Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Dispelling the LIES made by MP Kula Segaran (Free Malaysia Today, 05-02-2013)
- Sugumar: Political exploitation of a family's grief?
- The Philippines 'Crocodile'
- Anwar’s stance on Sabah’s autonomy wrong – Jeffrey
- The PM is Demeaning Himself
- It wasn’t a negotiation but an order
- In the name of Allah, The Gracious The Merciful...
| Dispelling the LIES made by MP Kula Segaran (Free Malaysia Today, 05-02-2013) Posted: 13 Feb 2013 09:34 AM PST
Here we have listed out the seven promises that were made and met by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, Barisan Nasional and MIC for the Indian community since the last election. More efforts are being undertaken to improve on the current initiatives. Team Nambikei In a statement to the press, Opposition MP M Kula Segaran said, "MIC promised equitable participation in the share market, increased Indian intake at public universities, better employment opportunities, increase in the number of government scholarships, greater access to entrepreneurship training and micro-credit loans, an effective urban poverty eradication programme, and the establishment of a dedicated mechanism to monitor and evaluate the delivery of public sector services in a just and fair manner." He added that MIC and BN have not fulfilled these seven promises made to the Indian community prior to the last general election. That these statement are baseless are undeniable. Here we have listed out the seven promises that were made and met by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, Barisan Nasional and MIC for the Indian community since the last election. More efforts are being undertaken to improve on the current initiatives. The question remains on the efforts being undertaken by Pakatan controlled state Governments. What are they doing for these 7 sectors? Promise No.1: Equitable participation in the share market. The efforts were undertaken when shares worth almost RM2 Billion reserved for the Indians through Amanah Saham Malaysia & Amanah Saham 1Malaysia was fully subscribed. Skim Amanah Rakyat 1Malaysia (SARA) has an allocation of 15% shares only for Indians earning between RM500 and RM3000 per month. A total of 5,703 The Indians have become investors SARA 1Malaysia up to now. Promise No.2: Increased Indian intake at public universities. The number of matriculation seats which was initially limited to 509 for Indian students has been increased to 1509 seats after Najib took office. The PM has also expanded the Special Units under the Cabinet Committee for the Indian Community to ensure the increase Indian intake at public university. Promise No.3: Better employment opportunities RM50 million has been allocated in the 2013 budget to train 3,200 students from the estates. The training would be for skills that are in demand in order to help increase employment opportunities. More efforts are being undertaken in private partnership and in the civil service sector itself. The appointment of Datuk R. Segarajah as the deputy chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC), the number 2 position in one of the most important arm of the civil service is expected to open a new gateway for the Indian community to enter the civil service and put to an end arguments on the declining intake of Indians into the public sector. Promise No.4: Increase the number of government scholarships 100 Indian students with a first class honours and above were given a full scholarship to do their Masters and PhD studies starting in 2012. Besides that, 175 Indian students who excelled in SPM were provided a grant of RM15, 000 each by 1MDB since 2010. Promise No.5: Greater access to entrepreneurship training and micro-credit loans A special allocation in term of business loans in total of RM150 million was tabled specifically for Indian SME entrepreneurs through the Endowment Fund of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). Furthermore, RM30 million was allocated to finance loans to Indian entrepreneurs by TEKUN Indian Community Entrepreneur Development Scheme. An additional RM50 million for SPUMI was allocated in the 2013 budget. In addition to that, AIM has allowed RM100 million allocation for micro-credit loans to Indian entrepreneurs and the '1 Malaysia Entrepreneurship Development Programme' has been in place since March 2011 to increase revenues and grow the business entrepreneurs of Indian society. Under the stewardship of Suria Cooperative, 2 programmes called ATOM and TUKAR was carried out. The programme called ATOM (Automotive Workshop Modernisation) was adopted to assist in the transformation of automotive workshops, specifically to Indian owned workshops around Malaysia. As for TUKAR (Sundry Shop modernization), was adopted to assist in the transformation of sundry shops to a more modern with up to date inventory and stock keeping advisory. This help is extended to Indian owners who have trouble getting loans because of not having a systematic financial management, as well as being blacklisted by the banks. Promise No.6: Effective urban poverty eradication programme In efforts to helping the needy and the poor, the KAR1SMA Children programme was