Sacrificial ritual begs respect

The issue is not that the non-Muslims are against the practice of Hari Raya Korban; the problem is when discretion is thrown out of the window in the excitement over the korban.

COMMENT by Jeswan Kaur


We are a nation divided, mostly owing to the unscrupulous politicians and bigots who never tire of instigating Malaysians of different faiths.

With the country now split between ‘what’s right’ and ‘what’s wrong’, harmony and unity between the people have become endangered, making it impossible to bridge the racial gap that threatens to drown Malaysia’s cherished asset – her diversity.

While the nation suffers an ‘identity crisis’ due to the never-ending racial slurs and ‘misrepresentation’, chaos over respect for the respective faiths continues to reverberate.

Barely two weeks after the Court of Appeal dismissed the Catholic Church’s fight over the use of the word ‘Allah’ in its weekly publication, a new racial row has erupted.

This time, the issue revolves around the Hari Raya Korban/Hari Raya Aidiladha/ Hari Raya Haji slaughtering of cows, a practice which in this country is done in full view of the public, in any space available.

To say that the ‘open air’ ritual leaves many people aghast is an understatement. The situation is made worse when the television stations showcase the slaughtering process time and again.

This year’s Hari Raya Korban turned controversial when several non-Muslim parents took umbrage over the slaughtering of cows in schools in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

The parents complained that sacrificing cattle in schools was an insensitive move and inappropriate to schoolchildren.

This well-meaning concern however did not sit well with the Malay zealots of this country, who then raised the issue of the Hindus’s carrying the kavadi openly during the Thaipusam festival.

Unlike the killing of cows, the kavadis or decorated carriers are not brandished just about any place the devotee pleases. Still, attacking one another’s faiths and demeaning cultures simply to prove a point leaves the country in a very vulnerable position.

Scary revelations

When Deputy Education Minister (II) P Kamalanathan said the Education Ministry has never allowed the slaughter of cows in schools, why did the truth upset Malay supremacist group Perkasa?

Perkasa Youth chief Irwan Fahmi Ideris via his blog unleashed his anger and launched a personal attack on Kamalanathan.

“The parliamentarian P Kamalanathan’s statement that the korban ceremony cannot be carried out in schools is an act that insults the Malays and all Muslims,” Irwan wrote.

It is worrying to note the myopic approach groups like Perkasa continue to use in defending Islam and Malays.

How is stating a fact downgrading the country’s official religion or hurting the sensitivities of Muslims?

Going by the conundrum that as erupted as a result of the cow-slaughtering in school, it brings to light some very frightening revelations:

Does a dominant race have the exclusivity to do as they please, wherever and whenever, even if there is no authorisation to do so?

Why was the deputy education minister’s statement viewed as a threat by defenders of the Islam like Perkasa, to the point that it threatened to turn the tables against Kamalanathan in the 14th general election?

Was butchering cows in places of learning a ‘wholesome’ affair?

Did Perkasa forget about the sentiments of the young non-Malay pupils who would have been terrified watching the butchering of these animals?

Sacrificial ritual begs respect

Muslims take the Hari Raya Korban very seriously; and they should, going by the message that the day brings.

But what is both an irony and a paradox is that this very act of remembering the willingness of prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail as an act of submission to Allah’s command and the young boy’s acceptance to being sacrificed is now being turned into a ‘temasya’ or a state sanctioned ‘fun fair’ with tents pitched at the least decent of places to carry out the slaughterings.

The issue is not that the non-Muslims are against the practice of Hari Raya Korban; the problem is when discretion is thrown out of the window in the excitement over the korban (sacrifice).

To justify putting the cows down on school grounds as a way of educating Muslim students as was done by a BN MP was the worst insult to a sane person’s intelligence.

Shabudin Yahaya (BN-Tasek Gelugor) desperately tried to outdo Kamalanathan and portrayed the slaughter as a practical lesson for the Islamic Studies subject.

“The cow slaughtering is not a regular slaughter, it is part of the (school’s) subject and korban is in the Islamic studies subject taught in schools as part of Fiqh (jurisprudence).

“It is a practical lessons on how to properly conduct a slaughter and it should be done,” said Shabudin.

In this regard, does Jakim or the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia not have any ‘enlightening’ words to share?

Trying to take digs at the other races is not going to soothe the country’s fuming racial fires. Nor is scaring children through the butchering of cows in broad daylight going to make them empathise with what Hari Raya Korban is all about.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

Don’t play with fire, Perkasa told

Gerakan Youth slam Perkasa for making baseless accusations against the party.

PETALING JAYA: Gerakan Youth has urged Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali and information chief Ruslan Kassim to stop accusing the party of undermining the domination, power and political leadership of the Malays.

Gerakan’s newly-elected deputy national youth chief Andy Yong said what had been said by the two Perkasa leaders were baseless.

“I question the motive behind such attacks on Gerakan recently,” he said in a press statement today.

In a media report yesterday, Ibrahim alleged that the Gerakan and DAP had a common agenda to undermine the domination, power and political leadership of the Malays.

“There is no proof whatsoever in the accusation and I invite Ruslan to study the ideologies and objectives of Gerakan if he is so ignorant.

“Gerakan is a multi-racial party and political entity for all Malaysians and some non-Chinese has been elected in the recent party elections,” Yong said in a press statement.

“Our beautiful country will never go far if Perkasa’s way of politicking continues,” he said.

