Digest on Malaysian News

I thought the above may only happen in Malaysia. The Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights confirmed that it is investigating allegations that Catholic University violated the human rights of Muslim students by not allowing them to form a Muslim student group and by not providing them rooms without Christian symbols for their daily prayers. I'll said, WTF.



If these Muslims want a prayer room devoid of Christian symbols, then they should attend a Muslim or secular school, not a catholic school.

Read more at FoxNews - Do Crosses at Catholic University Violate “Human Rights” of Muslims?

3 Muslim women were caned for having illicit sex, the first in such punishment under Syariah law. Hishammuddin Hussein said is no hidden agenda and the government is merely executing their responsibility. And what happen to the male accomplices? Is it only the women get caned for their sins?




Three Muslim women were caned last Tuesday for engaging in illicit sex, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

They were the first women in Malaysia to receive such punishment under syariah law.

Two of them where whipped six times and the third was given four strokes of the rotan at Kajang Prison.

The issue of caning of women has ignited a fierce debate in the country after 32-year-old Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced to be caned for drinking beer in July last year.

The sentence against her has yet to be executed.

Hishammuddin said he decided to bring to public attention the punishment meted to the three women because there had been “too much hype” over Kartika’s sentence.

“People are saying that no woman has been caned before and that Kartika should not be caned.

“Today I am announcing that we have already done it. There is no hidden agenda, we are merely executing our responsibility,” he told a press conference at his office yesterday.

Hishammuddin said all three women did not suffer any cuts or bruises following the caning but had confessed that the punishment had left a deep impact on them.

“They have all repented. They are also hoping that others will not go against the teachings of the religion,” he said, adding that the sentence was meted out according to Islamic rules.

The three women were found guilty of committing illicit sex by the Federal Territory Syariah High Court, which issued the caning order between December last year and last month.

Hishammuddin said one of the women was released on Sunday after spending a month in prison and another was expected to be released over the next few days.

The third woman is currently serving her jail term and would be released in June.

He said the Prisons Department had consulted experts from the Islamic Development Department (Jakim), the Syariah Department and the Attorney-General’s Chambers before carrying out the sentence.

He said the ministry agreed on the procedure for the caning of Muslim women offenders for syariah offences on Dec 4.

They include thorough checks before and after the caning, ensuring that the women were not pregnant and were appropriately dressed according to the Islamic dress code.

He said 13 people, including officials from Jakim, the Syariah Court and the A-G’s Chambers, were present during the procedure.

“I hope there will be no more issues arising from the caning sentence which can be imposed by the Syariah Court on Muslim women to protect the sanctity of Islam,” he added.

“The punishment is aimed at getting the offenders to repent and seek Allah’s forgiveness. It is also meant to educate Muslims to follow the teachings of Islam.”

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As part of a short term damage control, the government today said that it allows the use of the word “Allah” by East Malaysian Christians when referring to God in the Malay language.




The apparent concession is seen as a damage control move as Christians in the states of Sabah and Sarawak primarily conduct church services in the Malay language.

In an interview with a Kuching-based daily, The Borneo Post, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz (picture) said the word has been used traditionally in the two states and that the local Muslims are used to the practice.

The daily is circulated widely in the two Christian-majority states.

“Christians in Sarawak and Sabah need not worry over this issue because it is a common tradition there. I have been to an Iban church service and I heard the word “Allah” used there,” he reportedly said.

The “Allah” row started in 2007 after the Home Ministry invoked a 1986 Cabinet directive banning non-Muslims from using certain Arabic words when it refused to renew the publication permit of the Catholic tabloid, Herald.

The Catholic church later challenged the government’s decision and on Dec 31 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the Herald has the right to use the word “Allah” for its Malay edition.

Another legal battle over the word “Allah” is also expected, as a Sarawakian Christian, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill had earlier this week challenged the seizure of religious compact discs containing the word “Allah”, which took place in 2008 at the Sepang airport’s low cost carrier terminal.

Nazri’s pledge, which was front-paged by The Borneo Post today, comes just about one year before Sarawak is scheduled to have its state election.

The current state assembly’s term expires in mid-2011.

“Muslims here in Semenanjung cannot accept it as ‘Allah’ was never used in Christian preaching until recently and they questioned the motive behind the substitution of ‘Tuhan’ for ‘Allah’,” said Nazri in justifying the ban in the Peninsula.

“It is clearly stated in our constitution that no other religions can be propagated to Malay Muslims and this article has been enacted in all the states in Malaysia where the Sultan is the Head of State … so this excludes Federal Territory, Penang, Malacca, Sarawak and Sabah,” he added.

The daily also quoted Nazri to have said that the series of attacks against the houses of worship has proven that the government was right in its decision to restrict the use of the word.

“Banning the use of ‘Allah’ by Christians was a pre-emptive move to stop outbreaks of religious violence in the nation,” he reportedly said.

Nazri also drew a parallel between the “Allah” dispute and the ‘cow head protest’ in Shah Alam last year, against the relocation of a temple in the Selangor capital.

“Take for example, there is no law in the country that states stepping on a severed cow head is wrong but when a group of Malays did that in their protests against the building of a Hindu temple we hauled them up and charged them because that act was disrespectful to the Hindus,” he reportedly said.

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The Muslim extremists have shifted their target from churches to Sikh temple in protest for the usage of the term "Allah". A glass window of the entrance door of the Sikh Temple in Sentul here was found cracked late yesterday by a barrage of stones, making it the first non-Christian house of worship hit since the controversial landmark “Allah” ruling.




The stoning of the Sikh temple or gurdwara in Jalan Haji Salleh near the former Sentul Railway Yard comes a week before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib makes a three-day official visit to India on Jan 19 to meet his counterpart Manmohan Singh, a Sikh himself, and reflects the government’s struggle to contain the issue and keep it from spiraling out of control.

Recommended reading:
* Malaysian Churches Under Threat
* Allah and the misinformed Muslims
* Allah was used to refer to God by Arabic-speaking Christians before Arabic-speaking Muslims existed

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A reminder on the original term of "Allah". One thing for sure, Allah is an imported term to Malaysia.




The danger of paranoia — Gwynne Dyer

JAN 12 — In the late 1980s, when I was in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, a friend suggested that I drive out into the desert near Jubail to see the oldest extant Christian church in the world. And there it was, surrounded by a chain-link fence to keep casual visitors and foreign archaeologists out. Experts who saw the site before it was closed said that the church was built by Nestorian Christians, and was probably used from the 4th to the 9th century.

Its existence embarrassed the Saudi government, which prefers to believe that Arabia went straight from paganism to Islam. But it confirmed the assumption of most historians that Christianity was flourishing in the Arabian Peninsula in the centuries before the rise of Islam. So what did these Arabic-speaking Christians call God? “Allah”, of course.

I mention this because the High Court has struck down a three-year-old ban on non-Muslims using the word “Allah” when they speak of God in the Malay language. The decision was followed by firebomb attacks on three Christian churches in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday night. And last Friday, protesters at mosques in Kuala Lumpur carried placards reading “Allah is only for us”.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has condemned the attacks on the churches, but the Malaysian government is appealing against the High Court decision, and in the meantime, the ruling has been suspended.

“We...have the right to use the word ‘Allah’,” said Reverend Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Herald, the newspaper of the Catholic Church in Malaysia, whose use of the word in its Malay-language edition triggered the crisis. Parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang simply observed that “the term ‘Allah” was used to refer to God by Arabic-speaking Christians before Arabic-speaking Muslims existed’.

Of course it was. Arabic-speaking Christians predate the rise of Islam by 300 years, and what else were they going to call God? The word “Allah” is a contraction of the Arabic definite article al- and the noun ilah, which means God. In parts of ancient Arabia, it once referred to the creator-god (who was not the only god), but for a very long time it has meant the One God.

