Isnin, 31 Oktober 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


The solution

Posted: 29 Oct 2011 08:20 PM PDT

Malaysians lament about the racism, religious intolerance, persecution and discrimination that prevail in Malaysia. Thus far, over the last few months, all we are hearing are grumbling, lamenting, bitching, whining, complaining, and whatnot. Everyone has ideas on what is wrong. No one has suggested how to put it right. Well, in that case, I am forced to take matters into my own hands and propose the solution.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

1. Encourage inter-race marriages

a) The government should give a one-off marriage grant and interest free loan to all those who marry outside their race. (Later, say after 20 years or so, ban same-race marriages altogether by passing a law in Parliament to make it illegal to marry someone of your own race).

b) Places in schools, colleges and universities should be reserved for children from mixed marriages. Introduce, say, a 30% quota. (This quota can be increased every five years).

c) If all being equal, those of mixed marriages should be given first priority for jobs. (Later, say after 20 years or so, pass a law where at least 30% of employees must be from mixed marriages).

d) Currently, Malaysia has two classes of citizens -- Bumiputeras (first class) and non-Bumiputeras (second class). Create another first class, say mixed or campuran class, and let Bumiputeras be second-class and non-Bumiputeras third-class. (Basically, the mixed class will replace the Umnoputera class, who are higher than the Bumiputera class, and which will now be abolished).

e) Abolish the need for non-Muslims to convert to Islam before they can get married to a Muslim partner. Also, children of mixed marriages must not be forced to follow the religion of their father. Allow them to grow up as freethinkers until they reach the age of 21 (the age when they are allowed to vote) and let them choose what religion they want to follow -- or become an atheist if they wish. Religious education for children must be banned and anyone below 21 must not be made to go to the mosque, church or temple.

2. Introduce a single language, identity and culture

a) Vernacular schools and mother-tongue education should be banned. Have only one type of school -- national schools that teach in the National Language.

b) All signboards, books and whatnot that are not in the National Language should be banned. Allow only those in the National Language.

c) Allow only Malaysian names on birth certificates. Names that reflect a Malay, Chinese, Indian or native identity must be banned. (The government will come out with a list of approved Malaysian names).

d) Ban all cultural activities. No dances, costumes, festivals, celebrations, holidays, etc., that reflect a Malay, Chinese, Indian or native identity must be allowed. Only Malaysian festivals and culture should be allowed and the Cabinet will decide what this new Malaysian culture/identity will look like. Probably the American culture can be adopted as the new Malaysian culture since it does not reflect Malay, Chinese, Indian or native culture.

Once the above is implemented, by the next generation, say in 20 years time or so, racism, religious intolerance, persecution and discrimination will end and by the third generation there will no longer be any Malays, Chinese, Indians or natives in Malaysia.

The bottom line is, we shall all sacrifice to ensure that after some time we shall become a Malaysia of Malaysians and no longer a Malaysia of Malays, Chinese, Indians and natives. And this plan of action is better than just grumbling, lamenting, bitching, whining, complaining, and whatnot, but doing nothing about it other than blaming 'the other side' for all our troubles.

 

Isn’t it puzzling?

Posted: 28 Oct 2011 06:59 PM PDT

I have many close friends who are Mamaks. Some of them even speak Tamil very fluently. They are certainly Indians but Muslims. I wonder how they feel when they read the comments in Malaysia Today and they see Mamaks being run down as if being a Mamak is akin to being a leper or a pariah.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Chin said Koh should face the reality and not try to bring his beleaguered party back to the mainstream of politics via the back door. "Gerakan lost in their own soil in Penang, so it must stand up again from there in order to earn the trust and respect of the people." 

"Perhaps Koh thinks that Gerakan now has three 'imported' assemblymen two of whom are full state ministers and therefore is hoping to be given the chance to contest the three seats," he said. "We want to tell Koh that his three assemblymen are 'frogs' who have not been tested yet, so one wonders what will happen if they are using Gerakan's symbol."

(READ MORE HERE)

I always find it puzzling that those who change parties are called 'frogs'. Zulkifli Noordin, Ibrahim Ali, Zahrain Mohd Hashim, Hee Yit Fong, Keshvinder Singh, V Arumugam, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Osman Mohd Jailu, etc., are all frogs.

Actually, Ibrahim Ali used to be in Umno and a Member of Parliament for Barisan Nasional. He was not chosen to contest a pre-2008 election so he contested as an independent candidate and lost badly (he lost his deposit as well).

He knew he could not win as an independent candidate in the 2008 general election, and Umno does not want him back, so he contested on a PAS ticket (and won of course).

I do not remember anyone calling him a frog back in 2008 although he flirted with the opposition and contested on an opposition ticket. In fact, the opposition supporters voted for him and gave him a win. He was not a frog then although, if those who jump parties are considered frogs, he was most certainly a frog.