Yong said if Ibrahim Ali wanted to declare war on Gerakan, the youth wing was prepared to fight for the party.

“I do not need to elaborate further on Perkasa because people know the truth. All I want to say is do not play with fire,” he said.

A YOUNG SINGAPOREAN MUSLIM: I AM NOW AGAINST CIRCUMCISION

I, like many muslims males in the South East Asian region, are circumcised the moment I reached the age of 7 to 10. I still remember the propaganda my parents taught me. They told me that circumcision was a normal part of life and that everyone goes through it. I was teased by my older peers and family member when I was still uncircumcised. They told me that I was still a baby and I should go for circumcision if I want to be with the grown ups.
The week that I was to be circumcised was during the school holidays so as not to disrupt my studies. We had a feast and my parents asked the local mosque to give me some prayers. I had my circumcision done at the hospital with anesthesia so it wasn’t that painful. But the weeks that follow was horrible.
I wasn’t able to walk properly and was in constant pain. I was made to wear the sarong in order to heal but even then, there were instances where the sarong would stick on to the head of my penis after I awoke from a nap and trying to separate the sarong from my penis was extremely painful. I was not able to bathe for many days as we don’t want to get the bandages wet and it made me extremely uncomfortable. But worst of all, urinating was extremely painful. I remembered I world cry every time I had to go to the toilet and sometime I would try to hold it in as long as possible.
But after weeks past, most of the scars have healed, the head of my penis have dried up and I am now officially one of the grown up and was a good muslim. Little did I and my parents know how unnecessary this ordeal was.
Growing up, I thought nothing much of it. It was just something muslims do for cleanliness was told “Cina itu kotor” (the Chinese are dirty) for not undergoing circumcision. I didn’t want to offend my friends so I try to
avoid the topic entirely. But now as an adult, I start to criticize some parts of my religion and found a lot of holes in my belief.

Myth 1: I believed that the foreskin is simply a flap of skin that does not serve any purpose. It is not a big deal and something that I would miss.
Truth 1: There have been many documentaries about circumcision and they all have shown that the foreskin is not just an extra piece of skin. The foreskin itself has many functions. First, it is there to protect the head of the penis. When I look at my circumcised penis now, I will notice the head looks slightly rough compared to the smooth head of an uncircumcised penis. This is because the head of the penis was meant to be an internal organ and due to the absence of the foreskin, the skin on the head of the penis has to harden in order to protect itself, making it look different than it would have naturally looked.
Second, the foreskin acts as lubricant during sexual intercourse. Interviews with women who had sexual intercourse with both circumcised and uncircumcised men have said that it was more comfortable to do it with an uncircumcised man. Circumcision has removed the gliding effect of foreskin so it would feel rougher than an uncircumcised penis. Sometimes, extra lubrication is needed in order to prevent injury.
Thirdly, the foreskin is shown to have over 10,000 extra nerve endings, similar to those on our finger tips. This shows that the foreskin plays a big part in sensitivity during sexual intercourse. In short, men with foreskin scientifically would feel more pleasure than those without foreskin. So indeed, the foreskin is not just an extra flap of skin but plays a big part in the penile anatomy and it is something that I will miss.

Myth 2: I believed that circumcision is good for hygiene. I was always told as a child that those with uncircumcised penis are dirty and that circumcised penis is much cleaner.
Truth 2: There is some truth to this but not really that much. The foreskin have a chance of getting dirty as dead skin cells, urine and ejaculation can get trapped by the foreskin. The messes of dead cells are called Smegma and it could lead to bacterial growth, causing further complication.
There was a point in time that I was proud to have a circumcised penis because I believed that I was much cleaner than those who were uncircumcised. But later in life, I have learnt that women too have faced the problem of Smegma. And they have developed a technique of maintaining hygiene without resorting to cutting parts of their genitals off. It is called soap and water.
The uncircumcised penis can get dirty, but so do your hands, your feet and your butt. And we remedy that by washing after ourselves. During bath time, the foreskin can be rolled back and washed thoroughly to maintain hygiene. So the idea of circumcision to maintain hygiene now sounds like cutting off your hands so you don’t have to wash your hands and maintaining hand hygiene. And now, there are stereotypes that muslims circumcised because they are too lazy to maintain proper hygene.

Myth 3: I believed that circumcision prevents some diseases and even prevent penile cancer. I believed that I was healthier compared to those who were uncircumcised.
Truth 3: Looking back to truth 2, heath of the penis can be maintained by proper hygiene so diseases like urinary tract infection is can be prevented by maintaining proper hygiene. Furthermore, diseases like Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV do not discriminate people based on foreskin or lack thereof. The foreskin does not act as a magnet to all these diseases. People get STD and HIV primarily due to unsafe sex and sex with an infected partner. A circumcised man has just as much chance of contracting these diseases as an uncircumcised man if they don’t use a condom.
Lastly penile cancer. It is true that uncircumcised men have a higher chance of getting penile cancer compared to circumcised men. The chance of an uncircumcised man getting penile cancer in their lifetime is 1:200,000 Circumcised men have lesser chance of getting penile cancer as there are less cells that can become mutated. But the thing is 1:200,000 is a very insignificant chance. Men are more likely to get breast cancer than to get penile cancer. Circumcision to prevent penile cancer makes as much sense as removing the breast to prevent breast cancer.