incorporated. Since 2009, 70,648 Indian children have benefited from the fund KAR1SMA Children and a total of RM85, 817.292 were spent by the federal government for this program. Under the KAR1SMA OKU programme, 17957 benefitted from total of RM47, 960, 850 since 2009. Through the Kebajikan Warga Emas, 34220 Indian senior citizens have benefitted from total of RM83,939,950 since 2009. In addition to these programmes, other government subsidies such as the Klinik 1Malaysia, Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia and so on have managed to ease some of the burdens of the Indian community in terms of healthcare, daily provisions and medication. Even Institute Jantung Negara, which subsidizes the cost of cardiac surgeries for the poor has aided many Indians who have been suffering from heart problems. And for small business owners, the '1 Malaysia Entrepreneurship Development Programme' has been in place since March 2011 to increase revenues and grow the business entrepreneurs of Indian society. Furthermore, The Special Secretariat for Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs (SEED) was established to coordinate, facilitate and monitor the loan applied by Indian Entrepreneurs for funding small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and community development scheme Indian (SPUMI) which RM180 million is reserved for the Indians Promise No.7: Establishment of a dedicated mechanism to monitor and evaluate the delivery of public sector services in a just and fair manner Special Implementation Taskforce (SITF), Cabinet Committee on the Indian Community, Prime Minister's Department was established in June 2010 to monitor and strengthen delivery and implementation of public sector services and programs. MyDaftar was one of the succesfull programs carried out with the partnership of National Registration Department in overcoming stateless Indian issue in Malaysia.
The Special Secretariat for Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs (SEED) was established to coordinate, facilitate and monitor the loan applied by Indian Entrepreneurs for funding small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and community development scheme Indian (SPUMI) which RM180 million is reserved for the Indians .[ http://www.seed.org.my ] Action Plan for Future of Tamil Schools was formed officially on May 2012 with the appointment of Prof Dr. N. S. Rajendran as the coordinator. The role of this action plan committee was to produce a comprehensive blueprint for the total and continuous development of Tamil Schools in Malaysia. [http://www.tamilschooledu.org.my/ ]
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| Sugumar: Political exploitation of a family's grief? Posted: 13 Feb 2013 09:26 AM PST
Ranesa Jegatheesa The sudden retraction by Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand to do a second post-mortem on C.Sugumar is a slap in the face of people like N. Surendran of PKR. These are the people who have come to premature conclusions as to the cause of death and then make allegations. Dr Pornthip had agreed to take on the task but made an abrupt about-turn immediately afterwards, citing personal reasons. Sugumar had died after he ran amok in Taman Sri Nanding in Hulu Langat on 23 Jan. Some quarters have since alleged that the police had beaten him up. PM Najib then ordered a forensic report be submited to the Cabinet. Dr Pornthip, a high profile pathologist, must have made some preliminary inquiries before declining the brief. Could she have concluded that she did not wish to be embroiled in a political blame game? And could she have concluded that Malaysians are up to the task of doing a professional job themselves? Let's wait and see. Until then, will Surendran and his cohorts please stop capitalising on a family's grief?
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| Posted: 12 Feb 2013 06:47 PM PST
Fifty years later, it's clear that it's Malaya which turned out to be the real crocodile, and a big one too, in the region. The sovereignty of Sabah rests with its people, not in Putrajaya, Manila, Sulu, Brunei or elsewhere. Joe Fernandez There's a comment in Malaysia Today that if Sabah opts for freedom, the Philippines is waiting (meaning to swallow Sabah). |
| Anwar’s stance on Sabah’s autonomy wrong – Jeffrey Posted: 12 Feb 2013 06:41 PM PST
Let's be very clear about the fact that in the case of Sabah and Sarawak, the central government, the Malayan political parties, nor the state political parties decide or determine autonomy. This is because autonomy for Sabah and Sarawak has already been decided and determined by the various documents.
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan
The stand expressed by PKR advisor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, on the matter of Sabah's autonomy within Malaysia is totally wrong, said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan.
The STAR Sabah chairman said this in response to Anwar's statement yesterday in which he said, "Autonomy is politically adopted. And who can decide to give autonomy? It is the federal government. Not a local based party… Hence, the suggestion that a local-based party would determine autonomy is not true."
