Sunday 24 November 2013
Warning from Hindu Society. Change the name of ‘Ram-leela’ by Sanjay Bhansali, immediately.
Allahabad High Court bans ‘Goliyon ki raasleela Ram-Leela’ film in UP. Ban after ban from Courts, Protest after protests from Hindu Society. But who will stop this derogatory ‘Ram-leela’ by Sanjay Bhansali?
Upananda Brahmachari | Allahabad | 22 Nov 2013:: Allahabad High Court banned ‘Goliyon ki raasleela Ram-Leela’ in UP. The Allahabad High Court on Thursday banned director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic saga “ Goliyon ki raasleela Ram-Leela” in Uttar Pradesh. This ban came after it got stricture by Madhya Pradesh High Court on 14th Nov 2013 as directed striking out of word ‘Ram-Leela” from its title after a plea alleged that it use had hurt religious sentiments.
But, ignoring the Hindu Sentiment and several protests in different parts of the country, Sanjay Bhansali and company released the ‘impugned’ film on 15th Nov upon their strength of money power and exercise of their anti Hindu power lobbied in Central Film Censor Board.
Now, the Lucknow bench of the court comprising justices Devi Prasad Singh and Ashok Pal Singh passed the order to ban the film on a petition filed by Maryada Purshottam Bhagwan Ramleela Samiti, Bahraich.
The petitioner had prayed for cancellation of Censor Board certification given to the film on November 1 and sought that controversial and objectionable dialogues be removed from the film.
The petition had contended that the film was hurting religious sentiments of Hindus and its title ‘Ramleela’ was giving a wrong message to society as Lord Ram’s ‘leela’ (act) had great impact on Indian society.
Besides, Centre, state government, Central Film Certification Board, UP’s chief secretary, Eros International and Bhansali had been made a party in the petition.
In the early development, the film’s name was previously changed from ‘Ramleela’ to ‘Ram-Leela’ and it was now being called ‘Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela’ after objections were raised to its name. But, it was nothing but a hypocrisy of Sanjay Leela Bhansali to show his might in the Bollywood film industry as well to undermine the Hindu Sentiments over one billion people who know Ramleea as the cultural depiction and performing art on the biography of Lord Rama.
However, a division bench in MP High Court comprising acting Chief Justice K K Lahoti and Justice Subhash Kakode on 14-11-2013 issued the directives to remove the word ‘Ram-Leela’ on a petition filed by lawyers Anand Chawla and Amit Kumar Sahu.
Then, the MP high court also issued notices to the CEO of Eros International, Kishore Lulla, film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, actors Deepika Padukone and Ranvir Singh, who are playing the lead roles, and sought their replies.
The petitioners contended that use of the word ‘Ramleela’ in the film title and its posters had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and demanded their removal.
But, it is the time for whole of Hindu Society to take the challenge of Sanjay Leela Bhansali to run his ‘leela’ of foul playing with the Hindu sentiments. The Hindu society peacefully demonstrated to restore their religious rights. We reached the roads to lodge Hindu protests.
DNA reported on 15th Nov as Ram-Leela faces protest in several states. They reported the protests from Indore (Madyapradesh) , Rajkot (Gujarat), Jalandhar (Punjab) and the Capital city of Delhi. On the same day NDTV highlighted the news of disruption of screening of Ram-leela at Indore. In all these places Bajrangdal protested on roads. On 16th Nov, the Hindustan Times highlighted the news from Patiala (Punjab) where Hindu Kranti Dal took on road to object the screening of Ram-leela. The protest got violent while the agitators attcked multiplex in Rajkot. The Rashtravadi Shiv Sena vehemently protested in Delhi to ban the name of Ram-leela which is actually tagged with the film of Sanjay Bhansali very unnecessarily. But who cares for these Hindus?
Now, the final time has come for Hindus! They have protested, went to the Hon’ble Courts but the Honour of Lord Ram could not be perceived by some anti Hindu propagators and the puppets of “D” Company as we understand. The chapter of ‘Idam Shastram’ (the discussion and negotiation on logic) has been over. Now, Hindus have the other option ‘Idam Sastram’ (direct action against evil power). अग्रेतु चःतुर: वेदा: पृष्टेतु सशर: धनु: | इदं शास्त्रं इदं सस्त्रम् शापादपि: शरादपि: ||
So, the ‘Sanjay-leela’ begins. Time for Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ranvir Kapoor and Deepika Padukon and others trying to defame the Hindu Dharma and hurt Hindu sentiments. stars now.
Upananda Brahmachari | Allahabad | 22 Nov 2013:: Allahabad High Court banned ‘Goliyon ki raasleela Ram-Leela’ in UP. The Allahabad High Court on Thursday banned director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic saga “ Goliyon ki raasleela Ram-Leela” in Uttar Pradesh. This ban came after it got stricture by Madhya Pradesh High Court on 14th Nov 2013 as directed striking out of word ‘Ram-Leela” from its title after a plea alleged that it use had hurt religious sentiments.But, ignoring the Hindu Sentiment and several protests in different parts of the country, Sanjay Bhansali and company released the ‘impugned’ film on 15th Nov upon their strength of money power and exercise of their anti Hindu power lobbied in Central Film Censor Board.
Now, the Lucknow bench of the court comprising justices Devi Prasad Singh and Ashok Pal Singh passed the order to ban the film on a petition filed by Maryada Purshottam Bhagwan Ramleela Samiti, Bahraich.
The petitioner had prayed for cancellation of Censor Board certification given to the film on November 1 and sought that controversial and objectionable dialogues be removed from the film.
The petition had contended that the film was hurting religious sentiments of Hindus and its title ‘Ramleela’ was giving a wrong message to society as Lord Ram’s ‘leela’ (act) had great impact on Indian society.
Besides, Centre, state government, Central Film Certification Board, UP’s chief secretary, Eros International and Bhansali had been made a party in the petition.
