focus on and which ones to stay away from! 

Let's go through the essentials which every top internet marketer depends on a daily basis to run their million dollar businesses... 

1) Web Hosting Obviously, without hosting, the internet would be a pretty boring place to hang out. If you have a domain name, you need a place to host it so others can find you. Hosting companies out there range from free all the way to over $500 a month for dedicated hosting. The key is to find a company that provides 99% uptime and also provides 24/7 support in case you ever have a problem. And of course, just like anything, you get what you pay for. 

2) Auto-Responders Have you heard the phrase, "The Money Is In The List?" Well, having an autoresponder and building a list that knows, likes, and trusts you is the fastest way to literally pushing a button and having money coming in your bank account... faster than you can say... Hot Biscuits! The formula is simple. Create a page that gives something of huge value totally away for free. This could be a free report, a video lesson, an audio interview, or a live webinar. Then, in exchange for your free information, the visitor will give you their name and email address. And then the magic happens. You can follow up with them automatically and offer more value and even get them to buy something! This is all done using an auto-repsonder, all automatically and efficiently for you. Again, companies providing auto-responders range from $20 a month up to $99 a month.

 3) Video Hosting The internet is all about video. And without some type of video on your website, most people will simply not hang around. Video allows you to bond with your visitor and create more trust than with just words on your site. We've all heard of YouTube for sure. But is a free service that is known for pranks, jokes, and music videos the right image for your business? There's a reason the top marketers host their videos through paid services and you should to. 

 4) Website Builder and Prospecting System 99% of internet marketers don't have the time and/or the skills to create their own websites or prospecting pages. Trying to learn website design and html code is not the best way to spend your time. That's where website builders come in. You simply customize your pages with your own video, product info, auto-responder, and you're done! 

 5) Live Webcasts The most powerful way to sell is face to face. You get instant feedback and customers can ask questions and get their answers immediately. Since we don't want to meet all our visitors in person... Webcasts are the next best thing. We can sit in the comfort of our own homes and present to people all over the world. Product demonstrations, video overviews, live questions and answers, it's all possible with Webcasts. If you're not using Webcasts in your business, you are missing out on thousands of dollars of sales. Typical companies charge between $49 to $99 a month and more. 

The Top 5 Essential Tools 

These are the top five tools that every top marketer uses and depends on a daily basis to make sales on auto-pilot. And you can too. Now, you can get all these great tools from different companies and pay between $150 to over $350 each and every month. Or, you can make the smart decision and get them all from one company and save a huge amount of money. GVO offers all these tools under one roof and for only $1.45 a day. That's less than a Starbucks coffee! And the best part is, for a limited time, you can take advantage of all these amazing tools and profit with them for a full 14 days for only a $1. Don't decide now, use all the tools and see how powerful they are and how they will help explode your business online right now. 

Go here for your test drive: http://JEJelani.GoGVO.com