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• DAP hands in rejection letter for fresh polls to RoS
• Aidilfitri sermon to warn Muslims against ‘enemies of Islam’
• Battling Islamic 'Puritans'
• Aidilfitri dog video an insult to Islam, Jakim decides
• Rattled Malaysians turning to bodyguards, bullet-proofed cars
• DAP: Probe Muhyiddin for sedition
• Chetz released on bond
• Muslim dog owner’s remand extreme, born of paranoia, says Zaid

DAP hands in rejection letter for fresh polls to RoS Posted: 02 Aug 2013 01:24 AM PDT (MM) - The DAP submitted today a formal rejection to hold fresh party polls, telling the Registrar of Societies (RoS) it had no legal power to make such an order. In its letter of reply to the RoS, the opposition party's secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, said the societies regulator had failed to clearly state the reasons behind its directive and the law that empowered it to order the party hold a reelection for its central executive committee (CEC) that had been decided last year. "In addition, Section 16(1) or 16(2) of the Societies Act 1966 clearly does not empower you to direct an organisation to hold reelection. "As such, your directive for a DAP CEC reelection to be carried out is beyond the scope of your powers and is voided by the law," he said. Lim, who is also Bagan MP, reminded the RoS that it was bound by the law and must abide by legal principles such as "reasonableness in the exercise of powers, natural justice and due legal process". "As such, we request that you provide a clear explanation that states the reasons our explanation was rejected and on what legal grounds you are directing the reelection of the DAP's CEC as stated in your letter," he added. Lim said the DAP was willing to meet with the RoS to resolve the matter, but stressed that its members would defend their rights and the party. Questions over the DAP's status have been dragging on for nearly half a year, following Lim's disclosure on January 4 that an internal audit had showed errors in the tabulation of votes from the December 15, 2012 party elections. He said the counting error was caused by a technical glitch when the results were transferred to a computer using the Microsoft Excel programme. The amendments resulted in Lim's political secretary, Zairil Khir Johari, moving up from 39th position to 20th ― taking the last elected position in the party's CEC. Following complaints by some members, the RoS began investigations that at one point led to fears that the party would be unable to use its logo in the Election 2013. But the RoS later confirmed the validity of the DAP CEC's appointment letters to candidates, which enabled the party to field its candidates in the general election under their rocket logo. In a letter dated July 30, the RoS said it found the DAP's explanation on the "tabulation error" of its CEC elections as unsatisfactory. The brief contents of the letter, however, heightened suspicions of bias within the party, which was already bristling at the government's reaction following Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's early remarks on the matter. Zahid was reported by Sin Chew Daily as saying that the RoS was dissatisfied with the DAP's explanation for the counting mistake and the party would be directed to hold its internal polls again. According to the Chinese-language paper, Ahmad Zahid, who is also an Umno vice-president, said he would not interfere in RoS matters. This led the DAP to suggest that the RoS was being used to manipulate the opposition party's internal affairs at the behest of the ruling Barisan Nasional.

Aidilfitri sermon to warn Muslims against ‘enemies of Islam’ Posted: 01 Aug 2013 06:31 PM PDT Jakim's sermon today seemed to mirror Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom's remarks this week when he claimed that the ongoing debate over four Muslims dropped as beauty contestants recently is part of an attempt to divide followers of the faith. — AFP pic (The Malay Mail) - "They are planning all this carefully and wisely. They have launched psychological warfare openly and bravely to manipulate the minds and beliefs of Muslims when the Muslims are plagued by crisis of confidence and the loss of strength and unity," said the sermon. An official sermon planned for the Aidilfitri celebration next week has warned Muslims nationwide against a conspiracy by "enemies of Islam" to manipulate them through ideas like secularism, pluralism, socialism, feminism, and positivism. The sermon, to be read out to Muslims on the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri next week, suggested that such "colonial" ideas were being used to incite challenges against Islam's position in the Constitution and open debate about Syariah law. The official sermon by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) was uploaded to its website yesterday, also with a rare version in English, one week earlier as Muslims nationwide wind down Ramadan, their holy month of fasting. The warning comes amid several controversial decisions by Jakim in the last few weeks against individuals which it has deemed as "insulting Islam", including a non-Muslim blogger couple, four Muslim beauty pageant hopefuls, and a Muslim dog trainer. "As we celebrate the Aidilfitri, we must realise the various ways and strategies of the enemies of Islam to undermine the unity and peace in the country," said the sermon here. "They move through well-organised and devious ways by cultural pollution, spreading slander against unity either through the mass media or cyberspace, violating federal laws, questioning the position of Islam in the Constitution, (and) insulting the position of the Malay kings." Jakim's sermon today seemed to mirror Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom's remarks this week when he claimed that the ongoing debate over four Muslims dropped as beauty contestants recently is part of an attempt to divide followers of the faith. Four Muslim women were dropped as contestants in the Miss Malaysia World 2013 pageant last month and are now under investigation for allegedly breaching the National Fatwa Council's edict and allegedly insulting Islam. Federal Territory syarie chief prosecutor Ibrahim Deris was also quoted recently as saying that action can be taken against anyone belittling a fatwa, even non-Muslims, as it could be seen as insulting Islam. The sermon also lamented increasing debates against the religion and the administration of the syariah law, despite the alleged respect afforded to Islam as the religion of federation as prescribed in the Constitution. Jakim also reiterated its repeated line, calling for censure against what it called "colonisation of minds" through "Western ideologies and doctrines" such as secularism, pluralism, socialism, feminism, and positivism. "They are planning all this carefully and wisely. They have launched psychological warfare openly and bravely to manipulate the minds and beliefs of Muslims when the Muslims are plagued by crisis of confidence and the loss of strength and unity," said the sermon. The recent spotlight on Islamic decrees by Malaysian authorities on its followers as well as non-Muslims has led to heated debate over their enforcement here, with some groups deeming certain provisions under religious law to be regressive while others have voiced concern over a worrying trend of overt Islamisation in a multicultural country. In a 105-second video reposted on YouTube on Tuesday, dog trainer Maznah Mohd Yusof is seen walking and bathing her three dogs as the "Takbir Raya", or Muslim call to prayer traditionally reserved for the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, plays in the background. The juxtaposition appeared to be a reference to the wudhu, or ablution performed by Muslims before prayer; dogs are also considered unclean by adherents of the predominant faith in Malaysia. Maznah has since been arrested and was released from remand in Johor earlier this afternoon on a court bond. Jamil Khir has confirmed today that Jakim has decided that it was an insult to Islam. Maznah's arrest comes after sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee were charged recently under the Penal Code and Sedition Act, for posting a mock "Selamat Berbuka Puasa" (breaking of fast) greeting on their Facebook page that showed them eating "bak kut teh", a soupy pork dish. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork.