Jeffrey said he was taken aback that a former federal leader such as Anwar would still be so ignorant about the roots and meaning of Sabah's autonomy in the federation.
"His statement on the matter is clearly misplaced, incorrect and shows he doesn't know what he is talking about," said Jeffrey. "He deliberately ignores the agreements and the assurances made by the founding fathers of Malaysia.
"The issue of autonomy for Sabah and Sarawak is not a matter of federal policies as indicated by Anwar but a special condition agreed to at the time of the formation of Malaysia. This is specifically spelt out in the 20 Points, the IGC Report, as well as under Article 8 of the Malaysia Agreement!" Jeffrey pointed out.
Jeffrey also regretted that Anwar could still have such an attitude with regard to Sabah and Sarawak, which clearly shows his old Malay supremacy mentality and attitude towards the East Malaysian states.
"Let's be very clear about the fact that in the case of Sabah and Sarawak, the central government, the Malayan political parties, nor the state political parties decide or determine autonomy. This is because autonomy for Sabah and Sarawak has already been decided and determined by the various documents.
"In view of this historical fact any argument about the definition of autonomy is irrelevant, because what is required now is simply compliance and implementation, and this is what STAR is fighting for.
And in response to PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, Jeffrey said Azmin is confirming Anwar's refusal to understand Sabah's crying need for rights and autonomy which are promised in the highest forms of documents, and that PKR is still in denial mode about historical facts.
"With this attitude I don't see how PKR will ever be different from Umno if PR takes over the federal government," Jeffrey said. "It will always look down on Sabah and will never appreciate our feeling that we are really being colonized by Malaya."
He told Azmin that STAR had long given up any hope of negotiating with PKR mostly because PKR takes on the role of decider in the whole negotiation process, treating local parties as subservient to it. Jeffrey explained that because of this STAR has already decided to go on its own in the coming election, to contest the majority of the parliamentary and state seats. "If we were to depend on PKR or PR to give us seats, we would end up with only about four of five state seats," he said. "Under such a scenario, we might as well close shop!
"Azmin needs to understand the local sentiments of Sabahans who are now very much educated in the genesis of Malaysia. They now know that when we formed the federation the Tunku promised in no uncertain terms that we will be an equal partner with Malaya and Sarawak. This meant we were not supposed to be subservient to Malaya in any way. But by what PKR is trying to do it wants to perpetuate our subservience to a Malayan lord by wanting to control local parties. By the look of it PKR will be our overlord if PR takes over the federal government, just like Umno is the overlord to all today.
"With this arrangement there will never be any new deal for Sabah, no increased rights and no wider autonomy. That is why I have always believed that local parties need to unite under the United Borneo Front (UBF) so that with enough seats won, we will be able to make our own decisions because we will have enough strength to force the federal government to respond positively to our demands.
"At this moment what we want to hear from Anwar is whether under his government he would be willing to sit down and review the Malaysian Agreement and to comply with all the assurances agreed to prior to Sept 16, 1963, including the possibility of drafting and passing a new constitution of Malaysia," Jeffrey said. "If Anwar is not willing to do these, he is not really interested in real reform but only in capturing Putrajaya.
"A reform for Sabah, including good governance, would only be beneficial to Sabah if it was under Sabah's own leadership which will not repeat the mistakes of the past or continue to let Sabahans be fooled by Malayan political propaganda," Jeffrey said.