In the early development, the film’s name was previously changed from ‘Ramleela’ to ‘Ram-Leela’ and it was now being called ‘Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela’ after objections were raised to its name. But, it was nothing but a hypocrisy of Sanjay Leela Bhansali to show his might in the Bollywood film industry as well to undermine the Hindu Sentiments over one billion people who know Ramleea as the cultural depiction and performing art on the biography of Lord Rama.
However, a division bench in MP High Court comprising acting Chief Justice K K Lahoti and Justice Subhash Kakode on 14-11-2013 issued the directives to remove the word ‘Ram-Leela’ on a petition filed by lawyers Anand Chawla and Amit Kumar Sahu.
Then, the MP high court also issued notices to the CEO of Eros International, Kishore Lulla, film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, actors Deepika Padukone and Ranvir Singh, who are playing the lead roles, and sought their replies.
The petitioners contended that use of the word ‘Ramleela’ in the film title and its posters had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and demanded their removal.
But, it is the time for whole of Hindu Society to take the challenge of Sanjay Leela Bhansali to run his ‘leela’ of foul playing with the Hindu sentiments. The Hindu society peacefully demonstrated to restore their religious rights. We reached the roads to lodge Hindu protests.
DNA reported on 15th Nov as Ram-Leela faces protest in several states. They reported the protests from Indore (Madyapradesh) , Rajkot (Gujarat), Jalandhar (Punjab) and the Capital city of Delhi. On the same day NDTV highlighted the news of disruption of screening of Ram-leela at Indore. In all these places Bajrangdal protested on roads. On 16th Nov, the Hindustan Times highlighted the news from Patiala (Punjab) where Hindu Kranti Dal took on road to object the screening of Ram-leela. The protest got violent while the agitators attcked multiplex in Rajkot. The Rashtravadi Shiv Sena vehemently protested in Delhi to ban the name of Ram-leela which is actually tagged with the film of Sanjay Bhansali very unnecessarily. But who cares for these Hindus?
Now, the final time has come for Hindus! They have protested, went to the Hon’ble Courts but the Honour of Lord Ram could not be perceived by some anti Hindu propagators and the puppets of “D” Company as we understand. The chapter of ‘Idam Shastram’ (the discussion and negotiation on logic) has been over. Now, Hindus have the other option ‘Idam Sastram’ (direct action against evil power). अग्रेतु चःतुर: वेदा: पृष्टेतु सशर: धनु: | इदं शास्त्रं इदं सस्त्रम् शापादपि: शरादपि: ||
So, the ‘Sanjay-leela’ begins. Time for Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ranvir Kapoor and Deepika Padukon and others trying to defame the Hindu Dharma and hurt Hindu sentiments. stars now.
Female Politician Attacked by Muslim Over Burka Protest May be Jailed
Obviously it’s the native Italian woman protesting the Burka who will be jailed, not the Muslim immigrant male who attacked her.
Until then, he can be satisfied that an Italian woman protesting the
Burka will be jailed, but not the Muslim immigrant who attacked her to
defend his right to abuse women with the Burka.
A Milan prosecutor has requested a one-month prison sentence and €100 fine for Daniela Santanchè, an ex-leader of the Movement for Italy party, now a faction of Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party, for organizing an anti-burqa protest in 2009 without permission.
Santanchè protested against the burqa as 3,000 Muslims gathered to celebrate the end of Ramadan at Milan’s La Fabbrica del Vapore, a cultural centre, in September 2009.
“I saw dozens of women walking around with this portable prison that is the burqa,” said Santanché.
Daniela Santanchè said that she went to see “in person” if Muslim women respected the “law of the Italian state” that they can not go in the street with their faces covered. And since that day she has seen “dozens in a burqa”, partook in a discussion with the men of the Muslim community who insulted her. “I’d gone there to tell them that the law must be respected.”
Santanchè, along with 12 other activists, reportedly asked women entering the building to “uncover their face”. She also called on Italian police to apply a law that has been in place since the 1970s forbidding any dress that hides a person’s face.
The protest provoked anger among the Muslim community, ending with an Egyptian man, Ahmed El Badry, assaulting Santanchè. El Badry was fined €2,000.
“Santanchè went at the end of Ramadan to remove the burqa,” said the Imam of Segrate. “Ramadan is an important holiday for one million Muslims in Italy, she has offended them,” he continued wishing that Santanchè burn in the “fire on the day of judgment”.
Pakistan: Christian girl of 13 abducted, converted to Islam and forced to marry
by Shafique KhokharThe kidnapper, a Muslim of 32 , acted out of revenge against her mother. There has been no trace if the child, Saba Waris, since June. A court has issued an arrest warrant against the torturer , who has disappeared.
Faisalabad ( AsiaNews) - For more than five months there has been no news of Saba Waris , a 13 year old Christian girl from Jameelabad . The little girl was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and forced to marry Syed Munawar Hussain, a Muslim of 32 years . Naseem Bibi, the child's mother asks AsiaNews for "any help possible. I want my daughter back and I want justice." So far, the woman has gone to the police, but without success.
It all started on 20 June. Saba 's family is poor and had to remove her from school because of economic difficulties. Usually she would accompany her mother to work, but that day she was not well and preferred to stay at home. In the few hours in which she was alone, Hussain broke into the house and abducted her. Naseem Bibi returned home in the afternoon and not being able to find her daughter was on her way to report her missing, when the Muslim kidnapper's a mother, sister and a brother showed up and told her that Munawar Hussain had taken Saba .
Naseem wanted to go to the police, but the others asked her to wait four days, during which they would try to find a way to bring back her daughter. A couple of days later , she received a phone call from Saba, who said: " Munawar Hussain has kidnapped me and tried to force me convert to Islam". Soon after, the call was cut off.
Once the four days were up, the man's mother and sister returned to Naseem Bibi and said that Saba was married to Munawar and that she had converted to Islam. "Do not go to the police or court - they threatened her - or you will be responsible for serious consequences. She is a Muslim now: stop thinking about her, forget her". As proof, the Christian woman received a marriage certificate, also signed by her daughter .