Battling Islamic 'Puritans' Posted: 01 Aug 2013 03:18 PM PDT UCLA professor, once a fanatic himself, is now a leading scholarly voice against intolerance among Muslims. Death threats don't deter him. After a lengthy process of textual research and prayer for divine guidance, he concluded that reports against dogs were passed on through questionable chains of transmissions, or contradicted by more favorable reports--for instance, one story of Muhammad praying with his dogs playing nearby. Some reports against dogs bear uncanny similarities to Arab folklore, Abou El Fadl says, leading him to suspect that someone took the tales and attributed them to the prophet. By Teresa Watanabe,TIMES RELIGION WRITER The most incendiary Muslim in American academia knows a thing or two about Islamic fanatics. He says he used to be one as a seventh-grader in his native Kuwait. UCLA law professor Khaled Abou El Fadl remembers beating up other kids, condemning his parents as unbelievers and destroying his sister's Rod Stewart tape, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" "I found it remarkably empowering to spew my hatred with the banner of God in my hand," he says. But challenged by his father to take up true religious scholarship, Abou El Fadl began a journey of Islamic learning that would transform him into a nemesis of the extremists he once endorsed. Today, at 38, he is a leading warrior in the intellectual struggle that exploded into America's consciousness Sept. 11: Who speaks for Islam? Who defines it? With breathtaking bluntness, Abou El Fadl attacks Muslims who promote a strict, literalist trend in Islam, most prominently the creed of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia. In his writings and through the electronic media, he accuses them of an "intolerant puritanism" that values ritual over morality. He blames them for oppressing millions of women, creating hostility toward non-Muslims and giving the likes of Osama bin Laden their theological justification for terrorism. He issues scathing critiques of Saudi legal rulings that permit everything from the mistreatment of dogs to the beating of women. For tackling the puritans in high-profile forums, Abou El Fadl has received so many death threats that new security systems are going up around his office and home. His books are banned in Saudi Arabia and his visa applications denied in Egypt. Before Sept. 11, his daily battles would have been dismissed by outsiders as esoteric doctrinal debates. Today they are better understood as critical insights into the fierce ideological tensions raging within Islam between the forces of puritanism and moderation. They shed light on how Islam can produce such chilling extremists as Bin Laden, who exults in the carnage of Sept. 11 as "blessed strikes." By devoting himself to a modern interpretation of the Koran, Abou El Fadl is perhaps the most articulate enemy of the Wahhabi creed that shaped Bin Laden's brand of Islam. "The supremacist creed of the puritan groups is distinctive and uniquely dangerous," the scholar recently wrote in the influential Boston Review. "They do not merely seek self-empowerment, but aggressively seek to disempower, dominate or destroy others." To many muftis, ayatollahs, sheiks and their followers throughout the world, Abou El Fadl has become "America's most dangerous corrupter of Islam," as one foe put it. One international network of students claims credit for successfully working to blacklist him from most Islamic conferences and publications under the banner of protecting "the one and only true Islam." Wahhabism's founder, 18th century evangelist Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, was alarmed by what he viewed as corruptions to the faith. He advocated a strict, back-to-basics approach to keep Islam as pure as the day it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and practiced by his early companions nearly 1,400 years ago. Wahhabism had long been a marginal force in Islam. Abou El Fadl asserts that it has risen in prominence in the last three decades because of the collapse of Islamic institutions after colonialism, creating a vacuum of authority that puritans, backed by Saudi petrodollars, rushed to fill. Today's puritans advocate strict gender roles and perpetual guarding against what they view as heretical innovations--be they new interpretations of the faith by scholars such as Abou El Fadl or other expressions of Islam, such as mystical Sufism or the Shiite branch of the faith. Many followers of Wahhab describe their approach benevolently, merely as "monotheism without the frills," as one member of the Saudi-financed King Fahd Mosque in Culver City put it. Abou El Fadl, however, says extremists have used Wahhabism to justify sometimes violent intolerance--massacres of Sufis and Shiite, for instance--or hostility to non-Muslim "infidels" that has bred terrorist acts. Many Muslims see an even more pervasive impact of puritanism--robbing Islam of its richness and flexibility. Howard University professor Sulayman Nyang calls it "the mummification, ossification and fossilization of Islam." READ MORE HERE

Aidilfitri dog video an insult to Islam, Jakim decides Posted: 01 Aug 2013 02:48 PM PDT (The Malay Mail) - The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has weighed in on the storm over the Aidilfitri dog video and decided it was insult to Islam, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom confirmed today. The minister in charge of religious affairs said in light of Jakim's decision, he had directed the department to present its views to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for further action, Malay language daily Berita Harian reported on its website today. The Communications and Multimedia Ministry had yesterday directed the MCMC to consult with Jakim in its probe on the video, saying this was because the matter involves religious sensitivities. "The issue raised here could be very sensitive to a majority of our citizens... we must see the background and get views of religious experts because I understand there are several differing views," minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek told reporters at a function yesterday. The minister acknowledged that the video was created three years ago but pointed out that once any content is published online it would continue to remain accessible to Internet users. "The essential and most important part in this case is to investigate the individual's real intention whether she intends to state her background as an animal trainer or to insult the Muslim religion and such," he said. He said that should Jakim deem the video an insult to Islam, the MCMC would then proceed with its probe. In the 105-second video reposted on YouTube on Tuesday, dog trainer Maznah Mohd Yusof is seen walking and bathing her three dogs as the "Takbir Raya", or Muslim call to prayer traditionally reserved for the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, plays in the background. The juxtaposition appeared to be a reference to the wudhu, or ablution performed by Muslims before prayer; dogs are also considered unclean by adherents of the predominant faith in Malaysia. Maznah has since been arrested and was released from remand in Johor earlier this afternoon on a court bond. According to her lawyer N. Surendran, the dog trainer has also been questioned by the MCMC. She is being investigated for "uttering words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person" under section 298A of the Penal Code and section 4 of the Sedition Act. If convicted, Maznah, famously known as Chetz Yusof, could face a jail term of up to one year or a fine, or both. After the video started making its rounds on the Internet, local news site Mynewshub.com quoted Chetz as saying that she made the video in 2010 to show that dogs are not "haram" (forbidden) as widely-believed, and that Muslims could keep canines as pets. "Dogs are not 'haram'; if they are wet, just 'samak'," she was quoted as saying. "Samak" is the ritual cleansing performed by Muslims when they come into contact with items considered ritually unclean, of which wet dogs are considered to be by some followers of the faith. Maznah had also told news site Free Malaysia Today in a 2011 interview that she follows the Shafie school of thought in Islam that does not deem dogs as "haram", but merely requires believers to cleanse themselves after touching a wet dog. Maznah's arrest comes after sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee were charged recently under the Penal Code and Sedition Act, for posting a mock "Selamat Berbuka Puasa" (breaking of fast) greeting on their Facebook page that showed them eating "bak kut teh", a soupy pork dish. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork.