This Arabic word was imported into the Malay language by converts to Islam, which arrived in the region several centuries before Christianity. Ethnic Malays are Muslim, but there are numerous Malay speakers, especially in north Borneo, who are Christian and not ethnically Malay. They also use the word “Allah” for God.

What’s the harm in that? Why are Malaysia’s Muslims so paranoid? The real paranoia, alas, is ethnic.

Malaysia is an ethnic time-bomb that has turned itself into a peaceful and prosperous country by a huge effort of will. The original population was mostly Malay, but under British rule huge numbers of Indian and Chinese immigrants were imported to work in the mines and plantations. By independence, Malays were only 60 per cent of the population, and much poorer than the more recent arrivals. They resented the past, the present and the probable future.

After several bouts of anti-Chinese and anti-Indian rioting, the country arrived at its current, highly successful compromise. The Malays dominate politics, but the Chinese and the Indians thrive in trade and commerce — and most people understand that they are ultimately in the same boat, which is called Malaysia.

The state spends a lot of money to raise the living standards of the Malays, and gives them preference for university places and government jobs. They have not done badly out of this deal, but nevertheless they feel perpetually insecure. Since they are all Muslims, while few other Malaysians are, they also feel their religion is under threat. Some respond by being aggressively intolerant of minorities.

Not all Malays behave this way. Major Muslim organisations, including the Islamic political party Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), have agreed that the other “Abrahamic religions” — Christianity and Judaism — may call their God Allah in Malay. But the situation is getting ugly, and it is high time for the government to stop playing along with the extremists.

It should take a lesson from the early Muslims of Arabia. Both the archaeological and the textual evidence suggest that most Arabs in northern Arabia and along the Gulf coast had already been Christian for several centuries when Islam first appeared in the 7th century. They were swiftly conquered by Muslim armies, but they were not forcibly converted.

As in all early Islamic empires, Christians had to pay higher taxes, but they were allowed to keep their property and practise their religion. It is highly improbable that they were forced to change the word they used for God. They did gradually convert to Islam, but the last Christian churches in the region probably survived into the early 9th century.

The Christians, Hindus, animists and others who make up 40 per cent of Malaysia’s population pay higher taxes, in the sense that they subsidise the poorer Malay-Muslim majority. Few of them will ever convert to Islam, but they are not its enemy either. Malaysia has achieved a fragile but workable compromise that gives its people a good life. It should not endanger it so frivolously. — The Straits Times

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This post keep track on the chronology of threats to Malaysian Churches (and temples) beginning 2010 due to the dispute on the usage of "Allah" in a christian publication. Although Christians and Muslims in Malaysia enjoyed a harmonious relationship, there were “immature minds” out to cause havoc. Burning places of worship of others is wrong, not only in the eyes of the law but also in Islam. The spat of arson attacks on Malaysian churches could affect the business sector as foreigners might not want to invest in Malaysia. Attack tally so far: Churches: 9, Schools: 1, Temples: 1




Attack #11 - The St Elizabeth Catholic church in Kota Kecil, Johor near here was splashed with red paint early Thursday morning.

Attack #10 - A glass window of the entrance door of the Sikh Temple in Sentul (Jalan Haji Salleh) here was found cracked late Jan 12, 2009 by a barrage of stones, making it the first non-Christian house of worship hit since the controversial landmark “Allah” ruling.

Attack #9 - The entrance door of the Sidang Injil Borneo church in Seremban 2 was partially burnt in an arson attempt early Monday (11/01/2010), said Negri Sembilan Deputy CPO Datuk Abd Manan Mohd Hassan. It is the eighth church to be affected in the past three days.

Attack #8 - Kes terbaru turut membabitkan insiden vandalisme di Gereja Good Sheperd dekat Lutong Bazaar, kirakira 10km dari Miri, Sarawak, dua daripada tingkap kacanya pecah selepas dibaling bata hari ini (10/01/2010). UPDATES: The police claimed it is the work of teenage delinquents.

Attack #7 - The fourth attempted arson attack, at about 1am on Friday (08/01/2010), scarred the outside wall of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Jalan Othman, Petaling Jaya.

Attack #6 - The staircase leading to the All Saints' Church at Jalan Taming Sari, Taiping was slightly burned.

Attack #5 - Molotov cocktail thrown into the SMK Convent school along Jalan Convent, Taiping failed to explode.

Attack #4 - In Malacca, it was the Malacca Baptist Church in Durian Daun. Black paint was splashed on the outer wall of Malacca Baptist Church.

Attack #3 - On Jan 08, 2010, the Assumption Church in Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya come under arson attack.

Attack #2 - On Jan 08, 2010 the Life Chapel Church in Section 17, also in Petaling Jaya come under attempted arson attack. A Molotov cocktail was found at the porch of Life Chapel Church at 8.30am.

Attack #1 - On Jan 08, 2010, the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati was damaged after a group of youths threw flammable materials into the ground floor of the church located in a shoplot. No one was injured in the incident as the church was empty at that time.

Photo gallery on the attack to Malaysian churches




Attack on Good Shepherd Lutheran Church


Attack on Metro Tabernacle Church

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A letter from A Rahman, a muslim reader of MalaysiaKini on the current issue of "Allah". A Rahman feels that the protests over 'Allah' ruling is embarrassing to him and other fellow moderate Muslims in Malaysia.




I refer to the Malaysiakini report Home Ministry applies for stay on 'Allah' ruling.
I fail to understand the logic of some of my fellow Muslims protesting in Penang and the federal government's (our prime minister, the Prime Minister's Department, the home minister and home ministry) stand to appeal over the High Court's decision over this issue. Why should Muslims get 'heated up' ?

The reasons given were:

1. As quoted by Syed Hassan Syed Ali, secretary-general of Malay rights group Pribumi Perkasa: 'We fear that the court victory will mean that Christian missionaries will now use the word, confusing (the identity of) Muslims and undermining religious harmony.' This is the 'confusion theory' that has been given as a reason. There is also a claim by the federal government that it will threaten national security.

2. Due to this 'confusion', it seems we Muslims are not able to distinguish between the 'Allah' of the Christians or that of the Muslims.

Now, when we debate this matter, it has to be done with a sound mind and a clear understanding of whether the ban on the term 'Allah' was done fairly to us Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Consider the facts :

1. The word 'Allah' has been used by pre-Islamic Arabs for God. There is evidence that the word 'Allah' existed before the birth of Muhammad (PBUH) for thousands of years. It is probably the oldest name man used to call God. Prophet Muhammad's father's name was Abdullah (The slave of Allah). This name was common among the Arab pagans and Jews. Abdullah bin Salam was one of the first Jews to convert to Islam in Medina.

2. We know for a fact that the Arabic Christians still use the term 'Allah' for their God. The word Allah is used in all Arabic translations of the Bible.

3. Our Sarawak and Sabah non-Muslim indigenous people have been using the word 'Allah' for God since the 1800s. I have seen, via the Internet, an 1818 version of the Christian bible, with the words 'Allah'. I am not sure of its origins though but it makes use of the word 'Allah'.

4. Other religions too do make mention of 'Allah' as their God.

a. 'Allah' in Sikhismis one of the names by which Gurunanak Sahib refers to God.

b. 'Allah' in Hinduism

i. 'Allah' in Rigveda Book 2 Hymn 1 Verse 2. Even in the Rigveda which is the most sacred scripture of the Hindus, one of the attributes given to God Almighty in Book No 2 Hymn No 1 verse II, is 'Ila' which if pronounced properly is the same as 'Allah'.

ii. Allo Upanishad. Amongst the various Upanishads, one is named as 'Allo' Upanishad in which God is referred to as 'Allah' several times.

5. I remember too that in the Quran, it states that the Christians do call their God as 'Allah', This in Al-Qur'an 5:72-73.

I am not an Islamic scholar but claiming that the use of the word 'Allah' would confuse us Muslims is really rubbish and to go beyond to claim that it will threaten national security is preposterous. Are we so weak in our faith that we cannot differentiate and we would turn apostates easily just because of the works of some Christian missionaries using this word?