Myth 4: I believed that it was mandatory in Islam for men to be circumcised.
Truth 4: Perhaps one of the most powerful points to support circumcision was that god told you to. Believers who believed in the word of god will not dare defy it so many muslims will undergo circumcision simply because of their faith. And even this too turned out to be a lie.
There is nothing in the Quran that commands circumcision. Nothing at all. It turned out that Circumcision is not an Islamic requirement but a traditional requirement. Circumcision is a tradition brought down by the Sunni and Shia tradition, not the faith itself. In fact, another sect of muslims called the Quranist (Those who solely believe in the Quran and reject hadiths), believes that circumcision is a sin. Quranist believes in the perfection of the human body and alteration to it like tattoos and circumcision goes against god’s will.
I share this story to show how so much misinformation have affected my parent’s decision to perform an irreversible act to their child. They have regretted this decision once I have shared all the things I’ve learnt and I have forgiven them as they did what they thought was in my best interest.
But now, armed with new information, I believe continuing in this tradition is as barbaric as the old Chinese Foot binding tradition. Circumcision is not something to be encouraged let alone to be done to a child. A child is too young to give such a life altering consent and parents should not be allowed to make this decision of their child. Circumcision is simply genital mutilation that does not serve any medical, hygiene or religious purpose (maybe the Jews only) and should be considered as child abuse if done to a child under the age of consent. The only time circumcision should be allowed to a child if there is a legitimate medical reason to do so.
It really saddens me to see so many children are forced to undergo this barbaric tradition even till this day and I hope this article will help better inform the public of this totally unnecessary and barbaric tradition.
The circumcision tradition will end with me in my family line and I promised never to put my future son in the same position I was. And I hope other will also follow.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khitan_(circumcision)
http://modernalternativepregnancy.com/2012/12/17/the-five-myths-of-circumcision/#
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/myths-about-circumcision-you-likely-believe

Muslim Boys undergo Circumcision (Malaysia style) (Warning: video contains images of children’s genitals and its mutilation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCkTLUC6A34
Complete Muslim Circumcision (Sunat) (Warning: video contains images of children’s genitals and its mutilation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=optT3QA6YMc
Penn & Teller - Bullshit – Circumcision (Warning: video contains nudity)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY5g4fFhxWA
Circumcision: The Whole Story (Warning: video contains nudity)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeAXantm4tE

A Young Singaporean Muslim
TRS contributor

Clerk threatened by bogus maid agency

A bogus maid agency has threatened a clerk after she asked for a replacement because the earlier one was making too many demands.

SUBANG JAYA: A clerk has claimed that a bogus maid agency threatened her after she asked for a replacement because the earlier one has been making unreasonable demands.

R Vanita said she later found out that there was no such agency at the given address.

She said she hired a maid from Sri Lanka in March through Todo Esta Bien Global Services to look after her disabled mother-in-law and agreed to pay RM700.

“But after a month, the maid demanded RM1,000 and wanted to bring her husband to work as my driver.

“When I could not put up with her attitude and demands, I called the agency for a replacement. Until today the agency has not given me a replacement.

“The agency threatened and challenged me to do what I wanted,” said Vanita.

She said she paid RM6,000 to the agency, which was represented by two maid consultants Rajkumar and Premnath.

After all her attempts to contact the maid agency became futile, she lodged a police report on May 19 but no action had been taken.

Vanita was relating her predicament at a press conference organised by Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam (Cassa).

The association did a background check and found that there was not such company at the given address.

Cassa President Jacob George believed that Premnath and Rajkumar were linked to secret societies.

He said he had received four threats from an unknown caller from Johor asking him not to pursue the case or face the repercussions.

He said Cassa was urging the Home Affairs Ministry to conduct a probe because the association had received similar reports.

Hindraf jibes Guan Eng with hampers

Hindraf demands Penang state government to be more sincere in addressing the Indian community woes and not placate them with Deepavali hampers

GEORGE TOWN: Hindraf Makkal Sakti presented three hampers to Lim Guan Eng in Komtar here this morning, in an apparent cynical jibe to remind the Chief Minister to stop deceiving the Indian community with “hamper politics.”

The four-person Hindraf team also handed over a letter to Lim, in which the civil rights movement told the Pakatan Rakyat state government that its Deepavali “hamper politics” would never be a substitute for the debilitating and chronic poverty that many Indians have to endure in Penang.

“What they do really need is not generosity of this form, but a generosity of a more enduring and dignifying type,” stated the letter signed by Penang Hindraf chief K Kalayselvam.

The Hindraf team, comprising state committee members M Selvam, S Sundramoorthy, P Ponni and M Krishnamal, handed over the hampers and letter to Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) information assistant officer Nazleen Najeeb.

For past few days, Kalayselvam noted that the state government and its elected representatives had been delivering hampers to Indian families in Penang.

He said Hindraf was delighted with the state government’s efforts to make Deepavali festival a happy event for these suffering poor Indian families.

He said the food hampers can be considered goodwill on the part of the state government to Indians.

“We would like to return favour by delivering food hampers to the state government on behalf of the Indian community in Penang,” said Kalayselvam.

In the letter, Kalayselvam reminded Lim’s government to address the real needs of ethnic Indians in Penang as following:

Not to be evicted from their homes by the state development policies or in more concrete form, by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and by the property developers sanctioned by the state government.

Proper relocation from their former estate homes into houses which are purpose built for the displaced estate workers of the state.

Tamil primary schools and pre-school facilities which are consistent with the standards of all other such schools in the country. The land for these schools needs to be provided for by the state government in adequate sizes.

