Path to leave Islam simple, but far from easy

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — An Indian woman whose Hindu wedding was recently disrupted by Selangor Islamic officials insisting she is Muslim despite her efforts to leave Islam has again put the spotlight on the difficulties in exiting the religion.

Like many Malaysians who dispute their official identities as Muslims, she was told to go to the Shariah courts in order to remove the status from her official documents.

Despite being the standard response in such instances, little is known of the procedure and potential dangers — detention, fines, jail, whipping and even a theoretical death sentence — that one might face in such applications.

In a recent interview with The Malay Mail Online, the Department of Syariah Judiciary Malaysia (JKSM) said that the Islamic courts are the only place according to current laws for Malaysians seeking to be no longer known as a Muslim.

Non-Muslim or apostate?

Explaining the process for a switch in religious status, JKSM identified two types of applications at the Shariah courts, namely to renounce Islam or for a declaration that one is no longer Muslim.

The first involves practising Muslims regardless of ethnicity who want to renounce Islam and convert to other faiths; the JKSM said it could not find any such application in its official records, however.

For the second type of application, JKSM further carves up

applicants into three categories. The first subgroup are those mistakenly listed as Muslims because of naming conventions, typically involving residents of Sabah and Sarawak.

Another group covers those who embraced Islam but now wish to revert to being non-Muslims, which includes applicants who had converted when marrying a Muslim but want out of the religion after the marriage fails.

The last includes non-practising Muslims who want to be recognised as non-Muslims, with this third group cutting across ethnicity; this includes those who were born as Muslims and “by virtue of the documents are Muslims, but never practise the religion of Islam”, it said.

Children from an initial non-Muslim marriage who were unilaterally converted by one of the parents who had converted to Islam also fall within this third group. They may apply personally to be recognised as non-Muslims once they are 18 years old.

According to Muslim non-governmental organisation Sisters in Islam, Islamic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir had in 2011 said that the Shariah Courts had only approved a total of 135 out of 686 applications by Muslims seeking to change their religious status for the 2000-2010 period.

Two classes of applications but one route for both

According to JKSM, the procedure for anyone who wishes to renounce Islam or declare a change in religious status is the same, regardless of which category they fall under.

In a typical application by way of summons, the state religious council and department — who are interested parties as keepers of the record of conversions — will have to answer the case in the Shariah court as defendants.

Usually, the defendants will file a response stating the reasons why they object to the application, and apply to the Shariah Court to send the applicant for counselling sessions that typically last in most states for a maximum of six months.

“The plaintiff will be sent to a committee to reconcile, to persuade him or her to remain in the religion,” JKSM said, noting that Negri Sembilan is the only state with laws on the procedure to renounce Islam.

The Administration of the Religion of Islam (Negri Sembilan) Enactment 2003 states that counselling sessions should not exceed 90 days, but also allows the Shariah court to order a further counselling session not exceeding a year if it believed “there is still hope that the person may repent”.

The reconciliation committee will submit a report to the Shariah court, with a repentant applicant then resulting in the case being either struck out by the courts or being withdrawn on the request of the state religious council or the applicant himself, JKSM said.

But if counselling is unsuccessful, the court will hear evidence from both sides before deciding whether to allow or dismiss the application.

There is “no penalty” and no mandatory counselling session if the Shariah court rejects the application, while applicants also have the right to appeal, JKSM said.

Attempted apostasy: A Catch-22 scenario?

Successful applicants may find their victory in the courts bittersweet.

According to JKSM, five states in Malaysia have laws that prohibit apostasy or attempted apostasy.

For Sabah and Kelantan, those found guilty of attempted apostasy will be detained in Islamic Rehabilitation Centres until they repent or for up to 36 months, while those in Malacca would face up to six months of detention in such centres.

Those convicted of apostasy in Perak may be fined up to RM3,000, jailed for as long as two years or both; in Pahang, this is RM5,000 or three years along with as many as six lashes of the cane or a combination of any of these three penalties.