Do Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak get confused? Come on, this is an insult to us Muslims. Are we saying we do not have depth in our faith that we can simply convert out of Islam just because of this? Does our Islamic faith carry such teachings? Is this more of the work of Man rather than of Allah?

We do not need Islamic scholars to tell us this. True Muslims do not need the government and self-proclaimed champions such as these Muslim groups to protest on our behalf. Their very act of claiming to protect our faith shows how shallow-minded these people are - both the protesters and the government.

They seem to capitalise on the political aspect of the situation rather than championing for the true cause of Islam. I'm not sure whether these protestors themselves understand the logic of why they are protesting. This is embarrassing us Muslims - not protecting our Islamic interests.

I shared this news with a few of my old Muslim friends overseas in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Indonesia and Jordan via e-mail. They could not even believe me when I told them that the Malaysian government bans the use of this word and that some Islamic groups protested in support. They thought I was joking!

We should observe fair administration due to the fact that many of our ministers and department heads are Muslims. We should have treated the non-Muslims fairly as well. The government has confiscated 15,000 Malay bibles of the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak even though the word 'Allah' has been in use since 1800s.

This news has been published throughout the world. We impose and claim exclusiveness on the word 'Allah' when such as act is not even found in our Islamic faith while our Holy Quran even says that Christians do, in fact, use the word 'Allah'. Is this how Muslim leaders act? Is this called fairness to the peoples of other faiths?

You know what is the talk of the town now? That the court of appeal will override the high court decision. This is already expected by the man-on-the-street. So predictable that many of my non-Muslim friends are betting on the odds that it will be overturned. This makes our court of appeal a 'kangaroo court'. Is this how the people should think of our government - of which the majority of leaders are Muslims ?

We talk so much about this '1Malaysia' and 'People First' (Rakyat di Dahulukan). Looks like this is just more empty talk. We are back to square one as far as the man on the street is concerned . The Muslim leaders in the government and some self-proclaimed 'champions of Islam' are the ones giving Islam a bad name, sad to say.

All I am saying is let us put this issue to rest with the high court's decision and let us move on as Malaysians. If this issue of using the word 'Allah' by any other religion is not prohibited by any our Islamic teachings as spelled out in the Holy Quran and the Hadith, then what is the fuss by some misinformed Muslims?

Further appeals and counter-appeals would do more damage to the nation's reputation in the eyes of the international community and to the unity of the various races of different creed within Malaysia. To the prime minister and the home minister, shouldn't the government act like true and just Muslim leaders and spend more time rectifying the economic situation rather than appealing over this issue?

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The Herald, the Catholic weekly newsletter which had its 2010 publishing permit approved in August, is in a bind as it has received another letter stating its application has not been approved.




The Herald editor Father Andrew Lawrence said they received a second letter in September informing them of the latest development.

“The letter from the publishing division of the Home Ministry, dated Sept 5, also wants us to make an application for the refund of RM800 for the weekly permit which we had paid.

“We had, on Aug 3, received a letter stating the ministry had approved our permit for 2010 and even allowed us to print in four out of the five languages we had requested,” he said, adding that they were not allowed to print the newsletter in the KadazanDusun language.

He said the September letter did not state if their earlier approval had been cancelled or rescinded by the ministry.

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The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) has now banned the Indonesian song 'Allah Peduli' (Allah Cares) because of the word Allah in its lyrics.

MAIS chairman Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa said today the song by Indonesian singer Agnes Monica used the word 'Allah' when referring to Jesus Christ and anyone found playing the song can be fined up to RM1,000 under the Non-Muslim Religious Enactment 1988.

Mohamad Adzib said the word "Allah" was repeatedly used in the song and the lyrics ended with words "Tak akan pernah dibiarkannya ku bergumul sendiri sebab Allah Yeses ku mengerti."
He said under the enactment, action can be taken against non-Muslims for using 'Allah' to describe their God.




This latest move comes just a day after MAIS threatened legal action against the Bar Council for conducting two online polls on the usage of 'Allah' for non-Muslims, under the same enactment .

It was reported that the council was consulting their legal advisers on the appropriate action to take against the Bar Council.

Mohamad Adzib said the ban is in place to prevent Muslims from being confused.

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Beside Syed Hamid, PAS is welcome to copyright the word "Allah". However, “Allah” is an Arabic word for God. And the only people to have the right to ban the usage of the word "Allah" among non-Muslim is the Arab. Not PAS, not Syed Hamid, not UMNO and not JAKIM.




From MalaysianInsider

Pas lawmakers divided over who is allowed to use the word “Allah”

By Adib Zalkapli

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 5 — The heated debate in Parliament today over the the usage of the word “Allah” showed a division within Pas as some of the Islamist party MPs explicitly supported the use of the word by non-Muslims.

During his winding-up speech for the motion of thanks to the King, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reiterated the government’s stand that the word Allah cannot be used by non-Muslims, citing state enactments and gazetted decrees by Islamic authorities.

The matter was brought up by Sri Gading MP Datuk Mohamad Aziz who said that the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims was an attempt to insult Islam.

Kuala Selangor MP Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad of Pas later cited the Quran to show how the word “Allah” was used by the non-Muslims.

He was supported by another Pas lawmaker Shah Alam’s Khalid Samad, who argued that the word “Allah” is Arabic for God.

Zahid then asked the duo whether it was the official stand of the Islamist party, to which Khalid said it was the decision made by the party’s Islamic scholars’ wing.

Baling MP Taib Azamudin, however, disagreed with his party colleagues saying that he was more interested to defend the sanctity of Islam.

“It is illogical to argue based on the language point of view, others cannot use the word ‘Allah’,” said Taib.

In his reply, Zahid said Taib’s stand on the matter is consistent with the government’s.

“What was said by Baling is the stand of the government of Malaysia, it is the stand of Jakim (Islamic Development Department),” said the de facto Islamic Affairs minister.

The use of the word Allah by non-Muslims has been a contentious issue in Malaysia after the Catholic weekly, The Herald, challenged the government’s directive banning the publication from using the word “Allah”.

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An interesting article about the usage of the word "Allah". The term ‘Allah’ has been used by Coptic (Arab) Christians long before the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born. Coptic Christians are part of the wider Roman Catholic church.

Hence it is insulting to Roman Catholics and other major Christian denominations when a later cousin in faith comes along and claims ‘Allah’ - the universal Arabic word for God - as their own.

The term ‘Allah’ is not being used as some secret Trojan horse by Christians to convert Muslims. Let us be clear about that. There is no secret conspiracy or plot to convert Muslims here.

Even the Muslim Arabs doesn't mind non-muslim use the word Allah. If there is any people in this world who want to copyright or ban the usage of the word Allah, it should be the Muslim Arab. Not Malaysian Muslim (who happen to convert to Muslim only a few hundred years ago).




Beza Antara Merebut Nama Allah Dan Mempertahankan Akidah

Isu dalam artikel ini telah ditulis oleh Dr Mohd Asri Bin Zainul Abidin setahun yang lalu. Dicadangkan untuk pembacaan.

Banyak pihak mendesak saya memberikan pandangan tentang penggunaan nama Allah oleh agama lain khususnya agama Kristian di Malaysia ini. Pada awalnya, saya selalu mengelak, cuma memberikan pandangan ringkas dengan berkata: “Isu ini bukan isu nas Islam, ianya lebih bersifat pentadbiran atau tempatan.

Peraturan ini mungkin atas alasan-alasan setempat seperti kenapa sekarang baru ditimbulkan isu ini? Kenapa hanya Bible dalam bahasa melayu sahaja yang hendak menggunakan panggilan Allah, tidak pula edisi inggerisnya? Adakah di sana ada agenda tersembunyi? Maka wujudnya tanda soal dan beberapa prasangka yang mungkin ada asasnya. Maka lahirlah kebimbangan terhadap kesan yang bakal timbul dari isu itu nanti.