On June 28, Naseem went to the police to register an FIR (First Information Report) against Syed Munawar Hussain , under Article 365B (kidnapping a woman for forced marriage ) of the Criminal Code . To assist in her legal battle she turned for help to Human Rights Focus Pakistan ( Hrfp ), which provided proof of the kidnapping and forced conversion of the littkke girl to the court of Sargodha . On October 17 , the court issued an arrest warrant for Syed Munawar Hussain Since then, officials have not been able to track down the man.
According to Naseem Bibi , the Muslim kidnapped her daughter for revenge : " My son Moon Waris worked with him, but was not paid . I told him not to work with Hussain, and they took my child."
"Forced conversions to Islam - Christian activist Shazia George tells AsiaNews - have become a common practice in Pakistan. The main reason for this increase is the presence of a legal and judicial system that does not provide support for minorities".
Switch in rest days may affect our revenue, say business owners in Johor
Despite Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Khaled Nordin’s confidence that the switch in the state's rest days to Friday and Saturday will not have a huge effect on the state's economy, commerce groups say otherwise.
The change in the state’s rest days to Friday and Saturday would inadvertently affect businesses, said these groups.
Moving away from the usual Saturday and Sunday observed by most companies locally and internationally would reduce business opportunities, they said.
“You will only have four business days to communicate with companies elsewhere and get things done,” said Tan Sri Lim Sing, vice-president of the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).
“So, of course, this won’t be good for business when states are working on different timetables.”
Earlier today, the Johor sultan declared that effective next year, the rest days would be reverted to Friday and Saturday. This turns the clock back to how things were prior to 1994, which was when former Johor menteri besar Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had swtiched the rest days to Saturday and Sunday.
Mohamad Khaled said in Muar earlier today that the private sector had the option to either follow the state government or observe Saturday and Sunday as rest days.
He said those having Sunday as their rest day could still have dealings with the state government as Sunday would be a normal working day for state government employees.
"I don't think with current rapid technological development, a switch in weekends will have a huge effect on the state's economy,” he said.
Commerce groups, on the other hand, expressed concerns that with so much activity going on in the Iskandar region, businesses may lose out with fewer transaction days in a week.
"Iskandar Malaysia attracts major foreign investments and globally, Saturdays and Sundays are recognised as weekends,” said P. Sivakumar, president of Johor Indian Business Association.
He said Singapore, especially, has invested heavily in the project and the decision would not please Singaporean firms with business dealings across the straits.
Lim agreed that businesses with foreign entities in Johor’s crown jewel could suffer some repercussions.
“There are many overseas companies involved In Iskandar. Problems would likely arise when firms are not able to coordinate since most companies get the weekends off,” he said.
However, he said potential hurdles stemming from the switch in rest days could be overcome, given the flexible nature of businesses to adapt and persevere in tough business climates.
“People would eventually familiarise themselves and adapt to the new rest days,” Lim added. - November 23, 2013.
The change in the state’s rest days to Friday and Saturday would inadvertently affect businesses, said these groups.
Moving away from the usual Saturday and Sunday observed by most companies locally and internationally would reduce business opportunities, they said.
“You will only have four business days to communicate with companies elsewhere and get things done,” said Tan Sri Lim Sing, vice-president of the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).
“So, of course, this won’t be good for business when states are working on different timetables.”
Earlier today, the Johor sultan declared that effective next year, the rest days would be reverted to Friday and Saturday. This turns the clock back to how things were prior to 1994, which was when former Johor menteri besar Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had swtiched the rest days to Saturday and Sunday.
Mohamad Khaled said in Muar earlier today that the private sector had the option to either follow the state government or observe Saturday and Sunday as rest days.
He said those having Sunday as their rest day could still have dealings with the state government as Sunday would be a normal working day for state government employees.
"I don't think with current rapid technological development, a switch in weekends will have a huge effect on the state's economy,” he said.
Commerce groups, on the other hand, expressed concerns that with so much activity going on in the Iskandar region, businesses may lose out with fewer transaction days in a week.
"Iskandar Malaysia attracts major foreign investments and globally, Saturdays and Sundays are recognised as weekends,” said P. Sivakumar, president of Johor Indian Business Association.
He said Singapore, especially, has invested heavily in the project and the decision would not please Singaporean firms with business dealings across the straits.
Lim agreed that businesses with foreign entities in Johor’s crown jewel could suffer some repercussions.
“There are many overseas companies involved In Iskandar. Problems would likely arise when firms are not able to coordinate since most companies get the weekends off,” he said.
However, he said potential hurdles stemming from the switch in rest days could be overcome, given the flexible nature of businesses to adapt and persevere in tough business climates.
“People would eventually familiarise themselves and adapt to the new rest days,” Lim added. - November 23, 2013.
Mat Sabu returns as PAS deputy chief
The firebrand leader defeated contender Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohamad Amar Nik Abdullah with a slim majority of 98 votes.
SHAH ALAM: Incumbent PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu retains his post after a tough electoral battle, winning with a wafer thin majority of 98 votes.
Mohamad Sabu, or more known as Mat Sabu, garnered 588 votes while his contender, Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar, Mohamad Amar Nik Abdullah received 490 votes.
PAS election committee chairman Asmuni Awi made the announcement at 7.10pm, after counting votes from 1,086 delegates. There were eight spoilt votes.
There were some technical glitches yesterday, prompting the election committee to continue the voting process today.
When met later at a press conference, Mat Sabu said that he was not in a celebrative mood.
“There is nothing to celebrate because it is a contest among brothers. They are not like our rival Umno that have to spend millions to win a vice president’s post,” he said.
On his next course of action, Mat Sabu promised to work hard with the new leadership team, adding, “We hope this team will be more successful to take over Putrajaya.
On the slim majority win, Mat Sabu said “One or two vote majority does not matter because it is still a win,” he said.
The election results for three vice presidents post would be announced tomorrow.