Rattled Malaysians turning to bodyguards, bullet-proofed cars Posted: 01 Aug 2013 02:32 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Many Malaysians are looking to bullet-proofing their cars or hiring bodyguards amidst the rise in shooting cases in the country which has sparked fear for their safety. According to Singapore daily, The Straits Times, manufacturers of bullet- proof glass for cars and homes reported getting more inquiries and business than usual, while agencies providing bodyguards and security consulting services were beefing up staff strength in anticipation of increased demand. A director of a bulletproof-shield manufacturer, James Ooi, said the company used to get about four local clients a month before the spate of shootings. "In the past few days, we have received 15 calls daily from clients asking us to provide bullet-proof shields for their cars," he told the Singapore Straits Times yesterday. Ooi said it costs between RM30,000 and RM50,000 to bullet-proof a car, depending on the size of the doors and windows. In one of the recent shooting incidents, the victims were shot while they were in their cars. Anti-crime body MyWatch chief R. Sri Sanjeevan was shot as his car stopped at a traffic light in his hometown in Bahau, Negri Sembilan last Saturday. He remains in Serdang hospital where doctors are waiting for his condition to stabilise before removing a bullet lodged in his abdomen. The Singapore daily also reported that the public's concern was growing at a time when Malaysians are already grappling with the higher incidence of other crimes, including robbery and snatch theft. Bodyguard agencies are also expecting demand for their service to rise. Jack Yin, who runs a bodyguard agency, said he was recruiting more personnel as he expects demand to go up in the next few weeks. "Demand for bodyguards usually goes up about 20% in the one or two weeks after a spike in crime," he said, adding that on a monthly average, he gets three to four clients. Yin said hiring an armed bodyguard for 12 hours a day for 28 days would cost about RM9,000. Ebrand Chettri, who also owns a bodyguard agency, said he was planning to equip his 20 bodyguards with bullet-proof vests. "It is a one-off cost for me but I would rather pay than take chances with my staff's safety. Prevention is better than cure," he said.

DAP: Probe Muhyiddin for sedition Posted: 01 Aug 2013 02:07 PM PDT DAP wants the Deputy Prime Minister probed for sedition for saying non-Muslims are insulting Islam. Anisah Shukry, FMT DAP wants Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin probed for sedition following his statement that non-Muslims were insulting Islam. The Opposition party felt that since the police were quick to arrest dog trainer Maznah Mohd Yusof for allegedly wounding religious feelings, the same should be applied to Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president. The party said the Deputy Prime Minister's declaration that non-Muslims were insulting Islam, was offensive and had enough grounds for the police to investigate him under Section 298A of the Penal Code and the Sedition Act. "Maznah is being investigated under the same Acts, so since she was said to be insulting the peoples religious feelings, we ask that Muhyiddin to be probed under the same Acts as well," Taman Segamat DAP branch chairman Yew Jia Haur said. Yew, who is also Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng's assistant, said this after lodging a police report against the Deputy Prime Minister at the Sentul police headquarters today. Muhyiddin, on Tuesday, made the "offensive" remarks after a reporter asked him to comment on Maznah's controversial video, which depicted her celebrating Hari Raya with her three dogs. Maznah's three-year-old video had sparked an uproar among some Muslims, who had misinterpreted her Raya greeting as an attempt to equate Muslims with dogs. Muhyiddin had told reporters: "Muslims do not insult the religion of non-Muslims… But non-Muslims are insulting our religion." He was apparently unaware that Maznah, who goes by the name of Chetz in the video, is a Muslim. READ MORE HERE

Chetz released on bond Posted: 01 Aug 2013 02:03 PM PDT (The Star) - Maznah Mohd Yusof, the dog trainer who caused a stir by posting a video of her celebrating Hari Raya with her dogs, was released Friday on a court bond. Her lawyer G. Visvanathan Nair said court registrar Mohd Anuar Ostadi made the judgment around 12.20pm. "Maznah will be set free and will be required to present herself if needed in future pertaining to the case. "If she fails to be present in court, she will have to pay a fine of RM10,000," he said when contacted. He added that the bond was awarded under Section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Code. "She has now been taken to the police station to retrieve her belongings and should be released soon," he said. Maznah, who is also known as Chetz, has been at the centre of a social media storm after a video of her celebrating Hari Raya with her dogs three years ago was uploaded to YouTube on Monday. She was arrested on Wednesday and was initially in custody in Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur, before being brought here and remanded. Meanwhile, lawyer Latheefa Koya, who is also representing Maznah, said the release condition involving the court bond was uncommon. She questioned why the police had applied for a bond under Section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which is for witnesses and complainants. "It is very strange. That process cannot be applied on her because she's a suspect. If they are going to charge anybody, it's her," said Latheefa. Latheefa explained that a suspect would normally be released unconditionally or with a police bail. "If they want her to give a statement, they can call her anytime. She has admitted to being the woman behind the video. Or if they think there's an offence, charge her," she said. Maznah was investigated under Section 298A of the Penal Code, which deals with causing disharmony on grounds of religion.

Muslim dog owner’s remand extreme, born of paranoia, says Zaid Posted: 01 Aug 2013 12:05 PM PDT   (The Malay Mail) - He observed that Maznah had been treated like a criminal who posed a serious security threat to the country when she had yet to be charged, let alone convicted by a court of law.  Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has called the decision to remand a Muslim woman over an Aidilfitri video which featured her dogs a result of paranoia and suggested that Muslims were "protected species" in Malaysia.   Besides the former Cabinet minister, a number of other Malay-Muslim community leaders have also labelled the action excessive. "You can investigate any case but there is no need to remand, no need to detain people unless it's absolutely necessary. This is not a hardcore crime," Zaid told The Malay Mail Online yesterday, referring to the arrest and detention of Maznah Mohd Yusof on Wednesday on sedition claims. The former de facto law minister during the Abdullah administration denounced the police action on the 38-year-old woman as excessive in relation to her purported offence. He observed that Maznah had been treated like a criminal who posed a serious security threat to the country when she had yet to be charged, let alone convicted by a court of law. "I think they have taken a high-handed approach... everyone is paranoid," said the former lawyer who once ran the country's largest legal firm, Zaid Ibrahim & Co. "Everybody is influenced by public opinion and everybody is scared to do the right thing," he added. Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/muslim-dog-owners-remand-extreme-born-of-paranoia-says-zaid

