If I were a hostage in such a situation, fully aware of how violent my hostage-taker can be, I wonder if I can recite any verses properly. Furthermore, my fear would have intensified, if I had already seen someone being killed in the situation.Isn't it ironic, that the matter of life and death depends on the ability to recite some verses. I still think, in the eyes of The Lord, even if you can memorise the whole Quran, it will not mean anything if your heart is dark and full of hatred.
Only last Friday something horrific took place around Paris where 129 lives were lost. A few days after that, in the middle of the week, some suicide bombers caused the deaths of about 40 people in Nigeria. Every few days now, we would be hearing of some atrocities being committed in some parts of the world.
(updated: 21 people died in the Radisson Blu hostage taking horror, at the end of the seven-hour terrifying siege. Two of the dead were the gunmen themselves.)
Pasted below are a few articles I gather from the blogsphere and some online portals which touch spot-on some issues that I find very relevant to our society.
***************************************
The following is a letter written by one Sulaiman Daud of Singapore. I have taken this from the famed SyedOutsideTheBox blog but you can also read it from Facebook.
I want to thank well-meaning non-Muslims who, in the wake of these attacks, have emphasised that they have been carried out by a small, twisted minority. A terrorist's goal is to sow hatred and discord, and by not giving in, you are defeating their plans.
But I want to say that as a Muslim, I wish that we weren't so quick to emphasise that this has nothing to do with us. While I personally have never killed anyone and none of my friends and family have ever resorted to violence,radicalism has everything to do with Islam. And the failure to address that out of a well-intentioned commitment to tolerance is making the problem worse.
ISIS is a Muslim organisation, and it is an Islamic problem.Let me say it again to be perfectly clear. ISIS is a Muslim organisation, and they are a cancer at the heart of Islam. And the problem will not go away until Muslims confront that.
ISIS attackers scream 'Allah hu'akbar' during their attacks.
ISIS recruits cite Qur'anic verses as justification for the rape and enslavement of women.
ISIS soldiers kill archaeologists, gay men and women, and people who refuse to convert to Islam because they are blasphemers.
There are no Christians in ISIS. There are no Buddhists, Jews, Pagans, Taoists, Houngans, Catholics, Wiccans, Hindus or even Scientologists in ISIS. ISIS is a Muslim organisation and they kill in the name of Islam.
So don't say that ISIS aren't 'true Muslims' or that they are 'not really Muslims'. Like any large organisation, ISIS exists in a spectrum. You have the aimless, restless teenager who never amounted to anything in his life and travelled to Syria because he can't find a job and doesn't know if the Qur'an is to be read from left to right or right to left.
But you also have pious professionals, businessmen, and academics who read their Qur'an cover to cover, pray every day, were seduced into radicalism, and truly believe that the Islamic State's goal of conquest is a noble one. The so-called 'Caliph' Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has a doctorate in Islamic studies.
So if you feel that Muslims are being oppressed or killed in Muslim countries, I expect you to also be just as outraged by ISIS. Because they have killed more Muslims in Iraq, Syria and Jordan than the entire US army. They have done more damage to the name and reputation of Islam than any Western nation. ISIS is Islam's biggest enemy, not the US, not Israel or France or Germany or the Russians.
We have to own the problem. We have to admit that this is a religious problem, and we need to renew our commitment to a secular country which treats all religions equally.
I have believed in the importance of secularism all my life, and with every day that passes that belief grows stronger. Religion is no way to govern a nation. Not any religion, and not any nation.
ISIS is not America's problem, nor the British, nor the French. ISIS is not Syria or Iraq's problem. ISIS is a problem for Muslims. And if you can't admit that, you're not really a good Muslim either.
#LibertyFraternityEquality
#LongLiveTheRepublic
*****************************************
Malaysia: Only a Corrupt Minister like B-G Jamil can prosper under Najib
by Mariam Mokhtar
http://www.malaysiakini.com
Malays and Muslims need to start thinking! Within a matter of days, the federal minister, Jamil Khir Baharom, lost a huge amount of credibility when he was hit by a series of allegations regarding abuse of funds meant for orphans and the needy. Damning revelations were made about his overseas trip for work-cum-golfing holiday.
Amazingly, the day before these allegations came to light, Jamil Khir had attempted to stop another vocal critic of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) from making his views known.
Perhaps, it is time that Jamil Khir stops taking the moral high ground in his retaliation against Tawfik Ismail’s urging that Jakim be disbanded. Jamil Khir is being disingenuous when he said , “Views that Jakim should be abolished are not in line with the demands of the federal constitution. The constitution has to be respected, by all parties.”