So you see, you are a frog only when you leave the opposition to join the ruling party. But when you leave the ruling party to join the opposition you are not a frog -- you are a patriot, true son of Malaysia, hero, etc.

And that is what happened when one Perak State Assemblyman from Umno joined the opposition. He was greeted as a hero, not called a frog. However, when he went back to Umno bringing three others with him (Hee Yit Fong, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Osman Mohd Jailu) he became a frog together with the three other frogs.

Remember when Anwar Ibrahim said that 30 Members of Parliament from Barisan Nasional are going to jump over to the opposition and Pakatan Rakyat will be able to form the new federal government? There were cheers all around. Only Karpal Singh was against it.

How many of you condemned this and called the 30 prospective Barisan Nasional turncoats frogs? You did not consider them frogs. They are only frogs if they leave the opposition to join the ruling party. But if it is the other way around then they are not frogs.

I suppose the opposition supporters only like happy endings. When the beautiful princess kisses the frog, the frog must change into a charming prince and they get married and live happily ever after. They don't like stories that end: when the beautiful princess kissed the frog, she changed into a frog and they lived happily ever after in the pond croaking whenever it was about to rain.

I find this the same when it comes to religion, at least as far as Islam is concerned. When a non-Muslim converts to Islam, they call him saudara baru (new comrade; or saudari baru if female). If Muslims leave Islam they would be called murtads (apostates).

Aren't Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., who leave their religion to become Muslims also apostates? Are they not also frogs? To their religion they certainly are.

Basically, Malaysians love name-calling. It makes them happy that they can curse other people. Maybe they are sexually deprived and running down others gives them the orgasm they can't get in bed.

Look at what happens whenever a news item or article about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is posted in Malaysia Today. We will get hundreds of comments cursing Dr Mahathir and calling him Mamak (or Mamakkutty).

It appears like Mamak is a dirty word. It is like the word pariah or nigger or chink or whatever. Mamak is supposed to mean Indian Muslim. But now it means something dirty. It is like pariah, nigger, chink, etc. 

I have many close friends who are Mamaks. Some of them even speak Tamil very fluently. They are certainly Indians but Muslims. I wonder how they feel when they read the comments in Malaysia Today and they see Mamaks being run down as if being a Mamak is akin to being a leper or a pariah.

 

Attack!

Posted: 28 Oct 2011 05:12 PM PDT

Hey! MCA has insulted Islam. MCA has said that Islamic laws are outdated. Insult! Where are Zul Noordin and Ibrahim Ali? Where are PERKASA and ABIM? Attack! We can't let these Kafirs get away with it. Malays, boycott Barisan Nasional. Umno is allowing their Chinese partners to attack Islam.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Hudud turns back the clock

(The Star) -- PAS' intention to carry out hudud law will cause the nation to backslide and scare away investors, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

The impact would be great on foreign direct investments and also tourists who would shy away, he said, adding that several countries practising hudud law were backward except for their rich natural resources.

Speaking to reporters after attending a function at the Hock Lin Gong Chinese temple here yesterday, Dr Chua stressed that even non-Muslims in the country would be affected, especially in terms of economy and education.

Medical aid: Dr Chua checking on Ng Dee Eng, 47, after presenting a 1MCA Medical Foundation cheque to her in Batu Pahat on Thursday.

"It is misleading and a lie to say that the implementation of hudud will not affect non-Muslims," he said.

He criticised the DAP for its inconsistency as the party did not support hudud law but was willing to help PAS leaders win the election by asking the Chinese to support them.

At the event, Dr Chua promised an allocation of RM30,000 for the temple which was celebrating its 20th anniversary.

In Batu Pahat, Dr Chua said the financial management of Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states was still lacking.

Referring to the Auditor-General's Report 2010, he noted that a Selangor state-run agency lost RM200mil while the Penang government had yet to build affordable houses for the rakyat.

The populist policy being practised by the Pakatan Rakyat had not solved anything, he added.

"They give RM100 to the elderly once a year and another RM100 for people to go shopping. This does not solve anything at all but merely a feel-good factor to the rakyat and is quite misleading," he said during a 1MCA Medical Foundation dinner on Thursday.

He also said that the people wanted to see changes and the Government had listened to their feedback.

"The only thing that has yet to be transformed is the Pakatan Rakyat," he said.

Under the transformation programmes introduced by the Prime Minister, he said the rakyat could see the changes.

"The economic, social and political landscape in Malaysia is being transformed. We have attracted many foreign direct investments for the country to achieve high-income status while creating a more democratic society," he said.

 

 

You want it, you got it

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 11:51 PM PDT

Malaysians actually have split personalities. If they think you know who they are they can be very nice people. But if they think you do not know who they are they are downright rude and inconsiderate people. That is why they drive the way they do and comment in Malaysia Today the way they do when they think they are doing so anonymously. But if I reveal who these people are they will feel ashamed and will not want to make any more uncouth comments.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There are some who have asked me to close the comments section because most of the comments do not add value to what we are discussing. I realise that many just want to use Malaysia Today to lepas geram (let off steam) or as a punching bag.