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Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Staying happy together
• A conspiracy to pull Malaysians apart
• Are we in an emergency for a new Emergency Ordinance?
• It’s Not About the Chinese, Syed Ali!
• Declare war against crimes
• A fearful symmetry
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Staying happy together Posted: 01 Aug 2013 02:59 PM PDT We have to stop falling for ploys that divide us and resist by coming closer together to be more united. Today, everything is apparently a threat to our faith, from yoga, dressing in non-gender-specific ways to seeing people eat when we can't. Nobody has any faith in faith any more. Marina Mahathir, The Star FROM age three until I was 15, I went to a Convent school in my hometown, Alor Setar. There, both nuns and lay teachers taught me and the few other Muslim girls in the school, perhaps four or five in each class. As far as I know, every single one of them has remained Muslim to this day. Our school building had a large cross on the roof and photos of Jesus on the walls. At school assembly, we listened quietly as other students sang the Lord's Prayer. The nuns were covered head to toe in white and we liked some and feared others because of their strictness in class. But mostly, we were used to them and didn't have much curiosity about their lives. We did not, however, grow up totally devoid of our own religion. We had compulsory Ugama classes and on Saturdays, we had Quran-reading classes. This was in addition to whatever classes our parents might arrange for us at home. Nobody ever accused us of being less than regular Muslims, with less religious education than those who went to other schools. And we got on with everyone. If I went to a birthday party at a non-Muslim friend's home, they made sure the food was halal. During Ramadan, we still went to the canteen but simply did not eat. None of us looked in envy – or resentment – at our friends eating. For that month, that was just the way things were. I don't remember that we had to be protected from the sight or smell of food. Our parents had taught us that what fortified us on those hot days was our faith and our niat or intention in fasting. Nor do I remember any of our friends trying to tempt us into breaking our fast by dangling food in front of us. I wish I could recall what we did on the days when we couldn't fast. Did we simply go to the canteen and eat? Could it be that in the years since I was a child, despite being subjected to more religious education, our faith is on more shaky ground than before? That it needs to be protected by indestructible walls built by the state because none of us can be trusted to believe on our own? Today, everything is apparently a threat to our faith, from yoga, dressing in non-gender-specific ways to seeing people eat when we can't. Nobody has any faith in faith any more. Fasting, for example, is hard only for the first few days. After the body, and more importantly, the mind, adjusts, life goes on as normal. There is no necessity to constantly guard against temptation unless we want to imply that we are weak creatures and it won't take much to make us fall off the wagon, so to speak. There is, therefore, no need for the astonishing amount of grumpiness from all sides this Ramadan. Instead, we should be endeavouring to make things light and easy for everyone, do charitable work and bring people together. Yet, we see the opposite happening, whipped up by some of our leaders, including religious ones who really should know better. I think it is time we built a resistance to the false causes that our leaders sometimes impose on us. On a day-to-day basis, we all get along, just as we did in my childhood. Yet, things have also changed a lot, and it is understandable that many of us get frustrated and furious with it. But as that old adage goes, "don't get mad, get even". We should get even by resisting being manipulated into the fears that our leaders want us to feel. We should refuse to fall for any of the games that they play, which result mostly in making us feel more angry and fearful. We have to stop falling for ploys that divide us and resist by coming closer together to be more united. There are plenty of ways in coming together if only we thought more creatively. This week, many of us Malaysians of every race and religion got together to spend one day of fasting together. Muslims who are fasting anyway reached out to their non-Muslim friends to share in either having the pre-fast meal or in the breaking of the fast together. Non-Muslims joined in fasting to experience what it feels like to not have any food or water from sun-up to sundown. It is when we share an experience together that we are brought closer together. Today there are so many ways in which we are far apart, that we don't understand one another any more. We need to take action to change that. We need to resist.

A conspiracy to pull Malaysians apart Posted: 01 Aug 2013 02:37 PM PDT Zan Azlee, The Malaysian Insider In just a matter of approximately a month, we Malaysians have been flooded with all kinds of propaganda that seems to be threatening our racial harmony. First, there was the stupid, moronic, idiotic and imbecilic couple Alvivi and their Bak Kut Teh spirited Ramadhan wish to all Malaysians. Then there was the issue of a headmaster who made non-Muslims eat in a shower-changing room during Ramadhan (although it is wrong, I genuinely believe there was no malicious intent by the headmaster). Now, we have this harmless video of a Muslim woman who made a video (three years ago, mind you) with herself and her dogs wishing people Selamat Hari Raya. Now for this third one, it gets a little bit tricky. Many say its insulting to Islam. I, however, do not think so since there is nothing stated anyway in the religious books that say dogs are un-Islamic (but I'm a dog-lover, so sue me). I could not care less about whether Islam is being insulted, if there is a big racist plot to bring down all the non-Malays in the country, or if the fork ran away with the spoon. What bothers me is the fact that on Facebook timeline (yes, the world has come down to this - when an entire societal situation can be extrapolated from FB!), things are not rosy. My timeline has been divided into two distinct sides - those who are on one side, and those who are on the other. And it pains me to see this happening. With all these stories coming out in the media, there has never been a larger rift in Malaysia than I can ever remember in my entire 35 years of being alive. I cannot help but wonder if all these are just part of an elaborate media strategy with an aim to create dischord and disharmony amongst Malaysian... for selfish reasons. READ MORE HERE