Mat Sabu’s win comes amid calls from certain quarters within the party for him to be replaced as he is claimed not effective in uniting Malay-Muslims within the party.
However, the tide against the non-ulama changed after party president Abdul Hadi Awang announced a few weeks ago that non-ulama could lead the party, citing example of the PAS’ second president, Alias Abas who was not an ulama.
Mat Sabu contested for the Pendang parliament seat in the 13th general election but was defeated by Umno’s Othman Abdul.
The new central working committee line-up are:
Idris Ahmad (927 votes)
Mazlan Aliman (840 votes)
Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin (688 votes)
Amiruddin Hamzah (679 votes)
Mohd Hatta Md Ramli (649 votes)
Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi (645 votes)
Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abd Aziz (627 votes)
Mujahid Yusof Rawa (626 votes)
Dzulkefly Ahmad (610 votes)
Mohamed Hanipa Maidin (604 votes)
Kamarudin Jaffar (562 votes)
Khalid Samad (547 votes)
Nik Zawawi Salleh (518 votes)
Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi (476 votes)
Riduan Mohd Nor (469 votes)
Mahfodz Mohamed (455 votes)
Siti Mariah Mahmud (437 votes)
Nuridah Salleh (424 votes)
SHAH ALAM: Incumbent PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu retains his post after a tough electoral battle, winning with a wafer thin majority of 98 votes.Mohamad Sabu, or more known as Mat Sabu, garnered 588 votes while his contender, Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar, Mohamad Amar Nik Abdullah received 490 votes.
PAS election committee chairman Asmuni Awi made the announcement at 7.10pm, after counting votes from 1,086 delegates. There were eight spoilt votes.
There were some technical glitches yesterday, prompting the election committee to continue the voting process today.
When met later at a press conference, Mat Sabu said that he was not in a celebrative mood.
“There is nothing to celebrate because it is a contest among brothers. They are not like our rival Umno that have to spend millions to win a vice president’s post,” he said.
On his next course of action, Mat Sabu promised to work hard with the new leadership team, adding, “We hope this team will be more successful to take over Putrajaya.
On the slim majority win, Mat Sabu said “One or two vote majority does not matter because it is still a win,” he said.
The election results for three vice presidents post would be announced tomorrow.
Mat Sabu’s win comes amid calls from certain quarters within the party for him to be replaced as he is claimed not effective in uniting Malay-Muslims within the party.
However, the tide against the non-ulama changed after party president Abdul Hadi Awang announced a few weeks ago that non-ulama could lead the party, citing example of the PAS’ second president, Alias Abas who was not an ulama.
Mat Sabu contested for the Pendang parliament seat in the 13th general election but was defeated by Umno’s Othman Abdul.
The new central working committee line-up are:
Idris Ahmad (927 votes)
Mazlan Aliman (840 votes)
Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin (688 votes)
Amiruddin Hamzah (679 votes)
Mohd Hatta Md Ramli (649 votes)
Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi (645 votes)
Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abd Aziz (627 votes)
Mujahid Yusof Rawa (626 votes)
Dzulkefly Ahmad (610 votes)
Mohamed Hanipa Maidin (604 votes)
Kamarudin Jaffar (562 votes)
Khalid Samad (547 votes)
Nik Zawawi Salleh (518 votes)
Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi (476 votes)
Riduan Mohd Nor (469 votes)
Mahfodz Mohamed (455 votes)
Siti Mariah Mahmud (437 votes)
Nuridah Salleh (424 votes)
The Malay psyche and Chinese philosophy
Prices of goods and the assessment rate going up is a sign of bad economic management. This sort of Chinese thinking is based on ancient Chinese civilization.
COMMENT
A survey done by this columnist and a PAS friend pertaining to the recent notice issued by KL City Hall (DBKL) pertaining to the impending assessment hike has revealed that Malaysian society is now divided over this issue.
Surveys after GE13 have shown that the Malays are going back to Barisan Nasional and that is why the Malays in KL who will be affected by the hike are not protesting against it. This is because the Malays are supporting every initiative by the BN government.
Why is this so?
It is due to none other than the mainstream dailies who have portrayed the Chinese as overwhelmingly voting against what the former labels as the ‘Malay government’. One of these dailies also urged the Malays to rally behind their Malay government and this is what is happening now.
To put it simply, this particular daily stressed that the Chinese are opposing a Malay government. Sad to say, the Malays have obeyed what this daily has urged them to do. Therefore, even if the government were to hike up the prices of goods, the Malays will be keeping quiet.
Thus the rift in society deepens as the Malays are fully backing the government now while the non-Malays will be protesting against the price hikes.
This also explains why PAS has been struggling to obtain the Malay vote – it is because PAS has been portrayed as kowtowing to DAP and giving too much leeway to the Chinese. In GE13, the Malay vote for PAS has dropped from 45% to 40%.
Still, the Chinese are adamant that the assessment hike is too excessive. It is illogical as it is between 100% to 300%. The bottom line is that the Chinese view the government as having mismanaged the nation’s economy and the price and rates hikes are due to this said mismanagement.
Prices of goods and the assessment rate going up is a sign of bad economic management. This sort of Chinese thinking is based on ancient Chinese civilization.
In ancient China during the era of the dynasties, each time taxes are raised, it was due to the emperor’s extravagance. And each time the emperor was extravagant, the court officials, the provincial governors and judges also became corrupt.
When this happens, there never fails to be an uprising by the common citizenry.
Clash of philosophy
Therefore the Chinese opposing bad governance is something that is imbued deep in the heart of Chinese philosophy. Of course now in modern times, the only way to change a government is via the ballot box. And that is the reason why the Chinese use the power of the vote to reject BN.
However, the Malays due to baseless and unfounded fears of a Chinese becoming prime minister, swung their vote in BN’s favour at the eleventh hour.
In this issue of the assessment hike, the Chinese deem that the excessive increase is wrong but for the Malays, everything that the government does is right because the government is Malay.