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| Posted: 12 Feb 2013 06:27 PM PST
One really wonders why his advisers did not pay attention to detail. And why they did not caution him that performing in this advertisement might bring him lower in public esteem. Kee Thuan Chye It looks like Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional (BN) chief Najib Razak has outdone himself at self-debasement. His appearance in the now much-talked-about Chinese New Year advertisement has not only shown his desperation to win Chinese votes in the soon-to-be-held general election; it has also elicited responses from viewers full of derision and contempt. I showed it to someone who is non-partisan, sensible, well-educated and who exercises good judgment, and these were her reactions as she watched it: "Hak sei ngor! (Shocking)" ... "Unheard of" ... "Eeyer! Geli! (Makes my skin crawl)" … "Trying too hard". Her remarks are uncannily similar to those that have been expressed on Facebook by many other Malaysians. In the advertisement, as Chinese New Year preparations are under way, a little girl brings out a small drum to play. A figure suddenly appears. To instil a sense of mystery, the video shows only his legs. He asks the girl, "Do you know how to beat a drum?" Then we see the man for the first time, but only the lower part of his face. Najib's famous pink lips and moustache are instantly recognisable! It is at the recognition of Najib that my friend gasped, "Hak sei ngor!" The girl gives Najib her drum. But why? We don't know. Going by her question, wasn't he supposed to show her how to beat a drum? The scene changes, and the lyrical background music gives way to drum beats. We then see a close-up of a pair of hands beating a large Chinese drum with sticks. A lion's head appears. The girl gasps. Firecrackers are set off. A lion dance is on. More drummers join in. A crowd watches the dance with awe. But after a while, their expressions change to curiosity. One or two crane their necks to get a better view of the drummers. More firecrackers explode. Then an elderly man lets out a cry of surprise. No wonder! The drummer is revealed in full glory. It is – lo and behold! – none other than Najib! Wearing a red Chinese costume, Najib beats the drum once, twice, then flings both arms out like an eagle to signify the end of the performance with a cry of "Hah!". At this point, my friend exclaimed, "Eeyer! Geli!" The smiling crowd applauds. More firecrackers explode. Next we see the girl whispering something in Najib's ear. A smiling Najib says something back to her. This is followed by a shot of a Chinese word on a piece of red paper and then of Najib, hands clasped together, wishing everyone, "Gong Xi Fa Cai." My friend had a good laugh. "He's trying too hard," she remarked. On Facebook, those who know Chinese criticised the writing of the Chinese word and pointed out it should have instead been written as "吉", with the upper horizontal line being longer than the bottom one. In the advertisement, it is rendered the other way around, which apparently connotes bad luck. And since the word denotes an approximation of "Jib", which Najib has come to adopt as his Chinese name (Ah Jib), it doesn't forebode well for him. One really wonders why his advisers did not pay attention to detail. And why they did not caution him that performing in this advertisement might bring him lower in public esteem. To be sure, there were some Netizens who expressed appreciation for the advertisement and his role in it, but far more were full of ridicule. "Oh, gosh! This ad actually made my mind go blank for a good five minutes … that's before I burst into laughter. Stupidest ad ever!" wrote one. And this was among the milder ones. On Najib's performance, many said it was "lawak" (clownish). One called him "an absolute clown", another called him "Maharaja lawak" (king of clowns). A kinder critic wrote, "We do not need a PM who can play drums, we need a PM who can stop corruption." In almost the same vein: "Dear PM, we would like to see you spend more time managing the country rather than carry out a PR exercise like this." And of course, some demanded to know how much of the people's money was spent on this "desperate act by a desperate PM". Also, because the advertisement endorsed the burning of firecrackers, which is actually banned in Malaysia, one Netizen summed up the sentiment surrounding this issue by commenting, "Sejak bila kaum Tiong Hua dibenarkan membakar mercun? Janji tidak ditepati!" (Since when has the Chinese community been allowed to burn firecrackers? Promise unfulfilled!) A most telling comment was the one that echoed my friend's: "Aiyer … geli!" And the one that sought to predict the near future: "Hahahaha … jawatan baru lepas kalah PRU13 … Ketua Ketuk Gendang Tarian Singa!" (Hahahaha … new job after losing GE13 … Head Lion Dance Drummer!) Najib's public relations advisers have truly mucked up. Strategies such as putting out this advertisement to try and win votes can, in fact, have the reverse effect. They annoy people. It's the same with the letters, postcards, SMSes that BN has been sending out wishing people Happy Chinese New Year or Happy Birthday or greeting them during other festivals. It freaks people out that BN is privy to their private particulars, like their birthdate or their mobile phone number. The recent Chinese New Year letter is accompanied by