Are we in an emergency for a new Emergency Ordinance? Posted: 01 Aug 2013 02:16 PM PDT The truth is, our police have to outsmart the criminals. And they are not. Sometimes, to deal with these hardcore criminals some ingenuity is needed. Al Capone, a famous American gangster in the Prohibition era, was ultimately charged with tax evasion despite all the bad things he have done due to a lack of evidence. No matter what, his control over his criminal empire diminished rapidly after his imprisonment, and I would say it was still a success. Nicholas Chan, The Malay Mail Around April 2013, in the midst of the pre-election fever, I noticed something prevalent in the newspapers besides the usual mudslinging political rhetoric and "feel-good factor" reporting. It is that we have people being gunned down in the streets, mob style, some in broad daylight and in front of their family members. The feeling that these cases are on the rise can't be shaken off and without official statistics to confirm or disprove my hunch, I proceeded with a news collation research, counting the total number of gunshot murder cases in the first four months of 2013 and then compared it to the number of cases in 2012. In order not to miss out any cases, the count was being done across 12 newspaper media, covering the English, Chinese and Malay newspapers as well as news portals. Even with expectations of seeing an increase, the results still arrived as a shock to me. The number of cases reported in the first four months of 2013 only lagged behind the total number of cases reported in 2012 by two cases. That means if we extrapolate the data, assuming the trend of prevalence is consistent, the number of gunshot murders in 2013 will be three times more than the cases happened in 2012. I have since written an analysis of the research and it can be found at Penang Monthly. The Logic of Preventive Detention With the results formally published, it worries me that the facts found would be hijacked in support of the re-enacting of preventive detention laws that is similar to Emergency Ordinance 1969 (EO). After all, this increase of cases in 2013 coincides with the repeal of the EO, and hence partially validates Home Minister Zahid Hamidi and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar's theory that the EO detainees released are responsible for this spate of violent killings. This contention could not be disproved without more in-depth research and it is also very likely they have come up with the theory without any of it. This is just déjà vu as the EO repeal was also previously attributed as a blanket cause for the increase of all sorts of crimes, including the property crimes, which was solidly debunked by parliamentarian Tony Pua by pointing out that crime is already on the rise even with the EO in place. So let us zoom in into this particular type of crime, gunshot murders. Let us be more controversial and assume that some of the cases are caused by the former EO detainees. Is that a reason to warrant a return of preventive detention laws, which is something so archaic that none of the police forces of the developed countries are using them anymore. The logic of their absence is simple, the adversarial justice system (including ours) runs by the doctrine that everyone is innocent before proven guilty, so how can one be detained without being proven his/her guilt in the courts? I believed that is the reason that when the prime minister announced the repeal of the EO and other similarly antiquated laws, he did not announced that there will be any replacements. The Internal Security Act (ISA) was repealed with such a promise, and hence the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA) was born. The constant argument for preventive detention enthusiasts is that the America has the Patriot Act and Guantanamo for indefinite detention without trial, so why can't we? But then this would be comparing apple with oranges if we are talking about the EO here. The Patriot Act and Guantanamo are only used on terrorists, that means individuals or organisations that are capable of large-scale damage. They have never used it on criminals, not even the serial killers the country is somehow infamous of producing. For the same purpose, we already have the SOSMA, which is notably quite a remarkable reform seeing that terrorists and even the recent insurgents in Lahad Datu have not just been detained under the law, but also charged in the courts because the law no longer allows indefinite detention like the ISA does. Besides already having the SOSMA to cover terrorism and militant extremism, there are two more reasons that we should not have the re-enactment of an EO equivalent. Firstly, although any live lost is a loss, but these gunmen or hitmen are not people who could unleash potential calamity on lives and public property. If they could or they planned to, they will be labelled as terrorists. Second and the more important reason is, the police have not exhausted all means in curbing gunshot killings, and hence jumping straight back to preventive detention is not a justifiable move. Preventive detention on criminals must only be a last resort, if it is not the last resort, we must have been taking the easy way out again. So are we? An Unrepentant Force In 2011, now Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong raised the issue of the misallocation of manpower in the police force in battling crime, stating from official statistics that only 14 per cent of the total police force is in the crime-tackling divisions (criminal investigation, narcotics and commercial crime investigation). Most revealing is that a disproportionately large chunk of the force is in management, 41 per cent. One would have expected the police force to implement remedial policies to address such concerns by now. But a recent query in Parliament by Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching has revealed that the same problem exists, despite an increase in the number of police officers within the crime-tackling divisions, their proportion remains the same, roughly 14 per cent of the force. Management still remains the largest division of the force, amounting to 42 per cent. One might be anxious to ask, who are these management police officers managing? Certainly not our criminals. Then comes the second point, are our police adopting a very professional and thorough investigative culture as do the best police forces in the world does? In my opinion, our police force seems to be facing an identity crisis now when the old ways of policing, that usually include coercive interrogation and forced confessions could no longer be used. Death in custody is no longer tolerable. It would appeared that they are still struggling with this transition period whereby the weight of criminal investigation and even prosecution has to be shifted towards more forensic evidence and effective intelligence based, rather than preventive detention and police brutality. No doubt there are some successful convictions that rely on science and good police work; it is still worrying when I recalled seeing in the newspapers that a mother of a suspected abduction victim is holding the gown the girl was allegedly wearing during the night of her kidnapping for reporters to photograph. That is a piece of vital physical evidence that should have been collected by the police for further analysis. Now the item is already contaminated due to the contact by the mother and who knows what. Its admissibility in court will be significantly challenged. Criminal Cases Need Whistleblowers Too Apart from forensic evidence which is expected to be very scarce in these "hit and run" assassinations, witness testimony is also very important in the investigation and sometimes prosecution of such cases. However, as most of these cases involved feuds and interests of the underworld, the witness has to be offered substantial whistleblower protection for him and his family's safety. But are they? Do these deep throats in the criminal underworld trust the police to offer them protection? Can they when a member of the public, MyWatch chief R. Sri Sanjeevan, was shot after he intended to expose some criminal links within the police? This enforces the view that whistleblower protection was never the prevailing culture of Malaysia's government. Rafizi Ramli, who exposed the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal, was denied protection and even charged with violating the Banking and Financial Institutions Act. The parent who posted pictures of children dining in the changing room in a school was recently threatened with investigation under the Sedition Act. No country for brave people, even when they are speaking the truth, ya? Taking Control of Crime means Taking Cognisance of Reality This scream and kicking for the return of the EO is just a natural response of a complacent force towards change. It is obvious that the police are frantically seeking ways to take control of a situation they used to have control. That is understandable, since they are the ones that are supposed to be the vanguard of law and order. However, there is a danger of them resorting to short-circuited thinking without profound analysis on the failures of the police. Such shortcut solutions will most likely be symptom curing reliefs that are impractical in the long run. The truth is, our police have to outsmart the criminals. And they are not. Sometimes, to deal with these hardcore criminals some ingenuity is needed. Al Capone, a famous American gangster in the Prohibition era, was ultimately charged with tax evasion despite all the bad things he have done due to a lack of evidence. No matter what, his control over his criminal empire diminished rapidly after his imprisonment, and I would say it was still a success. To take control of crime means taking control of reality, not thwarting it. The reality is that we have progressed far enough away from the days of insurgencies and communal violence to use detention without trial as a crime-fighting tool. And if we deny that reality alongside with the fact that our police just aren't modern and professional enough, what the new EO would bring us will be a state of police rather than a state of law. That will also mean one more victory for the bad guys. * Nicholas Chan is a research analyst with Penang Institute. He is a forensic scientist by education.

It’s Not About the Chinese, Syed Ali! Posted: 01 Aug 2013 01:33 PM PDT   If Umno Cheras division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee thinks he's reaching out to the Chinese by asking them to tell Umno why they did not support the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) at the 13th general election (GE13) and what they are unhappy about, he's still missing the point. The rejection of BN at GE13 is not about the Chinese. It's about governance.   Kee Thuan Chye  Good governance and an end to corruption are among the things every caring and intelligent Malaysian wants. Why does he single out the Chinese? True, many Chinese care about the country and therefore want it to do well, and they don't think that under BN rule, it will, so they voted for a change of government. But then so did a few million others comprising Malays, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans who also care about the country and want a better government. If Syed Ali can grasp this basic idea, he should instead be telling his own party's leaders that they need to do much, much better to deserve being in government – in fact, to change. And change drastically. He should be telling them to stop playing the same old politics they are still playing, like exploiting the issues of race and religion to divide the people. He should tell Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to take back what he said on July 31 and even apologise for it: "Muslims do not insult the religion of non-Muslims such as Christianity and Hinduism. But non-Muslims are insulting our religion." That's the kind of inflammatory remark we can expect from an extremist, not from a deputy prime minister. Yes, bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee did upset Muslims with their Ramadhan greeting over a bowl of Bak Kut Teh, but how could Muhyiddin discount Perkasa Vice-President Zulkifli Noordin's belittling of Hinduism when he expressed scorn at Hindu gods, or Johor school principal Siti Inshah Mansor's alleged remark in 2010 that the Indians looked like "dogs" when they wore their prayer strings? It is distorted statements like Muhyiddin's that polarise the people even more. And as the nation's number two leader, Muhyiddin should have known better to keep his mouth shut instead of creating further tension on the issue. After all, what purpose does his statement serve? It only serves to revive anti-non-Muslim sentiments at a time when conciliatory measures are greatly needed. But then we have seen many times before that this is how Umno leaders operate. It is also part and parcel of their desire to assert their supremacy over the populace, especially over those who don't bend to them. Now, because Umno has won nine parliamentary seats more at GE13 compared to GE12, it is asserting itself even more. It is pandering to right-wing Malay-Muslim sentiments to consolidate the support from its 'safe deposits'. This is precisely the sort of thing that those who reject Umno-BN don't want any more of. So whatever Syed Ali may say about Umno-BN wanting "the Chinese to be with us", it is mere wishful thinking. If Umno-BN remains as it is and continues to behave the way it does, the Chinese and the others who voted against it will never trust it. Syed Ali also says Prime Minister Najib Razak has done a lot for the Chinese and he therefore cannot understand why the community didn't support Najib at GE13. But that's not the point either. It's not about providing for a community – ANY community – but about providing what's good and right for the country. It's not about protecting the interests of Muslims or non-Muslims but about maintaining the rule of law and upholding fairness. Read more at: http://my.news.yahoo.com/blogs/bull-bashing/not-chinese-syed-ali-153242407.html