(There is one Japanese company (can't remember which one now) that has a punching ball with the boss's face painted on it in their gym so that employees can go there to punch the 'boss' whenever they feel frustrated).

I know the Ministry of Health has reported that about 50% of public transport drivers suffer some form of mental problem and a very high number of Malaysians are in the category of needing professional help. (Is this why there have been two reported cases recently of husbands burning their wives?)

However, as much as you may be frustrated with your job, your boss, your wife, the government, Umno, Barisan Nasional, PERKASA, racist Malays, or whatever, Malaysia Today is not where you release your tension but where we seek solutions to the problems plaguing the nation.

Then there are some who resent censorship and want to be allowed to comment without any moderation. Comments should not be blocked or deleted, they argue. If not then Malaysia Today is not practicing free speech and democracy.

I have decided to accommodate both groups. We shall allow uncensored comments but you will first have to register to be allowed to comment.

You see, with freedom comes accountability. You are free to murder your neighbour but you will have to suffer the punishment for murder. You are also free to be as racist and as anti-Islam as you want (no holds barred) but you must also take the risk of the government tracking you down and taking action against you.

As Anwar Ibrahim said back in 1998, ''If you fear the risks then don't talk about struggles."

So we shall struggle to make Malaysia a better country. But we shall have to suffer the risks. You may be hounded by the government or forced into exile. But that is the price we shall have to pay for the ideals of our struggle.

My main concern is that many Malays no longer visit Malaysia Today. They have classified Malaysia Today as an anti-Malay and anti-Islam website. But I don't mind that too much. What I do mind is that Malaysia Today is becoming the catalyst for driving the Malays back to Umno.

The opposition Chinese are only in power in Penang and are sharing power in Selangor. Yet they are already demonstrating arrogance, say many Malays (even my Chinese friends have told me that they have heard Malays saying this). Imagine what will happen if they control the federal government. Malaysia will be like Singapore.

That set me thinking. Are maybe all those who embark on Malay and Islam bashing really opposition supporters? In the first place, are they even non-Malays or non-Muslims? They could be Umno Malay cyber-troopers who want to make the Malays angry by posting anti-Malay/anti-Islam comments in Malaysia Today. We certainly cannot rule out that possibility.

Then again, they could just be arrogant Malaysians who think that they are better than others. We will never know for sure but if you observe the way the majority of Malaysians of all races drive on Malaysian roads, it certainly reflects their arrogance. In the mosque, church or temple they will be very humble. But as soon as they get behind the steering wheel they start acting like Satan. Even Muslims who wear tudung and white skullcaps act no better behind the steering wheel.

Malaysians actually have split personalities. If they think you know who they are they can be very nice people. But if they think you do not know who they are they are downright rude and inconsiderate people. That is why they drive the way they do and comment in Malaysia Today the way they do when they think they are doing so anonymously. But if I reveal who these people are they will feel ashamed and will not want to make any more uncouth comments.

So, feel free to comment whatever you want. However, first register yourself so that we know who you are. And note that you cannot throw stones and hide your hands like cowards. Throw stones by all means but we will be able to see which hand threw that stone.

 

The history of Kuala Lumpur

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 06:34 PM PDT

I suppose to say that Yap Ah Loy was the biggest pimp in Malaysia would not be wrong -- historically speaking, that is. But do I need to say that? And why would I want to say that if not merely to insult the Chinese? And I am not that type of person who would want to insult the Chinese in that manner, unlike many Malaysia Today readers.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I have deleted quite a number of comments in my article 'I am Malay, and you better not forget it'. The reason I deleted them is because I am of the opinion that they are stupid comments and if I were to allow the comments then it would make Malaysia Today look stupid.

And I hate to look stupid. It upsets me.

Furthermore, some comments were posted with mala fide intentions. It was not what they said but the way they said it. You do not need to be an Oxford graduate to detect the intentions behind the comment.

Anyway, I will expand a bit more on this later.

Of course, that is my opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. So if you are one of those who posted a comment but can't see it published, then you will know what I think of you. And if you feel insulted then rest assured that that is my intention.

What about freedom of expression? What about the democratic right to say what you want? Well, you have every freedom and democratic to start your own blog and post whatever you want in that blog. But I own Malaysia Today so I too have the freedom and democratic right to block or delete comments I don't like.

That is how freedom and democracy works. You have the right to comment and I have to right to disallow the comment. We are both within our rights. If you have the right to comment but I, as the owner of Malaysia Today, have no right to block or delete the comment, then that is not democracy.

But that is not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is the history of Kuala Lumpur. I want to correct some misconceptions about how Kuala Lumpur was founded.

Raja Abdullah, the brother of Sultan Abdul Samad, had the rights to mine tin in Selangor. But he did not have the expertise. So he teamed up with a Chinese named Yap Ah Loy. Maybe this can be called the first Ali Baba enterprise in Malaysia. So my ancestors started the concept of Ali Baba.