ang-pow packets with Najib's face on them. What a waste of money printing them! Who is going to use ang-pow packets with his face on them? For some Chinese, it could mean bad luck! Normally, ang-pow packets carry symbols of happiness, luck, prosperity or the image of the animal of that year. Never the face of a person. A person steeped in Chinese culture said to me, "Even Mao Zedong never had his face on a red packet!" Obviously, Najib's advisers are not well-versed in Chinese culture. They were also not smart in getting the Korean K-Pop sensation Psy to perform his 'Oppa Gangnam Style' number at the BN Open House in Penang on the second day of Chinese New Year. Obviously, the event was meant to attract a mammoth crowd so that BN could boast that it and Najib had the support of Penangites. But as it turned out, most of the people who went for it were not there for Najib but for Psy. And once Psy's performance was over, many left in droves. That took the thunder away from Najib. More than that, cynical questions were raised about the astronomical cost of bringing Psy in for such a brief performance. Even though the organisers said that a private sponsor underwrote it, the gesture showed a penchant for extravagance that starkly contrasted the difficult economic times, especially for common Malaysians coping with the rising prices of essential goods. As for winning votes, one doubts Penangites would be fooled into siding BN just because it brought Psy in to perform for them. However BN may underestimate their intelligence, Penangites are not stupid. Sure enough, just before Psy was about to appear, Najib asked the crowd three times, "Are you ready for Psy?" and each time the crowd shouted, "Yes!" But when he followed that with the ill-advised question, "Are you ready for BN?", the crowd replied with a resounding "No!" And he foolishly asked it three times as well, each time getting the same negative reply. Frankly, he looked stupid. So much for Malaysia's prime minister. One Netizen summed it up aptly on Facebook: "The irony for BN is they spent close to RM3,000,000 for a publicity stunt that backfired, and it became a people's forum to say NO to BN." In his desperation to ensure victory for BN at the coming general election – and especially the two-thirds majority that he may need in order to keep his job – is Najib aware that he is losing his self-respect? Well, the way he's been going around begging the people to keep BN in power for another term; the lack of confidence he exhibited when he said on Jan 5 that he hoped he would still be prime minister to have the opportunity to open KLIA2 on June 28; the cash handouts he's been throwing out to win the people's favour; and now the Chinese New Year advertisement and Psy circus, he seems willing to do anything to attain his desperate goal. Even if it means losing his dignity. Perhaps he thinks that if he keeps doing it, people will kesian (pity) him and give him sympathy votes. But any way you look at it, that's really pathetic. Especially for the person who holds the nation's highest office. What he needs to understand is that people will not respect him if he doesn't respect himself. And without respect, he has no business being PM. * Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book No More Bullshit, Please, We're All Malaysians, and the latest volume, Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More!
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| It wasn’t a negotiation but an order Posted: 12 Feb 2013 06:11 PM PST
The administration of Sabah State must be by Sabahans without a push button. If Kelantan, Selangor and Penang (opposition-held States) can administer their own states then we ought to be asking ourselves why can't we? Hj Amde Sidik, Deputy President of SAPP When PKR - Azmin Ali and Tian Chua - said the door is closed to SAPP and no more talks, it was a kind of ultimatum not to even come close to Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Its a surprise such quick finishing for some people was followed up later by the usual statement that SAPP is unreasonable if not stubborn. SAPP has been deliberately responding only mildly or merely mimed unfriendly statements made in the media by fellow oppositions in the past few weeks. The idea behind the silence was to avoid giving conflicting signals to Sabah's voters. SAPP leaders have been accused of being arrogant and uncooperative lots but those who have been following the struggle of the party are unlikely to be perturbed by such remarks. At the same time, SAPP leaders have been going left to right all along for the purpose of seeking ways to consolidate teamwork with other oppositions, both PKR and Star, while firmly maintaining the principle of the struggle for Sabah Autonomy with reference to the Malaysian Agreement signed in 1963. SAPP believes this is the opportune time for Sabahans to change the government which has been ruling the State for the past 50 years resulting in massive abuse of state resources, in particular in land. The administration of Sabah State must be by Sabahans without a push button. If Kelantan, Selangor and Penang (opposition-held States) can administer their own states then we ought to be asking ourselves why can't we? Only yesterday, PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim said talks are still open, meaning SAPP and PR can still talk about party seats allocation. Does it