Declare war against crimes Posted: 01 Aug 2013 12:33 PM PDT   It seems that the government is really serious in fighting crimes this time, instead of believing the data showing a drop in crime rate. However, addressing the problem piecemeal cannot actually help solve the issue. Instead, it requires a thorough rectification to restore public confidence.  Lim Sue Goan, My Sinchew The homicide of Arab Malaysian Banking Group founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi has prompt the government to face the harm on economy that brought by serious crimes. If foreign experts dare not to come, how are we going to have economic transformation? This time, not only Chinese-language newspapers have published the shooting on their cover page, but English-language and Malay-language newspapers, too, have made it a cover page story, proving that Chinese-language newspapers have not hyped it, but the poor public security has indeed reached a worrying level. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that the government will set up a committee, comprising Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and several other ministers in the Prime Minister's Department, to discuss with Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, and come up with possible additional laws to fight serious crime. The government will also provide the police necessary resources to facilitate crime fighting efforts. Meanwhile, the Home Minister revealed that under the Cabinet's instruction, the crime fighting meeting formed by four ministers will advise the government to continue the policy of no detention extension without trial, while strengthening ties with the people, modernising police equipment and setting up special forces to reduce crimes. It seems that the government is really serious in fighting crimes this time, instead of believing the data showing a drop in crime rate. However, addressing the problem piecemeal cannot actually help solve the issue. Instead, it requires a thorough rectification to restore public confidence. From the data, the police has received many resources in recent years. For instance, from 2007 to 2012, the police has obtained a 65.17% increase in funding. The number of uniformed police officers has also increased to 112,583 people. Therefore, there is apparently a fallacy for the minister to say that the police to citizen ratio in Malaysia is 1:700 as compared to 1:35 in New York. If we calculate based on 28 million of population, the ratio should then be 1: 249, which is in line with the standard of 1:250 as recommended by the Interpol. Therefore, the police's efficiency and discipline should be enhanced instead. Without doing so, the same effect would not be achieved no matter how much funding is added and how modern the equipment is. The government is expected to table a new law bill to replace the Emergency Ordinance in the September session of the Dewan Rakyat and thus, the police cannot be over-dependent on the new law as it requires at least two months for the bill to be passed and made effective. The police force distribution is also a problem. Only 10,150 policemen or 9% are crime investigation officers and the number is far from enough to combat crimes. In addition to the police efficiency, the disintegration of family structure and the complexity of social structure have also contributed to the rise of crimes. It compromises both internal and external factors. Most young people started from dropping out of school, street racing, drug abuse to eventually become followers of criminal syndicates. Foreign criminals have also sneaked into Malaysia and engaged in illegal activities including human trafficking, drug trafficking and drug refining, heavily polluting the country. Illegal gambling centres and porn premises could be found everywhere and crimes take place after they spent all their money in gambling and drugs. Rampant underground activities lead to disputes over interests. Arms smugglers smuggle firearms to meet the demand of contract killings, resulting in the proliferation of illegal guns. In addition to shortening the Visa On Arrival (VOA) from 90 days to 14 days for foreign citizens, the Home Ministry must also step up the arrest of "overstayers". Social peace could be restored only if the problem is addressed at all levels. However, slowness has always been our Achilles' heel.

A fearful symmetry Posted: 01 Aug 2013 11:55 AM PDT   Our history is so badly taught that a film is deemed a threat to our understanding of it. Tigers are even part of our wartime history. Imperial Japan's General Yamashita, who led the Malaya campaign, was nicknamed the "Tiger of Malaya", and in "The Tigers of Terengganu" written a decade later, the author makes mention of tigers having to share the jungles with communist terrorists. Tunku Abidin, The Malay Mail  It was International Tiger Day on Monday and the big news was the number of wild tigers in Nepal had increased by 63 per cent since 2009, to 198. There are around 500 in Malaysia and the WWF wants to double that number by 2020 through its conservation programme and awareness campaigns. Even if that is achieved, it would still be a third of the number we had at Merdeka, which shockingly is similar to the number of wild tigers estimated in the world today: 3,200. Unfortunately, the persistent demand for traditional "medicines" has incentivised continued poaching. There are encouraging signs though: when research showed that a forest alongside the Gerik-Jeli highway was being used by tigers, the Perak government gazetted part of it as a permanent forest reserve. I am sure with intelligent private sector involvement, prospects for the Malayan tiger can be further enhanced. Many other animals are prominent in our state symbols. The coat of arms of Kelantan is supported by muntjacs (kijang), Malacca has its mousedeer (kancil), Pahang uses crossed tusks and Sarawak uses the hornbill (though the White Rajahs used a beaver). Sabah's crest has human arms, though as North Borneo its logo included a lion, while the Straits Settlements featured two. Royal palaces, regalia and titles also make ample reference to animals, real or mythological. But references to tigers are in a different league. Malay legends refer to their mystical powers and folklore demands that "Pak Belang" is accorded due respect. In 1954, a colonial officer wrote about Datuk Paroi, an alleged were-tiger who had a shrine between Seremban and Kuala Pilah, near Bukit Putus, itself named after a tiger's tail that broke off. Tigers featured on the Johor state crest by the time hunter Archduke Franz Ferdinand received his Darjah Kerabat Johor in 1894. One appeared on the flag of the Federated Malay States in 1895, and then two supported the coat of arms of the Federation of Malaya and later Malaysia, the latest edit being the tigers becoming more aggressive when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister. Harimau Malaya remains our football team's nickname (some Borneans forget Panthera tigris malayensis is Malayan), and tigers feature in the branding of institutions and companies that want to advertise their patriotism. Tigers are even part of our wartime history. Imperial Japan's General Yamashita, who led the Malaya campaign, was nicknamed the "Tiger of Malaya", and in "The Tigers of Terengganu" written a decade later, the author makes mention of tigers having to share the jungles with communist terrorists. It was Warriors' Day on Wednesday and as usual the Royal Malay Regiment, whose regimental crest features two tigers, played a prominent part in the event, remembering our heroes who fell while fighting the Japanese and the communists. The latter period of our history has been in the news again because of a movie, "The New Village", which detractors claim (from the trailer) glorifies communism. So now there are calls for the film's release to be reconsidered, despite having been earlier approved by the Film Censorship Board. The Multimedia and Communications Minister was right to say that the movie should not be judged by the trailer alone, recalling public condemnation of "Tanda Putera". Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/tunku-abidin-muhriz/article/a-fearful-symmetry

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Posted: 01 Aug 2013 11:50 AM PDT We should no longer be willing to blindly obey rulings and pronouncements made in the name of our religion especially when they are arrogant, unjust or cruel. The ulama do not have the divine mandate or right to be the sole authority to speak on matters which affect our religion or its interpretations. We, as the ummah or congregation of the faith, should all be part of that conversation and not remain silent. It is our religion too. I remember the exact moment that I became concerned and interested in women's issues and their link between human rights and religion. It was back in June 1997. The front page of a number of newspapers that month had showcased the results of a raid conducted by the Selangor Religious Department — the picture of three girls being manhandled and marched out by a group of grim-faced men and women. Looking at pictures taken during the raid and the way they were treated, one could be excused for thinking that these girls clothed in evening gowns, satin sashes and clutching trophies in their hands were criminals of the worst variety. Their offence? Participating in a beauty pageant. It was later revealed that the religious officers had watched the Miss Malaysia Petite finals from start to finish while lurking in the shadows and among the audience of the packed hotel ballroom. At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, they proceeded with the arrests on stage and in front of television cameras, the media and a disbelieving audience. The charges? Under section 31 of the Syariah Crimes Enactment Selangor 1995 which stipulates that Muslim women are not allowed to take part in a beauty contest, and under section 2 of the same enactment for being indecently dressed. After spending the night in the Subang Jaya police lockup, the three part-time models pled guilty in the syariah court and paid the fine. History was made that night; this was believed to be the first time that individuals had been arrested in Selangor for participating in a beauty competition. It also set the tone for all future beauty pageants in Malaysia. Organisers would from then on actively exclude Malay-Muslims girls from such competitions to avoid a repeat of what happened to the Miss Malaysia Petite finals. After all, it's bad for business to have the morality stormtroopers barge uninvited and arrest the participants. Future Yasmin Yusofs (Miss Universe Malaysia 1978) and Erra Faziras (Miss World Malaysia 1992) have since then been deterred from participating in such competitions. That is until the recent Miss Malaysia World 2013 pageant. The 1997 incident to me was a clear demonstration of what happens when oppressive practices and thinking were allowed to grab hold and dictate our actions. Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had in fact, in the 1997 case, declared that the raid was "not the Islamic way." Read more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/azrul-mohd-khalib/article/beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder

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Maznah and her Humanity Posted: 01 Aug 2013 01:14 PM PDT Using Section 298A of the Penal Code for causing disharmony on the grounds of religion clearly reflects the inability of the authorities to make a distinction between Islamic principles and Muslim prejudices. Jose Mario Dolor De Vega  I refer to the Free Malaysia Today's "Woman in Hari Raya dog video arrested", July 31st. When I read the whole report, I did not know whether to laugh, be sad or get angry and mad. I felt like laughing because I cannot understand why the whole matter is so serious that it generated such brouhaha. Imagine girl arrested because of a video (that is already three years old) wherein she is with her dogs and greeting people a 'Selamat Hari Raya'. What is the point? As the report clearly narrated: "Dog trainer Maznah Mohd Yusof has been arrested following a public outcry over a three-year-old YouTube video showing her bathing her dogs and wishing viewers Selamat Hari Raya. "According to law reform NGO Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), Maznah, or better known as Chetz, was arrested by police around 4.30pm and taken to Bukit Aman for questioning." I feel sad because I cannot locate nor pinpoint any criminal intention on her part that warrants her arrest. The whole thing makes me angry and terribly mad! What is happening now to our Malaysia? Are we now getting nuts? Are we now "going to the dogs"? Are we becoming so sensitive that we are getting away by the day to the basic tenets of logic, reason and decency? Whatever the hell happened to our humanity?   Why does it seem to me that some of our people are becoming paranoid? Why is it that some individuals are linking and connecting normal and innocent matters to the issue of Islam, when in fact such is not the case?   On the Question of the legality of her arrest I cannot help but wonder on the character of our law enforcer! I cannot understand why they are so slow to respond to the rising criminality that is besetting our nation, yet ironically they are so prompt and so quick to arrest people whose charges are flimsy and if I may say categorically, ridiculous and utterly preposterous. Consider the case of Ong Sing Yee! She already voluntarily surrendered herself to the police, yet our so-called law enforcers still decided to put her in handcuffs. Her crime? She was caught stepping on the face of the national leaders in a pre-Independence Day rally. As I stated in my article then, "Selective use of handcuffs reflects badly on cops", Malaysiakini, September 12, 2012: It is clear from the reports that Ong surrendered to the police and voluntarily placed herself in the jurisdiction of the law. What is the point or the purpose of putting her in handcuffs? Yes, I admit that this 19-year old girl committed a wrong act, yet in the same vein, the very inhumane act of the police putting her in handcuffs; that is after she already surrendered peacefully to their jurisdiction is also wrong and utterly sinister. In my view, the police are guilty of overkill. What they did was grave abuse of discretion amounting to excess of jurisdiction. Their excessive act of showing their authority is a vulgar display of power. Again to quote, Lim Kit Siang: "But is it right and proper for the police to treat her as if she is a hardened criminal requiring her to be handcuffed, when Malaysians can see for themselves BN VIPS, including ministers and former ministers, treated with kid's gloves although charged with grave crimes against the state and people?" These are pertinent questions and they deserve to be answered squarely by the relevant authorities concerned. The case of the Alvivi couple is another case in point. They were promptly arrested and thrown into jail, without first hearing judiciously their right to bail. Their crime? They are accused of offending the religious sensitivities of the majority. Now, we have Maznah. Same as the Alvivi couple, our girl is also charged with offending the feelings and sensitivities of the majority especially during this holy month of Ramadan. (I invite the public to read the beautiful essay of Ravinder Singh, "Religious sensitivities --- respect begets respect", FMT, August 1st. Said article in my view has answered squarely the question of religious sensitivity.) Specifically she is charged with allegedly violating section 298 of the Penal Code, which relates to "uttering words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person." That is according to the Dang Wangi district police chief ACPT Zainuddin Ahmad. The law stipulated that if found guilty, the offender faces between two to five years in prison. So, Maznah is in danger of spending time in jail because of her humanity? This is a shame and a tragedy! (I invite the reader to read that impassioned letter of Shenaaz Khan, "In the doghouse for being kind", FMT, August 1st.) If ever she indeed violated the said provision of the law, the same law mandated the law enforcer to execute the operation of the same in the proper and decent manner. Counsel Latheefa Koya told the FMT that: "She called me and said she was being taken to the Bukit Aman commercial crime division. She did say she is under arrest…" When the said paper asked the said lawyer, if the police were allowed to arrest Chetz before questioning, Latheefa firmly stated that: "They don't have the powers. That's why I need to question them why they arrested her before taking her statement. It is rather rash of them". I concur with the courageous view of the said counsel. The criminal procedure is clear on this matter. The police must first question the subject and duly record her statement before they can effect or execute her arrest.  Indeed, the police, as usual, has acted rather rash and agitated. Again, they have jumped the gun for the nth time! Consider what they did - they arrested her first, thereupon only then they did question her and record her statement. This is a clear circumvention of the law and a negation of our law enforcement processes at the prejudice and detriment of the citizens' constitutional rights. The police in my view had violated Maznah's right to know the nature and the cause of the accusation against her! This is not allowed in constitutional law! This is a clear case of unjust and vexatious acts of the police and a vulgar display of power that clearly betrays their ignorance of the standard operating procedure. This is a shame! The Question of the Offense I cannot understand why some of our people are offended by the said video! 1.   Are they offended with the greetings? 2.   Are they offended with the dogs in the video? On question one, what is the offense on greeting? On question two: what is wrong with the dogs? According to some, they are shocked and offended because the dogs are against Islam. Abdul Rani Abdullah, the MJMM president who called for the arrest of the video producers, categorically stressed that: "We are angry, insulted and sad. Dogs are dirty in Islam." Dogs are dirty in Islam? The pertinent question there is: how come? Said accusation made me dizzy and utterly confused! The Quran makes no mention of dogs being dirty in Islam or to Muslims.      Further, according to ex-Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin, a person who cares for dogs is rewarded in Islam, and hunting dogs is also allowed by the religion. So now, it makes me even dizzier. Some Muslims are saying that dogs are dirty, yet one Muslim scholar is affirming the contrary. The question here is: who among them is correct? Nonetheless, in determining the truth and falsity of this controversy, it is my firm view that the authority on this whole matter is the Quran itself. Is there a specific provision, a categorical pronouncement from the said book that clearly says that "dogs are dirty in Islam"? If the answer is in the negative, then what is the basis of those Muslims who maintain the affirmative view?   If truly there is/are no provision that talks about the uncleanliness of the dogs in the Quran, then what is the basis of the allegation of those people who claim to be shocked, hurt and offended by this video? Are they saying that they get offended and hurt by something that is not written in the first place in their book? This is outrageous! Maznah's intention I overwhelmingly concur with Maznah's clarification with regard to the whole matter. She said that it was not her intention to insult Muslims and Islam, but to remind them to celebrate Hari Raya with animals as well as humans. In her Facebook message posted today, she asked: "Is this Islamic? To those who called me a dog, I am very happy to be equated with an amazing creature of God." "If you don't know the nature of true dogs, and don't bother about it, why do you accuse? It is because of Malay Muslims like these that Islam's good name is tarnished…"       Question: What is the right of some judgmental people to call Maznah a dog? Her only "crime" in my view is the undeniable fact that she is a good human being animated by extreme humanity that cares and love animals, unlike some bastard bloody creatures in our society who may admittedly have a human form, yet worse, acting like animals themselves and violating the rights of these lowly beings!  Some creatures not only violate the rights of the animals, yet irony of all ironies, even go beyond it and violate the rights and dignity of their fellow men! Hence, the ultimate question here is: who are the true animals? Who is the true dog?   What is wrong with celebrating the Aidilfitri together irrespective of species, colour and origin? I believe that our society, specifically those so-called people who were allegedly shocked and offended by Maznah's video with her dogs, instead of condemning her must and should rather commend this beautiful girl for being a being of kindness, gentleness, diversity and humanity. Maznah has shown us what it means to be a true blue human being! I call for her immediate release from detention and join the president Shenaaz Khan of the Malaysian Animal Welfare Society's call that: Using Section 298A of the Penal Code for causing disharmony on the grounds of religion clearly reflects the inability of the authorities to make a distinction between Islamic principles and Muslim prejudices. And while there appears to be a crime wave in this country, animal lovers are being assailed by the authorities for promoting unity, tolerance and animal welfare! This madness must cease. Maznah should be commended not condemned. She has committed no crime and therefore must be released.   Jose Mario Dolor De Vega Philosophy lecturer Polytechnic University of the Philippines

