Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Report: These 54 Foreign Governments (including Malaysia) Helped the CIA Torture, Detain, and ...
- Islam and Christianity:Two Faiths, One God
- The Tangled Mess of 68 Ministers and Deputies
- Malaysia’s GPS for General Election-13
- Meet Abdul Rahman Kasim, the man behind the Muslim-Christian ‘cake’ diplomacy
- A Psychotic-Islamic preacher?
- Private to sponsor Psy to Penang
- BN invited Psy
- Malaysia: Stop Forced Returns to China
- Are the RM8 billion Highways the Solution to Penang's Traffic/Congestion Problem?
- Malay politics and Ramleeology
- Langkawi's road to environmental shame?
- Would winds of change usher in hudud?
| Report: These 54 Foreign Governments (including Malaysia) Helped the CIA Torture, Detain, and ... Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:10 PM PST "Globalizing Torture" also provides an annotated list of the dozens of foreign governments that played roles in the CIA's secret program in the years following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. These governments provided crucial support in facilitating the CIA and Bush administration's war on Al Qaeda by, according to the report:
Here are the 54 listed, in alphabetical order:
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| Islam and Christianity:Two Faiths, One God Posted: 06 Feb 2013 11:55 AM PST In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful "O Humankind! We have created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know and cherish one another (not that you may despise each other). Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)." Surah al Hujurat (The Inner Chambers), 49:13. As a result of belief in God and the fraternity of all human beings, we must necessarily live a life of love, agreement, cooperation, and peace. All God's legislation were revealed to emphasize this. The Prophets of God at various times showed us that God's religion is always the same, that they are intimate brothers with no enmity or conflict, that the aim of their message is one, that He Who raised them is One, and that the fundamentals of their religions are one - void of any contradiction or contrast. "He has ordained for you the same religion that He enjoined on Noah, which we have sent by inspiration to you, and which We enjoined on Abraham and Moses and Jesus, saying, 'Establish the Faith and do not be divided in it.'" Surah al Shura (Consultation), 42:13. This text is a clear testimony that God's religion is the same at all times and with all Prophets, and that God orders His prophets and their peoples to unite and agree and not be different and separate. In the Qur'an there are many examples of this, such as: "We have sent you Inspiration to know Our Will, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him. We sent Inspiration to Abraham, and Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob (Yakub) and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job (Ayub), Jonah (Yunus), Aaron (Harun), and Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms." Surah al Nisaa (The Women), 4:163. God gave the same Revelation in both substance and quality, so that all Prophets draw from one main spring or source. Moreover, it is evident that the Qur'an orders the Muslims to believe in all God's Prophets and to obey their commandments: "Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and what is revealed to us and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob and the Tribes, and hat Moses and Jesus received, and what the other Prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinctions among any of them." Surah al Baqara (The Cow), 2:136. Anyone who reads the Qur'an will see that its long Surahs or chapters ennoble and dignify Jesus and his mother, the Virgin Mary. The Qur'an also mentions and clarifies Jesus Christ's miracles and it tells of miracles not found in the Gospel itself, such as creating birds of clay into which he breathed and gave life with God's assistance. Another miracle of Jesus is speaking to people from the cradle. "Behold! The angels said, O Mary! Allah has chosen you and made you pure, and has preferred you above (all) the women of creation. O Mary! Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary. He will speak to mankind in his cradle and in the prime of manhood, and he is of the righteous." The Family of 'Imran, 3:42 and 45-46. [Note: 'Imran is the name of the father of Moses and of the maternal grandfather of Mary, both of the same line.] The Qur'an addresses the Muslims clearly indicating Jesus Christ's high rank with God: "The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was a Messenger of Allah, and His Word which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him." Surah al Nisaa (The Women), 4:171. These ideas, or more precisely, this belief that Muslims are ordered to embrace about Jesus Christ and Christianity, made their hearts open to receive all of the Christ's teachings and facilitated convergence and cooperation between Muslims and Christians, under the good care of the Qur'an and the Messenger of Islam and all the believers. The Qur'an shows very clearly that Christians are the closest to Muslims on account of the good morals and virtues that they share with them. It says: "You will find that the nearest among men in affection for the believers are those who say, Verily! We are Christians, because there are among them men devoted; to learning and men who have renounced the world and because they are not given to arrogance. When they listen to what has been revealed to the messenger; you see their eyes overflow with tears for they recognize the truth. They pray, Our Lord, we believe. Inscribe us as among the witnesses. Allah has rewarded them for their prayer with Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide forever. This is the reward of the good." Surah al Ma'ida (The Banquet Table), 5:82-83 & 85. As a result of this positive attitude of Islam toward Christianity and the Gospel, many ancient Christians were stimulated to express their belief and recognition of Muhammad and his religion. Some of them even granted the Muslims moral and financial aid to solidify and propagate Islam, such as the Emperor of Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in the 7th century A.C., who asked the oppressed Muslims who migrated to his country to recite some verses from the Qur'an concerning Christ and his faith. He, as well as his monks, wept and declared their recognition that Muhammad was a Prophet. He said, "The teachings of Christ and Muhammad flow out from one source." That emperor did not give up Christianity when he said this, for Islam does not require Christians to ignore the commandments and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Qur'an addresses Christians as follows: "Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein." Surah al Mai'da (The Banquet Table), 5:47. Prophet Muhammad has said, "I am the closest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary." He also said, "Prophets are brethren from one father, from different mothers, but with one religion." He further said,"You Muslims shall conquer Egypt. When this happens, be kind to its Christian people." The fourth Caliph, 'Ali, and the great leaders of Islam used to say to their contemporary Christians, "We do not prevent you from believing in Christianity; indeed we beseech you to obey it." Such examples are countless. Is it not the utmost degree of solidarity, love, affection, and collaboration when Muhammad made his private mosque a place for worship for his Christian guests in Medina? "Whoever causes mischief to a Christian or a Jew shall be my enemy on doomsday and he shall pay for it." He also said: "Be good to Coptic Christians." When the son of the Muslim governor of Egypt beat a Christian on his head after a quarrel, the latter went over to 'Umar in Medina asking for justice. 'Umar summoned the governor and his son and after hearing their cases, he gave the Christian a whip to beat his opponent in the presence of the great men of state. After the Christian took revenge for himself from the son of the governor of Egypt, 'Umar asked the Christian to beat the Governor himself, 'Amr. "I have received justice," the Christians said. 'Amr then asked: Why beat me oh Prince of the Faithful? 'Umar replied: It was because of your position as a governor what caused your son to commit the wrong." 'Umar then said his famous words: "Why do you enslave people, yet their mothers delivered them free?" "Alif. Lam. Mim. Defeated has been the Roman Empire in the lands close-by; yet it is they who, notwithstanding their defeat, shall be victorious within a few years. With Allah rests all power of decision in the past and in the future. And on that day the believers shall rejoice in Allah's help. He helps whomever He wills, since He alone is almighty, a dispenser of grace." Surah al Rum (The Roman-Byzantine Empire), 30:1-5. The prophecy came true and the Muslims were delighted. Islam, by its teachings and principles, has been able to turn millions of non-believers into believers in God, in Jesus Christ, and in all prophets and revealed