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Now do you know what I mean?
If you had to argue your case
Have you got your halal certificate yet?
Back to the Middle Ages
Is Jho Low a Trojan horse?

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 05:58 PM PDT

So which is it then? Is the DAP-led government of Penang neglecting the Malays or neglecting the Chinese? Can Umno and MCA please agree on this? Can we also hear whether MIC agrees with HINDRAF that it is actually the Indian Hindus who are the ones being neglected or does MIC want to contradict HINDRAF and declare that the Indian Hindus are being well looked after and are very happy, thank you very much?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaysia's Penang Wanita MCA: Why no DID projects given to Chinese

(The Star/ANN) - Malaysia's Penang Wanita MCA wants to know why not a single state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) project was given to Chinese contractors.

Its chairman Tan Cheng Liang said she believed the Chinese contractors had submitted tender applications for the projects.

"Has the state deemed their applications incomplete."

"I am aghast and unable to comprehend why isn't a single contract awarded to a Chinese contractor," said Tan in response to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's statement on July 27, that contractors in all five districts for the DID projects were Malays, bumiputras and Indian Muslims of which women accounted for 20%.

Tan said since the DAP took over the state, not a single Chinese contractor in the five districts were given projects.

"The DAP-led state government should not simply award contracts to bumiputras to make themselves look fair."

"They should ensure that the contractors are capable of guaranteeing a successful completion of the projects and there will not be problems later," she said.

Tan said there was proof that despite the support from the Chinese for Lim and DAP, the interest of the Chinese had been threatened after DAP came into power.

"They realise that they cannot rely on the Chinese forever but I hope the curry favour among other races is not done at the expense of the Chinese," she said.

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

MCA is alleging that the DAP-led government of Penang is sidelining the Chinese and is favouring the Malays, Bumiputeras and Indian Muslims.

MCA, in case some of you still don't know, is the second largest coalition partner in Barisan Nasional and is the original member of the Alliance Party that negotiated with the British for Merdeka for Malaya.

Penang Wanita MCA chairman Tan Cheng Liang was referring to a statement Lim Guan Eng was said to have made two days ago that the DID contractors in all five districts in Penang are Malays, Bumiputeras and Indian Muslims, with women accounting for 20%.

Umno, on the other hand, has claimed that since the new government took over in Penang in March 2008, the Malays have been sidelined and the 'racist' DAP-led Penang government just focuses on the Chinese.

Now, while the 'husband' alleges that the Penang government neglects the Malays, the 'wife', on the other hand, alleges that the Penang government neglects the Chinese. Clearly this 'couple' no longer sees eye-to-eye on the issue of whether it is the Malays or the Chinese who are being neglected.

MIC, the 'second wife', is in the meantime still foggy and blur (as usual) and is trying to figure out what stupid thing to say (as usual). MIC can't jump onto the bandwagon and allege that the Penang government is also neglecting the Indian Hindus. This is exactly what HINDRAF is claiming. So, if MIC claims the same thing, then HINDRAF can turn around and say, "Ah hah! Did we not say so? Even MIC agrees with what we say. That means HINDRAF was right all along. The Indian Hindus are being neglected."

Anyway, this is what the people in Barisan Nasional are saying. Now, if someone from Pakatan Rakyat said something like this do you know what the opposition supporters would say? They would say MCA has been bought. MCA is a Trojan horse. MCA is trying to sabotage Barisan Nasional. MCA is secretly and maliciously trying to help the opposition by contradicting Umno.

That is the advantage of being in Barisan Nasional. They allow you freedom to speak without calling you a traitor. But whether you still have freedom after you speak is another matter. Maybe not! But you do have freedom to speak in spite of not having freedom after you speak.

So which is it then? Is the DAP-led government of Penang neglecting the Malays or neglecting the Chinese? Can Umno and MCA please agree on this? And can we also hear whether MIC agrees with HINDRAF that it is actually the Indian Hindus who are the ones being neglected or does MIC want to contradict HINDRAF and declare that the Indian Hindus are being well looked after and are very happy, thank you very much?