According to SIS, Kelantan technically has a death penalty for apostasy, but this falls under the 1993 hudud penal code that it cannot yet enforce due to conflicts with federal law.

Under Terengganu’s 2002 Islamic criminal laws which it also cannot enforce now, any Muslim who fails to repent within three days upon conviction of apostasy will also be sentenced to death, SIS said.

JKSM said the Syarie chief prosecutor has the “absolute right according to the law” to initiate criminal proceedings for apostasy or attempted apostasy against those who seek the Shariah court’s declaration of change of religious status.

But it also said it had no records of the states’ Syarie chief prosecutor doing so.

“Of course it is quite an anomaly if you give an opportunity for a person to file an application which is tantamount to ‘percubaan murtad’ (attempted apostasy), and at the same time you make it as an offence. That is the reason, because of that contradiction, so far we have not come across,” JKSM said.

Why no Malay Muslims applicants?

Having laid out the steps to leave Islam, however, the JKSM said that its records showed that no Malay Muslims have ever applied to change their religious status, acknowledging that this may be due to the constitutional definition of a Malay as Muslim, among other things.

“It could be one of the reasons. The landmark case of Lina Joy — in that case the Federal Court has confirmed the interpretation, the stand taken by Datuk Faiza Thamby Chik who was the presiding High Court judge where he interpreted Islam or Malay and the religion of Islam as two integral parts, that means if you were to be known as a Malay, you have to be a Muslim at the same time,” JKSM said.

Born Azlina Jailani, the Malay Muslim who converted to Christianity and later sought official recognition as Lina Joy would have been the first of her kind to apply at the Shariah courts for a declaration of her religious status.

But after failing to get her religious status in her identity card changed, she did not file an application at the Shariah courts and is believed to have fled the country.

Proses pendakwaan lebih ketat dalam RUU Kebencian Kaum & Agama

Tukar agama: Kepimpinan Pakatan tak tegas, kata Ambiga

Wei Feng: BAM politicking ruins players' spirit

Canada: Muslim found guilty of terror charges, eyed Canadian targets

“Crown lawyers said during the trial that Ahmed was a ‘committed jihadist’ with an eye on potential Canadian targets, pointing to a bag in his basement they alleged held bomb-making materials.” Where did Misbahuddin Ahmed learn this outrageous misunderstanding of the religion of peace? Why do so many Muslims misunderstand it in the same way? Why do no government officials in Canada or the U.S. show any curiosity about such questions?

“Misbahuddin Ahmed found guilty of 2 terrorism charges,” CBC News, July 11, 2014:

Former Ottawa hospital technician Misbahuddin Ahmed has been found guilty of two terrorism-related charges by a jury.

Ahmed, 30, had pleaded not guilty to conspiring to knowingly facilitate a terrorist activity, participation in the activities of a terrorist group, and possession of explosives with intent to do harm.

His eight-week trial began in mid-May and went to a jury on Tuesday. On Friday, the jury found him guilty of the first two charges but not guilty to the possession of explosives charge.

Ahmed will be sentenced on Sept. 15.

Crown lawyers said during the trial that Ahmed was a “committed jihadist” with an eye on potential Canadian targets, pointing to a bag in his basement they alleged held bomb-making materials.

Ahmed and his defence said during the trial that he was trying to stop a planned attack and was planning to destroy the contents of the bag.

Guru hari ini lebih tertekan

Suatu waktu dahulu kes guru mencederakan pelajar adalah sesuatu yang asing dan jarang di dengar namun kini ia sering belaku dan perkara ini tidak lagi boleh dipandang ringan.

CHERAS: Naib Presiden Gerakan, Dato Kohilan Pilay berkata tindakan tegas perlu diambil ke atas seorang guru di sebuah sekolah di Port Dickson yang didapati telah membelasah anak muridnya sehingga menyebabkan kecederaan di kepala.