Yap Ah Loy and Raja Abdullah sailed up the Kelang River to the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak Rivers. They disembarked at where the Masjid Jamek now stands and trekked overland to Ampang. That was where they decided the first tin mine would be opened.

Yap Ah Loy then brought in boatloads of Chinese labourers from China to work the tin mines. Most died of diseases. Sometime entire kongsis were wiped out. But China was never short of people so Yap Ah Loy just brought in new boatloads to replace those that had died. Life was cheap in those days.

Eventually, Ampang grew and the area around the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak Rivers prospered. That was where Ampang Road started, which was not only the first road but also probably the longest road in Kuala Lumpur that stretched all the way to the Ampang Village where the tin mines were located.

Yap Ah Loy saw a great opportunity in servicing his Chinese community. So he opened up gambling dens, opium dens and brothels. He then brought in boatloads of young Chinese girls to work as prostitutes in his brothels. So it can be said that the first Chinese women to come to Malaya were prostitutes. Even the British officers patronised Yap Ah Loy's brothels for a taste of the best Chinese girls. 

Invariably, the British got first tasting of newly arrived Chinese girls and only after the British were done with them were they placed on the open market for the Chinese labourers to enjoy.

The history of Kuala Lumpur is not as glamorous as some historians try to portray it. Of course, Yap Ah Loy did found Kuala Lumpur; that was no lie. But Kuala Lumpur was founded against the backdrop of the vice trade -- gambling, opium and prostitution -- and mainly to serve the Chinese market plus some British officers whose job was to keep the peace in Selangor and administer the state.

Now, that is the true history of the founding of Kuala Lumpur. You can look it up in the history books. Royal History Professor Khoo Kay Kim can confirm this.

The question is though: why am I telling you this history? If it is with intention to educate you and to correct some errors and misconceptions in what is being written by Utusan Malaysia that is well and fine. After all, history is history and the truth is the truth. But if my intention is to insult the Chinese and to remind the Chinese that the first women to be brought in to Kuala Lumpur were prostitutes and therefore many Chinese in Malaysia are actually descendants of prostitutes, then this is being done with mala fide intentions.

So, sometimes, the truth is not just the truth. The truth can also be provocation and insults. The manner you say it and the reason behind why you are saying it can change the truth to an insult or provocation.

This appears to be a concept lost to many Malaysia Today readers. Maybe we should blame the education system. Maybe these people were not taught proper manners by their parents. Maybe it is because of a superiority complex they are having  -- so they feel they can run down others because they are better than others. Maybe these people know they are not that great so by running down others they can feel great. Or maybe they just don't have a well-developed brain and are slightly better than country bumpkins. Or maybe it is a combination of all the above.

Nevertheless, many have still not grasped the concept of freedom of expression and constructive criticism. They still think that freedom of expression and constructive criticism means the freedom to say that the Malaysian Chinese are descendents of prostitutes brought in from China to work the brothels owned by Yap Ah Loy.

I suppose to say that Yap Ah Loy was the biggest pimp in Malaysia would not be wrong -- historically speaking, that is. But do I need to say that? And why would I want to say that if not merely to insult the Chinese? And I am not that type of person who would want to insult the Chinese in that manner, unlike many Malaysia Today readers.

 

I am Malay, and you better not forget it

Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:22 AM PDT

So I whack the Malays. I whack them because foreigners think that the Malays are a joke. I am angry with these foreigners. I feel insulted that they say these things about the Malays. I am also Malay. So when they run down the Malays they are also running me down.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

My Malay friends ask me why is it I am very harsh towards the Malays. I am Malay. So why am I cruel towards the Malays? Well, it is because I am Malay that I am cruel. If I am not Malay then I would not be bothered about the Malays.

Do I criticise the Arabs? I have been to Mekah ten times in my life so I know the Arabs very well even if I don't live in their country. I know what the Arabs are like. They too are Muslims like me. In fact, Mekah is the centre of Islam. So why don't I also whack the Arabs?

That's because I don't care about the Arabs. I do not have nice things to say about the Arabs. So better that I don't say anything because anything that I would say would be far from complementary. I am not Arab so the Arabs can make fools of themselves for all I care. And they do make fools of themselves.

But when the Malays make fools of themselves I do care. And that is why I am very uncompromising towards the Malays. I care that the Malays make fools of themselves.

I regard it as my right to whack the Malays. Malays have every right to whack the Malays. But I don't take kindly to the Chinese and Indians whacking the Malays. Malays can whack Malays. But when the Chinese and Indians whack the Malays I will whack them back. I will not let them get away with it.

Okay, I am not a thoroughbred Malay. I am only part-Malay. Only my father is Malay. My mother is Welsh. But then who is a thoroughbred Malay? Most Malays are of mixed blood. The only thing is that my blood is mixed with Welsh blood, not with Javanese, Sumatran, Siamese, Minangkabau, Acheh, Indian, Chinese, etc., blood.