Politicians! Now do you know why we need to guard against politicians? They will take pains to make sure that after almost 54 years of Merdeka we still focus on issues concerning Malays, Chinese and Indians and not look at things in the context of Malaysians.

If you had to argue your case

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 07:14 AM PDT

Your Honour, I am no prophet. I can't claim to be guided by God, at least not in the way the Prophets of old were. But what have we learned from the examples of the Prophets? Basically, what we have learned is we must not be afraid of challenging the system and not to fear reforms. To do that, we must speak out, debate and enter into discourse.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaysia's Internal Security Act allows the government to detain you without trial indefinitely. The initial detention is not more than 60 days during which time they will decide whether you can be released or should be further detained in the Kamunting Detention Centre.

If you are further detained in Kamunting, within three months of your detention you will appear before the Lembaga Penasihat (Review Board), which will review your case and decide whether to prolong your detention or allow you to go home. These review proceedings will give you the opportunity to attempt to convince the Lembaga that your detention is not justified and that they should release you.

You can either argue your case yourself or you can get a lawyer to do it for you. This is what I would probably say during the review proceedings had I been given an opportunity to argue my own case.

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

Your Honour, first of all I thank you for the opportunity offered me to try to convince you why I should be released and allowed to go home. I realise that, normally, detainees would arrange for a lawyer or a team of lawyers to argue their case and that the proceedings are conducted in the same way as in a court of law.

Nevertheless, I would like to dispense with the services of a lawyer and argue my case myself. I hope you will bear with me and hear me out and allow me to take you through the issues as to why this Lembaga should consider releasing me and allow me to go home.

Your Honour, if you were to peruse my Detention Order, you will see that the four grounds of my detention, as stated in that Detention Order, is for speaking out or for expressing myself. I know the grounds of my detention have been explained in great detail and with a lot of legal jargon that would probably confuse even lawyers themselves. However, putting that aside, and as the Americans would say, cutting to the chase, the long and short of it is, simply, I am too vocal.

Your Honour, whether, as what the Honourable Minister said, I am a threat to national security is a matter of opinion. As they say, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. George Washington was a terrorist and was treated as such by the British Colonialists. If they had caught him, they would have put him to death. Today, Washington is the name of the capital of the most powerful nation in the world.

I agree wholeheartedly that the pen is mightier than the sword. If I had carried a sword and had threatened bodily harm then certainly that would make me a threat to life and limb and therefore a threat to national security and public order. But my crime is merely for using the pen, in this case a computer keyboard, and as much as the pen may be mightier than a sword, metaphorically speaking, using a pen is not the same as threatening someone with a sword.

What would humanity be today if freedom of expression had not been allowed? And that is my only crime, being too free with my expression.

Buddha, a Hindu prince, lived a protected life and knew nothing about death, sickness, poverty, etc. until he was exposed to the world. That exposure opened his eyes to the suffering, injustice and evil of the world around him that he had been protected from.

Eventually, Buddha became disillusioned and sought enlightenment. Through enlightenment, Buddha saw the truth and brought reforms to the world. Had the powers-that-be tried to stifle Buddha and prevented him from seeking enlightenment, Buddhism would not exist today.

Was Buddha a terrorist? Was he considered a threat to Hinduism? If they had declared Buddha a threat to society and had put him to death we would never have known Buddha or Buddhism, which teaches love, kindness and peace and is not violent even to animals.

What was Buddha's crime if you want to consider him as having committed one? His crime is he was different. He was a seeker. He was what today we would call a reformist.

Because of Buddha, that part of the world could see reforms while the rest of the world, even Europe, was steeped in superstition and ignorance. Europe was locked in what we would call the dark ages while Buddha brought enlightenment because they allowed him to do what he did. They did not lock him away under detention without trial.

Your Honour, as a Muslim just like me, you too must be very familiar with the history of our Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad too was a reformist. For ten years he preached reforms but the people of Mekah rejected him. In fact, they plotted against him and schemed his death.