Tawfik (photo), who is the the eldest son of the former deputy PM Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, had been critical of Jakim’s role and said, “I think Jakim should be abolished. I don’t think Jakim should exist. What is the government afraid of? You have 13 muftis, with 13 different fatwas and 13 different ways of approaching it (religion).
“What is the purpose of JAKIM? Halal certificates? That can go to the Health Ministry, or the Trade Ministry. What else does JAKIM do? Print the Quran? We have a communications minister.”
Jamil Khir has selective amnesia.In May 2015, a lawyer representing the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) questioned the federal constitution’s validity under Islamic law. Jamil Khir also happens to be MAIWP’s chairperson, so he cannot pretend he was not aware of this lawyer’s actions.
The problem arose when MAIWP and the Attorney-General’s Chamber (AGC) appealed against a Court of Appeal ruling that allowed non-Muslim lawyers to practise as Syariah lawyers in the Syariah courts of the Federal Territories.
A non-Muslim lawyer, Victoria Jayaseele Martin, graduated with a Diploma in Syariah Laws and Practice from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Malaysia in 2004. The 53-year-old wanted to be admitted as a Syariah lawyer in the Federal Territories.
The Court of Appeal declared that Rule 10 of the Rules of the Syariah Lawyers 1993, declared that only Muslims could practise as Syariah lawyers.
The Court of Appeal had overturned a High Court decision which prevented Martin’s judicial review, ruling that MAIWP had powers under the law to set conditions for admitting Syariah lawyers.
So, today, Jamil Khir admonishes Tawfik for his suggestion to dissolve JAKIM, because it would be “against the wish of the federal constitution”, and warned Tawfik that “all parties should respect the constitution”. In a further retaliation against Tawfik, Jamil Khir said, “We also need to realise that Islam has been a major factor to our stability, and it is this stability that has made Malaysia a model Islamic country.”
Sliding down the slippery slope
No, Jamil, you are wrong! Islam has been used by the government to divide its people. Malaysia is not a model Islamic country. It is sliding down the slippery slope to extremism.
Article 3 of the constitution states that “Islam is the religion of the Federation”, but all religions will be practised in peace and harmony throughout the Federation. We are a secular society, and we have a secular constitution.
Malaysians are at the mercy of extremist Malay and Muslim NGOs, and the religious authorities which assert excessive authority.The extremists, and those who represent religious authorities, have their own interpretations of Islam, which are very shallow. In short, they have hijacked the religion.
How many more atrocities, like the conversion of minors, the ban on the word ‘Allah’, and Bible seizures should Malaysians be subjected to?
The hounding of the bookstore manager, Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz (photo), was an unprecedented and relentless persecution. A waste of time and resources, which would have mentally harmed a weaker person. The lower end of the social scale is subject to khalwat raids.
UMNO Baru’s support for Kelantan’s dream of implementing hudud, is also against the constitution. JAKIM and Jamil Khir both attempt to implement rules for women’s dress, but do very little to address the issue of incest in the villages.
Jamil Khir is pretending to be a highly religious Muslim, but he is merely an UMNO Baru propagandist whose job is to deceive the Muslims of Malaysia and make them think that they should give up their constitutional rights, in preference for the UMNO Baru Muslim rights which are non-existent, and which are tearing this nation apart.
The government uses Islam to work on and subjugate the Malay mind. They use religion as their ‘bargaining chip with which one cannot argue’.
****************************************
Disband Islamofascist JAKIM?
by Farouk A. Peru
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com
I was enthralled to read Tawfik Ismail’s statement a few days ago which called for the abolishment of the Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM). I am a keen supporter of Tawfik’s nephew, Tariq Ismail and his constitutionalist movement and feel that this is all we need for a national revitalisation. His uncle Tawfik Ismail’s call therefore is long overdue.
Despite its name (and the operative word being ‘kemajuan’ or development/growth/advancement) JAKIM has not contributed anything worthwhile to the development of Islam in Malaysia. Their Facebook and Twitter accounts have no discussion at all on Islamic philosophy, but is rather about puerile pictures!
On the other hand, they have practised Islamofascist policies which have repressed Malaysian Muslims than anyone else and turned them into religious consumers.
The claim that JAKIM is needed arises from the constitutional provision that ‘Islam is the official religion of the federation’. However, this is a non-sequitur. Islam being the religion of the federation has absolutely no link with the formation of JAKIM. This provision could be interpreted in many other ways, namely the idea that Islam is the identity of the majority of the people of the Federation or even that Islamic values are the values which carry the nation. Again, the interpretation of what constitutes ‘Islamic values’ is a matter of personal and interpretation.