“Tindakan tegas harus diambil agar kes-kes sebegini tidak akan berulang kembali. Pada zaman saya dahulu, tidak pernah belaku kes sebegini yang melibatkan guru memukul anak murid hingga berdarah-darah, stapler telinga, memukul dengan kasut dan tendang pelajar.

“Pada pendapat saya, semua ini berlaku kerana guru hari ini begitu tertekan dengan keadaan sekeliling juga dengan kos hidup yang tinggi pada zaman sekarang.

“Kaunseling perlu diberikan bukan hanya untuk murid malah kepada para guru supaya mereka bebas dari tekanan emosi.

“Diharapkan agar selepas ini tiada lagi kedengaran kes-kes penderaan fizikal terhadap pelajar,” katanya.

Beliau yang juga bekas Timbalan Menteri Perusahaan, Perladangan dan Komoditi berharap agar orang ramai tidak mengaitkan kes sebegini dengan politik. Ini adalah masalah antara guru dan pelajar.

Why investigate me, asks anti-crime watchdog chief after exposing senior cop in sex scandal

Anti-crime watchdog, MyWatch, chairman S. Sri Sanjeevan today questioned why he was being investigated by the police for lifting the lid on a sex scandal involving a senior police officer.

Sanjeevan told The Malaysian Insider that he had received a letter from the Inspector-General of Police's Secretariat (Disciplinary) dated July 8 that he was being investigated under Section 509 of the Penal Code, which is used to probe a word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of a person.

"My expose of this incident through MyWatch is considered to have been intended at insulting the modesty of a person," Sanjeevan said, referring to the letter.

Sanjeevan said his statement had been recorded by the police last week, and he had been asked to surrender all documents and evidence related to the case.

However, Sanjeevan has refused to cooperate as he believed police were more intent on covering up the case and protecting the senior police officer.

"Furthermore, I believe police are attempting to discover who is the whistleblower who exposed the incident to me and MyWatch."

Sanjeevan claimed if he were to hand over all the relevant evidence and documents to the police, it would be destroyed and the case would be classified as no further action (NFA).

"This sex scandal will just go the same way as all the other high-profile cases," he said.

"I want to know why the police officer who is involved not being investigated but instead, I am the one under the microscope?"

Sanjeevan said he had made it clear that he wanted to talk to either Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi or Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

"I have been informed through a third party that Khalid does not want to meet me," Sanjeevan said.

"If the authorities are sincere about cleaning up the police force, they would meet me," he added.

The letter to Sanjeevan also stated that he is being investigated under Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998.

Police claimed that Sanjeevan was in possession of evidence which could be circulated through WhatsApp, or images or videos which were related to the sex scandal.

Sanjeevan is alleged to have made information about the sex scandal public in June and July via the MyWatch website.

In his earlier statement last week, Sanjeevan claimed to have received a set of documents and images of a senior police officer who was allegedly involved in a sex scandal.

Sanjeevan refused to name the senior police officer who was involved, but claimed that MyWatch was prepared to make everything public.

However, he also demanded assurances from Putrajaya, namely the prime minister and home minister, that action would not be taken against him.

In his statement, Sanjeevan claimed previous explosive revelations had been swept under the carpet by the powers-that-be instead of a full investigation being conducted.

"This is another opportunity for Putrajaya to show that they will not compromise if civil servants, especially the police, have been involved in abuse of power."

Ibrahim Ali wants to ‘date’ Ambiga for the sake of national unity

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali took a dig today at the newly formed Negara-Ku movement set up to fight racism and extremism, saying he wanted to "date" the group’s co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan to exchange views in the interest of national integration.

"Where is the democracy and basic human rights that Ambiga champions? I hope one day, I am able to date Ambiga," said Ibrahim in a statement today.

He added he was willing to change his name to "Samyhim", if that was what it took to allow his right-wing Malay group to become a part of the Negara-Ku movement.

In turn, he suggested Ambiga change her name to "Aminah" to begin the process of national integration.