Did God abandon Muhammad to his fate? No! God commanded Muhammad to leave Mekah and to seek asylum in the safety of Medina. Yes, God refused to allow them to silence him. God wanted Muhammad to continue spreading his message of reforms. Today, even the non-Muslim western world regards Muhammad as the greatest reformist in history.

It took more than 1,500 years for the western world to fully understand Christianity and to comprehend the teachings of Christ. For more than 1,000 years the Christian world remained in ignorance mainly because no debate and discourse was allowed. Debates and discourse was punishable by death.

It was not until they revolted against this that the Christian world progressed and discarded their superstitious and ignorant ways. Again, it was not until the reformists rose up and demanded change did the world become a better place and the killings in the name of religion end.

So you see, Your Honour, for thousands of years reformists have fought against impossible odds and won. As a result, we now live in a better and more progressive world.

Your Honour, I am not prophet. I can't claim to be guided by God, at least not in the way the Prophets of old were. But what have we learned from the examples of the Prophets? Basically, what we have learned is we must not be afraid of challenging the system and not to fear reforms. To do that, we must speak out, debate and enter into discourse.

Your Honour, my crime, if you can even consider it a crime, is that I have challenged the system and have spoken out. And for that I am now in Kamunting under ISA detention. How can speaking out be a crime? How can we see reforms and changes if we do not speak out?

I am here in Kamunting because I am considered a threat to national security. Galileo Galilee too was considered a threat to national security. But because of his links to the Duke they did not dare put him to death. Instead they excommunicated him and placed him under house arrest.

And what was Galileo's crime? His crime is he declared that the sun does move around the earth but instead the earth moves around the sun. And that declaration, to the powers-that-be at that time, was a crime and a threat to national security. Would we still insist today that Galileo is a criminal and a threat to national security?

So you see, Your Honour, the world will never progress if we jail or put to death everyone who challenges the system and tries to preach reforms -- as long as they don't preach death and destruction, which neither I nor Galileo have done.

I may be overzealous in expressing myself. That may be my fault. But Martin Luther was as well when he challenged the church that resulted in reforms, as was Martin Luther King. Because of his work and other social changes, the first African-American President is now serving America.

Your Honour, the Honourable Minister has declared me a threat to national security based on his standards and interpretation. Can one man make this sole decision on behalf of 28 million Malaysians? Does his view reflect that of the majority of Malaysians?

Your Honour, the Honourable Minister himself was once a reformer who challenged the system. Then, the government viewed him as a threat to national security as well. And although he was never detained under the ISA, he was, however, punished by being sent into the political wilderness where he lingered for quite some time.

Then, the Honourable Minister justified his actions for challenging the system as the need to introduce reforms to the country. The Honourable Minister himself was a reformist and he too opposed the system and he too was punished for this. I would imagine that the Minister still holds these ideals close to his heart. Why would the Minister now take offense to what he himself once did?

Your Honour, I remember the time when the Honourable Minister was outside the government and he and I opposed the system and challenged the system and fought to bring reforms to system. Then, he too was a firebrand and did not fear going against what he considered was wrong.

Today, he is in the government and I am still outside the government. And, today, he signs my Detention Order and detains me without trial for doing nothing short of what he once did himself -- expressing the need for reforms.

Your Honour, instead of I appearing before this Lembaga to try to convince you why I should be released, the Honourable Minister should be made to appear before this Lembaga to explain why he sees the need for my further detention and in what way my actions of expressing myself can be construed as a threat to national security.

Your Honour, I have nothing further to say. I just pray that this Lembaga sees the logic of my arguments and can accept that the world needs reformers. If there had not been any reformers then the world would not be the progressive world that we see today.

Thank you, Your Honour.

Have you got your halal certificate yet?

Posted: 27 Jul 2011 05:39 PM PDT

Hotel operators which have yet to obtain halal certificates from the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) have been urged to get their certifications to ensure that the food and drinks they served during Ramadan are halal.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Jakim director-general Othman Mustapha said the department had simplified the certification process and it can now be obtained within a day.