testaments. The Qur'an has made of Muslims and Christians affectionate members of one family who live in happiness and cooperation. Why don't we see this again in our time among ourselves, especially when atheism has shrouded most parts of the world with its dark shadows and injustice and is seeking to swallow the remainder. Muhammad says, "The Merciful Allah will be compassionate to those who show mercy. Be merciful to those on earth in order to receive mercy from Him in heaven." Jesus says,"Give to whoever begs from you and do not turn away whoever wants to borrow from you." Muhammad says, "All creatures are Allah's dependents. The most favored to Him is he who is most beneficial to them." Read more at: http://www.islamic-study.org/islam_and_christianity.htm |
| The Tangled Mess of 68 Ministers and Deputies Posted: 05 Feb 2013 12:04 PM PST The more the messier. Researchers have found that performance of national governments declines as Cabinets grow larger. Parkinson of Parkinson's Law fame noted that it is critical for Cabinets to have less than 21 ministers if decision-making is to be efficient. Our government shamelessly defies the 'law' with a whopping 30 ministers and 38 deputies. We ordinary citizens pay the price for its 'disobedience'. A recent example is the AES (Automated Enforcement System) fiasco. The Transport Ministry installed cameras to catch speedsters on the road. Quite incredibly, though, it had obviously not consulted the Home Ministry, because the traffic cops said they would continue to run their own speed-trap operations, including at locations near the AES cameras. An even bigger farce broke out when the Attorney-General ended up freezing AES summons trials due to questions on its legality. When government ministers and agencies collide, more taxpayers' funds would have to be wasted to sort out the disarray. How can our government not turn into a circus of chaos when the Prime Minister alone juggles "more than 28 Cabinet committees"? There are so many Cabinet committees that even Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong had to admit that he can't count them all. And the Cabinet mess is such that even a simple matter like traffic enforcement gets jammed. There is hope for us if the government slims down. Read Cabinet and Parliamentary Rebalancing (Part 2): The tangled mass of 68 Ministers and Deputies on how our bloated Cabinet can be trimmed to a svelte 16 ministries and 18 ministers, in order to facilitate communication and cross-disciplinary cooperation for the benefit of Malaysians.
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| Malaysia’s GPS for General Election-13 Posted: 05 Feb 2013 11:07 AM PST Come Malaysia's general election No 13, how lucky will we be to have the entire nation bold enough to experiment with radical changes, a mega-trend, a paradigm shift, and the will to even replace the blue ocean in which sharks and piranhas battle against each other in a seemingly calm sea of change? Read more at: http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/2013/02/malaysians-here-it-is.html |
| Meet Abdul Rahman Kasim, the man behind the Muslim-Christian ‘cake’ diplomacy Posted: 04 Feb 2013 12:23 PM PST You may have read about Tok Guru Nik Aziz handing over a cake to Bishop Sebastian Francis during their recent Penang meeting, which was held at 6.30pm. Nik Aziz was only told by his aides at 4.00pm that day that the meeting had been confirmed. So where did they find a mouth-watering cake at such short notice with words inscribed at such short notice. Enter Abdul Rahman Kasim, the Mr Fix-it with a booming voice and an equally hearty laugh, who has been instrumental in setting up appointments for talks and dialogues between Pas and churches in the northern region. After all, what do you give a Bishop as a momento during such a meeting to help sweeten ties? It was Abdul Rahman who had ordered the cakes even before the meeting – and an earlier one for a previous meeting between Mujahid Yusof Rawa with the bishop – well before the meetings at taken place. Indeed, it was Abdul Rahman who sent out the initial feelers to set up the meeting between Tok Guru and Bishop Sebastian.  