Namun, akhir-akhir ini saya terus didesak. Saya kata: jika anda hendak tahu pendirian Islam bukanlah dengan falsafah-falsafah tentang akar bahasa itu dan ini yang diutamakan. Rujuk terdahulu apa kata al-Quran dan al-Sunnah. Lepas itu kita bincang hukum berkenaan bertitik tolak dari kedua sumber tersebut.

Kadang-kala kesilapan kita dalam mempertahankan perkara yang tidak begitu penting, boleh melupakan kita kepada isu yang lebih penting. Isu yang terpenting bagi saya adalah kefahaman mengenai keadilan dan kerahmatan Islam yang mesti sampai kepada setiap rakyat negara ini, muslim atau bukan muslim. Supaya gambaran negatif yang salah terhadap Islam dapat dikikis dari minda mereka yang keliru.

Di samping itu, hendaklah kita jelas bahawa yang membezakan akidah Islam dan selainnya bukanlah pada sebutan, atau rebutan nama Allah, sebaliknya pada ketulusan tauhid dan penafian segala unsur syirik. Di samping, kita mesti bertanya diri kita: mengapakah kita sentiasa merasakan kita akan menjadi pihak yang tewas jika orang lain memanggil tuhan Allah? Mengapakah kita tidak merasakan itu akan lebih memudahkan kita menyampaikan kepada mereka tentang akidah Islam?. Maka, apakah isu ini bertitik tolak dari nas-nas Islam, atau kebimbangan disebabkan kelemahan diri umat Islam itu sendiri?

Jika kita membaca Al-Quran, kita dapati ia menceritakan golongan musyrikin yang menentang Nabi Muhammad s.a.w juga menyebut nama Allah dan al-Quran tidak membantah mereka, bahkan itu dijadikan landasan untuk memasukkan akidah Islam yang sebenar.

Firman Allah: (maksudnya) “Dan Demi sesungguhnya! jika engkau (Wahai Muhammad) bertanya kepada mereka: “Siapakah yang menciptakan mereka?” sudah tentu mereka akan menjawab: “Allah!”. (jika demikian) maka bagaimana mereka rela dipesongkan? Dan (Dia lah Tuhan Yang mengetahui rayuan Nabi Muhammad) yang berkata: Wahai Tuhanku! Sesungguhnya mereka ini adalah satu kaum yang tidak mahu beriman!” (Surah al-Zukhruf ayat 87-88).

Firman Allah dalam ayat yang lain: (maksudnya) “Dan sesungguhnya jika engkau (Wahai Muhammad) bertanya kepada mereka (yang musyrik) itu: “siapakah yang menurunkan hujan dari langit, lalu dia hidupkan dengannya tumbuh-tumbuhan di bumi sesudah matinya?” sudah tentu mereka akan menjawab: “Allah”. Ucapkanlah (Wahai Muhammad): “Alhamdulillah” (sebagai bersyukur disebabkan pengakuan mereka yang demikian), bahkan kebanyakan mereka tidak menggunakan akal (untuk memahami tauhid) (Surah al-Ankabut ayat 63).

Ayat-ayat ini, bahkan ada beberapa yang lain lagi menunjukkan al-Quran tidak membantahkan golongan bukan muslim menyebut Allah sebagai Pencipta Yang Maha Agung. Bahkan Nabi Muhammad s.a.w disuruh untuk mengucapkan kesyukuran kerana mereka mengakui Allah. Apa yang dibantah dalam ayat-ayat ini bukanlah sebutan nama Allah yang mereka lafazkan, sebaliknya ketidak tulusan tauhid yang menyebabkan akidah terhadap Allah itu dipesongkan atau bercampur syirik.

Justeru, soal bukan muslim mengakui Allah tidak dibantah oleh Islam, bahkan kita disuruh bersyukur kerana pengakuan itu. Cuma yang dibantah ialah kesyirikan mereka. Umpamanya, jika kita mendengar bukan muslim menyebut “Allah yang menurunkan hujan, atau menumbuhkan tumbuhan”, maka kita tentu gembira kerana dia mengakui kebesaran Allah.

Apakah patut kita kata kepadanya: awak jangan kata Allah yang menurunkan hujan, atau mencipta itu dan ini, awak tidak boleh kata demikian kerana awak bukan muslim, sebaliknya awak kena kata tokong awak yang menurun hujan”. Apakah ini tindakan yang betul? Tidakkah itu menjauhkan dia dari daerah ketuhanan yang sebenar? Kita sepatutnya berusaha mendekatkan dia kepada ajaran yang benar. Namun, jika dia berkata: “Tokong ini adalah Allah”. Saya kata: “Awak dusta, itu tidak benar! Maha suci Allah dari dakwaan awak”.

Maka, ketika Allah menceritakan peranan peperangan dalam mempertahankan keamanan dan kesejahteraan manusia,

Allah menyebut: (maksudnya) “..dan kalaulah Allah tidak mendorong setengah manusia menentang (pencerobohan) setengah yang lain, nescaya runtuhlah tempat-tempat pertapaan serta gereja-gereja (kaum Nasrani), dan tempat-tempat sembahyang (kaum Yahudi), dan juga masjid-masjid (orang Islam) yang sentiasa disebut nama Allah banyak-banyak dalam semua tempat itu dan sesungguhnya Allah akan menolong sesiapa yang menolong ugamanya (ugama Islam); Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Kuat, lagi Maha Perkasa. (Surah al-Hajj ayat 40).

Ayat ini mengakui tempat-tempat ibadah itu disebut nama Allah. Adapun berhubung dengan orang Kristian,

Allah menyebut: (maksudnya) “Sesungguhnya telah kafirlah mereka yang berkata: “Bahawasanya Allah ialah salah satu dari yang tiga (triniti)”. padahal tiada tuhan (yang berhak disembah) melainkan Tuhan Yang Maha Esa..(Surah al-Maidah ayat 73).

Ayat ini tidak membantah mereka menyebut Allah, tetapi yang dibantah adalah dakwaan bahawa Allah adalah satu dari yang tiga.

Justeru itu kita lihat, orang-orang Kristian Arab memang memakai perkataan Allah dalam Bible mereka, juga buku-buku doa mereka. Tiada siapa pun di kalangan para ulama kaum muslimin sejak dahulu yang membantahnya. Jika ada bantahan di Malaysia, saya fikir ini mungkin atas alasan-alasan setempat yang saya sebutkan pada awal tadi. Cuma yang diharapkan, janganlah bantahan itu akhirnya memandulkan dakwah Islam dan menjadikan orang salah faham terhadap agama suci ini.

Saya selalu bertanya sehingga bilakah kita di Malaysia ini akan begitu defensive, tidak memiliki anti-bodi dan tidak mahu berusaha menguatkannya dalam diri? Akhirnya, kita terus bimbang dan takut kepada setiap yang melintas. Padahal itu bukan sifat Islam. Islam agama yang ke hadapan, misi dan intinya sentiasa disebarkan.

Sehingga Allah menyebut: (maksudnya):“Dan jika seseorang dari kalangan musyrikin meminta perlindungan kepadamu, maka berilah perlindungan kepadanya sehingga dia sempat mendengar keterangan-keterangan Allah (tentang hakikat Islam itu), kemudian hantarlah dia ke tempat yang selamat. Demikian itu (perintah tersebut) ialah kerana mereka itu kaum yang tidak mengetahui (hakikat Islam). (Surah al-Taubah ayat 6).

Ada orang tertentu yang berkata kepada saya: nanti orang Islam keliru kerana sebutan nama Allah itu sama antara mereka dan Islam. Lalu rosak akidah orang Islam kita nanti. Saya berkata kepadanya: “Jikalaulah sebutan nama tuhan itulah yang menentukan akidah Islam, tentulah golongan musyrikin Mekah tidak memerlukan akidah yang dibawa oleh Nabi s.a.w. Mereka telah sekian lama memanggil tuhan dengan panggilan Allah.