"We have sent out letters to them and about 80 per cent of hotels in the Federal Territories have obtained their certifications."

"There are also special officers to process the certifications should an urgent approval is needed," he told reporters after opening the Federal Territories Nasyid Festival 2011 at the Islamic Centre complex, here today.

He said hotel operators who failed to display the halal certificate can be fined under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972.

"We will carry out operations from time to time. We will also act based on complaints from the public," he said. -- (Bernama)

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

Jakim: Yes, can I help you?

Hotel: Is this where I apply for the halal certificate for my hotel?

Jakim: It depends.

Hotel: Depends?

Jakim: Yes, are you a local-owned hotel or foreign-owned hotel?

Hotel: Foreign-owned.

Jakim: This counter, counter number one, is for local-owned hotels. The next counter, counter number two, is for foreign-owned hotels.

Hotel: Okay, thank you.

Jakim: Yes, can I help you?

Hotel: Hey, hold on! You're the same officer from counter number one.

Jakim: Yes, we have only one officer on duty today.

Hotel: But you have ten counters.

Jakim: Yes, counter number one is for local-owned hotels, counter number two for foreign-owned hotels, then we have counters number three to ten for other applications like restaurants, supermarkets, and so on.

Hotel: But why did you ask me to move to counter number two? Why can't you just serve me from counter number one if you are handling all applications?

Jakim: Procedure.

Hotel: Never mind. I want to apply for a halal certificate for my hotel.

Jakim: Foreign-owned?

Hotel: Yes, I already told you. Foreign-owned. Why ask again?

Jakim: You told the officer at counter number one. This is counter number two.

Hotel: But you are the same officer at counter number one. Oh, never mind.

Jakim: Have you filled in the form?

Hotel: Yes I have. Here it is.

Jakim: But this is Borang A. You must fill in Borang B.

Hotel: What's the difference?

Jakim: Borang A is for hotels registered under the Registrar of Businesses. Yours is registered under the Registrar of Companies. So must fill in Borang B.

Hotel: Where do I get Borang B?

Jakim: At counter number ten.

Hotel: But there is no officer at counter number ten.

Jakim: I am also the officer for counter number ten.

Hotel: Yes, I know, you already told me there is only one officer on duty today. So why can't you just give me the form here?

Jakim: Cannot. You must go to counter number ten. Procedure.

Hotel: Okay, okay, I will go to counter number ten. See you over there.

Jakim: Yes, can I help you?

Hotel: You know what I want. I want Borang B.

Jakim: For foreign-owned hotel registered under the Registrar of Companies?

Hotel: Yes, yes, yes.

Jakim: No need to get angry. I am just doing my duty.

Hotel: Okay, okay, I know, procedure.

Jakim: Your hotel sells halal food?

Hotel: Yes, we sell only halal meat, fish, vegetables…all halal

Jakim: Fish and vegetables definitely halal. No need for halal certificate. Only need halal certificate for meat. You buy your meat from halal butcher?

Hotel: Yes, from halal butcher.

Jakim: You have the halal certificate from the butcher?

Hotel: No, I don't. But there is a halal sign on the packing.

Jakim: How do you know it is really halal? It could be a fake halal sign. There are many fakes nowadays.

Hotel: I don't know whether it is genuine or a forgery? I go by the halal sign on the packing. The packing says the meat is halal so I assume it is halal.

Jakim: Cannot. We must be sure. You must ask them to show you the halal certificate from Jakim. They can't simply put a halal sign on the packing unless they first have a Jakim halal certificate.

Hotel: But my suppliers are overseas. How would they get a Jakim halal certificate?

Jakim: Jakim will visit the overseas factory and check first. Then we will issue them the halal certificate.

Hotel: So when can you visit these overseas factories then?

Jakim: The factories must first invite us.

Hotel: Then you will go there?

Jakim: No, we will then schedule a visit. But they must send us the flight tickets and book the hotels for our officers at their own cost.

Hotel: The factories have to pay for one of your officers to visit them so that you can certify that their factory is halal?

Jakim: No, not one officer. Ten officers.