This means that all the government’s initiatives, whether good or bad will get the total and undivided support of the Malays.
Of course this is only a generalisation but the fair-minded Malays are few and are an exception to the norm.
This columnist’s friend who conducted the survey among Malays found them agreeing to the assessment hike as they say that the hike is good for the nation.
The Malays are unhappy that the Chinese are opposing it, saying that the Chinese always oppose anything that the government does.
This assessment hike is really an eye-opener on the clash of philosophy between the Chinese and the Malays and the whole exercise shows how divided Malaysian society has become.
The pre-Merdeka Malays were a gentle and friendly people but this all changed after the late sixties.
Still, the situation is not all that bad. The PAS Malays will protest the massive assessment hike and in them there is still hope that the Malays will be able to see the difference between right and wrong without using racist lens.
The PAS lawmakers have always highlighted that the federal government is bullying the PAS Kelantan state government by not paying the Kelantanese their rightful oil royalty payments but other Malays are not bothered by this fact.
A columnist in Harakah named Zulkifli Yahaya in the Harakah issue dated Nov 22-24, 2013 has lamented that it is very difficult to awaken the Malays and the stumbling block facing Pakatan Rakyat in its quest towards capturing Putrajaya is of course the Malay vote.
Thus, PAS has the most difficult task in Pakatan as PAS has to find a way to change the thought process of the Malay mind.
Thus the future of the nation depends on the largest voting bloc to make a wise decision at the ballot box. Whether this nation progresses or regresses, it all depends on the Malays. Therefore they need to vote wisely as it is their decision that affects the destiny of the nation
Selena Tay is a DAP member and a FMT columnist.
COMMENT
A survey done by this columnist and a PAS friend pertaining to the recent notice issued by KL City Hall (DBKL) pertaining to the impending assessment hike has revealed that Malaysian society is now divided over this issue.Surveys after GE13 have shown that the Malays are going back to Barisan Nasional and that is why the Malays in KL who will be affected by the hike are not protesting against it. This is because the Malays are supporting every initiative by the BN government.
Why is this so?
It is due to none other than the mainstream dailies who have portrayed the Chinese as overwhelmingly voting against what the former labels as the ‘Malay government’. One of these dailies also urged the Malays to rally behind their Malay government and this is what is happening now.
To put it simply, this particular daily stressed that the Chinese are opposing a Malay government. Sad to say, the Malays have obeyed what this daily has urged them to do. Therefore, even if the government were to hike up the prices of goods, the Malays will be keeping quiet.
Thus the rift in society deepens as the Malays are fully backing the government now while the non-Malays will be protesting against the price hikes.
This also explains why PAS has been struggling to obtain the Malay vote – it is because PAS has been portrayed as kowtowing to DAP and giving too much leeway to the Chinese. In GE13, the Malay vote for PAS has dropped from 45% to 40%.
Still, the Chinese are adamant that the assessment hike is too excessive. It is illogical as it is between 100% to 300%. The bottom line is that the Chinese view the government as having mismanaged the nation’s economy and the price and rates hikes are due to this said mismanagement.
Prices of goods and the assessment rate going up is a sign of bad economic management. This sort of Chinese thinking is based on ancient Chinese civilization.
In ancient China during the era of the dynasties, each time taxes are raised, it was due to the emperor’s extravagance. And each time the emperor was extravagant, the court officials, the provincial governors and judges also became corrupt.
When this happens, there never fails to be an uprising by the common citizenry.
Clash of philosophy
Therefore the Chinese opposing bad governance is something that is imbued deep in the heart of Chinese philosophy. Of course now in modern times, the only way to change a government is via the ballot box. And that is the reason why the Chinese use the power of the vote to reject BN.
However, the Malays due to baseless and unfounded fears of a Chinese becoming prime minister, swung their vote in BN’s favour at the eleventh hour.
In this issue of the assessment hike, the Chinese deem that the excessive increase is wrong but for the Malays, everything that the government does is right because the government is Malay.
This means that all the government’s initiatives, whether good or bad will get the total and undivided support of the Malays.
Of course this is only a generalisation but the fair-minded Malays are few and are an exception to the norm.
This columnist’s friend who conducted the survey among Malays found them agreeing to the assessment hike as they say that the hike is good for the nation.
The Malays are unhappy that the Chinese are opposing it, saying that the Chinese always oppose anything that the government does.
This assessment hike is really an eye-opener on the clash of philosophy between the Chinese and the Malays and the whole exercise shows how divided Malaysian society has become.
The pre-Merdeka Malays were a gentle and friendly people but this all changed after the late sixties.
Still, the situation is not all that bad. The PAS Malays will protest the massive assessment hike and in them there is still hope that the Malays will be able to see the difference between right and wrong without using racist lens.
The PAS lawmakers have always highlighted that the federal government is bullying the PAS Kelantan state government by not paying the Kelantanese their rightful oil royalty payments but other Malays are not bothered by this fact.
A columnist in Harakah named Zulkifli Yahaya in the Harakah issue dated Nov 22-24, 2013 has lamented that it is very difficult to awaken the Malays and the stumbling block facing Pakatan Rakyat in its quest towards capturing Putrajaya is of course the Malay vote.
Thus, PAS has the most difficult task in Pakatan as PAS has to find a way to change the thought process of the Malay mind.
Thus the future of the nation depends on the largest voting bloc to make a wise decision at the ballot box. Whether this nation progresses or regresses, it all depends on the Malays. Therefore they need to vote wisely as it is their decision that affects the destiny of the nation
Selena Tay is a DAP member and a FMT columnist.
NRD violating children’s rights, says lawyer
It interprets the constitution as it likes, alleges Latheefa Koya.
PETALING JAYA: Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) today accused the National Registration Department (NRD) of denying citizenship rights to children by interpreting the Federal Constitution to suit its liking.
The evidence, according to LFL adviser Latheefa Koya, is in its ruling that the citizenship of a child born out of wedlock follows that of its mother’s.