Lihatlah bapa Nabi kita Muhammad bernama ‘Abdullah yang bermaksud hamba Allah. Tentu sekali bapa baginda lahir pada zaman jahiliah sebelum kemunculan baginda sebagai rasul. Nama itu dipilih oleh datuk Abdul Muttalib yang menjadi pemimpin Quraish pada zaman dahulu. Quraish pada zaman jahiliah juga bertawaf dengan menyebut: LabbaikalLahhumma yang bermaksud: Menyahut seruanMu ya Allah!

Al-Imam Muslim dalam sahihnya meriwayatkan hadis mengenai perjanjian Hudaibiah antara Nabi s.a.w dengan Quraish Mekah, seperti berikut:

“Sesungguhnya Quraish membuat perjanjian damai dengan Nabi s.a.w. Antara wakil Quraish ialah Suhail bin ‘Amr. Sabda Nabi s.a.w : barangkali aku boleh tulis Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Kata Suhail: Adapun Bismillah (dengan nama Allah), maka kami tidak tahu apa itu Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Maka tulislah apa yang kami tahu iaitu BismikalLahumma (dengan namaMu Ya Allah!)”. Dalam riwayat al-Bukhari, Nabi s.a.w menerima bantahan tersebut. Ternyata mereka menggunakan nama Allah.

Maka yang membezakan akidah Islam dan selainnya adalah tauhid yang tulus yang menentang segala unsur syirik. Ketidak jelasan dalam persoalan inilah yang menggugat akidah jenerasi kita. Mereka yang berakidah dengan akidah Islam sangat sensitif kepada sebarang unsur syirk agar tidak menyentuh akidahnya. Bukan semua yang mengakui Allah akan dianggap beriman dengan iman yang sah selagi dia tidak membersihkan diri dari segala unsur syirik.

Lihat, betapa ramai yang memakai serban dan jubah, berzikir sakan tetapi dalam masa yang sama menyembah kubur-kubur tok wali tertentu dengan cara menyeru dan merintih pemohonan darinya. Ini yang dilakukan oleh sesetengah tarekat yang sesat. Apa beza mereka ini dengan yang memanggil nama-nama berhala yang asalnya dari nama orang-orang saleh juga, yang mati pada zaman dahulu.

Firman Allah: (maksudnya) Ingatlah! Untuk Allah agama yang suci bersih (dari segala rupa syirik). dan orang-orang musyrik yang mengambil selain dari Allah untuk menjadi pelindung (sambil berkata): “Kami tidak menyembah mereka melainkan supaya mereka mendekatkan kami kepada Allah sehampir-hampirnya. Sesungguhnya Allah akan menghukum antara mereka tentang apa yang mereka berselisihan padanya. Sesungguhnya Allah tidak memberi hidayah petunjuk kepada orang-orang yang tetap berdusta (mengatakan Yang bukan-bukan), lagi sentiasa kufur (dengan melakukan syirik). (Surah al-Zumar ayat 3).

Di Malaysia kita pun ada yang memakai gelaran agama menentang pengajaran tauhid rububiyyah, uluhiyyah, asma dan sifat. Mereka ini menyimpan agenda musuh-musuh dakwah. Padahal pengajaran tauhid yang sedemikianlah yang mampu menjadikan muslim memahami dengan mudah hakikat tauhid. Mampu membezakan antara; sekadar mempercayai kewujudan Allah dengan mentauhidkan Allah dalam zatNya, ibadah kepadaNya dan sifat-sifatNya.

Persoalan tauhid anti syirik ini begitu mudah dan ringkas untuk memahaminya. Nabi s.a.w telah menyebarkannya dengan begitu pantas dan mudah. Seorang badawi buta huruf yang datang berjumpa baginda mampu memahami hanya dalam beberapa sessi ringkas. Bahkan mampu pulang dan mengislamkan seluruh kaumnya dengan akidah yang teguh. Namun, di kalangan kita, pengajaran akidah yang dinamakan ilmu kalam begitu berfalsafah dan menyusahkan.

Bukan sahaja badwi, orang universiti pun susah nak faham. Sehingga seseorang bukan bertambah iman, tetapi bertambah serabut. Bertahun-tahun masih dalam kesamaran. Diajar Allah ada, lawannya tiada, dengar lawannya pekak, lihat lawannya buta..lalu ditokok tambah dengan falsafah-falsafah dan konsep-konsep yang menyusahkan. Padahal penganut agama lain juga menyatakan tuhan itu ada, melihat, tidak buta, mendengar, tidak pekak dan seterusnya. Apa bezanya jika sekadar memahami perkara tersebut cuma?

Maka anak-anak orang Islam kita gagal memahami hakikat tauhid anti-syirik yang sebenar. Padahal ianya begitu mudah semudah memahami kalimah-kalimah akidah dalam surah al-Ikhlas yang ringkas. Kata Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi: “Tambahan pula, perbahasan ilmu kalam, sekalipun mendalam dan kepenatan akal untuk memahami dan menguasainya, ia bukannya akidah…Lebih daripada itu perbahasan ilmu kalam telah terpengaruh dengan pemikiran Yunan dan cara Yunan dalam menyelesaikan masalah akidah. Justeru itu imam-imam salaf mengutuk ilmu kalam dan ahlinya serta berkeras terhadap mereka” (Al-Qaradawi, Thaqafah al-Da’iyah, m.s. 92 Beirut: Muassasah al-Risalat). Dahulu kelemahan ini mungkin tidak dirasa, tetapi apabila kita hidup dalam dunia persaingan, kita mula menderitai kesannya.

Jika akidah jenerasi kita jelas, apakah mereka boleh keliru antara ajaran Islam dan Kristian? Adakah mereka tidak tahu beza antara ajaran yang menyebut tuhan bapa, tuhan anak dan ruhul qudus dengan akidah Islam yang anti-syirik, hanya disebabkan adanya sebutan Allah? Begitu jauh sekali perbezaan itu! Bagaimana mungkin sehingga mereka tidak dapat membezakan antara malam dan siang? Apakah juga nanti kita tidak membenarkan pihak lain menyebut nama nabi Ibrahim, Ishak, Ya’kub, Daud dan lain-lain kerana budak-budak kita akan keliru lagi. Akidah apakah yang mereka belajar selama ini di KAFA, JQAF dan berbagai lagi sehingga begitu corot. Kalau begitu, sama ada sukatan itu lemah, atau tenaga pengajarnya perlu dibetulkan.

Maka sebenarnya, isu ini adalah isu kelemahan kita umat Islam dalam memahami akidah yang sebenar. Jenerasi kita tidak mempunyai benteng akidah yang kukuh. Lalu kita semua bimbang mereka keliru dengan akidah orang lain. Untuk mengatasi masalah ini, kita cuba mengambil pendekatan undang-undang. Agar dengan halangan undang-undang, kelemahan akidah generasi kita dapat dipertahankan.

Persoalan yang patut kita fikirkan, sehingga bilakah kita akan mampu terus hidup hanya berbekalkan oksigen dari saluran undang-undang sehingga kita yang majoriti, dengan segala peruntukan yang ada; TV, radio, berbagai-bagai institusi dan agensi yang dilindungi, masih takut kepada gerakan minoriti? Di manakah kehebatan Islam yang selalu kita sebut dan ceritakan sejarah kegemilangannya? Atau sebenarnya, kita tidak memiliki Islam seperti hari ia diturunkan? Maka kempen Islam kita selalu tidak berkesan.