Employment and small business start-up assistance for single Indian mothers.

Life building opportunities for the adolescent Indian youth coming into the job market.

The Indian community in Penang on numerous occasions has forwarded their grouses to the Chief Minister on wide ranging issues. They claim that the Pakatan government has been ignoring the plight of the poor Indians for far too long.

Sustainable Palm Oil: Marketing Ploy or True Commitment?

Press Event to Issue Research in Advance of the RSPO’s 11th Annual Meeting in Medan; NGOs From Across Asia and Africa Question Effectiveness of RSPO Standards

Growing global demand for palm oil is fuelling the large-scale expansion of oil palm plantations across the forests of Southeast Asia and Africa. Concerns about the resulting environmental and social impacts led to the establishment of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004. The RSPO certifies operations that respect the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities living on the land and also conserve lands and forests with high conservation value.

But RSPO-certified companies have not always held to their commitments, especially in respect to the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. The depth of these commitments are explored in an extensive research publication titled Conflict or consent? The oil palm sector at a crossroads, which will be launched at a press conference in Medan, Indonesia, on 7 November, 2013.

The research has been conducted by Forest Peoples Programme, Sawit Watch (both NGO members of the RSPO) and Transformasi Untuk Keadilan Indonesia, in collaboration with 17 NGO partners, and provides detailed analyses of the performances of 16 palm oil operations, many run by RSPO member companies, in locations across Asia and Africa.

Representatives from the NGOs who conducted the research publication will gather in Medan, ahead of the RSPO’s 11th Annual Meeting (11-14 November, also in Medan), to launch the report and circulate its findings and recommendations.

WHAT:	Press conference to launch new research publication Conflict or consent? The oil palm sector at a crossroads by Forest Peoples Programme, Sawit Watch and Transformasi Untuk Keadilan Indonesia, in advance of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)’s 11th Annual Meeting
WHO:	Marcus Colchester, Senior Policy Advisor, Forest Peoples Programme (UK) Anwar Sadat, Executive Director, WALHI Sumatera Selatan Norman Jiwan, Executive Director, Transformasi Untuk Keadilan Indonesia Agustinus Karlo Lumban Raja, Head of Department, Environmental and Policy Initiative Department, Sawit Watch (Indonesia) Kittisak Rattanakrangsri, Executive Director, Indigenous Peoples’ Foundation for Education and Environment (IPF) (Thailand) Christopher Fon Achobang, Environmental Consultant (Cameroon)
WHEN:	Press conference: 7 November 2013, 1pm - 3pm local time
WHERE:	VIP Lounge, Aryaduta Hotel, Medan, Indonesia
RSVP:	To RSVP for the 7 November press conference please contact: Sophie Chao, sophie@forestpeoples.org; phone +62 812 9516 5111 For additional enquiries, please contact: Wiwin Rahmawati, rahmawati_winarni@yahoo.com; phone +62 251 8352171 Agustinus Karlo Lumban Raja, carlo@sawitwatch.or.id ; phone +62 813 85991983 Bekmi Darusman: +628126479148 Gun/Edi Sutrisno, edisutrisno.01@gmail.com; +6281315849153 To request interviews, please contact: Gemma Humphrys, gemma@forestpeoples.org; phone +44 (0) 1608-652893

Best regards,
Forest Peoples Programme

1c Fosseway Business Centre
Stratford Road
Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9NQ
United Kingdom

http://www.forestpeoples.org

In German Schools, a Quiet but Deep Discrimination Problem

Just over a month ago, an administrative judge in Berlin considered a complaint filed by three young German students over alleged racial discrimination at school. All three were from what Germans call a “migrant background”; their families were first generation immigrants. The three did not get a sympathetic hearing. The judge rejected the complaint, which the local district mayor had already dismissed in a local newspaper as the “year’s craziest law suit.” Conservative media reports were equally disparaging; for them, apparently, this was a case of three migrant children trying to play the racism card to excuse their own academic failure.

The three students and their families are, of course, not alone—although distinguished by having the courage to take a stand over their experiences.

Testimonies of students, parents and teachers, recounted in a new photo report by the Open Society Justice Initiative, paint a bleak picture of the challenges facing children from “migration background” in Berlin who want to have the same opportunities for education as everyone else.

“Berlin schools have a racism problem. But the word ‘racism’ triggers such strong emotional reactions that these kinds of problems are rarely discussed, let alone resolved,” says Sharon Otoo, a black author and mother of four. According to Gülten Alagöz, a teacher and member of district council in Tempelhof, “people are quite aware of [discrimination in Berlin schools]. The problem is that no one talks about it in public.”

It is always a challenge for individuals who experience discrimination to prove that what happened to them was not just personal, something that happened because they were somehow not good enough. There is a challenge for those in the majority too: no one, or at least almost no one, likes to be accused of discrimination or racism. But sometimes discrimination or racism can be ingrained in an ostensibly merit-based system which maintains longstanding implicit practices, in which the system doesn’t recognize that minorities need support to level the playing field with the established majority.

How do we know then that discrimination exists? We look at the data.

The first official indications of a systemic problem in the German education system emerged as early as 2001 when an influential PISA study highlighted that at-risk students—including those of “migration or migrant backgrounds”—performed worse in Germany than in other comparable countries. They were more often segregated into lower level classes and schools, effectively depriving them of the opportunity to pass the Abitur examination needed for university-level education.