mean that the duo (Azmin Ali and Tian Chua) made a mistake in closing the door too soon? Earlier, SAPP Youth Chief Edward Dagul asked PR leaders to spell out how many seats do they (Pakatan) want SAPP to field in the forthcoming GE? The idea behind the question was so that we could respond quickly as we have in fact a ready line-up. Our planning had been in place more than three years ago, long before any other opposition party announced or even existed. SAPP has been making statement after statement about fielding simple majority seats. SAPP would field where we have candidates and infrastructure ready. Two days later, Azmin Ali and Tian Chua came out with the mathematics. They said 60 divided by 6; that means Party Keadilan will take 10, PPPS 10, APS 10, DAP10, PAS 10 and SAPP 10. There is no consideration on allocation of seats for Star, another opposition Borneo-based political party. Now let's see, if this number is agreeable to the people of Sabah, when SAPP has been talking all along about State Autonomy, would this mathematical arrangement make sense to SAPP supporters? Let me recall my little experience watching this roller coaster kind of decision-making. Sarawak is the case in hand, negotiations between Sarawak National Party SNAP and PR during the Sarawak State General Election of 2011. I was SAPP's representative to observe SNAP and Pakatan negotiations. SNAP was proposing to field 27 seats mainly at the Iban majority area but was rejected by the same PR Chief negotiator, Azmin Ali. Instead, SNAPP was offered only 3 seats and later revised to 4 seats of 71 the total number of seats in Sarawak DUN. Now just think about it. Negotiation failed. The result of the State General Election SNAP lost very badly of 27 candidates fielded, and PKR who fielded 49 won only 3. Baru Bian designated to be Chief Minister won only by a whisker in Bekakalan DUN. The SNAP disaster was due to lack of preparations and no machineries as the party was just reactivated after a long absence. The onslaught from all corners was unbearable to them. SAPP has to be on safeguard all the time not to fall into this trap again where it isn't really a negotiation but rather an order, whether you're in or you're out. Sabahans have been informed of SAPP's eight point declarations and autonomy is the threshold of the party struggle, which is not exchangeable with anything less.
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| In the name of Allah, The Gracious The Merciful... Posted: 09 Feb 2013 08:13 AM PST
"ALLAH" IS FOR THE WHOLE OF MANKIND, SAYS THE QURAN Have you yourselves read the Book and fully understood its contents? Have you been instructed in the Book to forbid mankind from calling the one and only God as ALLAH? Are you responsible if the ignorant ones make a mockery of God? Student of The Qur'an The ongoing controversy among the Malaysian population as to whether Christians in the country can use the word Allah in their Malay language Bible has prompted me to write this article in the hope that the dispute, which has the potential of threatening the peaceful coexistence of peace loving Malaysians, would be eliminated. I am not a religious scholar but a concerned citizen who looks forward to living in harmony in this well-endowed multi-racial, multi-religious country of ours. Since the objection for the Christian community to use the word Allah comes from the Muslims, let us use the Muslim holy book, THE QUR'AN, as the basis for our search to find the answer to this problem. It is not disputed by Muslims throughout the world that The Quran is the word of God (the one and only God known as ALLAH in the Arabic language) and that it is a Message for the whole of mankind revealed through Muhammad, Allah's messenger and the seal of the prophets (peace be upon him). "This (Message) is no less than a reminder to mankind." Ch. 81 Verse 27 25 names of messengers are mentioned in The Quran (right from Adam to Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all). All these prophets and messengers brought the same Message from God to mankind, but the messengers were rejected. When God made an agreement with those who were given the Book [saying]: In the Quran, we find the word "ilah" which refers to any god other than the One God, which the ignorant people have taken as an object of worship. The One and Only God in the Qur'an is known as ALLAH (the prefix "AL" (the) combined with "ILAH" (god) to define the sole divine entity as THE GOD). "Do not set up any other god besides God lest you incur disgrace and be forsaken." Ch.17 Verse 22 "He who invokes another god along with God, - a deity of whose divinity he has no proof, - will be brought to account by his Lord. Certainly, those who deny the truth shall never prosper." Ch. 23 verse 117 Allah, the One God is also known in the Quran through His numerous attributes, some among which are as follows: We are asked to call Allah by any of His beautiful names: Muhammad, the messenger was told by God to tell the believers: And the believers are told to do it with wisdom: The messenger would not have forced the people to believe him after hearing this commandment from God: Now, the controversy arises as a result of the doctrine of Trinity held by the Christians, whereby God is referred to as The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost, which will not be accepted by the Believers of the Qur'an as the truth. The