Bagi saya, bukan soal nama Allah itu yang terlalu perlu untuk direbut atau dijadikan agenda besar. Tetapi, gerakan membina semula akidah yang sejahtera dan memahamkan generasi kita wajah Islam yang sebenar agar mampu bersaing dan menghadapi cabaran zaman.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Malaysia to restore 'Allah' ban for Christians

By EILEEN NG – 1 day ago

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Malaysian government will issue a new decree restoring a ban on Christian publications using the word "Allah" to refer to God, officials said Sunday.

Home Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar said a previous Feb. 16 decree that allowed Christian publications to use the word as long as they specified the material was not for Muslims was a mistake, the national Bernama news agency reported.

The about-turn came after Islamic groups slammed the government and warned that even conditional use of the word by Christians would anger Muslims, who make up the country's majority.

A senior ministry official confirmed Syed Hamid's comments, saying there were "interpretation mistakes" in the Feb. 16 decree that led to the confusion.

"'Allah' cannot be used for other religions except Islam because it might confuse Muslims. This is the ministry's stand and it hasn't changed," the official, who declined to be named citing protocol, told The Associated Press.

The official said the ministry was likely to issue a new decree to annul the old one and effectively re-impose the ban.

The dispute has become symbolic of increasing religious tensions in Malaysia, where 60 percent of the 27 million people are Muslim Malays. A third of the population is ethnic Chinese and Indian, and many of them practice Christianity.

Malaysia's minorities have often complained that their constitutional right to practice their religions freely has come under threat from the Malay Muslim-dominated government. They cite destruction of Hindu temples and conversion disputes as examples. The government denies any discrimination.

The Herald, the Roman Catholic Church's main newspaper in the country, had filed a legal suit to challenge the government ban on non-Muslims using the word.

The Herald argued that the Arabic word is a common reference for God that predates Islam and has been used for centuries as a translation in Malay.

Rev. Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Herald, said Sunday the publication had not been notified of the government's change in policy.

"Unfortunately the apparent relief that we imagined we were able to enjoy has been short-lived," he said.


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For the past few days, reports on the issue of anti-Islam, anti-Muslim, anti-Prophet Mohammad, blogger insulting the Muslim and even anti-Hindu has been sketchy due to absent of facts from the authority (read: the Police or the Home Ministry). Maybe they are still in cuti-cuti mood, huh.

What exactly is Bigotry Of Islamophobia

How it all started

Apparently, a particular blogger decided to do some research on a sensitive topic, i.e. negativity of a faith and posted an article with detailed compilation including link(s) to offensive images and videos. Many have the opinions that the blogger shouldn't posted that kind of material in the first place even though those texts, quotes, links are not his but a work of compilation (or copy pasting).

That particular blogger is now in an awkward position to say that the sensitive article does not come from the horse mouth or his mouth. His work of compilation is the word of his mouth.

Anyway, all the compiled contents are actually not new. It has been in the Internet since DAY 1. It just happened that the blogger compiled it, posted it, his blog got a sudden surge of traffics and BOOOOM, too many readers came across the post (include those offended) and the things became an issue. That blogger is suddenly in the limelight (or sudden fame) but maybe on the wrong circumstances until he proved otherwise.

Who started the fire

The mentioned blog is addressed at surind dot blogspot dot com. One of his article titled "The Hajj: The Most Shameful Journey in History?" despite being edited multiple times, has been kicking up a big storm. For the original post, check out their archived content extracted from Google Cache. Due to the nature of the post, he is receiving flakes from both sides and there is even a police report lodged against him. Obviously there are three parties looking at his articles, 1) his supporters 2) the offended Muslims and the 3) neutral Malaysians who think that his post is too extreme and provocative.

Who fueled the fire

When there is fire, there is smoke. Obviously, Malaysia do have their own band of Muslim Champions who are watchful over this issue. Of those champions is Zainol Abideen a.k.a MAHAGURU58. He has lodged a police report against Surind. Zainol also claimed that he is a peace loving Malaysian Muslim but still called non-Muslims as Al Kafirin dan Munafiqin.

Who try to calm down the storm

Some bloggers like the The Might Of The Pen (TMOTP) tried to calm the situation by advising Surind to take a step back but at the same time, TMOTP also lambasted MAHAGURU58 as being a Kafir.

Religious issues being politicized

Meanwhile, the Opposition Group (or Pakatan Rakyat) take the opportunity to blast the authority namely, the Home Minister, Information Minister and MCMC for being too slow (read: tardy, siput) in taking action and nipped the problem earlier.

Lim Kit Siang commented that "While all right-thinking Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, agree that stern action should be taken against those responsible for the blog which insults Prophet Mohammad, many are asking why the authorities have been so tardy and laid-back in acting when complaint was first made many weeks ago." Read more at his post ... Anti-Prophet Mohammad blog - Hamid, Shabery, MCMC should explain why so tardy in taking action

Blame it on Malaysia poor education system and close minded mentality

Another long standing problem with Malaysian is their poor patience in dealing with criticism and provocation, especially when it concerned insulting and ridiculing Islam. This is largely due to Malaysia poor education system.

In addition, if the extremists or our authority for that matter really want to show their power, they should consider closing down the following sites (run by non-Malaysian), if they can.
* Pedestrian Infidel -- Anti-Islam
* The Root of All Evil? - Human better off without God
* The Enemies of Reason - Science rules
* Islam Watch - Telling truth about Islam, or is it

What is faith

"We may define "faith" as the firm belief in something for which there is no evidence. Where there is evidence, no one speaks of "faith." We do not speak of faith that two and two are four or that the earth is round. We only speak of faith when we wish to substitute emotion for evidence." - Bertrand Russell

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A good advice from Perak Mufti, "Be sensitive to other religions". We just hope that there are more Muslim like him. In addition, it would be great if other fanatic Muslim in Malaysia have equally fair view on other religions. After all, there is only one Earth and like it or not, we all are stuck in one planet and we are neighbors.

From TheStar

Mufti: Respect other faiths
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: Islam does not teach its followers to look down on other religions and their believers, but respect those of other faiths, says Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Harussani Zakaria.

Dr Harussani, a recipient of this year’s Tokoh Maal Hijrah award, said:

“We do not condemn Jesus because he, too, is a prophet in Islam. Neither do we destroy the many temples and places of worship because our religion refrains us from doing so.”

He said religious and racial tolerance has been Malaysia’s strength and unique quality for the past 50 years, adding that if the country wanted to prosper, such a trait must be maintained.

“The rest of the world has always looked at Malaysia as an example where this is concerned,” he said when asked to comment on the existence of a blog that insulted Prophet Muhammad.

He said the racial and religious harmony enjoyed by Malaysians would end if irresponsible parties stopped being sensitive towards other people’s beliefs.

Dr Harussani, 69, said such actions would spark religious tensions as no one would tolerate it if their religion was to be condemned.

“This kind of behaviour is rude and uncalled for. I liken it to someone greeting another kindly but getting slapped or shouted at in return. Sooner or later, the person who greets will stop greeting and will retaliate,” he said yesterday.

Dr Harussani has often been criticised for being too frank, but he continued to speak what he felt was right.

“Sometimes, the truth hurts and can be rather bitter to stomach. But I cannot say otherwise because what is hak (right) is hak and what is wrong is wrong.

“I will continue to point out the wrong because it is my duty to do so, not only as a mufti but also as a Muslim,” he said.

For winning the Tokoh Maal Hijrah award, which is presented annually in conjunction with the Maal Hijrah celebration, he received RM100,000 from the Federal Government, RM20,000 from the Ubaidi Foundation, and a plaque and a gold medal from the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah of Kedah.

Dr Harussani said the honour would encourage him to work harder, especially in getting those of other beliefs to understand Islam better.

“I am grateful and the recognition has humbled me. It has also given me new strength to continue with what I do because there are times when one feels that one is unappreciated,” he added.

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Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, Foreign Minister said that Malaysia had agreed to be at the forefront of an international effort and to work with the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to play a more positive role in the effort to fight "Islamophobia", or Anti-Muslim.