Even though a number of reforms have been undertaken since, the facts show there is a long way to go. As recently as in 2010, a federal Ministry of Education report noted that children with a “migration background” were twice as likely to attend a vocational secondary school (that leads to no Abitur) as children without a “migration background”—even within the same socio-economic class. In Berlin itself, for students who come from families whose original language is not German, less than a third leave with a university entrance qualification (compared to half of the state’s native German students), and in 2012 the government of Berlin reported that twice as many children with a “migrant background” were relegated from the city’s elite Gymnasium schools to the lower level Sekundarschule as native German children.

Unfortunately, reforms in themselves will not make much of a difference when school administrators and parents can still remain wedded to practices that effectively consign the majority of students with a “migrant background” to a second-class education. Based on the testimonies of teachers, including majority German teachers, German language skills and religious instruction in school are often used as a proxy to segregate migrant children into separate classes and enable school officials to lure native German parents with “German language Guarantee classes.” A recommendation for higher education in the case of students from “migration background” will often be put in doubt against the premise: “The child comes from a family not invested in education”—a peculiar observation in a meritocracy.

The German government’s failure to secure equal educational opportunity for students with a “migration background” is a violation of international and federal law, and it should be challenged. But it is always hard for parents and students to challenge a school system, which retains control over their future. Any kind of formal protest risks making your children stand out from the crowd as trouble makers; it takes time to secure remedies, by which time the child has grown up or moved on to another school.

It is time for a fundamental change in the way children are educated and supported in the classroom in Berlin in particular and in Germany as a whole. That change, among other things, requires a meaningful avenue for families to challenge the discrimination they experience in schools. That change begins with listening.

Listening to parents like Didem Yüksel talking about the experiences of her family: “I could understand this happening to me when I was in school. We were the first ones. But not to my child. This can’t still be an issue for the next generation.”

Kg Hakka demolition - 2PM update: 20 arrested, including Anthony Loke, Arul

Muslim group says RM10-million Klang temple will send out wrong message

A Muslim non-governmental organisation is against the rebuilding of a Hindu temple in Klang (pic)
at a cost of RM10 million, saying it will create a negative impression among Muslim tourists from the Middle East and undermine the government’s Islamic credentials worldwide.

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman said such development is not covered in the Federal Constitution under freedom of religion because it exceeds the rationality of religious freedom.

"For this, we ask the Prime Minister, the Tourism Minister and the state government to be mindful of this,” he said in a statement today.

Abdullah Zaik called on the government to take the necessary steps to ensure harmony and to protect Malaysia's image in the eyes of the international Muslim community.

He said this when commenting on a news report that the Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple is poised to become a landmark and tourism attraction in Klang.

Abdullah said the prime minister had pledged to uphold the teachings of Islam and, as such, plans to rebuild certain houses of worships for tourism purposes went against that pledge.

Apart from that, ISMA is concerned others are trying to take advantage to promote their religion to the point of causing unhealthy competition, without respecting the reality that Islam was the official religion of Malaysia.

Abdullah also said that the sprouting of certain wrongful teachings was destroying Malaysia's reputation as a model Islamic country in the eyes of the international community.

Last Monday, Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple president S. Anandakrishnan said the temple, the first granite one in Malaysia, would become a tourist destination when completed.

Anandakrishnan also said he would be meeting with the Tourism Ministry to request that it includes the temple, dubbed the Thirupathi of Southeast Asia, in its tourism promotions.

"We believe this temple has the potential to be a tourist attraction and a good landmark for Klang which would boost foreign tourist arrivals to Malaysia," he had said.. – October 31, 2013.

Let them make noise, we got our own funding, says Klang temple president

  

The Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple in Klang has come under attack from Muslim NGO 

Isma for refurbishment work. - The Malaysian Insider pic file, October 31, 2013.

"Let them make all the noise they want, it is getting quite common here in Malaysia." This was the response from the president of the 130-year-old Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple in Klang which has now come under attack from a Muslim non-governmental organisation protesting the refurbishment work.

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) had said that the refurbishment of the temple in the centre of Klang town would create a negative impression among Muslim tourists who visit Malaysia.

The group was also concerned with a report that the temple was poised to become a landmark and tourist attraction in Klang.

But temple president S. Anandakrishnan was unperturbed by Isma's concerns, adding he was "not bothered with what certain groups had to say".

"Who are they to comment anyway? We got our own funding, we did not take any money from the government. Freedom of religion is enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

"And by the way, the structure was completed two weeks ago. All that is left is the statues and the dome which will be ready in 12 months," said Anandakrishnan, adding that the decorative granite stones from India had also been assembled two weeks ago.

According to him, the Sri Sundararaja Perumal temple was being refurbished with funding from prominent and wealthy Indians. Even judges worship at this temple, he said.

"We also received support from multi-national companies, so we are not bothered about what they (Isma) say," he said.

Anandakrishnan said the consecration of the temple is slated for June 2015, and that workers from India will be arriving in a week's time to work on the dome.

Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman had called on the government to take the necessary steps to ensure harmony and to protect Malaysia's image in the eyes of the international Muslim community.

Abdullah also said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had pledged to uphold the teachings of Islam and, as such, plans to rebuild certain houses of worship for tourism purposes went against this pledge.

This was Isma's second outburst against Hindus in the past one week.

They also came on strongly on the issue of cows being slaughtered in schools when they warned Hindu parents to back off with their demands that schools not be used for such rituals.