Nowhere does the constitution state that the conservative fraternity of ulama is the sole guardian of the Faith, let alone in charge of Malay-Muslim lives. ‘Tangkap khalwat’ is most certainly absent from the list, yet it’s Jakim’s favourite activity.
As stated in the outset, JAKIM includes the term ‘Kemajuan’ (development, growth, advancement). What, pray tell, has JAKIM actually contributed to the development of Islam in the nation? The morale of Malay-Muslims are at their lowest ebb. From the point of view of education, JAKIM has not been able to motivate them towards stellar educational achievements. They may argue that this measurement is unfair considering that JAKIM is meant to be a religious establishment and should not affect ‘secular’ matters, but if this is true, then JAKIM has no jurisdiction outside the mosque!
Sadly, they would like to have their cake and eat it as well. JAKIM’s “protectionist” approach to Islam in the nation is not meant for the Malay-Muslims, but for their own rice bowl. When Tawfik Ismail made his clarion call, JAKIM officials were quick to point out that Jakim is needed for the protection against Shia-ism, liberal Islam and ISIS.
These claims are highly dubious for the following reasons. Shiaism is a recognised form of Islam and has been since the beginning of Islamic civilization and culture. No less that the former Egyptian mufti himself (and de facto head of Al-Azhar, the oldest existing Islamic university in the world) acknowledged Shiaism as the ‘fifth school of Islamic law’.
In Malaysia, Shiaism has been proliferating for decades and arguably for centuries (if one considers reverence of the Prophet’s family as Shia doctrine). Malay Islam (what Jokowi calls ‘Islam Nusantara’) has had no problem with Shiaism until now.
Since the rise of Saudi Arabia with its money and influence, Shia-phobia has also risen accordingly. There are many Wahabi influenced priests in JAKIM and it is only UMNO’s myopia which prevents them from understanding the implications of Shia-phobia.
UMNO (led by the now deposed hero Muhyiddin Yassin) rode high on this Shia-phobia a year ago and even wanted to change the constitution to provide that ‘Islam’ in the constitution meant their own brand of Islam. This shows that this parochialism was never intended to begin with.JAKIM’s hostility towards ‘Liberal Islam’ arises from the fact that the latter empowers Muslims to think for themselves and thus render JAKIM redundant. Are they really protecting Muslims or in reality, like their manoeuvres against the Shia, simply protecting themselves?
Their declaration against ISIS is even more dubious than the first two. ISIS’ brand of Islam is not much different from JAKIM’s own. The only difference is the level of violence involved. While ISIS is totally uninhibited about the use of violence, JAKIM has to operate under secular law. If it did not, then it would be operating under the very same ancient Arab cultural laws as ISIS. Ask a JAKIM official what should be done to people who leave Islam and you will see.
One must ask this question though – if JAKIM really is for the protection of Islam, why do they not utter a single peep against the racist doctrines of Ketuanan Melayu and Bumiputraism. Why did JAKIM charge Nik Raina for a crime she did not commit. Arguably, this should be the first fatwa they issue because, if they are to protect the akidah (faith, theology), then being the so-called stellar experts that they are, they should know that racism is utterly deplorable in Islam (notwithstanding the Red shirts rally recently where a Minister said he was proud to be an Islamic racist). Perhaps that is also why PERKASA, the ultra racist Malay organization, was the first to ask Tawfik to retract!
It is the same with the austere living of the Prophet. If JAKIM really was following in the footsteps of the Prophet, they would not need billions of ringgit to run their activities. They should be content by simply living in the most frugal manner. However, it seems that they even allow for VVIP ablution areas in the mosques! This shows that their religiosity is perverted. In the mosque, the rich and power pray along side the downtrodden to God because in the eyes of the Almighty God we are created equal. Do we have separate cemetery for VVIPs?
JAKIM needs to be reformed or failing that, be totally disband. They can reform by bringing in scholars from other disciplines (such as philosophy, sciences) in order to balance their religious parochialism. Organise open dialogues with Shia, Ahmadiyya, Liberal, Quranist and other Muslims. Include other faiths or even people of no faith at all and discuss how best to benefit humanity.
**************************************
In Malaysia Islam is big business
by Azrul Mohd. Khalib
http://www.themalaymailonline.com
There exists a reality which has been present ever since men discovered organised religion: organised religion as big bsiness.
There are countless examples from history. In ancient Egypt, people would voluntarily give offerings to the cult of Pharaoh in the belief that they were living gods or descended from divinity. Jesus flipped out when he saw the moneylenders at their tables in the temple with the sheep, oxen and pigeons on sale. Martin Luther was so upset about the selling of indulgences as a method of fundraising that he raised hell by nailing 95 objections to the door of a church.
In more recent times and in our cozy corner of the world, we have seen examples of priests driving luxury cars, wearing expensive watches and living lifestyles more suited to the rich and famous. Just last month, the court decision of a corruption scandal convicting the leaders of a mega church and involving fraud of millions in funds rocked Singapore.
So, being part of organised religion especially in the leadership, can be a lucrative and profitable enterprise both personally and for the faith, of course. It should be no surprise to anyone that those involved would fight tooth and nail on any move which threatens the status quo.
Over the past few weeks, we have heard the bleating and baying of protests from officials, personalities and politicians in response to revelations and accusations alleging the misuse of funds earmarked and intended for religious and humanitarian purposes.
Make no mistake, the amount of money involved in the administration, development and enforcement of Islam in Malaysia is huge. And it involves the use of money from both Muslim and non-Muslim taxpayers. That must be made clear as there is often a mistaken belief, particularly among Muslims that everything dealing with Islamic religious expenditure comes solely from Muslims and that non-Muslims have no right to object or comment on how expenditure is done.
However, regardless of the source of the funds, these religious affiliated bodies must justify the major provisions made to them and also be held accountable, like all other government institutions.
The allocation (2015:RM783 million; 2014: RM 806 million) given to the Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) under the Prime Minister’s Department gets most of the attention and the fuss as it is visible under the federal budget. It is one of the largest allocations under the Prime Minister’s Department.
However, when the different allocations for the Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri under the individual state budgets including that of the Federal Territory are combined and counted in, the annual amount is closer to more than RM 1.2 billion.
The figure increases further when the costs of running the offices of the state muftis, and bodies related to administration of Islamic justice such as the Shariah courts and judiciary, are taken into consideration.
Last year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom was happy to announce that the 2013 collection of zakat (tithes) from Muslims in Malaysia had exceeded RM2.2 billion. In fact, data from the Centre for Zakat Collection (Pusat Pungutan Zakat) also indicates that contributions appreciate on an average of around 20 per cent each year. That is a lot of money and it is good that there is such a large amount available for humanitarian and welfare purposes as the need these days is quite great.
Unfortunately, we seem to be good at collecting but less efficient or diligent in delivering much-needed assistance to the intended recipients and beneficiaries.
Despite the fact that zakat can only be used to help those of the Islamic faith (as opposed to sedekah which is for anyone) and with such large amounts available annually, there are still too many who are being left out or denied help and assistance.
For reasons which range from the moral and undesirable (e.g. being transgender persons, sex workers, living with HIV and AIDS) to the bureaucratic (incomplete paperwork, no address of residence, non-Malaysian), many, especially the poor, homeless and destitute, are left with hands outstretched hoping to receive money and access to services which ironically were established to help and serve them but remain out of reach.
Knowing of this and seeing so many in need has led many Muslims in Malaysia to wonder where the zakat money has gone to despite the huge amounts collected each year. It is an increasing trend for those fulfilling their religious obligation to do so directly to the poor and needy. Simply put, most of those who do so no longer trust the authorities to distribute their zakat.
The recent arrogant and baseless statement by Dato’ Che Mat Che Ali, chair of the Federal Territory Zakat Centre (PPZ-MAIWP) that Malaysian Muslims are committing a sin when they do so lends strength to this distrust. His assertion that such donors were more likely to be generous to “cute widows” or “eloquent speakers”, rather than those truly in need, was really offensive and likely to result in a backlash with more people electing to bypass the PPZ.
Transparency and accountability of funds related to religious bodies is an issue which appears to not be taken seriously by those in authority. Senator Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki recently stated that the two overseas courses by the Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia (Yapeim) ― reportedly costing RM290,000 to organise ― were part of the government’s efforts to stop the spread of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in Malaysia.
Maybe he thinks that we are all stupid or gullible but it is laying it quite thick to expect Malaysians to believe that you had to go all the way to Paris (the city of love!) to do that.
This is on top of the earlier allegations that Jamil Khir, his wife and their entourage had used over RM400,000 in Yapeim funds meant for orphans to pay for an eight-day trip to the US which included shopping sprees and games of golf.
Amidst the fallout came the revelations that this government-backed foundation made a combined annual revenue of RM1.034 billion from 16 profit-making subsidiaries. More than half a million people contribute monthly to Yapeim through a monthly salary deduction scheme which is expected to bring in RM65.73 million this year. A pawn broking business (Ar-Rahnu) is also expected to bring in RM83 million by the end of 2015. Sounds like a successful business.
Let’s not kid ourselves. When it comes to Islam in Malaysia, it is a business. And everyone wants to get a piece of the pie, enjoy the perks and benefits and make a bit of money on the side. All for the faith, of course.
No comments:
Post a Comment