“The NRD does its own interpretation of what it perceives as right under the constitution,” Latheefa said. “By doing this, NRD is denying the rights of the child.”
Latheefa cited Article 14 of the constitution, which states that a person born in Malaysia is a citizen of the country by operation of law if either of its parents is a citizen or permanent resident.
According to the NRD website, however, a child’s citizenship status follows its mother’s if it is born before its parents’ marriage is registered.
But Latheefa said there was nothing in the constitution requiring parents to be married.
She also said NRD could remove doubts about the identity of a child’s father by conducting DNA tests. “If they do this, then it would not be an issue to determine whether the child’s father is Malaysian or not.
“The NRD’s job is to register a person. If something is wrong, they are supposed to investigate.”
Latheefa lashed out at the NRD’s “long history” of displaying a “discriminatory attitude”.
“They have a confused the moral outlook of things. This discriminatory attitude has to be fixed.”
Referring to the recent inquiry in Sabah by a royal commission, she said it revealed that the NRD had given citizenship to people whose reason for being in Malaysia was suspect.
“How come in this instance it could relax its rules but in other cases be overly strict until some had to dig their grandfather’s graves to prove where they came from?” she said.
She alleged that civil servants had lost their objectivity because of brainwashing by the government through National Civics Bureau courses and other means.
Consitutional law expert Syahredzan Johan commented that the citizenship issue was a “classic example” of administrative obstacles getting in the way of constitutional rights.
“The marital status of the parents does not affect citizenship,” he said. “It only affects the legitimacy of the child.
“The only possibility of citizenship being affected by the marital status of the parents is perhaps in trying to prove the parentage for the purpose of establishing that the parent is a Malaysian or a permanent resident.”
Former Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said a check with the NRD confirmed that if the parents were not married, a child’s citizenship would follow the mother’s.
“This is the law currently used,” he said. “However, things have changed where we see many Malaysian men marrying foreign women.”
He said some regulations should be reviewed in the light of the demands of human rights.
“We cannot deny the fact that both men and women marry foreigners,” he said. “Thus, the rules and regulations should be revised.
“It doesn’t matter whether it is the mother or father who is a citizen. What matters is the right of the child. Basing citizenship on the mother is a violation of the man’s right.”
PETALING JAYA: Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) today accused the National Registration Department (NRD) of denying citizenship rights to children by interpreting the Federal Constitution to suit its liking.The evidence, according to LFL adviser Latheefa Koya, is in its ruling that the citizenship of a child born out of wedlock follows that of its mother’s.
“The NRD does its own interpretation of what it perceives as right under the constitution,” Latheefa said. “By doing this, NRD is denying the rights of the child.”
Latheefa cited Article 14 of the constitution, which states that a person born in Malaysia is a citizen of the country by operation of law if either of its parents is a citizen or permanent resident.
According to the NRD website, however, a child’s citizenship status follows its mother’s if it is born before its parents’ marriage is registered.
But Latheefa said there was nothing in the constitution requiring parents to be married.
She also said NRD could remove doubts about the identity of a child’s father by conducting DNA tests. “If they do this, then it would not be an issue to determine whether the child’s father is Malaysian or not.
“The NRD’s job is to register a person. If something is wrong, they are supposed to investigate.”
Latheefa lashed out at the NRD’s “long history” of displaying a “discriminatory attitude”.
“They have a confused the moral outlook of things. This discriminatory attitude has to be fixed.”
Referring to the recent inquiry in Sabah by a royal commission, she said it revealed that the NRD had given citizenship to people whose reason for being in Malaysia was suspect.
“How come in this instance it could relax its rules but in other cases be overly strict until some had to dig their grandfather’s graves to prove where they came from?” she said.
She alleged that civil servants had lost their objectivity because of brainwashing by the government through National Civics Bureau courses and other means.
Consitutional law expert Syahredzan Johan commented that the citizenship issue was a “classic example” of administrative obstacles getting in the way of constitutional rights.
“The marital status of the parents does not affect citizenship,” he said. “It only affects the legitimacy of the child.
“The only possibility of citizenship being affected by the marital status of the parents is perhaps in trying to prove the parentage for the purpose of establishing that the parent is a Malaysian or a permanent resident.”
Former Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam said a check with the NRD confirmed that if the parents were not married, a child’s citizenship would follow the mother’s.
“This is the law currently used,” he said. “However, things have changed where we see many Malaysian men marrying foreign women.”
He said some regulations should be reviewed in the light of the demands of human rights.
“We cannot deny the fact that both men and women marry foreigners,” he said. “Thus, the rules and regulations should be revised.
“It doesn’t matter whether it is the mother or father who is a citizen. What matters is the right of the child. Basing citizenship on the mother is a violation of the man’s right.”
Liberal Muslims have to liberate themselves, not Islam
By Umar Hakim Mohd Tajuddin,
The term ‘Liberal Islam’ is so bemusing it is amusing.
The true sense of the word Islam is ‘submission’ and the entity to which the submission is directed to is Allah and Allah alone. In Arabic, although the word ‘submission’ etymologically shares the same root with the word ‘peace’, all the verses with the word ‘Islam’ in the Quran are all interpreted by the former.
True to its actual meaning, and some prefer to express it as to fully surrender, Islam frees those who embrace it from any form of obedience, voluntarily or by subjugation, towards another being. It is in the state of this absolute submission one is said to be in peace with his Creator.
Now let us inspect what Liberal Islam really denotes. One of the key hallmarks of liberalism is that individuals be accorded with absolute freedom of choice. In trying to apply this to Islam, its proponents call for a total reinterpretation of what Islam is and how an individual should practice it now. They call for a new exposition that breaks away from the system that is claimed to be too dogmatic, too literalistic.
Then what it should be based on now, one may ask. The many answers to that question actually can be summarised as this- whatever that is desired by individuals in general, in the particular period of time and irrespective of what Allah has outlined in Quran or through the conducts of The Messenger.