"Why should we bow to pressure from them (Hindus)? It is as if we do not have our own identity. This is our country and it is an Islamic country," Isma's deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya was quoted as saying.

"We want to slaughter cows, who cares? What is the percentage of the Indian community in Malaysia? Only 1% or 2%. The Malays were over 60% of the population."

Aminuddin was referring to Hindu parents who were among others who were against school grounds being used to slaughter cows, considered sacred to Hindus, during the recent Hari Raya Haji celebrations.

Isma had also criticised the recent construction of the Calvary Church Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur that is touted as the largest church building in Southeast Asia.

The Pentecostal church is 600,000sq ft in area and has a 5,000 seat auditorium, as well as a multi-purpose hall, a nursery, lecture halls, and classrooms. – October 31, 2013.

'For the sake of Islam, stop helping other religions'

NGO Ikatan Musliman Malaysia (Isma) has accused the government of promoting other religions for the sake of drawing more tourists into the country and undermining its Islamic credentials overseas as well.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and the ministers for tourism and housing and local government, Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman said he was irked by the prominence given to Hindu temples recently.

This went against the federal constitution, which upholds Islam as the official religion of the country, Zaik (left) said.

"The government must be careful about making temples a tourism draw because it will make Muslim tourists cringe, particularly those form Middle East, who look up to Malaysia as a modern Islamic country," he added in a statement.

Zaik was referred to the Sri Sundararaja Perumal Temple in Klang, which is being renovated with RM10 million budget so that it can be an icon and a tourism draw.

"The prime minister has vowed to uphold the laws and to promote Islam... Therefore, the aim to build holy houses of other religions beyond the need, for the sake of tourism draw, violates that promise," he said.

In a veiled threat, Zaik said that the Najib administration must be mindful of maintaining religious harmony in all its actions.

Isma then went on to urge the government to take urgent action before Malaysia's esteemed reputation overseas as a model Islamic country is ruined.

6 DAP reps, Arul arrested as gov't tears down Kg Hakka

Six DAP representatives including Seremban MP Anthony Loke and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S Arutchelvan were among the protestors today arrested for defending against the demolition of Kampung Hakka Mantin in Negri Sembilan.

At 11.30am Arutchelvan was arguing with the police who were cordoning off an area for demolition, when he and another PSM activist with him, Ghandi, were handcuffed and taken away in a police vehicle.

About 50 bystanders in the predominantly Chinese new village shouted various vulgarities at the police as the arrest took place.

At around noon, the six DAP representatives were also arrested for occupying the SRJKC Chi Chi alumni clubhouse that was about to be torn down.

After a three minute warning the police entered the building and arrested Loke, along with Rasah MP Teo Kok Seong, Nilai rep J Arulkumar, Senawang rep P Gunasekaran, Bahau rep Chew Seh Yong and Temiang rep Ng Chin Tsai and several others.

Demolition of the building began shortly after.

On Sept 30 Arutchelvan and 11 others were arrested when they first attempted to halt the demolition of the historic century-old village, after which an attempt was made to obtain a judicial review.
The eviction and demolition is to make way for the first phase of a mixed-development project by the developer, Mega 9 Housing Sdn Bhd.
Arrests continue
In a third wave of arrests, Suaram executive director E Nalini (below, in black), Kampung Hakka village head Chong Tza Yew, and at least six other activists and villagers were detained at another building earmarked for demolition.

The group were occupying the building's entrance when police broke up the group at about 1pm, and then cut the locks to reach the residents.

The residents exited the house then left in a car while workers emptied the building of furniture and appliances. 
“I am proud and respect DAP and PSM for stepping forward and speaking up for us to the police. They were willing to come to my front door to show support but ended up getting arrested,” said Reena Sir Muhammad when met later. She lives at the house where Nalini was arrested.

Also living in the same house is Sidek Muhammad Medan Khan, who claims to have been born in 1951 in the village but is stateless. He also suffers from impaired mobility due to a congenital disease and relies on a walking stick to move about.

“After all this is settled, only then can we help him get his citizenship,” said his nephew Mohd Amin Sir Muhammad before the demolition.

“We are not free. There are disturbances here and there and he is afraid of leaving his house. Why? He is afraid of his house would get demolished. Where would he live?”

There was no confrontation when authorities reached the third and last occupied building that is slated for demolition at 2.10pm.

The building was occupied by the family of Amarjit Kaur, 49, who says the house was built by her grandfather.

“I am too upset and very disappointed. At least they should give us some time and let us celebrate Deepavali (on Saturday). This is our last Deepavali here,” she said when met this morning.
In their latest report, PSM said up to 19 have been detained in total, including several villagers.
22 houses slated for demolition

According to a lawyer representing the developer, who only identified himself as Sharif, a total of 22 buildings are slated for demolition today, of which three were occupied.

As of 3.30pm, a group of activists and locals have gathered to protest against the demolition and the arrests outside the Nilai police district headquarters, where the detainees are held.

When met by reporters before the demolition started, Loke, who is also the opposition leader in the Negri Sembilan state assembly, said Order 89 from the Seremban High Court in effect declared the villagers squatters and gives the developer legal standing to demolish the houses.

He said the village land, some of which previously had temporary occupancy licenses issued to residents, was alienated to private developers in the 1990s and then changed hands several times without the residents’ knowledge.

He said while the state has power to alienate land, it should have been given to the residents who had been occupying the area for generations, instead of private developers.