While I can applaud the move, I am reserve (skeptical) about Malaysia's intention. I mean, Malaysia want to take the lead in convincing the world not to fear Islam but on home ground, Islam is everything and non-Muslim in Malaysia are in fact dreaded the rules of Islam.

From TheStar

KL to fight ‘Islamophobia’

By FOO YEE PING

NEW YORK: Malaysia has pledged to be at the forefront of an international effort to fight “Islamophobia”.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said that Malaysia had agreed to work with the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to play a more positive role in the effort.

To counter the “illogical” portrayals of Islam, he said an international forum would be held early next year in the United States to be attended by the heads of government, scholars and representatives from organisations linked with religious tolerance.

Briefing Malaysian journalists here on Wednesday of his meeting with OIC secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsa-noglu, Dr Rais said there should be a more accurate portrayal of the religion.

The minister, who is leading Malaysia’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly here, said the OIC had expressed the need for Malaysia’s involvement in the effort.

“If we, as a member nation of the OIC, do not give our co-operation, then we would be failing as a member of the OIC,” he added.

Dr Rais said the United States was picked to host the forum because of “the diverse views of religions here.”

“This is also where Sept 11 took place,” he said, referring to the terrorist attacks here in 2001.

He also hoped that the forum would open a new window to better understanding of civilisation, adding that he would present a report to the Cabinet on the plans for the forum.

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I stumbled upon Raja Petra Kamarudin archived post on the above mentioned subject. Indirectly, RPK is mentioning that the Malay (especially those UMNO members) are jittery when it come to religion or when non-Malay criticized Islamic teaching.

It seems that only the Malay can criticized non-Malay of being racist or for disagreeing with certain policies that involved Islamic rules. Non-Malay are expected to keep their mouth shut on Malay rights or issues and Islamic issues.

By the end of his post, RPK is concluding that the Malay are more concerned of Islam understanding than bothering about social ills (that coincidentally affecting the Malays themselves).

If this continue, the Malays will sucks like the Arab sucks.

DID YOU KNOW:
* There are at least 150 million Muslim in China today.
* Islam was established in China in 651, 20 years after the death of prophet Muhammad (when Malaya and Malay Archipelagos are still jungles and the inhibitors are monkey, elephants and tigers).


Freedom of religion


Church and mosque co-exist, in Egypt.





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Source: malaysia-today.net/blog2006/holds.php?itemid=7989

Get me to the church on time

By Raja Petra Kamarudin

I’m getting married in the mornin’!
Ding dong! The bells are gonna chime.
Pull out the stopper!
Let’s have a whopper!
But get me to the church on time!

Get Me To the Church On Time: music by Frederick Loewe; lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner.

My mother’s name is Barbara Mabel Parnell. A couple of years after World War II she became a Muslim and adopted the ‘Muslim’ name Bariah Kamarudin. Kamarudin is of course my father’s name while the ‘maiden’ name Bariah was suggested by Tengku Ampuan Bariah Terengganu who was in England then with the late Sultan of Terengganu (then the Raja Muda of Terengganu) and father to Malaysia’s current Agong. You could say Tengku Ampuan Bariah Terengganu, who is my father’s cousin, ‘named’ my mother (and they have the cheek to say I would have the gall to insult the Agong who is sort of my second-cousin by marriage).

About 25 years or so later, my wife too became a Muslim. She was informed by the then Grand Imam of the National Mosque (Masjid Negara) that she can retain her original name, Mable James Anthony Lee. The wife of Raja Adnan Raja Abdullah, the one-time Deputy Director of the Special Branch and my brother’s father-in-law, suggested my wife take a ‘Muslim’ name and she proposed the name Marina. So my wife became Marina Lee @ Mable James Anthony Lee.

My sister, Norita, married an Englishman but he retained his English name when he converted to Islam in front of Pak Abas, my Tok Guru from Terengganu who is also one of the PAS grassroots leaders and the ‘strongman’ of Kampong Kolam in Kuala Ibai, a PAS stronghold on the outskirts of Kuala Terengganu which Umno has never been able to conquer.

When my mother first stepped foot in Malaysia a year before Merdeka, my father’s relatives were delighted that my father had married a ‘Mem’, a novelty in those days, and that she had ‘masuk Melayu’. My mother would indignantly correct them by saying that she ‘masuk Islam’, not ‘masuk Melayu’. She had become a Muslim, not a Malay, and she was proud of her Welsh heritage.

Malays have this misconception that if you become a Muslim then you have become a Malay. And they would refer to converts as mualaf, in particular Chinese converts. It is peculiar they do not regard Indian converts as mualaf but Indian Muslims. Why are Chinese mualaf while Indians are Indian Muslims and Caucasians ‘masuk Melayu’? Did I not say that the Malay mind is a very weird thing?

I made about nine or ten trips to China from the early- to mid-1990s and have toured the remotest parts of China where Malaysians have never been before. Some parts of China that I visited the people there have never seen a Malaysian in their entire life or know where Malaysia is (and they were surprised that Malaysians look like Mat Salleh). And there are many Muslim restaurants even in these remotest parts of China so food, therefore, was no problem.

There are probably around 110 million or so Muslims in China spread out all over the country with the majority in the four autonomous regions. Beijing has a whole street of Muslim restaurants and the variety is so exciting because it is almost like a gourmet’s United Nations. In the rural areas the choices are not that varied and it is very difficult to detect which are halal restaurants and which are not. But if you ask the locals they will be very happy to point to the right restaurant and only on entering the restaurant will you know that they are Muslim-owned from the verses of the Quran adorning the wall.

The oldest mosque in China is in Canton which was built 100 years after the birth of Islam. On the outside the mosque looks like a Chinese temple complete with moon-gate entrance and all; but once inside there is no mistaking that it is a mosque.

What awed me was that the Muslims I met speak Arabic and when I told them that I do not speak Arabic they were very surprised. They asked me whether I can read the Quran and when I replied that I most certainly can they were perplexed. They wanted to know how I can read the Quran when I do not speak Arabic. And when I replied that I am just like 99% other Malaysian Muslims who read the Quran without being able to speak Arabic, they shook their heads in disbelief at this demonstration of Malaysia Boleh.

Yes, Chinese Muslims are mualaf as far as Malays are concerned. But the Chinese were already Muslims 700 years or so before the Malays when the Malays were still Hindus, Buddhists or worshipped trees in the jungles. And the Chinese Muslims speak Arabic while most Malays, save a handful, do not. And Malays look down on Chinese Muslims as second-class Muslims. Much the Malays do not know outside their very small world.

In an article called ‘Si Binatang Raja Petra Jantan Jalang Biadab’ that was published in an Umno website, they asked this question:

Masihkah Raja Petra ke Gereja lagi menemani isteri? Nak tanya Raja Petra, apa agama isterinya sebenar? Nak tanya saja.

This is another peculiar trait of the Malays. They are very concerned about what religion you profess. They demand to know if you are a Muslim or Kafir (infidel). They treat this as their right to demand you inform them of your religion. Muslims are good people because Islam is the true religion and is above all other religions which are considered false. So they must know if you are a Muslim or Kafir so that they can gauge whether you are a good or bad person. “Islam adalah agama suci yang kita pegang,” said this same article in that Umno website.

This high and mighty attitude make Malays very arrogant and they carry this holier than thou chip on their shoulder. Non-Muslims should not take offense though because they are not the only target of these people. Muslims like me who they view as not ‘true’ Muslims also suffer persecution.

Malays want to dictate what kind of Muslim you should be and if they discover through an anonymous SMS that you are in the process of leaving Islam they will rise in anger and demonstrate their displeasure, even if it is not true. Heaven forbid you leak that you are really leaving Islam. You will face the full wrath of the Malays. And if for one second they suspect that you are not their type of Muslim but of a different ‘sect’ they will come down hard on you. You must not only be a Muslim but you must be their type of Muslim as well. That is the Malay mind.