Hotel: You need to send ten officers overseas just to certify that the factory is manufacturing halal meat?

Jakim: Yes, if not we cannot confirm that their meat is halal.

Hotel: Okay, never mind, we will stop selling imported meat and just serve local meat. Would that be okay?

Jakim: Yes, that is okay as long as you can show the halal certificate from the supplier.

Hotel: Okay, we also sell beer. Does the certificate cover this as well?

Jakim: No, beer is haram. We cannot issue a halal certificate for that.

Hotel: But we can sell beer?

Jakim: Yes.

Hotel: But we can't sell meat unless we can prove it is halal?

Jakim: No.

Hotel: Can we accept credit cards?

Jakim: Yes.

Hotel: But credit cards involve interest. Is that not haram?

Jakim: Interest is haram.

Hotel: So the meat must be halal but you can pay by credit card even though interest is haram?

Jakim: That is correct.

Hotel: And we can employ Malay staff who are Muslims?

Jakim: Yes, you can. In fact, if you have no Malay staff you cannot get a hotel licence under the rules of the New Economic Policy.

Hotel: But our hotel has a bar, disco, karaoke lounge, massage centre and everything that is haram to Muslims. We can, or must, employ Muslims?

Jakim: Yes.

Hotel: But their salaries would come from haram sources.

Jakim: No problem. Even government staff get paid from revenue from banks, finance companies, money-lending, liquor, bars, night clubs, massage parlours, gambling, lotteries, casinos, cigarettes, and so on.

Hotel: That is allowed?

Jakim: Yes, allowed.

Hotel: But aren't all those businesses haram?

Jakim: Yes, they are haram.

Hotel: So banks, finance companies, money-lending, liquor, bars, night clubs, massage parlours, gambling, lotteries, casinos, cigarettes, and so on are allowed but meat that is not halal is not allowed?

Jakim: That is correct. The meat must be halal. And Jakim will not issue a halal certificate unless you can prove it is halal. So you must sponsor ten officers to go overseas for two weeks to visit the factory first before we can issue the halal certificate.

Hotel: Two weeks? Why so long?

Jakim: We need one whole day to visit the factory and the other 13 days for rest after the long journey.

Hotel: I think never mind. We will stop selling imported meat, just sell local meat, and we will continue to sell beer and run our bar, disco, karaoke lounge and massage centre where most of our revenue comes from anyway.

Jakim: No problem. Then you can get a Jakim halal certificate.

Back to the Middle Ages

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 08:20 PM PDT

Yes, in Mekah and Medina there is no banned sect of Islam. In Mekah and Medina everyone is just plain Muslim and we are allowed to pray side-by-side with them and behind imams who are Salafis or Wahhabis. But when we come back to Malaysia, we ban them, arrest them and declare that they are deviant Muslims and terrorists whom Malaysians must not follow.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaysia appears to have many enemies of the state. The colour yellow. Words such as 'Reformasi', 'Hindraf', 'Bersih', 'Altantuya', etc. Shiah and anything at all within the scope of non-Sunni Islam. Communists. Jews. Gays. Democracy. Gatherings. Marches. Rallies. Free speech. Bahasa Malaysia Bibles. Proportional representation in Parliament and the State Assemblies. Opposition political parties.

You name it and they are all enemies of the state as far as Malaysia is concerned.

The Malaysian government is scared of its own shadow. And now Wahhabism is the latest addition to the list of 'banned items'.

The article 'The Wahhabi Myth' addresses the fallacies connected to Wahhabism or Salafism as follows:

The 'Wahhabi' Myth by Haneef James Oliver clarifies many of the gross inaccuracies and outright lies that have been attributed to the belief of the Salafi Muslims (often referred to as "Wahhabis").