So what if my blood is mixed with Caucasian blood and not with Javanese, Sumatran, Siamese, Minangkabau, Acheh, Indian, Chinese, etc., blood? Mixed blood is mixed blood. Whether it is Asian-European or Asian-Asian, it is still mixed blood.

In fact, my great grandmother was Orang Asli. Her name was Hasnah Binti Pelong. She was the second wife of Sultan Ala'Eddin Suleiman Shah, the Fifth Sultan of Selangor.

Sultan Suleiman was Bugis. So that, in fact, makes me more Malay than many Malays in Malaysia in spite of my Welsh blood. I have Orang Asli blood in me. I have more right to Malaysia than millions of other pendatang Malays who invaded my country and now claim it as their own.

Bumiputera konon! Hello brader. We Orang Asli were here first. So don't try to play that who is more Malay game with me. You will lose.

I interact with Japanese, Koreans, Americans, British, French, Germans, Indonesians, Thais, Singaporeans, Filipinos, and people from many other countries. Somehow they don't see me as Malay. Maybe it is because of how I look. So they talk to me. They tell me a lot. They tell me what they think. And they think very poorly of the Malays.

These foreigners tell me that the only reason they employ Malays is because of the requirements of the New Economic Policy. If not for that they would not employ Malays. They said they could employ one Chinese for three Malays they employ. One Chinese can do the job of three Malays.

They think Malays are lazy. They think Malays are very slow. They think Malays lack initiative. They think Malays lack grey matter.

There I sit listening to foreign investors and managers running down the Malays while forgetting that I am also Malay. If it were one or two who say this I would say these people are bigots who are prejudiced against the Malays. But when everyone tells me this then the problem must be real. The problem must be the Malays.

So I whack the Malays. I whack them because foreigners think that the Malays are a joke. I am angry with these foreigners. I feel insulted that they say these things about the Malays. I am also Malay. So when they run down the Malays they are also running me down.

I cannot whack the foreigners. I cannot whack them not because I am scared they will not come to Malaysia. I cannot whack them because I know they are telling the truth.

Of course the truth hurts. The truth always hurts. And because it is the truth I cannot whack the foreigners for running down the Malays. The anger builds up in me. I need to whack somebody. But I can't whack those who are telling the truth. So I whack the Malays instead. I whack the Malays because I am ashamed that the foreigners say bad things about the Malays and also because what they are saying is the truth and there is no way I can argue with them or prove them wrong.

But that does not mean I like others whacking the Malays. If you whack the Malay I will whack you back. If you are another Malay then that is okay. But if you are not Malay and you whack the Malays then I will whack you back. I have my pride and dignity and if you insult the Malays then you are insulting me as well. And I don't take kindly to insults. So you whack the Malays at your own peril.
 

Let the burnings begin!

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 07:23 PM PDT

In fact, fatwa (decrees) are also opinions. This is how the Mufti or Imam interprets the rulings. I am not saying they are wrong. They could be right. Nevertheless, they are still merely opinions and, therefore, should be rejected and the Muftis and Imams charged under criminal defamation.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Dec 19 trial for Mat Sabu's Bukit kepong remark

(Bernama) - The Sessions Court here set Dec 19-23 to hear the case against PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu who was charged with defaming Bukit Kepong policemen and their families during a ceramah in Tasek Gelugor here in August.

Judge Ikmal Hishan Mohd Tajuddin set the date after an application by Deputy Public Prosecutor Lailawati Ali for the court to fix other trial dates because the prosecution had to attend a conference during the Dec 5-9 trial dates set by the court earlier.

On Sept 21, Mohamad, 57, also known as Mat Sabu, pleaded not guilty to a charge under Section 500 of the Penal Code for criminal defamation against policemen and their families who had been attacked by communists in the Bukit Kepong tragedy in Johor in 1950.

He was alleged to have committed the offence in front of a kindergarten at the PAS education centre at Padang Menora in Tasek Gelugor last Aug 21.

Mat Sabu faces a jail sentence of up to two years and a fine or both upon conviction.

Mat Sabu was alternatively charged with defaming Constables Marin Abu Bakar Daud, Jaafar Hassan and Yusoff Rono and their families at the same time and place.

The charge followed a report by three family members of the constables, Jamilah Abu Bakar, Azlas Jaafar and Nazir Yusoff.

*****************************************

The Mālikī (Arabic: مالكي‎) madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia. In the past, it was also followed in parts of Europe under Islamic rule, particularly Islamic Spain and the Emirate of Sicily.