“That is the sad part. Whenever there is development in an area where the original residents do not have land titles, you will end up like this.

“Of course there are other cases where a settlement was achieved through compensations and so on, but it is not always the case, as is happening today. When negotiations break down, they face eviction by force,” he said.

Loke added that he had proposed at the state legislative assembly that the state government leverage on its influence, such as its prerogative to approve or reject development projects, to force the developer to the negotiating table with residents until an amicable solution is reached.

He said the strategy had worked in getting new houses for 90 percent of residents in Kampung Buah Pala in Penang, but was not taken up here.

Respon kepada Dr Kua: Sekolah bukan pusat penyembelihan

Dari Umar Hakim Mohd Tajuddin,

Merujuk komentar Dr Kua Kia Soong yang bertajuk ‘Schools are not abattoirs’ yang disiarkan semalam, ternyata benar terdapat banyak ruang-ruang pendidikan dan nilai setempat yang tidak dipertimbangkan oleh Kementerian Pendidikan dalam menangani isu berkaitan penyembelihan korban di kawasan sekolah.

Pendidikan yang holistik akan mampu membentuk pelajar yang mampu menyelesaikan konflik dengan aman, menggunakan pertimbangan tepat dalam keadaan kritikal dan teguh dalam menyatakan kebenaran. Elemen-elemen ini menjadi lebih penting sebagai pelajar yang membesar dalam sebuah negara majmuk yang bertunjangkan Islam seperti Malaysia.

Dalam membina elemen ini dalam konteks Malaysia, pemahaman awal kepada asas kenegaraan perlu diperkukuhkan melalui pengenalan kepada Perlembagaan Negara seawal mungkin. Penghayatan kepada Perkara 11 Perlembagaan Malaysia khususnya harus menyediakan semua rakyat tentang hakikat bahawa ajaran dan amalan Islam akan terlihat dan dipraktikkan di mana-mana sahaja secara meluas dan bebas, samada di ruang persendirian mahupun awam dan ini termasuklah institusi-institusi kerajaan seperti sekolah.

Dan ini adalah pemandangan lumrah di mana-mana negara di mana identiti dan imejnya akan dicorakkan secara semulajadi oleh komuniti majoriti.

Pembelajaran luar kelas

Pembelajaran di luar kelas merupakan satu pendekatan penting dalam memperkayakan para pelajar dengan pengalaman dan membantu pengaplikasian kurikulum secara amali. Terdapat banyak dapatan-dapatan kajian yang menunjukkan manfaat besar kepada pelajar yang didedahkan dengan pembelajaran luar kelas secara konsisten dan terpandu.

Perayaan Korban membuka ruang pembelajaran sebegini khususnya kepada pelajar Muslim untuk mendekati, memerhati dan melibatkan diri secara terpandu dalam keseluruhan proses amalan tersebut seperti yang mereka pelajari dalam silibus Pendidikan Islam. Oleh itu, wajar jika pihak kementerian menggalakkan para guru untuk membawa pelajar ke lokasi-lokasi korban untuk memanfaatkan peluang ‘experiential learning’ ini. Bukan itu sahaja, pengurusan sekolah patut mempelawa masyarakat setempat untuk melakukan korban di padang sekolah terutamanya di bandar-bandar besar yang sangat dimaklumi menghadapi masalah kekurangan tanah lapang yang sesuai.

Pendidikan yang baik ialah yang melibatkan penyampaian yang berterus terang, jujur dan berasaskan fakta. Mengkategorikan proses penyembelihan yang dilakukan dengan kaedah yang betul sebagai satu bentuk kezaliman sehingga boleh mencetus kecenderungan untuk membunuh merupakan satu cara mendidik yang cuai, tidak jujur dan boleh dikatakan sebagai berniat jahat.

Berdasarkan kajian yang diterbitkan, proses penyembelihan secara Islam didapati tidak menzalimi haiwan. Bahkan dalam satu laporan oleh seorang saintis haiwan dan pakar industri ternakan di AS, beliau mengesahkan bahawa kaedah sembelihan samada tanpa renjatan mahupupun dengan renjatan boleh digunapakai apabila dilakukan dengan betul. Keindahan pendidikan yang dilaksanakan dengan jujur dan berterus-terang terserlah apabila ia dapat menyemai sikap belas kasihan terhadap haiwan dan kesedaran untuk menjaga haiwan dengan tertib walaupun topiknya ialah penyembelihan.

Toleransi minoriti, kesopanan majoriti

Dalam konteks Malaysia, menguruskan perbezaan antara agama dan kaum sangat penting dalam mengekalkan keharmonian. Keharmonian ini telah lama dinikmati selama berdekad-dekad kerana wujudnya toleransi kelompok minoriti yang dibalas dengan kesopanan kelompok majoriti. Manifestasi hubungan baik ini dapat kita lihat melalui sikap guru besar sekolah yang menjadi tumpuan dalam isu ini dalam mengurus sensitiviti perkara tersebut.

Guru besar itu menunjukkan sikap sopannya dengan mengambil pandangan kakitangannya yang bukan Muslim lalu bersama-sama mengusahakan langkah kawalan bagi memisahkan murid yang tidak boleh terlibat dalam aktiviti itu walaupun beliau mempunyai kuasa pemutus sebagai ketua di sekolah itu. Nilai sebegini patut diberi penekanan di kelas-kelas untuk dihayati dan diamalkan. Keharmonian ini tidak patut dijadikan tebusan oleh sebilangan kecil mereka yang giat mempersoalkan hak-hak kelompok majoriti sehingga mahu mengheret komuniti minoriti yang kebanyakannya sangat mesra.