Karen Armstrong speaks about the difference between Osama bin Laden's sect (Qutbism) and Salafism/"Wahhabism" in a Guardian article entitled "The label of Catholic terror was never used about the IRA":

"Bin Laden was not inspired by Wahhabism but by the writings of the Egyptian ideologue Sayyid Qutb, who was executed by President Nasser in 1966. Almost every fundamentalist movement in Sunni Islam has been strongly influenced by Qutb, so there is a good case for calling the violence that some of his followers commit "Qutbian terrorism." Qutb urged his followers to withdraw from the moral and spiritual barbarism of modern society and fight it to the death.

Read more here: http://sinningslave.wordpress.com/

The bottom line is, anything that does not comply with my beliefs, standards, ideology, doctrine and whatnot is just not on and is haram.

That was how things were back in the Middle Ages. Either you are with me or you are against me. And if you are against me then you are my enemy and you must die a violent and painful death.

The problem is, while the civilised world has abandoned these old Middle Ages ways and beliefs, in the developing world -- such as in Malaysia -- we are still living in the Middle Ages and still adopting what the civilised world has long abandoned.

In short, as the previous Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said: Malaysia is a country with First World infrastructure but Third World mentality. And this statement came from the Malaysian Prime Minister himself.

And do you need me to quote what one-time Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said about the mentality of Malaysians? No, I thought not. I better not quote anything from Dr Mahathir lest you all froth and foam at the mouth like rabid dogs.

Tens of thousands of Malaysians go to Mekah and Medina every year for their Haj and Umrah. To date, millions of Malaysians have performed both the main and 'small' pilgrimages.

And what do they do in Mekah and Medina?

They pray side-by-side with the Shiah, Wahhabi, and many other sects of Muslims -- behind an imam of the Grand Mosque in Mekah and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina who are Salafis or Wahhabis.

Yes, in Mekah and Medina there is no banned sect of Islam. In Mekah and Medina everyone is just plain Muslim and we are allowed to pray side-by-side with them and behind imams who are Salafis or Wahhabis. But when we come back to Malaysia we ban them and arrest them and declare that they are deviant Muslims and terrorists whom Malaysians must not follow.

I watched a movie last night about a gang of robbers that the FBI was trying to track down. They had some suspects but could not get a warrant to put them under 24-hours surveillance. It would be very difficult to convince the court, said the FBI boss, unless one of them converts to Islam.

What does that tell you? It tells you that Islam is dangerous and Muslims are terrorists. If one of the bank robbers were a Muslim then the court would readily waive his fundamental rights.

That is of course a made-in-America movie where anything Islam is bad and Muslims are terrorists. I suppose they are not that wrong when even the Malaysian government labels Wahhabis or Salafis as terrorists. And is not Malaysia a perceived Islamic country and did not Umno say it is the largest Islamic party in the world?

When the Christians and Jews call Muslims terrorists, they are prejudiced. When Muslims call Muslims terrorists, this is a statement of fact and proves what the West suspected of Islam -- that it is a terrorist religion.

And did I not say many times that Muslims are Islam's greatest enemy?

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Wahhabi alert will damage ties with Saudi Arabia, says PAS

By Shannon Teoh, Malaysian Insider

PAS said today that Putrajaya was damaging ties with key Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, home of the religion's two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, by placing ulamas suspected of practicing Wahhabism on a terror watchlist.

PAS vice president Datuk Mahfuz Omar told reporters today that the move by the National Security Council (NSC) to monitor scholars such as influential former Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin was an overreaction that could jeopardise ties with the country where Wahhabism is the dominant form of Islam.

"This will hurt ties with Saudi Arabia and give a negative perception towards Malaysia," the Pokok Sena MP said.

About 26,000 Malaysian Muslims travel annually to perform the Haj in Mecca, one of the largest national quotas given by the kingdom.

Malaysia has asked for another 10,000 places as nearly 700,000 are on the waiting list.

Deputy president Mohamed Sabu also mocked the Najib administration's move, calling it a "fiction and propaganda."

The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that the NSC met and ordered state muftis and religious agencies to monitor and take action against the traditionalist Islamic practice that has been linked to terrorism.

Maverick scholar Asri was first linked to Wahhabism and the terrorists group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) early last year, along with PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, former Perlis mentri besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim dan Perlis Mufti Juanda Jaya.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Abdul Hadi and Shahidam Kassim have been omitted from the watchlist.