Despite his reluctance to render religious verdicts, Malik (founder of the Mālikī school of Sunni Islam) was outspoken. He issued fatwas against being forced to pledge allegiance to the Caliph Al-Mansur, and received a flogging for his stance. Al-Mansur apologized to Malik, and offered him money and residence in Baghdad, but Malik refused to leave the city of Prophet Muhammad. Later, Harun al-Rashid asked Malik to visit him while Harun was performing the hajj. The Imam refused, and instead he invited the new caliph to his class. -- Wikipedia

******************************************

Almost two years ago, the UK repealed the criminal defamation and sedition laws. In fact, it was more than 30 years since Britain ever charged anyone for criminal defamation. It made sense, therefore, that these laws be repealed. Anyway, Britain believes in freedom of opinion -- as long as you do not make a racist statement like most Malaysia Today readers do (in Britain, quite a number of Malaysia Today readers would be in jail by now).

Rulers/leaders have never tolerated freedom of opinion (even the opposition). That is why laws such as criminal defamation and sedition were introduced. Even in so-called Islamic States ruled by so-called Caliphs of Allah, they were equally intolerant, as that short piece by Wikipedia on Imam Malik will demonstrate (by the way, it is accurate -- I checked). So please don't think that Islamic States have always been better.

Anyway, before all of you start arguing about religion and Islam and Hudud (as many of you would because you prefer to talk about the colour of the dog collar rather than how the dog was butchered), today I want to focus on freedom of opinion.

Mat Sabu is going to face trial because he expressed his opinion, which was opposite to Umno's opinion. Is having an opinion now a crime? Why do we need, therefore, to send Malaysians to school? When you go to school you will learn how to think and when you can think you will have an opinion.

Malaysia has done many very stupid things but this one is probably the most stupid act so far. A man who expresses his opinion is going to be sent to jail.

What next? Are we going to burn all our history books like what the Mongols did when they invaded Baghdad in 1258? They too burned all the books at a great loss to the world.

History books are the opinion of the writer. It is how the historian has interpreted events. The historian may be right or he/she may be wrong. But that is his/her opinion of what happened.

What about kitabs? Kitabs are not from God. Kitabs are opinions of scholars. It is their interpretation and view of what God said and what the Prophet said and did.

Hadith should also be banned. The Hadith did not come from God through Gabriel. They were written by third parties and not by the Prophet Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad did not write anything. He is supposed to have been illiterate. Other unknown people wrote all the Hadith. And that, too, is their opinion. This is what they said. This is not what we heard from the Prophet ourselves.

In fact, fatwa (decrees) are also opinions. This is how the Mufti or Imam interprets the rulings. I am not saying they are wrong. They could be right. Nevertheless, they are still merely opinions and, therefore, should be rejected and the Muftis and Imams charged under criminal defamation.

Yes, if we want to start making opinions a crime, then all so-called 'holy' books and history books would need to be banned and burned. And anyone expressing his opinion or interpretation will have to be sent to jail. Other than the Quran (which Muslims regard as the word of God) all other publications need to be placed onto the bonfire.

Let the burnings begin!

 

Relativism and priorities

Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:32 PM PDT

Is sex the only thing we should be concerned with? Is this all that there is to Islam? What about corruption, abuse of power, robbing the rakyat, election rigging, persecution, discrimination, murder, ethnic cleansing, and a host of other crimes against the citizens and crimes against humanity? Why is PAS not also foaming at the mouth and up in arms about this?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

My article today is in response to today's news item in Harakah Daily, Batal konsert Elton John atau biar remaja hancur, which you can READ HERE.

Basically, what Nik Nasri Nik Malek, the Ketua Lajnah Penerbitan dan Penyelidikan Dewan Ulama PAS Terengganu is saying is that Elton John is a bad influence on Malaysian youth, which will bring about a decline in morals. And the bone of contention is, of course, regarding his gay marriage.

First of all, morals are relative. In some societies, it is immoral to abort a baby you are carrying (in fact, it is regarded as murder by some) while in other societies it is mandatory to abort the baby if you already have one child.

So, is abortion a must or is it a crime?

In most societies, suicide is a crime and anyone who assists a person to commit suicide could be charged for murder. In some societies, they have special clinics where you can check in to get assistance if you wish to commit suicide. Normally, the circumstances would be when you are suffering from terminal cancer and the pain is so unbearable you would rather go now than in a month or two (since you are definitely dying anyway).

Gay marriages are not a crime in England. You can even get married in church now. And when Elton John got married he received a congratulatory message from the British Prime Minister.

Polygamy is not allowed in England. A man with more than one wife would be frowned upon. Should Britain now ban Malaysians who have more than one wife from entering England?

Malays would argue that polygamy is what the Prophet practiced so it is allowed in Islam. Would Malays keep quiet when non-Muslims call the Prophet a sex maniac and consider those with more than one wife as sex perverts and demand they not be allowed to enter the UK?

Those who condemn the Prophet and look down on Muslims who have more than one wife are looking at things from their perception of values. And is it also not so that those who are foaming at the mouth asking that Elton John be banned from Malaysia are looking at things from their perception of values?