"I agree to change my name to Samyhim to fulfil the conditions needed for Perkasa to be accepted into Negara-Ku, led by Ambiga. Perkasa has a right to be heard because Perkasa is a legitimate body.

"My name is Samyhim and I give Ambiga the name Aminah. It is part of the national integration process. It is also to protect Ambiga's credibility so she is not seen as favouring anyone when dealing with Perkasa," he added.

A new movement called "Negara-Ku" was launched Thursday to heal Malaysia and restore hope, given recent challenges that continue to threaten the peace and harmony of its multi-ethnic and multi-faith society.

Touted as the "people's movement to reclaim our nation", its patrons are Ambiga and national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said.

Some 68 civil society groups and NGOs have endorsed Negara-Ku, which is aimed at mobilising and empowering people to return to the basics of the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement, and the Rukunegara.

Ambiga said the movement seeks to give people the correct information to meet the challenges facing Malaysian society.

This will be done though the use of videos, social media and forums and talks “to get people to listen, to question and to think”, she added.

Ibrahim today said he also wanted his name changed to Ah Him, to avoid criticism from the DAP and the Bar Council.

"To the DAP and the president of the Bar Council, please do not condemn me anymore because I have long changed my name from Ibrahim Ali to 'Ah Him'.

"I did this as a sacrifice to fulfil their desires," said Ibrahim sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim also urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to reshuffle the National Consultative Council (NUCC) members, as it had alleged ill intentions.

"The prime minister should reshuffle the members in NUCC. The reprimand must be followed by action.

"This is what is called providing leadership direction and being firm," said Ibrahim.

He also claimed that the Malay members of the NUCC were blind to the fact that they being used.

He suggested that PAS central committee member Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa should also change his name to "Muntahik" for wanting Perkasa and Isma to be outlawed.

Surat terbuka untuk Najib Razak

Kehadapan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak,

Saya, Muhammad Nomy Nozwir, hari ini menulis surat ini berdasarkan kenyataan anda berkenaan tentang kekalahan teruk Brazil kerana ketiadaan kepimpinan yang berkesan dalam pasukan bolasepak Samba itu.

Apabila anda bercakap begitu, mungkin anda sedang bermuhasabah diri.

Dalam masa saya tidak yakin dengan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) memerintah kerana terlalu banyak pergolakan konflik dalaman parti serta isu pemilihan dalam parti komponen PR yang tak selesai-selesai, saya juga tidak yakin dengan kepimpinan anda yang membawa negara ini ke arah terumbang-ambing.

Sejak 2009 apabila anda menerajui pentadbiran, terlalu banyak isu yang berlaku yang saya rasa anda tidak menanganinya dengan baik.

Ya, mungkin akan ada yang kata, “kalau kau pandai kau jadi la perdana menteri”, saya akui saya tidaklah berapa pandai dan cerdik dan berkelayakan menjadi perdana menteri.

Tetapi, saya tidak berminat menjadi Perdana Menteri. Tetapi, tugas perdana menteri ini sangat berkait rapat dengan rakyat marhaen seperti saya ini.

Dari isu api perkauman yang semakin marak, isu rasuah yang masih macam-macam hal, isu pembangunan yang asyik retak runtuh tenggelam pecah dan sebagainya, saya rasa anda di luar kawalan dan tidak mampu untuk mengawal keadaan di negara ini.

Setiap kali anda selaku perdana menteri dan menteri kewangan membentangkan bajet, ramai menteri, ahli akademik, penganalisis ekonomi berkata bajet yang anda bentangkan sebagai yang terbaik yang pernah dibentangkan.

Tetapi jika ia terbaik, kenapa negara ini dalam keadaan berantakan sebegini?

Saya rasa tak perlulah nak tulis angka-angka yang menunjukkan kegagalan anda dalam mengurus tadbir negara ini kerana saya rasa kalau saya tulis pun bukan mengubah keadaan pun. Cuma, keadaan boleh dirasa di mana-mana, yang rakyat tidak yakin dengan kamu.