Two Umno lawmakers have come to the defense of Dr Mohamed Asri Zainul Abidin, insisting that the Najib administration has wrongly labelled the maverick former Perlis mufti as a potential terrorist threat.

Both Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said that the NSC had overreacted over a difference of opinion by raising a terror alert over fears that Wahhabism was being revived.

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Asri not a terrorist, say Umno MPs

By Shannon Teoh, Malaysian Insider

Two Umno lawmakers have come to the defence of Dr Mohamed Asri Zainul Abidin, insisting that the Najib administration has wrongly labelled the maverick former Perlis mufti as a potential terrorist threat.

Both Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said that the National Security Council (NSC) had overreacted over a difference of opinion by raising a terror alert over fears that Wahhabism was being revived.

"Asri is not a terrorist," Saifuddin said on micro-blogging site Twitter yesterday.

The Temerloh MP told The Malaysian Insider later that "I disagree with labelling someone as a Wahhabi, leading to calling him a terrorist. This only divides Muslims."

Khairy also said in a statement that reports that Asri and other Muslim scholars have been placed on a watchlist for as "Wahhabis and terrorists... is an overreaction."

"I see no subversive action or effort by Asri that qualifies him as a terrorist," the Rembau MP added.

The Malaysian Insider also reported that the NSC meeting listed several prominent leaders as Wahhabis including a group of young Islamic scholars who joined Umno last year.

Although he did not follow suit in joining the senior partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, Asri, who has been linked to Wahhabism in the past, is said to wield considerable influence over young Muslim scholars.

Saifuddin also told The Malaysian Insider that Wahhabism was practiced in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

"Does this mean that Malaysian Muslims should no longer perform the Haj (in Mecca)? We can have differences of opinion in Islam. We should not let this bring us to labelling others as Wahhabi or terrorists," he said in a text message.

Khairy also agreed that it was unacceptable that someone was accused of terrorism without being allowed to offer an explanation.

Asri was first linked to Wahhabism and the terrorists group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) early last year, along with PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, former Perlis mentri besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim dan Perlis Mufti Juanda Jaya.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Abdul Hadi and Shahidam Kassim have been omitted from the watchlist.

Is Jho Low a Trojan horse?

Posted: 24 Jul 2011 11:24 PM PDT

I sometimes wonder whether this is genuine stupidity or whether Jho Low is a Trojan horse who is doing all this very cleverly and intentionally to accelerate Najib's downfall. Why allow Najib's enemies easy access to ammunition? Jho Low seems to be offering Rosmah's and Najib's head to their enemies on a silver platter.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

"Jho Low pays record price for NY condo, nearby to Rosmah's favourite jeweller," said Wong Choon Mei of Malaysia Chronicle on 21 July 2011. In that story she goes on to say:

Remember Jho Low? Yes, apart from Paris Hilton, whizz-kid Jho is also very close to Prime Minister Najib Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor. In fact, the 29-year old Penang boy has just bought a super-luxury penthouse in New York at a sky-high price that has set tongues wagging amongst the property agents there.

Incidentally, the condo is just a 10-minute walk from Rosmah's favourite jewellery retailer Jacob & Co, from whom she has been reported to have bought a RM24.4 million ($8 million) 'natural fancy blue-gray cushion-cut' diamond ring.

And in case Rosmah, who is not known to be fond of exercise, prefers to be driven, Jacob & Co at 48, East 57th Street is just a 3-minute whizz away by stretch limousine.

Business ties

Jho is also connected in some way - directly or indirectly - with several very important investment and financial entities.

These include Najib's prized RM15 billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the RM10 billion Terengganu Investment Authority, UBG which is the former banking arm of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's family business, as well as the oil-rich Mid-East firm PetroSaudi.

No, this is not a business article to unravel the amount of filth contained within the dealings of this nest of firms. Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said it best when he described 1MDB as Najib's political "slush fund" to prop up Taib and his cronies.