Tok Guru presents Bishop Sebastian with a mouth-watering cake: Where did the cake come from? The Langkawi-born Rahman is the Tasik Gelugor Pas information chief and the point-man in sending out feelers to Catholic churches in the northern region. He is a familiar face whenever the Pas head of inter-religious dialogue, Mujahid Yusof Rawa or Dzulkefly Ahmad, conducts these dialogue sessions with parishioners of churches. Rahman, 56, worked for a decade at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Butterworth before turning to business as a chicken seller in a local market – an honest living if there was one – for the past two decades. Today, he is trying to sell the idea of Muslims and Christians talking to one another. "I feel compelled to do so, because during my parents' generation we had much better ties. I am experienced that growing up. But today, we are more polarised and I am doing my part to promote closer ties among people of different faiths."  Abdul Rahman (far left) at the recent Tok Guru-Bishop Sebastian meeting But why is he focusing on the churches? Abdul Rahman is clear about the reason: "We have so much in common especially a shared Abrahamic tradition; so it is a good place to start." |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2013 03:06 AM PST ----------------------------------------------------------------- EXCERPT:
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| Private to sponsor Psy to Penang Posted: 03 Feb 2013 01:05 PM PST "Even the preparations and food for the celebration are sponsored by several local companies," Oh told The Malaysian Insider. "We have prepared food for 50,000 people but we expect more will turn up to watch Psy's performance," he said. The K-pop star whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, is set to perform on February 11 at the Han Chiang school grounds, significant for being the grounds that launched the DAP to overwhelming victory in Election 2008. Psy was reported by local entertainment news portal Redcarpet to have asked a Malaysian concert promoter for US$750,000 (RM2.3 million) for a possible appearance in Kuala Lumpur last year. "DAP and Pakatan Rakyat want to say and spin that BN spent government's money worth RM2.3 million to RM3 million on Psy," a Penang BN official told The Malaysian Insider. "This is factually incorrect as Psy's visit as a guest of the Penang CNY Open House event was arranged and sponsored by Mega Ultimate, an event organising firm. No government or taxpayers funds are involved." The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Psy's presence could only raise the profile of Penang and Malaysia, which would help boost tourism. Read more at: http://www.kl-today.com/2013/02/private-to-sponsor-psy-to-penang/ But look here:
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| Posted: 03 Feb 2013 11:30 AM PST How many homes in Sabah & Sarawak could be lighted with this amount of money? How many Malaysians could get free education if these money were put to good use? Is the priority of our current government right?
Read more at: http://www.facebook.com/sabmfb/posts/603825726311252 |
| Malaysia: Stop Forced Returns to China Posted: 03 Feb 2013 11:23 AM PST Malaysia's secret forced return to China of six Uighurs with pending asylum claims on December 31, 2012, was a grave violation of international law, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the Malaysian government today. Credible sources told Human Rights Watch that the six Uighur men returned to China on December 31 had been detained earlier in 2012 allegedly for attempting to leave Malaysia on false passports. While in detention, they were registered with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and were permitted to proceed with refugee status determination (RSD) interviews. Although all six had asylum claims being reviewed, Malaysian police clandestinely transferred the men in late December into the custody of Chinese authorities, who escorted them from Malaysia to China on a chartered flight. Read more at: http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/02/03/malaysia-stop-forced-returns-china Read the letter to the Malaysian government at: http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/02/01/letter-malaysian-prime-minister-concerning-forced-return-uighurs |
| Are the RM8 billion Highways the Solution to Penang's Traffic/Congestion Problem? Posted: 02 Feb 2013 07:17 PM PST He said the state executive council has decided to award a company the tender to construct four major traffic roads in Penang.
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| Malay politics and Ramleeology Posted: 02 Feb 2013 02:49 PM PST My last column on Malaysia in the 70s was an enjoyable piece of journaling and from the numerous comments I read from all the blogs that carry it - my own blog Between Cybernetics and Existentialism, my Facebook page, Malaysia Today, etc - I feel that there was a time when a good Malaysian spirit was about to be forged.