Anyway, Elton John has been on the scene for more than 40 years now. Two or three generations of Malaysians have been listening to Elton John since the 1960s. Nik Nasri Nik Malek is almost 50 years too late in trying to save the souls of Malaysian youths.

Would banning Elton John from entering Malaysia do any good now? Are you also going to ban Elton John songs from the airwaves? Are you going to get MCMC to block all websites that feature Elton John songs? You will have to close down the entire Internet to do that.

What stupidity!

What about all those other singers, actors and actresses who are also gay? What about those other singers, actors and actresses who are living with their partners as husband-and-wife but are not legally married (and have children as well)?

You will need to ban every song, movie and whatnot to be able to block 'immorality' and 'bad examples'?

Is sex the only thing we should be concerned with? Is this all that there is to Islam? What about corruption, abuse of power, robbing the rakyat, election rigging, persecution, discrimination, murder, ethnic cleansing, and a host of other crimes against the citizens and crimes against humanity? Why is PAS not also foaming at the mouth and up in arms about this?

Muslims are being persecuted in China. Why don't the Malays ask the government to end diplomatic relations with China and stop all trade with China?

The Americans are invading Muslim countries and are toppling and murdering Muslim leaders. Why don't the Malays ask the government to end diplomatic relations with the US and stop all trade with the US?

Okay, if we end diplomatic relations with China, the US, Britain, Italy, France, etc., because of how they treat Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., this would mean Malaysia will go bankrupt and Malaysians would become poor and everyone would be out of work and many would die of starvation and all forms of horror you can imagine.

So what? So we suffer. So we die. But is not God's work more important? Isn't, as what Nik Nasri Nik Malek said, menghadapi murka Allah (suffer God's wrath) worse than going broke or dying of starvation? At least we will die and go to heaven. Now, we die and go to hell because we are friends of China, the US, Britain, Italy, France, etc.

Sometimes I just can't see where these people put their priorities. The country is going down the drain. Corruption and abuse of power is the order of the day. Persecution and racism is government-sponsored. And we worry about Elton John singing in Malaysia?

 

Driving a wedge

Posted: 23 Oct 2011 11:17 PM PDT

The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Bernama and Utusan Malaysia are still trying to drive a wedge between DAP and PAS by, again, raising the hudud issue today. You can read the news item below.

I suppose, after Saturday's 1,000,000-man assembly failure, they realise that the apostasy issue is not being received in the way they had hoped, so they need to revisit the hudud issue and try one more shot at pitting DAP against PAS.

The fact that Bernama and Utusan Malaysia call the Penang government 'Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang' is proof of the sly slant of the report. They want the Malays to think that Penang has been 'lost' to the Chinese or that DAP (meaning Chinese) are the real power in Penang, etc.

In short, DAP, and not Pakatan Rakyat, is ruling Penang and it is a Chinese government rather than a multi-racial government.

Race and religion is a very potent weapon. And throw the 'not respecting the Rulers' or 'insulting the Rulers' issue into the ring, and we get a wonderful explosive ingredient called the 3R Program.

Yes, 3R can work if played properly. Race, religion and the Rulers (Raja-raja Melayu) can make the Malays foam at the mouth if they can be made to believe that these three 'sacred cows' are under attack or are being insulted by the non-Malays. And that is what the government-owned and government-controlled media is attempting.

Why Malaysians do not use logic rather than emotion is beyond me. It is that easy to get Malaysians so worked up -- Malays, Chinese, Indians and 'lain-lain' not exempted. Just raise the issue of race, religion or the Rulers and watch Malaysians fight.

The focus should have been as clear as daylight by now. We need change and the focus should be on how to see this change. However, once our thinking become clouded by non-issues such as race, religion and the Rulers, we would become distracted and start arguing about issues that are not going to bring about this change.

You have one last shot at change. And if you miss this shot don't ever dream that there is still the next time. As Elvis Presley said: it's now or never. And you better believe it.

*******************************************************

Hudud: Kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang dibidas gagal jelaskan pendirian

Anggota pembangkang hari ini membidas kerajaan pimpinan DAP Pulau Pinang kerana tidak berani menjelaskan pendirian mengenai beberapa isu termasuk pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Permatang Berangan, Shabudin Yahaya daripada Barisan Nasional (BN) berkata, setiap soalan lisan yang dikemukakan oleh wakil rakyat BN berhubung beberapa isu termasuk hukum hudud ditolak oleh Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain.

Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas persidangan DUN hari ini, beliau berkata, rakyat Pulau Pinang inginkan satu penjelasan daripada kerajaan negeri mengenai pelaksanaan hukum hudud.

"Mereka (rakyat) ingin tahu pendirian kerajaan negeri tetapi, kerajaan negeri tidak berani untuk menjawab soalan dan mencari jalan mudah dengan mengelak daripada menjawab," katanya.