people of the Book (Jews and Christians) have been reminded by Allah about this through His messenger Muhammad in Chapter 4 verse 171 of the Qur'an: The above verse clearly indicates that during the prophet's time the Christians were already believing in the concept of trinity; and Allah, through the prophet wanted to remind them not to believe in such a doctrine and to abstain from it for their own good. Thus, we as Muslims today, should also emulate the prophet in clarifying to the Christians the true concept of one God or Monotheism. This should be the paramount duty or focus of the Muslims rather than bickering over the usage of the term "God" or "Allah." Allah says: The messenger was only instructed to reveal God's Message to the people and to make them aware of the worship of the One God (Allah), the God of both the believers and the disbelievers. He was merely responsible for delivering the Message (as had been done by other messengers before him) and not for their actions or their disobedience after hearing the Message. If Allah had commanded His messenger to call people to the One God, Allah, who are we, the so-called Muslims of today, to forbid mankind from calling their god Allah, since Allah is God for all the people! If a community insists on calling its god Allah, but continues to practise idol worship, which is an unforgivable sin in the sight of Allah, that community would be answerable only to God and not to any other authority. "God does not forgive the sin of considering others equal to Him, but He may choose to forgive other sins. Whoever believes in other gods besides Him has indulged in a great sin." Ch. 4 verse 48 The duty of a rightly guided Muslim would be to explain clearly the concept of Monotheism to those who may not be aware, and not to convert or dispute with or deny them the opportunity of recognising the true God and calling Him Allah. "Unto every community have We appointed [different] ways of worship, which they ought to observe. Hence, [O believer,] do not let those [who follow ways other than yours] draw you into disputes on this score, but summon [them all] unto your Sustainer: for, behold, you are indeed on the right way." Ch. 22 verse 67 – 69 The Quran also tells us that although the people who heard the Message of God defied the messengers, nevertheless, they conceded and acknowledged that their god was Allah when questioned about their Creator. Say, "To whom do the earth and all therein belong?" Tell me, if you have any knowledge. They will say, "To Allah!" Say: "Yet will you not receive admonition?" Say, "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and of the Glorious Throne?" They will say, "(All this belongs) to Allah." Say, "Would you still not fear Allah?" Ch. 23 verse 84 – 87
Say (unto them, O Muhammad): "Who provides for you from the sky and the earth, or Who owns hearing and sight; and Who brings forth the living from the dead and brings forth the dead from the living; and Who directs the course?" They will say: "Allah." Then say: "Will ye not then keep your duty (unto Him)?" Such is Allah, your true Lord. What is there, besides the truth, but error? How then can you turn away? Ch. 10 verse 31 - 32 After having provided all of our basic needs and equipping us with what is required for our survival on this beautiful earth, what Allah expects from us is justice among mankind and responsible behaviour towards each other, for which everyone shall be accountable. "For, verily, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Sabians, and the Christians - all who believe in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous deeds - no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve." Ch. 5 verse 69 So, brothers and sisters, who proudly call yourselves Muslims, let me ask if you have done your job of supporting your prophet by revealing the Message of Allah to your fellow mankind, who may have not yet read Allah's last revealed Book, THE QUR'AN? Have you yourselves read the Book and fully understood its contents? Have you been instructed in the Book to forbid mankind from calling the one and only God as ALLAH? Are you responsible if the ignorant ones make a mockery of God? Is not Allah the All-seer, the All-hearer, the All-knowing, the All-mighty, the All-wise? Allah is not weak. He is the All-powerful, but He is also the All-forgiving and the All-compassionate. And how are we taught in the Quran to recognise Allah? Say: "He is Allah, the One and Only, Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He does not give birth, nor was He born, and there is nothing like Him." Ch. 112 verses 1 – 4 "All praise is due to Allah Who has never begotten a son and Who has no partner in His kingdom; nor does anyone aid Him because of any weakness of His. Proclaim His Greatness." Ch. 17 verse 111 Brothers and sisters, let us all hasten to do righteous works and strive towards establishing TRUTH AND JUSTICE on this earth, instead of focusing our attention on petty issues and arguments which bring about split and discord among mankind. The world is already full of turmoil; let us not exacerbate the situation further by using faith as the basis for highlighting irrelevant issues for personal and political gains. May ALLAH guide us all to the straight path and may we spread PEACE and LOVE on earth, which is the very essence of Islam! Salaam (Peace),
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