Some in the financial circles even say the complex paper trail that surrounds the firms' inter-dealings would surely provide an ideal way to launder some of the possibly illicit money that may flow through the network.

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What makes this revelation even more interesting are the four links Malaysia Chronicle added below that story under the sub-heading of 'Related Story':

1. Who is he? M'sian billionaire splashes RM14.5bil on super-yacht

2. The Rosmah ring: 24mil RM or US$, tupperware party or VVIP exhibition

3. Rosmah in hot soup over gargantuan RM24.4mil diamond ring

4. VIDEO Rosmah's RM24.4mil diamond ring

Wong Choon Mei is known to be closely linked to PKR leader, Tian Chua. It seems as though Malaysia Chronicle is suggesting that Jho Low, who is in turn closely linked to 'First Lady' Rosmah Mansor, is not only the man behind the purchase of the most expensive yacht in history but is also the man who couriered that very controversial ring to Malaysia.

According to the whispers in Putrajaya, Jho Low sent the ring to Malaysia for Rosmah to look at and whether it has now been sent back to New York, as alleged, or is still in Malaysia, is not known. And, if it has been sent back to New York, whether this is because Rosmah did not like it or whether it is because of the controversy surrounding this ring -- and therefore it is too hot to allow it to remain in Malaysia -- is also not known.

Whatever it may be, Jho Low's name seems to be linked to not only the purchase of this very expensive super-luxury New York penthouse but also to the yacht and the ring.

Anyway, that is what they say and we only go by what they say, whether this is true or not. But what we do know, and this is a fact, the 3M team of Mahathir-Muhyddin-Mukhriz are going to town on this issue.

Jho Low is close to those who walk in the corridors of power, in particular the 'First Family of Malaysia'. And anything he does will always be linked back to the 'First Family'. There is no avoiding this.

Is Jho Low just too stupid? Does he not know that he is under close scrutiny and anything he does will lead back to Rosmah's and Najib's door? And do Rosmah and Najib not know that the 3M team is gleefully awaiting his downfall so that a new 'First Family' can be installed in Putrajaya?

When Najib cancelled his one-week holiday in Europe and rushed back to Malaysia after meeting the Pope in Rome (and which Najib publicly thanked Rosmah for her 'sacrifice') we already smelled a rat, a big smelly rat.

Why would Najib cancel his holiday and rush back to Malaysia unless there was some sort of major emergency? And an emergency this serious can only mean his throne is under threat.

And, lo and behold, when Malaysia Chronicle came out with this story of the super-luxury penthouse in New York and linked this story to the story of the yacht and Rosmah's ring, the whole thing became very clear.

We are probably seeing history repeating itself here. Back in the days of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi they used Khairy Jamaluddin as the catalyst to bring Pak Lah down. Now, the catalyst is Rosmah Mansor. And Jho Low's stupidity is making this possible.

Why are Jho Low and Rosmah making it so easy for the 3M team to make their move? I would have thought that since Jho Low is now so high profile and everything he does makes the front page he would not want to do anything that attracts so much attention. And buying the most expensive yacht in history and a super-luxury penthouse in New York, plus sending a very expensive ring to Rosmah by courier, is certainly the height of stupidity.

The Umno blogs are working overtime to dispel talk that Rosmah bought that ring. This is actually true and the Umno blogs are not lying. Rosmah did not buy the ring. Jho Low sent it to her.

But why send the ring to Rosmah by courier? Surely a ring that expensive can be sent to Malaysia through other means and in secrecy. This is probably the most stupid thing Jho Low has ever done (if it was stupidity in the first place and not done on purpose). And with the story of that ring linked to the story of the record-breaking yacht and the super-luxury penthouse in New York, just doors away from the jewellers, the 3M team has everything it now needs to start working on an early retirement for Najib.

No wonder Najib had to cancel his holiday and rush back to Malaysia. Najib probably thought it would be safer to reclaim his throne before he finds it in someone else's hands. And we do not need to be a Harvard graduate to figure out who this someone else is.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Jumaat, 29 Julai 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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