Kesimpulannya, amalan Korban yang berlangsung setahun sekali ini boleh diperhalusi untuk diterapkan dalam sistem pendidikan negara. Kementerian Pendidikan wajar mempertimbangkan untuk mengaplikasikannya kerana manfaatnya jika diolah dengan baik mampu merentas semua kelompok pelajar di samping menyumbang dalam mengekalkan keharmonian negara untuk jangka masa panjang.

Is not Islam being shamed?

By KJ John

As Christians, we often say, “do not follow other Christians”, just learn to follow Jesus Christ; which is the reason we are called Christian. In the book, ‘The Knights Templar & the Protestant Reformation’, it states that when Stanley Jones, a missionary, met Mahatma Gandhi he asked him:

Mr Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?

Gandhi replied: Oh, I don't reject Christ. I love Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ.

Are we un-Islamic?
I am purposely and consciously reflecting on this issue through this question. It can be quite misunderstood as “me questioning the very essence of Islamic thought and life”. I do not mean to do that, but to really ask my good friends and neighbours to answer some questions I really cannot understand about Muslims in general and the practice of their faith; from my “outsider’s” point of view.

When a school principal decides to “slaughter a cow within the school compound” is that really promoting the cause of Islam or that of Malays?  How can then so many other extremists argue for it, when even the minister has gently said this is very insensitive?  I think it not just insensitive, but downright wrong! Why? I write as a Bangsa Malaysian!

What is purpose of a school?

What is the underlying and foundational purpose of any school? It would be to educate, inform, and help students mature to become good citizens, over a period of 12 years of foundational education. Now, what I do not understand is how “the slaughter of a cow has anything to do with any of this education and learning one is talking about?” Does the new Education Blueprint promote that?
Surely cow-slaughtering cannot be a subject or the content or curriculum for any national-type school; either primary or secondary. It cannot even be content for Moral or Religious Studies (for Islam), so why is the school practising such “unconventional ways of teaching and learning?” Or, is the principal being a zealot, like so many others who appear so irrational in their actions.
My only conclusion is that the school principal is not fit to be one. It is the similar to the other school principal who decided that a child eating in the school bathroom or toilet is not wrong. I would say reconsider for we have teaching in a Malay proverb, “that we cannot eat and pass motion in the same place?”

The corrupt cow business

The formal and proper slaughter of cows for meat is a thriving industry in many countries.  No Hindu objects to this process; even if within their faith the cow is considered a sacred animal. In fact, I understand that for any formal certification and accreditation process in this cow business, we send approved and authorised religious inspectors for verification, certification and accreditation of the process before we deem it ‘halal,’ or kosher.

But, from the time of the cow-head demonstration at the Shah Alam state secretariat, we moved into the corrupt and abusive cow investments by the federal government (also called ‘cowgate’). 
Now, I think the “animal abuse of cows has become endemic”. At the very least, this has happened in terms of ‘the reputation of cows’ in Malaysia. I do not pretend to be an animal lover either, but I think we need to get some cow sense into our thoughts, behaviour and speech.

Islam a revealed religion

Islam is a revealed religion. Muslims believe that Islam is last of the three revealed religions from the same roots of Father Abraham; with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Muslims scholars and leaders worldwide, after the 9/11 fiasco, issued a statement called the ‘Common Word.’ It was an invite by 138 leading Islamic scholars, thinkers, and teachers to the world’s Christian leadership of all persuasions arguing for the common grounds of faith, thought, and deed. That word was: To love God, and neighbour”.

Arising from this proposition and then acceptance, many of these leaders of various schools of thought on both sides of the 9/11 divide signed what is now popularly called The Common Word.
Building Bridges

In 2007 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi withdrew at the last minute from the Building Bridges initiative of the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury designed to be hosted in Kuala Lumpur.

Idris Jala, the Minister in charge of Performance Management of Government-related agencies, once when invited to our National Congress on Integrity in 2009, gave his simple strategy for bridge-building and nation-growing. “It takes more than toleration,” he said. “One must move from toleration, towards acceptance of the other, and then towards the appreciation and celebration of the other.”

His three-step strategy for bridge-building is worth copying and modulating. We cannot teach toleration in schools to only mean that Islam is the only important religion; all other religions are therefore not considered important in schools. Instead, why not explain to all concerned the same reason why one need not slaughter either pigs or cows in schools; it is not a curricular priority.
Only when such rational acceptance is communicated and moderated, can we expect there to be mutual respect which will finally lead to begin our ability to celebrate with others of a different faith system.

Otherwise, whether we call it Raya Korban or Festival of Lights, light cannot be shed on ignorance and people will continue to live under the weight of their own ignorance; but not education. This is especially so when the ignorant ones in society speak up more than others do. We then run into the problem of the squeaky wheel; it is only that wheel which is oiled and fuelled to accelerate faster!
Way forward

Schools must become the domain and space for multiethnic collaboration and celebration; or, at least the space to understand how to tolerate, respect and honour others, and then to celebrate with others.
All religious systems preach consistency between thoughts, words, and deeds. This is also called integrity of life and living. Whither Malaysia without such integrity?

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KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. He will be taking a two-month break from writing with Malaysiakini and return, hopefully, in the new year. Write to him at kjjohn@ohmsi.net with any feedback or views.