This is where the bemusement begins. While embracing Islam means Muslims must submit to Allah’s will and in so doing be freed from shackles of obedience to other human beings, the liberals somehow determinedly promote exactly the opposite- Islam, and by extension Allah’s ruling, must conform to what is currently desired by people. Putting it in another context, combining Islam and Liberal in a set of idea is a self-contradictory- an oxymoron. Rather unfortunately as we may see later, this is also where the amusement ends.
Closer to home, there have been many attempts of late to fuse Islam with Liberalism. Marina Mahathir, for instance, recently quoted a Quranic verse that, in general, calls for mutual respect and acceptance between people of various groups and tribes. She extended the context of this verse and implied that Allah recognizes LGBT. This is despite the many verses in the Quran that have already explicitly decided this matter. Whether this is an honest error or deliberated, her previous works and records on this issue speak for herself.
This penchant for selective, often abusive, use of Quranic verses can also be observed in their demands to abolish shariah law, permit murtad and revise Islamic family law among others. Some even go all the way to suggest that certain parts of the holy texts contravene the rights of human. This is just unfathomable as all Muslims regardless of their level of faith believe that Allah is All-Knowing and by that knows what is best for humans. For a mere mortal to claim that he is wiser than his Creator is just wrong on all levels.
In spite all this, one must not deduce that human rights has no position at all in Islam. Human rights in Islam are governed by Islamic morality and spirituality as outlined in the Quran and exemplified by The Messenger. One may find that in most cases, the rights in question are actually supported and protected in Islam such as the right to life, to education, to accumulate wealth, to a fair trial, to healthcare and so on. Only when its objective shifts to pursue absolute freedom in satisfying human desires and go against the principles of Islam are they rejected.
For example, several decades ago LGBT was regarded as a behavioral disorder and a violation even to Western norms and this is consistent with the view of Islam. Through the process of normalisation on the basis of human rights, LGBT has gained recognition over the years and now is accepted in the West as just a form of sexual orientations. Disturbingly, the same transformation cycle is now being initiated by the pedophiles and, by manipulating the same line of argument, they could expect an ending that is not dissimilar to what the LGBT has achieved.
There seems to be no stopping to this as the list of ‘disorders’ queuing to be normalised into ‘orientations’ is just endless. This is one example why Islam prohibits from submitting to human desires as it tends to erode morality. As most sensible human rights are already duly recognized in Islam, the next time someone laments about their position in Islam, chances are it serves as a disguise to another effort of fulfilling some twisted desires.
If anyone observes a bit more closely, only a handful of ‘human rights’, most have been mentioned earlier, violate the fundamentals of Islam. One could not help but to feel curious to why the liberal Muslims put so much of effort fighting for these few while they can put their resources to better use such as in promoting and pursuing the rights that are already valid in Islam. Are they actually trying to appease their conscience by attempting to put the Islam label to things that they know deep inside them are wrong but unable to resist from doing?
Or is this a case of peer pressure by the grandest scale as they become overwhelmed with the urge to imitate every single aspect of the Western lifestyle? If either of these holds true then the idea of liberal Islam appears to be an antithesis to the true state of liberated mind and heart that they claim to be championing. This goes to suggest that theirs are subdued souls who feed on superficial recognition in order to feel accepted, quite like an inferiority complex so to speak.
While it is acceptable for anyone to be confused sometimes, it is totally intolerable when the confusion is tried to be spread, to be recognised and even institutionalised. So those who attempt to do that to Islam- to modify its fundamentals and tenets with the conflicting idea of liberalism- must realise that they are going to face strong resistance. There is simply no two-way about it and no amount of calling those who spearhead the effort with names like bigots and such will change this fact. Muslims have adapted, along with other societies, to meet the changes and needs of times but never did it happen at the expense of the Islamic principles.
Comedian Groucho Marx was often attributed as to have quipped “These are my principles, and if you don’t like them.. well, I have others”. Commonly used in jest by politicians, it is rather sad for anyone to actually apply it in life. Not everything from the West is worth to be copied and adopted. Not especially when it requires you to compromise your principles of belief and faith just to measure up to their standards (perhaps down is more appropriate).
So regardless if you are a board director, a maturing reporter, a politician, or a novice writer- and you are a Muslim- the next time you have to make a choice between your faith and desire, remember that you have all the right to put into use the true meaning of the world ‘Islam’. The experience, as one would discover, is truly liberating.
The writer is with Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA)
The term ‘Liberal Islam’ is so bemusing it is amusing.
The true sense of the word Islam is ‘submission’ and the entity to which the submission is directed to is Allah and Allah alone. In Arabic, although the word ‘submission’ etymologically shares the same root with the word ‘peace’, all the verses with the word ‘Islam’ in the Quran are all interpreted by the former.
True to its actual meaning, and some prefer to express it as to fully surrender, Islam frees those who embrace it from any form of obedience, voluntarily or by subjugation, towards another being. It is in the state of this absolute submission one is said to be in peace with his Creator.
Now let us inspect what Liberal Islam really denotes. One of the key hallmarks of liberalism is that individuals be accorded with absolute freedom of choice. In trying to apply this to Islam, its proponents call for a total reinterpretation of what Islam is and how an individual should practice it now. They call for a new exposition that breaks away from the system that is claimed to be too dogmatic, too literalistic.
Then what it should be based on now, one may ask. The many answers to that question actually can be summarised as this- whatever that is desired by individuals in general, in the particular period of time and irrespective of what Allah has outlined in Quran or through the conducts of The Messenger.
This is where the bemusement begins. While embracing Islam means Muslims must submit to Allah’s will and in so doing be freed from shackles of obedience to other human beings, the liberals somehow determinedly promote exactly the opposite- Islam, and by extension Allah’s ruling, must conform to what is currently desired by people. Putting it in another context, combining Islam and Liberal in a set of idea is a self-contradictory- an oxymoron. Rather unfortunately as we may see later, this is also where the amusement ends.