It is quite pathetic really and I sometimes do pity Malays who spend their whole life preoccupied with finding out what type of Muslim you are and whether you have secretly left Islam rather than worry whether they could instead be deviant Muslims. They of course assume and insist that they are following the correct Islam and if they differ from you then you, and not them, are the deviants. They will not accept the possibility that you are right and they are wrong. They are most definitely right and you are most certainly wrong.

Let us look at a hypothetical situation. Say you walk into a mosque on a Friday and shout, “The Bible is the true Holy Book and the Quran is false” or “Jesus is the Son of God and Muhammad is a fake”. This will be just like walking into a Manchester pub wearing a Liverpool jersey. Rest assured you will not walk out of that mosque in one piece. Okay, now say you protest when Malays declare the Bible false and that Jesus is not the Son of God. The Malays will argue that they are allowed to say this because Malaysia is a Muslim country.

See this e-mail which was published in The People’s Parliament to demonstrate what I mean:

Most of my friends are Malays and through them I learnt the language. I feel that I’ve a certain bond with them, until the topics of Malay privileges and Islam are discussed. I usually just listen and do not put my two cents because I’m usually the only non-Malay. From their discussion, I’ve come to understand how they view the non-Malays. Generally, we should never question their privileges as we should be grateful that we still get to retain our Chinese names, surnames, Chinese schools etc. We should never complain. And they have no qualms criticizing Christianity to my face, e.g., the Bible is corrupted through many translations, comparing against the Koran being “suci” as directly from God.

I’ve always wondered what made them feel so special that they can criticize but we do not dare in their face. Now I understand that no matter how they wronged other races, they are somehow protected – e.g., the May 13 incident. I think the govt owes the families of the victims an apology. Because of that tragedy, the Chinese generally think that Malays have the tendency to be violent; and the Malays think that they have the upper hand as they can threaten the Chinese into silence. I’d be grateful if you would share your thoughts and view on what I’ve said.

Okay, another hypothetical situation. Say you repeat this same thing in England, which is not a Muslim country but a Christian country. Will it then be considered allowed? No, of course not! The Muslims will still protest and hold demonstrations. The bottom line is, Muslims are allowed to whack others but others are not supposed to whack Muslims. And this is the Malay mind as well. So Malays, like these Umno types, resent anyone whacking them, their party, Ketuanan Melayu, the New Economic Policy, and anything at all considered ‘sacred cows’. But they can scream, even in ‘sacred’ places like Parliament, that Islam is the religion of this country, the Malays own Malaysia, and if the non-Malays or non-Muslims do not like this they can leave the country and migrate to another country.

Malays can give Qurans to non-Muslims but non-Muslims who give Bibles to Muslims must be sent to prison. Non-Muslims can convert to Islam in droves but even if just one Muslim leaves Islam there will be blood on the streets. Malays can label DAP as racist but if the Chinese label Umno as racist they will make a police report and charge you under the Sedition Act and try to take away your citizenship as well. Malays can question as to whether you have left Islam and have become a Christian and now go to church but you must never question the Malays as to whether racial discrimination goes against Islamic teachings and whether both the Quran as well as the Prophet’s last sermon lie testimony to this.

Malays are very concerned about whether you pray, how you pray, whether you believe in God, whether you really think that Prophet Muhammad is the true Prophet, and so on. Once you pass all these ‘tests’ of the articles of faith with flying colours this will make them very happy. Their happiness rests with you being a Muslim and the type of Muslim that they approve of on top of that. Okay, so you drink, gamble, have sex with another man’s wife, visit the brothel once a week, and, to top it all, take bribes from Chinese contractors, pig farmers, brothels, illegal gambling outlets, drug haunts, etc. That is okay. The Malays will not demonstrate on the streets because of all this. But if you go to church, notwithstanding that you lead the life of Mother Theresa, then God have mercy on your soul. What bad you do is not important. Whether you share their same belief is.

And this is why that particular Umno website is very concerned whether I still follow my wife to church. That is the most important thing in the world to them and the entire future of this country and the fate of future generations depend on them knowing this most crucial piece of information. Oh, by the way, more than 90% of those in our police lockups are Malays. And 90% of those Malays in the lockups are there because of drug related offences. And 70% of those who are inflicted with AIDS are Malays. And 90% got AIDS because of their drug habit. And this has been going on since the 1970s. And states or areas that have the highest incidences are the predominantly Malay states or areas. But none of these people go to church. They don’t even go to the mosque, temple or synagogue. So of course the Umno website does not worry about them. It is when they go to church that the Umno website will start getting very concerned. That and only that is what matters.

It's a landmark case in Malaysia whereby, Perlis Syariah High Court allow Muslim converts to renounce Islam and return to their previous religion or faith.

And kudos to the Syariah Court chief judge Othman Ibrahim who decide to let a Muslim convert, a Chinese female Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah to renounce Islam and go back to her previous faith.

Chief Judge of the Syariah Court granted Siti Fatimah a declaration that she was no longer a Muslim, and ordered the defendant, the state Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP), to cancel her certificate of conversion to Islam.

After years of waiting, Siti Fatimah's battle is however only half-won since her religious status on her identity card (MyKad) cannot be amended until she deal with the National Registration Department.

For decades, non-Muslim Malaysian have dreaded the Syariah law whereby a Muslim convert will forever remain a Muslim even though the convert no longer practice the religion due to circumstances like separation from their Muslim spouse.

Next on the spotlight would be regarding the case of a Sabahan lady by the name of Lina Joy, who also for years has renounce Islam and wanted to revert to her old faith. Both Syariah Court and civil High Court have yet to decided on the matter.

Related post:
* TheStar: Syariah High Court lets Muslim convert renounce Islam and go back to Buddhism




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Places of worship and schools to pay only RM1

By WANI MUTHIAH and EDWARD RAJENDRA

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

SHAH ALAM: All registered places of worship and schools in Selangor will soon no longer pay quit rent and assessment rates. Instead, they will be charged a token annual fee of RM1.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said this would allow places of worship to channel funds for their own activities while schools would no longer be bogged down by fund-raising work.

The decision was made at the state exco meeting yesterday.

Former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo had three months ago waived close to RM500,000 in quit rent arrears owed by vernacular schools, to allow them to concentrate on education activities.

Klang Valley Taoism Association chairman Yeoh Choo Beng, 59, said the RM1 nominal fee for places of worship showed the caring approach of the new government.

Former Sree Selvavinayagar Temple chairman N.P. Raman lauded the move, while proposing that 100-year-old Hindu temples be gazetted as heritage buildings.

On the state's deal with Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd, Khalid said that such a privatisation exercise must ideally relieve the state of financial burden and commitment of managing utility services.

“And at the same time, it must be advantageous to the users, but if any one of these positions is not attainable, I think the rakyat has the right to find other ways to resolve the issue,” Khalid said.

On the eve of polling day, an agreement was signed between the previous state government and Puncak Niaga for the operation, management and maintenance of a raw water collection and treatment plant in Sungai Sireh, Tanjung Karang.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said on Monday that the Federal Government regarded the contract as being valid as long as the National Water Services Commission did not object to it.

Khalid said that if the agreement was not fair, the state government would ask Selangor residents to write to Shaziman that it was not done in the best interests of the state and its residents.

Asked how the state was going to resolve the problem, given that the Federal Government was also involved, Khalid said: “You will see. I come from the corporate world and we understand the word ‘restructure’.”

“The last time the calculations were done, it did not include consumers,” said Khalid, adding that all agreements made by the previous government would be reviewed.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/27/nation/20760843&sec=nation (Mar 27, 2008)


MD Says:

A good news from Selangor. Places of worship (hopefully include churches and temples) are allow to channel funds for their own activities and while schools (hopefully include nursery or pre-school) would no longer be bogged down by fund-raising work and they can concentrate on education activities.

In fact, the ruling federal goverment should apply the same case throughout the country.