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| Langkawi's road to environmental shame? Posted: 02 Feb 2013 02:35 PM PST Environmentalists are concerned over a road project, currently being built along Pantai Kok's rainforest-covered hill which they said is "sacrificing" century-old trees as well as marine lives along the island's shores. Naturalist Irshad Mobarak said the road project is actually along a forest on a limestone hill which is also close to a mangrove forest and a popular tourist spot. In an interview with The Mole Irshad said: "Langkawi has many rare species which is only seen in this part of the world and it will go extinct if the island is overdeveloped." "The island's biodiversity is amazing and eco-tourism is what draws tourists to the island. Islands work by different rules, if a habitat is lost, species will decline, " he said. Meanwhile, a source who lives and work on the island said the estimated cost of the road project is RM22 million and stretches about 1.2km long. The project which started about a month ago is said to be built as a short cut to enable tourist to get to a nearby resort. The source also said there were no proper signage's to indicate that the area was under construction. Read more at: http://www.mole.my/content/road-works-stretching-12km-affecting-pantai-koks-ecotourism |
| Would winds of change usher in hudud? Posted: 02 Feb 2013 04:24 AM PST Is there any way possible for the Barisan National to snatch victory from Pakatan Rakyat in the upcoming general election? This is the question being asked by all and sundry in the country. Nevertheless, a large number of organisations and nations across the globe see change as an inevitable thing in Malaysia, and would welcome a Pakatan victory. Among them is Hamas whose top-most leaders are allies of Anwar Ibrahim. During the entire Pakatan campaign in 2012, Anwar displayed images of the Hamas leaders in meetings with Egyptian scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qardawi, with Anwar himself at the centre of attention. These images, applauded by the local folks all over Peninsular Malaysia and in Borneo, show the close relationship the Hamas leadership has with Anwar. And suddenly, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak jumps onto the Hamas bandwagon and gets himself meddled in a diplomatic row with Al-Fatah. Yet, the surprise visit – surely arranged by some organisations acting as public relations and image polisher of the Malaysian prime minister – has had some reverberations. The presence of PAS Syura Council member Ustaz Nasharuddin Mat Esa, since then ejected from the party, speaks for itself. Was the trip to Gaza an attempt to gain the sympathy of local Islamic NGOs? Or was it an attempt to discuss future plans for the pro-Umno PAS members? It would be stupid to dismiss the possibility of talks between Umno and PAS members. It is clear that a PAS member who joins an Umno prime minister's trip is either a toad or simply a negotiator. Was it not expected that PAS would dismiss Nasharuddin after this display of love for the prime minister? However, many observers believe the Malaysian prime minister's visit to Gaza, where he praised the Hamas movement, was not a simple visit. Despite the apparent diplomatic faux pas, there is more than support for Gaza in the visit. This was certainly an attempt to reach Sheikh Yusuf, the mentor of Anwar. And do we care to know why? Persistent rumours Recently, Najib, with the syariah in mind, spoke of Southeast Asian Muslims leading a sort of Islamic revival movement. This was at the Nusantara seminar titled "Islam in Southeast Asia: Challenges and Hopes". The speech was read by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Jamil Khir Baharom. Hudud has been the bone of contention between PAS and Umno in their talks for a future "Muslim-led" government. At this stage, the BN has surrendered to almost all the demands made by the opposition. This includes getting rid of one of its most powerful tools, and that is the Internal Security Act (ISA). While the pro-Mahathir groups are calling to reinstate the ISA, it is almost certain the draconian act is history. Moreover, there is still room for talks between the parties in power and the strong opposition coalition. After the good showing of the DAP in Sarawak in the 2011 state election, there were talks of offers being made for the latter to join the BN. There are persistent rumours in Malaysia that the government is thinking of taking in the opposition members in its Cabinet. Or that there will be a caretaker government that will be under the prime minister with opposition members joining in. Such a caretaker government should naturally be in place after the dissolution of Parliament, anytime soon in Malaysia. A caretaker government, if it is in place, will have no "emergency" powers to reinstate the ISA to please some Umno members. Nevertheless, it will have the power to offer to the opposition one of the two possible scenarios: 1. The formation of a government of national unity in which the leadership will be under Umno with a large number of the opposition members in the government. 2. Throw the gauntlet to PAS with hudud or Islamic syariah laws made official in the states run by PAS. The first possibility seems remote, since the ruling coalition will never allow Anwar to be a member of the Cabinet. This will be due to the outright opposition by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who promised Anwar will never be a minister or prime minister.
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