Closer to home, there have been many attempts of late to fuse Islam with Liberalism. Marina Mahathir, for instance, recently quoted a Quranic verse that, in general, calls for mutual respect and acceptance between people of various groups and tribes. She extended the context of this verse and implied that Allah recognizes LGBT. This is despite the many verses in the Quran that have already explicitly decided this matter. Whether this is an honest error or deliberated, her previous works and records on this issue speak for herself.
This penchant for selective, often abusive, use of Quranic verses can also be observed in their demands to abolish shariah law, permit murtad and revise Islamic family law among others. Some even go all the way to suggest that certain parts of the holy texts contravene the rights of human. This is just unfathomable as all Muslims regardless of their level of faith believe that Allah is All-Knowing and by that knows what is best for humans. For a mere mortal to claim that he is wiser than his Creator is just wrong on all levels.
In spite all this, one must not deduce that human rights has no position at all in Islam. Human rights in Islam are governed by Islamic morality and spirituality as outlined in the Quran and exemplified by The Messenger. One may find that in most cases, the rights in question are actually supported and protected in Islam such as the right to life, to education, to accumulate wealth, to a fair trial, to healthcare and so on. Only when its objective shifts to pursue absolute freedom in satisfying human desires and go against the principles of Islam are they rejected.
For example, several decades ago LGBT was regarded as a behavioral disorder and a violation even to Western norms and this is consistent with the view of Islam. Through the process of normalisation on the basis of human rights, LGBT has gained recognition over the years and now is accepted in the West as just a form of sexual orientations. Disturbingly, the same transformation cycle is now being initiated by the pedophiles and, by manipulating the same line of argument, they could expect an ending that is not dissimilar to what the LGBT has achieved.
There seems to be no stopping to this as the list of ‘disorders’ queuing to be normalised into ‘orientations’ is just endless. This is one example why Islam prohibits from submitting to human desires as it tends to erode morality. As most sensible human rights are already duly recognized in Islam, the next time someone laments about their position in Islam, chances are it serves as a disguise to another effort of fulfilling some twisted desires.
If anyone observes a bit more closely, only a handful of ‘human rights’, most have been mentioned earlier, violate the fundamentals of Islam. One could not help but to feel curious to why the liberal Muslims put so much of effort fighting for these few while they can put their resources to better use such as in promoting and pursuing the rights that are already valid in Islam. Are they actually trying to appease their conscience by attempting to put the Islam label to things that they know deep inside them are wrong but unable to resist from doing?
Or is this a case of peer pressure by the grandest scale as they become overwhelmed with the urge to imitate every single aspect of the Western lifestyle? If either of these holds true then the idea of liberal Islam appears to be an antithesis to the true state of liberated mind and heart that they claim to be championing. This goes to suggest that theirs are subdued souls who feed on superficial recognition in order to feel accepted, quite like an inferiority complex so to speak.
While it is acceptable for anyone to be confused sometimes, it is totally intolerable when the confusion is tried to be spread, to be recognised and even institutionalised. So those who attempt to do that to Islam- to modify its fundamentals and tenets with the conflicting idea of liberalism- must realise that they are going to face strong resistance. There is simply no two-way about it and no amount of calling those who spearhead the effort with names like bigots and such will change this fact. Muslims have adapted, along with other societies, to meet the changes and needs of times but never did it happen at the expense of the Islamic principles.
Comedian Groucho Marx was often attributed as to have quipped “These are my principles, and if you don’t like them.. well, I have others”. Commonly used in jest by politicians, it is rather sad for anyone to actually apply it in life. Not everything from the West is worth to be copied and adopted. Not especially when it requires you to compromise your principles of belief and faith just to measure up to their standards (perhaps down is more appropriate).
So regardless if you are a board director, a maturing reporter, a politician, or a novice writer- and you are a Muslim- the next time you have to make a choice between your faith and desire, remember that you have all the right to put into use the true meaning of the world ‘Islam’. The experience, as one would discover, is truly liberating.
The writer is with Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA)
India Begins Training 500 Vietnam Sailors In Submarine Warfare
NEW DELHi, Nov 23 (Bernama) -- India has begun training of some 500
Vietnamese sailors in the art of submarine warfare operations, China's
Xinhua news agency reported, citing the local daily The Times of India
report Saturday.
During talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong last Wednesday, it was decided that India will transfer four naval offshore patral vessels to Vietnam under a US$100 million dollar credit line, said the newspaper.
The training of Vietnamese sailors in "comprehensive underwater combat operations" at Indian Navy's submarine school INS Satavahana in Visakhapatnam, south India, is a major initiative in an emerging strategic partnership between Delhi and Hanoi, said the paper.
"(Indian) Defence Minister A K Antony has promised all help to Vietnam for capacity building of its armed forces. There are already a couple of hundred Vietnamese officers and sailors, along with interpreters (in India). Over 500 Vietnamese sailors will be trained in batches by the Indian Navy," the newspaper quoted a defence ministry official as saying.
"Indian will continue to assist Vietnam in modernisation and training of its defence and security forces, including through US$100 million dollar line of credit for defence purchases," said the Indian prime minister earlier.
During talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong last Wednesday, it was decided that India will transfer four naval offshore patral vessels to Vietnam under a US$100 million dollar credit line, said the newspaper.
The training of Vietnamese sailors in "comprehensive underwater combat operations" at Indian Navy's submarine school INS Satavahana in Visakhapatnam, south India, is a major initiative in an emerging strategic partnership between Delhi and Hanoi, said the paper.
"(Indian) Defence Minister A K Antony has promised all help to Vietnam for capacity building of its armed forces. There are already a couple of hundred Vietnamese officers and sailors, along with interpreters (in India). Over 500 Vietnamese sailors will be trained in batches by the Indian Navy," the newspaper quoted a defence ministry official as saying.
"Indian will continue to assist Vietnam in modernisation and training of its defence and security forces, including through US$100 million dollar line of credit for defence purchases," said the Indian prime minister earlier.
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