Beliau berkata, sebelum ini banyak pemimpin pakatan DAP-Parti Keadilan Rakyat-Pas, termasuk Lim Guan Eng yang juga Setiausaha Agung DAP, mengeluarkan pelbagai kenyataan.

"Kini kami menggunakan platform yang betul untuk mendapatkan jawapan daripada kerajaan negeri bukannya bagi pihak pemimpin parti," kata Shabudin.

 

“Who Needs An Islamic State?” By Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi

Posted: 22 Oct 2011 07:53 AM PDT

There are many misconceptions about Islam merely because the minority voice (which is shouting the loudest) is heard, while the other voices remain silent. Without sounding as if I am an 'Islam Apologist', maybe I should share with you the views of other Muslim scholars -- which is a far departure from the voices of those 4,000 people who participated in the 'assembly of 1,000,000' yesterday.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

If the foregoing discussion has any validity, then one has to infer that the concept of an Islamic state must be completely abandoned if sanity is to return to Muslim political discourse.

One should rather speak about a state for the Muslims, or an Islamic political community. One must also abandon the illusions about the millennium promised by the revival of a utopian polity in which a righteous and saintly ruler will miraculously emerge to restore the long lost golden age of Islam. Nor is it wise to shift our millennial hopes to the newly emerged Islamic movements, and expect that their accession to power will automatically bring an era of divine justice and saintly rule. There is simply no alternative to attaining these objectives the hard way, by doing what is needed to achieve them.

Wisdom dictates that we should be pessimistic about the qualities of our rulers, something which should not be too difficult, given our experiences. The institutions of a Muslim polity, and the rules devised to govern it, should therefore be based on expecting the worst.

Human experience shows that democracy, broadly defined, offers the best possible method of avoiding such disappointment in rulers, and affords a way of remedying the causes for such disappointments once they occur.

The value of this approach is that it does not make the attainment of dignity and freedom of Muslim individuals contingent on the setting-up of a utopian Islamic state which we may never live to see. It also removes the grounds on which the current tyrannies ruling the Muslim world are justified.

The tyrants lording it over the Muslims today, aided and abetted by their foreign allies, justify their existence by fear of Muslim `fanatics' who want to coerce others into adopting an unacceptable lifestyle. This lame excuse for tyranny must be removed by affirming our commitment to democracy as the governing principle of the Muslim polity in all its stages.

The state for Muslims must be a principle of liberation based on pluralism, with no coercion involved other than the minimum inherent in the principle of community itself. The raison d'etre of a political community is to assure the peaceful coexistence among its members.

A Muslim political community is therefore an institution required to ensure that Muslims live in peace and harmony with one another, with other communities within the territory ruled by their polity and with other nations and communities on our planet. This peaceful co-existence has to be based on the rules of equity and fairness, and must not force Muslims to live contrary to their principles.

The central misunderstanding of current Muslim political thought is the confused belief that a state based on Islamic principles is one which forces people to live according to Islam. In truth, the purpose of an Islamic political community is to enable individual Muslims to live according to Islam, and to protect them from coercion which tends to subvert their commitment to Islam.

All the current references to the `imposition of sharia' or the Islamic state, whether by Islamic thinkers or opponents of Islam, actually misunderstand the issue completely. Sharia can rule truly only when the community observing it perceives this as a liberating act, as the true fulfilment of the self and moral worth of the community and each individual within it, for sharia can never be imposed. When it is imposed, it is not sharia. When only coercion underpins sharia, it becomes hypocrisy.

A Muslim polity must also defend the right of Muslims to live freely according to the dictates of their consciences, by force if necessary, for a Muslim state must use all its resources to fight injustice and tyranny inside and around it. We cannot expect the commitment to peace to be a licence for the toleration of all evils in the name of avoiding conflict.

This was the central mistake of classical Muslim political theory, which has neither succeeded in avoiding conflict nor in achieving justice. Therefore, it is essential to strive for justice as the only firm basis for permanent peace and harmony.

To attain these goals, the Muslim state must rely primarily on the responsibility and active role of the individual within the community. It reasserts the value of the individual without preaching individualism. Classical Muslim political thought relegated the individual to the status of a non-entity by the postulation of vacuous and imprecise concepts such as that of ahl al-Hal wal Aqd and fard kifaya.

These confused notions provided the basis for the endorsement of practical secularism, or for making the legality of all Muslim social activity dependent on the will of a despot.

It must be reaffirmed that the individual does not need the state to be a Muslim. He creates the state as a Muslim, and he creates it voluntarily to further enhance his Islamic life. The opinion given by al-Ghazali and others about the necessity of the state - any state - as the precondition of the legality of Muslim social life is the opposite of the truth. A despotic and illegal regime does not bestow legitimacy on subsidiary actions. On the contrary, it marks everything it touches with the stamp of illegality. For Muslims, to have no state at all is better than to have an illegal one.

"Who Needs An Islamic State?" By Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

0 ulasan:

Catat Ulasan

 

Malaysia Today Online

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved