Anwar: Islamic teachings suggest mum's consent needed to convert child

MIC: Bawah 18 tahun sepatutnya tidak boleh tukar agama

Protest in Tamil Nadu and Kerala against murder of Hindu Munnani leader.

Sri S. Vellaiyappan

Protest against Tamil Nadu Hindu Munnani leader’s gruesome murder in Vellore.

Vellore | Hindu Existence News Bureau | 2 July 2013:: Hindu organizations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu observed Tuesday as ‘protest day’, following the brutal murder of S Vellaiyappan (45), state secretary of Tamil Nadu Hindu Munnani. Hindu Aikya Vedi also staged a demonstration in the evening protesting against the gruesome murder in various places in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Sri S. Vellaiyappan, a prominent Hindutva activist and the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Hindu Munnani, was murdered near the Muthu Mandapam on the banks of the Palar River behind the New Bus Stand here on Monday evening in full public view. The assailants guarded their faces with scarfs as reported.

Police said the assailants, who were also on motorbikes, hit Vellaippan from behind and attacked him when he fell down on the road and fled the scene. Eyewitnesses said Vellaiappan sustained more than 15 injuries all over his body.

He was proceeding in his two-wheeler to the Ramakrishna Mutt when some unidentified persons attacked him on his head from behind. Sri Vellaiyappan abandoned the vehicle and ran towards the dry Palar River. The attackers chased him, hacked in his neck and beat him on his head repeatedly till he fell dead. They immediately escaped. On hearing of the incident, Hindu Munnani volunteers rushed to the spot and blocked the New Katpadi Bridge demanding action against the assailants.

When the body of Sri Vellaiyappan was being taken in an ambulance to the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital for post-mortem, the agitators blocked the ambulance and pelted it with stones. They also hurled stones at several buses on the service lane of the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway (NH – 4). A strong posse of policemen has been posted at the spot. After the body was taken to the hospital, the volunteers withdrew their agitation.

Vellaiyappan, a native of Thenkasi has been associated with the Hindu Munnani for over 20 years. An active pracharak, hailed from RSS, Vellaiyappan was always seen in the fore front in exposing and dealing with the social menace of love jihad and Govt’s conspiracy of encroachment of various Hindu Temples/Mutts/Trusts etc. Vellaiyappan was undaunted, even though he continually faced death threats while spearheading campaigns against love jihad.

Forty-five-year-old Sri Vellaiyappan, a bachelor, was the organiser of Hindu Munnani activities in Vellore district for the last 20 years. Only on Wednesday, he participated in an agitation by the Munnani at the entrance to the Fort in Vellore against the takeover of Jalakanteswarar Temple by the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department. Vijay Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Vellore district, said several teams had been formed to nab the culprits. “The motive for the murder is not yet known and we are engaged in gathering the clues and evidence”, he told The Hindu Existence Reporter.

Condemning the murder, Hindu Munnani founder and state organiser Rama Gopalan said there were

Police pickets deployed on the service lane of the Chennai-Bangalore NH – 4  near the new bus stand in Vellore following an agitation sparked by the murder of Hindu leader.  Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy, The Hindu.

earlier instances of functionaries of the BJP and Hindu Munani being murdered in the region. In October 2012, V Aravindh Reddy, BJP’s state medical wing secretary, was murdered. Rama Gopalan said police should take stern action against the culprits. They should be arrested immediately, he said.

As news of Vellaiappan’s murder spread, angry Hindu Munnani activists damaged two TNSTC buses which came out of the Vellore bus terminus. No one was injured in the incident. Traffic was held up for about an hour.

The place witnessed tense scenes following Vellaiyappan’s murder. Police personnel have been deployed in the area to prevent any further outbreak of violence. With police yet to make a breakthrough in the case, police teams have fanned out to track the accused.

North zone inspector general of police S Kannappan said, “We don’t know the motive for the murder yet. We got some CCTV footage from nearby shops and from traffic signals, which will help us identify the accused.”

RSS Condemns

RSS State President R V Marimuthu has strongly condemned the brutal murder of the Hindu activist and pointed out that earlier BJP worker Arvind Reddy, Pugazendhi, Kaalaiyar Koil Padai ventraan Ambalam were also murdered in the same way. Hindu Munnani activist Anand of Mettupalayam, M R Gandhi (BJP) of Nagercoil, and Hari of Koonoor and many others had been attacked and injured seriously. The law and order in the State of Tamilnadu is questionable. He appeals to the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu to strongly take action against the murderers and render justice to the Hindus.

Hindu Existence Forum vehemently condemns the heinous murder of Sri S. Vellaiyappan by anti Hindu perpetrators.

Courtesy: The Hindu | Agencies.

KRudd’s Chosen Parliamentary Secretary Ed Husic Swears Loyalty to the Koran

‘Shame, shame, shame’: Australia’s first Muslim frontbencher abused for taking oath on Koran

The Prime Minister’s new parliamentary secretary, Ed Husic, has been subjected to a torrent of abuse online for being sworn in to his position with a Koran.
Mr Husic became Australia’s first Muslim frontbencher on Monday when he was appointed to Kevin Rudd’s new-look ministry as parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister and parliamentary secretary for broadband.
“This is a wonderful day for multiculturalism, and everything it stands for in our country,” Governor-General Quentin Bryce told Mr Husic during the swearing-in ceremony in Canberra on Monday.
Governor-General Quentin Bryce is a rather dodgy kumbaya tart.

Ed Husic, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Broadband, during the swearing-in ceremony at Government House with Governor-General Quentin Bryce. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

.
However, after receiving dozens of messages of congratulations on his Facebook page, the comments quickly turned to disgust and outrage that he had chosen to be sworn in on the Muslim holy book.
Some called it un-Australian and unconstitutional.  (It is.)
“Our allegiance should have been to Queen and Country first Ed. That means saying the oath on the holy bible not the Koran…. Shame, Shame, Shame,” posted one user, Ross Peace. “I am so disappointed in this government that they don’t have the spine to stand up for the Australian way of life.”

 

Ed Husic, with the copy of the Koran with which he was sworn in as a parliamentary secretary. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

.

Another user, Therese Pearce, said she was “disgusted and embarrassed” for the Australian people.
So am I.
“Hell i might just have to use snow white and the 7 dwarfs next time i take the oath for australia,” she posted.
One user, Anna Dean, claimed his decision to be sworn in on the Koran undermined “our culture and country and constitution in this way”.
It does.
Another user, Carrie Forrest, accused him of disregarding Australia’s constitution and pushing for sharia.
Getting close.
Mr Husic has previously said that he is a moderate Muslim who does not involve himself heavily with most of the religious customs and behaviours of the faith.
If that was the case he wouldn’t swear on the Koran.
Asked about his religion in 2010, he told the ABC: “If someone asks me, ‘Are you Muslim?’ I say yes. And then if someone says, ‘Well do you pray and go to a mosque and do all the other things that are associated with the faith?’ I say no.
Taqiyya. Religiously mandated lying.
“I often get told that I describe myself as non-practising when in actual fact I don’t go round saying that. Like I just say ‘I’m Muslim.’ ”
That means he is a  Muslim. A”real one”.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said people should respect Mr Husic’s choice. ‘‘I respect his choice,’’ he told reporters in Melbourne. ‘‘I think the Australian people should as well.’’
Delusional. Creepy. Stupid beyond belief. 
President of the Anti-Discrimination Board and chairman of the NSW Community Relations Commission Stepan Kerkyasharian said it was “a sad day for any society” when someone is abused because of their religion.
Stepan Kerkyasharian? Sounds like an Armenian. 1.5 million murdered Armenians send their regards.
He said Mr Husic could act as a valuable bridge between the Muslim community and would put Australia at an advantage in the international community.
BS. He will  be on the side of the ummah against Australia.
“It should be an interesting and positive milestone that someone of migrant heritage has come to Australia and has now, through our democratic process, reached a position of leadership,” he said.
I’m not interested in stupidity and interfaith kumbaya.
Mr Husic, 43, the son of Bosnian Muslim migrants, became the first Muslim to be elected to Parliament when he won his western Sydney seat of Chifley in the 2010 election with 51.58 per cent of votes, almost double that of his next competitor.
If demographics are the deciding factor we are toast.
In 2010, he was sworn into Federal Parliament alongside members from several religions. Kooyong member Josh Frydenberg and Melbourne Ports member Michael Danby were sworn in on the Jewish bible.
The AGE had to mention that. The Jewish bible is something we can all relate to. Few Australians know what the Koran teaches.
Frydenberg is another fake conservative who supports this:

Lawyer and community rights advocate Mariam Veiszadeh said there was too often an assumption that being a good Australian citizen and a good Muslim were “mutually exclusive concepts”.
It is.
“You can be a devout Jew and a good Australian parliamentarian who serves your country just as equally as you can be a practising Muslim and a good Australian citizen and politician,” she said.
You can’t.
“It is ignorant for people to conflate irrelevant issues and it stems from the Muslim bashing that has been going on in this country for a decade.”
“Muslim bashing?”  (You can’t make it up.)
Mr Husic played down the abuse on Tuesday afternoon by saying that people were entitled in a democracy to question his choice to be sworn in using a Koran and the public should not necessarily jump ‘‘because of harsh words out of dark corners’’.
‘‘[People] may have questions and they may have concerns and people are right to raise that,’’ he said. ‘‘But I also think you’ll have, from time to time, people of the extremes. There are people that are definitely extreme … and they will always try to seek ways in which to divide people. The important thing is [that] mainstream Australia wants everyone to work together.’’
He said he had been ‘‘heartened’’ by the huge number of congratulatory messages.
 I spit on these fools. So should you.
The establishment pollies support this:
MPs defend Husic, slam ‘appalling behaviour’
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/shame-shame-shame-australias-first-muslim-frontbencher-abused-for-taking-oath-on-koran-20130702-2p8l2.html#ixzz2XrVqq2Xx

Dutch Family Terrorised and Driven Out of Amsterdam by Moroccans

After years of constant harassment by boys from the neighborhood, the family of Rene Smit, from New West has had enough of it. They want to leave Amsterdam behind, and start looking for a house in Badhoevedorp .

Rene Smit explains why. "I’m doing it mostly for my children, they can’t walk safely in the streets. It started with an aggravated assault on my 14 year old daughter. Then my oldest daughter was robbed of her bicycle with a gun to her head. Sometime later one of my daughters gave a party at home. A couple of those guys insisted, uninvited, on entering the house. They demolished everything and stole a laptop and a mobile phone."

Last year Smit filed a complaint at the police station of New West district. The police, according to him, had still done nothing at all to change the matter since then. Last month, his 14-year-old daughter was robbed of 70 euros and then threatened by the same boy.

"It does not stop. We are already sending our daughter of 4 to school in Badhoevedorp and are trying hard to find a home. With pain in our hearts we have to leave Amsterdam," said Smit. “I'm the last one to judge the entire Moroccan community lumped all together. But these bad apples need to be addressed too.”

AT5 reported last week about a group of 10 young people who were arrested on the Osdorper Ban. The ten were systematically terrorizing the neighborhood. The mayor of Amsterdam district West, Achmed Baâdoud, said he was “busy with a plan to change the situation.”

Kamalanathan under fire over matriculation list

Why is the deputy education minister so afraid to reveal the list of names through media if he is being transparent about the matriculation figures? asks an NGO.

PETALING JAYA: Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan is involved in some sort of a ‘cover up’ by refusing to reveal the full list of non-Malay students awarded matriculation seats for 2013, charged an Indian-based NGO.

A Thiruvengadam, president of Malaysian Indian Education Awareness and Welfare Foundation (PKP-KIM) said the deputy minister’s statement by itself shows the ministry’s “opaque” stand on matriculation seats for Indian students.

Kamalanathan said that he will only reveal the list of names to individuals who approached him instead of disclosing the list to the media as requested by Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran.

The Hulu Selangor MP has adamantly refused reveal the names, claiming it was not the practice of his ministry to release the names through the media.

“Why is the deputy minister so afraid to reveal the name list through media if he is being transparent about the seat allocations?” asked Thiruvengadam.

He added that revealing the list to media was not an offence under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) hence, it is clear that the MIC Putra coordinator is defending Umno’s racist education policies.

Who’s telling the truth?

Thiruvengadam slammed both the BN government and the MIC for giving contradictory statements on the matter.

“The public is confused. While MIC says the number of seats given to Indian students was 1,850 seats, Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin put the figure at 1,800.

Hindraf’s blueprint signed by BN government, on the other hand shows that the total number of seats meant for Indian students is 2,100. “Who is is telling truth and giving the right figures?” asked Thiruvengadam.

To complicate matters, it is learnt that on Friday during the cabinet meeting, Muhyiddin agreed to fulfill the 1,500 seats initially promised by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

“From all these numbers we can assume that no one has any idea on the exact number of seats allocated to Indian students in 2013,” said Thiruvengadam.

Meanwhile, a group of angry parents is planning to proceed with a rally called “Duduk dan Bantah” in front of Education Ministry on July 4, at 12pm to urge the government to fulfill the matriculation places for Indian students.

“It will be a unique gathering where all the protesters will sit on mats and holding umbrellas as a sign of the protest,” said one of the organisers.

He said that several Pakatan MPs will also participate in the protest to show their support for Indian students denied their right to a decent education.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/07/02/kamalanathan-under-fire-over-matriculation-list/#sthash.Ggd2DP4z.dpuf

Syariah lawyers: Change to Section 107 not major

There is no major change to Section 107 of the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 2013 as proposed in the bill before Parliament, says the Malaysian Syarie Lawyers Association (PGSM).
Therefore, said PGSM president Musa Awang, there is a need to explain the bill further to non-Muslims as such a provision was already in place, in Section 95 of the same Act, and has been in force since 1993.

"PGSM thinks the parties disputing Section 107 do not understand and this needs further explanation and clarification. If the amendment to Section 107 is withdrawn, Section 95 of the Act still stands," Musa (left) said in a statement today.

Such an amendment, he said, has adopted in other states, in Pahang in 2001 ; Malacca (2002); Selangor (2003); Johor (2003); Penang (2004); Kedah (2008); Terengganu (2008); Negri Sembilan (2009) and Perak and in fact the Federal Territory had been left behind.

There has been much debate on the amendment proposed to Section 107 of the Act, with Bar Council chairperson Christopher Leong calling it unconstitutional, since the meaning of the word `parent' in the bill should be in line with the federal constitution - to mean both parents, if they are still alive.
"We reiterate that the unilateral conversion of minor children to any religion by a parent, without the consent of the non-converting parent, is contrary to our constitutional scheme," Leong said.

MIC and MCA, along with Gerakan and the Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, have also expressed concern over the matter.

Despite this, Musa argued that Section 95 of the Act, which pertains to the capacity of a person to embrace Islam, had been in place since 1993.

Section 95 states that a person who is not a Muslim may convert into Islam if he/she is of sound mind and

(a) Has attained the age of 18 years; or

(b) If he/she has not attained the age of 18 years, his parent or guardian consents to his/her conversion.

PGSM prefers the court decides on conversion

Musa said PGSM sees the proposed amendment to Section 107 to be in line with the Federal Court decision in the case of Susie Teoh and other cases that state an underaged child can embrace Islam with the permission of of the mother, or father or guardian.

Hence, he said, there was no issue of the Islamic Council trying to seize the rights of non-Muslims under the federal constitution.

"If there are any parties not satisfied with Section 107, it means that there should be an amendment to the constitution," Musa said.

PGSM, he said, was agreeable that the conversion of young children be decided by the courts, based on the individual facts.

However, Musa added, the crucial matter was how a father who embraces Islam with his children needs to maintain his relationship with his wife, who may not have embraced Islam, so that the rights of the mother over the children are not denied.
There have been many child conversion cases in the past that also involved child custody cases like the R. Subashini, S Shamala, and recently the S Deepa case in Negri Sembilan.

The non-resolution of these cases coupled with the 2009 cabinet directive where the government barred the secret conversion of children had resulted in such concerns, especially to the non-Muslims.

'Mum's consent a must for child to be converted'

The Islamic position on child conversion is that a child can only be converted with the consent of the mother, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said today.

Speaking to reporters in the lobby of Parliament House, Anwar said the Pakatan Rakyat parties would continue to discuss the move to amend the Islamic law on the conversion of minors with one another, before taking an official stand.

He was referring to the tabling of the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 in Parliament last week, which will allow only one parent's consent, or that of the guardian, to convert a minor to Islam.

"There's a specific case where the Prophet Muhammad sent a child back to the mother because the mother did not convert to Islam and only the father did so," Anwar said.

"We are looking at it (the bill) thoroughly. I have had discussions with (PAS president) Hadi Awang and (DAP secretary-general) Lim Guan Eng," he said.

He said Pakatan was also meeting with NGOs to determine the situation, including Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan.

However, Anwar stressed, the conversion bill should not create a "divide" between Muslims and non-Muslims.

"We will sit with all the relevant parties," he added.

Subra blames translation error for conversion bill tiff

MIC deputy president Dr S Subramaniam has blamed a translation error for the controversy surrounding the recently tabled conversion bill.

Speaking to the press this morning, he said the Malay version of the bill was not in line with the English version.

According to Subramaniam, the English version of the proposed amendment to Section 107(b) of the Administration of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 says the conversion of minors requires the consent of a 'parent or guardian'.

However, he said the Bahasa version translates the word 'parent' to 'ibu atau bapa' (mother or father).
“We are stuck with the Federal Court decision and the interpretation of Article 12(4) (of the federal constitution) that pertains to this,” he said.

The article, read with Article 160 and the Eleventh Schedule of the federal constitution, expressly provides that all words appearing in the federal constitution which are stated in one gender also include the other gender, and all words in the singular also include the plural.

“The bill is totally new. I think this part was not seen by them (BN component parties). When they tabled it and we saw that particularly Bahasa Malaysia translation was not in line with our current thinking.

“We voiced our views in the cabinet and at the moment we are seeing how we can resolve the issue,” he said.

Asked whether the MIC would vote against the bill in parliament, he said: “I don’t think it will reach that stage.”
When further pressed whether this means the bill would be retracted, he skirted the question by saying “there are many options for us” and one of the them is to amend the controversial part of the bill.

‘Lack of communication’

He also added that “most” members of the cabinet agreed there had to be a consensus on the issue.

“There needs to be protection to prevent the conversion of minors just because one parent decides to convert themselves and uses that as a tool to convert minors.”

He said the BN government had discussed about the issue in 2009 and had decided to amend the law, but since then faced some issues tabling the bill in parliament.

Asked why the latest bill contradicts the cabinet ruling in 2009, he said: “Maybe there was a lack of communication.”

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that the government would look into finding “a fair solution to the matter”, but also reiterated that the current amendment properly reflects the current situation.

There has been widespread criticism of the amendments within the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Bill from BN component parties MIC and MCA, with MCA urging its members to vote against the bill.

Last week the Malaysian Bar Council said that the use of the word ‘parent’ should mean plural as is in line with the constitution and that the current proposed amendment would be ‘unconstitutional’.

MIC prefers no conversion for children below 18

Joining critics of the recently tabled amendment to the Islamic law on conversion of minors, the MIC has asked for the Bill to be adjusted to ban the conversion of children under the age of 18.

MIC president G Palanivel said he had raised issues surrounding the proposed amendment to Section 107(b) of the Administration of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 at last week's cabinet meeting.

"(If) any child (is) below 18 years, a single parent cannot convert him or her. It will become a problem," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

He said this when asked about MIC's position on the Bill, which gives the right to a parent who has converted to Islam to convert his or her underaged children.

"We will suggest that we need a slight amendment, that there should be no conversion for those under 18 years. No problem for those above 18 years."

According to him, Minister in Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom (left), who is in charge of Islamic affairs, has stated his willingness to study the issue.

"He also wants this to be discussed," claimed Palanivel.

The controversial bill was tabled last week, during the sitting of the new Parliament.

Jamil Khir said all MPs would be briefed before the bill moves into its second reading.

The controversial amendment to the Federal Territories Islamic law, which seeks to give just one parent the right to convert a minor to Islam, has been criticised widely, even by Umno's partners in the ruling coalition.

Earlier, the Malaysian Bar also pointed out that the amendment bill was unconstitutional, as the federal constitution has provisions for words such as ‘parent' required to convert a child to mean both parents, not one.

Other parties such as interfaith body Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), the Malaysian Gurdwara Council and Catholic Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, have also all blasted the bill on various grounds.

Despite the chorus of indignation, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin insisted that the proposed law to allow one parent to convert a minor was consistent with the federal constitution, and said Jamil Khir has been tasked to follow it up.

BN MPs told to vote with conscience on conversion bill

A Penang Gerakan leader has urged MPs from the BN to search their hearts and vote with their conscience on the bill to amend the Federal Territories law relating to the conversion of minors to Islam, which he described as morally wrong.

The party's state legal and human rights bureau chief Baljit Singh (left) expressed deep disappointment over the matter, saying the bill was proposed without prior consultation with BN component parties, including Gerakan.

"This confirms the impression that only one party rules in the BN," Baljit told Malaysiakini, referring to Umno, whose members are Malay Muslims, as the prime mover of the amendment.

"You cannot put the cart before the horse. Consultation with various sectors must be done before proposing the bill to amend the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Enactment in Parliament," he stressed.

Baljit was responding to the tabling of the controversial bill, which appears set to proceed in Parliament.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom said all MPs would be briefed before the second reading of the bill.

Legal action mulled

The controversial amendment to the Federal Territories Islamic law, which seeks to give just one parent the right to convert a minor to Islam, has been criticised widely, even by Umno partners within the ruling coalition.

Baljit said such a law, if allowed to proceed, could be abused as it was not fair to allow one parent to decide the faith of a child when both parents are responsible for the child's welfare.

"Why not let the child decide when she or he comes of age?" he asked.

Baljit backed his colleague, Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang (right), who threatened to file legal action against the government if Parliament passes the amendment.

The amendment will made to Section 107(b) of the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act to allow one parent to convert an underaged child to Islam.

Tan, in his declaration yesterday, said Article 12 (2) of the federal constitution should be defended at all times, especially since the proposed amendment "goes against the spirit of the federal constitution".