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Alvin and Vivian: Who’s inciting who? Posted: 01 Aug 2013 12:19 PM PDT Till today, I didn't pay much attention to Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee (Alvivi). Last night I was in a group where Alvivi were discussed. The group was mixed, cutting across age, gender, race and religion. I learned about what Alvivi did, the responses to date and what these indicate about our society. Alvivi have been investigated by the police. They have been charged in a Sessions court. They have been charged over a Facebook posting they made. The posting was a photo with a caption: The photo shows the two of them with beaming smiles. They are well dressed – he in a red Polo T-shirt, she in a printed, mainly white, collared blouse. They are seated at an outdoor table, with parked cars in the background. There are three bowls on the table. The centre bowl is a claypot resting in an orange plastic soup plate, indicating it's hot. Alvin and Vivian each have a white bowl before them. The bowls have been carefully placed so the viewer can see a red and black rooster printed on Vivian's bowl and a bluish bird, perhaps a chicken, on Alvin's bowl. Alvin and Vivian are each holding a piece of taufu (beancurd), with white pale coloured chopsticks. The caption, in Malay, reads "Selamat Berbuka Puasa, (dengan Bak Kut Teh . . . Wangi, enak, menyelerakan)," which means "Enjoy breaking fast, with Bak Kut Teh, . . . fragrant, delicious, appetizing." The caption is in a curly-whirly font, like that commonly used on (Hari Raya) season's greeting cards. On the bottom left hand corner are two logos. The first logo reads "Alvivi;" the second includes what looks like the Arabic for "halal," and the word "Malaysia." ["Bak kut teh" is Chinese; in direct translation it means "meat bone tea;" in common usage in Malaysia and Singapore, "bak kut teh" means "pork bone soup." In Malaysia, the "Halal" logo is issued by Islamic authorities. "Halal certification" is a key element Malaysia's plans to be a food hub for the Muslim world. ] Below the two logos is a watermark which reads http://www.alvivi.tv. What are Alvin and Vivian trying to achieve? First, a little information about them. Alvin, 25 yrs, a Malaysian, is a law undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He's one of 170 students from 9 countries who earn ASEAN scholarships annually. In November 2012, NUS revoked his scholarship because he made online posts of sexually explicit materials of himself and Vivian. [Considering Alvin's age, it's not clear why Alvin is still a law undergraduate.] Alvin was even discussed in the Singapore Parliament. Singapore's Education Minister said Alvin's conduct was "reprehensible and unbecoming of a scholar." Vivian, 24 yrs, also a Malaysian, is said to have graduated in October 2012 with a Marketing major from the Multi Media University (MMU) in Malacca, Malaysia. What are Alvin and Vivian trying to achieve? I believe they are trying to achieve personal notoriety and to embarrass the Malaysian government. They are intelligent persons with enough professional knowledge to achieve their goals. They carefully staged the photo; they left "the message" to the imaginations of their readers. Read more at: http://write2rest.blogspot.com/2013/08/alvin-and-vivian-whos-inciting-who.html

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Mahkamah Tinggi tiada hak campur bidang kuasa Mahkamah Syariah dalam kes Indira Gandhi Posted: 01 Aug 2013 12:11 PM PDT Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia (PGSM) menegaskan Perkara 121 (1A) Perlembagaan Persekutuan memperuntukkan bahawa "Mahkamah Tinggi sivil tidak mempunyai bidang kuasa berkenaan apa-apa perkara dalam bidang kuasa Mahkamah Syariah", yang memberi maksud keputusan Mahkamah Syariah tidak boleh disentuh atau digugat oleh Mahkamah sivil. Presidennya, Musa Awang, berkata keputusan Pesuruhjaya Kehakiman Mahkamah Tinggi Ipoh, Lee Swee Seng yang membatalkan pengislaman tiga anak M Indira Gandhi (gambar) dan Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah tidak memberi kesan kepada hak penjagaan dikeluarkan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Ipoh pada April 2009 yang memberi hak penjagaan tiga beradik itu kepada Mohd Ridzuan. Katanya, keputusan permohonan semakan kehakiman yang dikemukakan Indira hanya menyentuh aspek prosedur yang mungkin tidak dipatuhi, tetapi tidak bermaksud pengislaman kanak-kanak itu tidak sah dari segi undang-undang dan hukum Syarak. "Semakan kehakiman adalah daripada segi prosedur. Keputusan dibuat oleh Mahkamah Tinggi belum muktamad kerana perkara ini masih terbuka kepada rayuan dan keputusan mahkamah yang lebih tinggi. "Saya bersetuju satu rayuan difailkan terhadap keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi Ipoh itu. Ini kerana dalam penghakiman itu terdapat suatu isu baru yang perlu diputuskan oleh mahkamah lebih tinggi. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/mahkamah-tinggi-tiada-hak-campur-bidang-kuasa-mahkamah-syariah-dalam-kes-in

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