Hatta di kalangan orang Barisan Nasional (BN) sekali, tidak yakin dengan kamu.

Saya tidak bermaksud mahu memperkecilkan mandat yang diterima BN melalui pilihan raya yang lalu, memandangkan sistem pilihan raya negara ini sudah dibentuk untuk memastikan BN akan sentiasa memerintah, maka bagi saya, carilah orang BN yang lebih berkelayakan.

Anda mempunyai menteri yang bertugas di Jabatan Perdana Menteri seperti sebuah kumpulan bolasepak, ditambah pula anda mempunyai sebuah agensi untuk menasihatkan kamu yang dinamakan Pemandu.

Jika anda mempunyai skuad yang sebegini punya ramai dan bajet sebegini punya mahal, kenapa masih banyak kerosakan berlaku dalam negara ini?

Ini macam satu bentuk pembaziran macam Manchester United beli Maruanne Fellaini.

Terus terang saya katakan, lebih ramai orang seperti saya, rakyat biasa yang tiap-tiap bulan runsing nak bayar sewa rumah, bil air dan letrik serta kos hidup yang semakin meningkat ini tidak yakin dengan kamu.

Menteri-menteri yang kamu lantik pun semuanya tidak berkaliber dan cakap merapu menyebabkan rakyat tidak lagi percaya dengan seluruh kabinet XXL kamu.

Menteri-menteri kamu ini hanyalah seperti “patung-patung tanah liat maharaja” Qin Shi Shuang, maharaja China yang mahu dikebumikan bersama seluruh bala tentera dan penasihatnya apabila dia mati.

Najib, saya tahu bahawa anda adalah penyokong Manchester United dan musim lepas apabila kelab kesayangan anda itu melantik David Moyes menjadi pengurus pasukan, kelab kesayangan anda itu terus jatuh dari menjadi juara liga, kepada pasukan yang tak layak main mana-mana kejohanan Eropah pun.

Apa Manchester United buat, mereka pecat Moyes kerana prestasi yang hambar.

Apabila anda bercakap soal ketiadaan kepimpinan yang berkesan dalam pasukan Brazil, adakah anda rasa kepimpinan anda seperti pasukan Jerman?

Adakah anda rasa kepimpinan kamu seperti Sir Alex Ferguson, pengurus pasukan kelab kesayangan kamu yang membawa Manchester United ke arah kegemilangan sejak 1990an?

Apa perasaan kamu apabila Moyes menjadikan Manchester United ini menjadi pasukan bolasepak yang hambar?

Macam tu jugalah perasaan saya dan kebanyakan rakyat Malaysia terhadap kamu.

Sekian, selamat berpuasa. – 12 Julai, 2014.

* Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

ISMA: 'Negaraku' wajah baru liberalisme, pluralisme agama

Stop flying in denial mode, Dr M tells MAS

Seeking Human Shields, Hamas Tells Gazans to Ignore IDF Warnings

Hamas has instructed Gaza residents to ignore text messages and phone calls urging them to evacuate buildings, in an apparent effort to grow its supply of "human shields." The calls and messages are sent by Israeli military officials in order to give civilians time to evacuate the area, and are communicated before the IDF targets a house terrorists were using as cover for firing missiles at Israel or for other military purposes.

The Hamas-run Palestinian Authority Interior Ministry said in a message to Gaza residents that the messages "are designed to weaken our resolve and to sow panic and fear among us, in light of the failures of our enemies. We call on Gaza residents not to pay attention to these messages and not to leave their homes."

The message did not say whether Hamas would dispatch personnel to ensure that individuals inside targeted buildings remain inside.

The move, Israeli officials said, was apparently designed to prevent the ongoing demolishing of homes and buildings belonging to top Hamas terrorists. Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge three days ago, the IDF said Thursday, it has hit over 800 terror targets in Gaza – more than in the entire six days of 2012's Operation Defensive Shield.

In the 24 hours until 6 a.m. Thursday, the army said, 322 terror targets were destroyed, including 217 rocket-launching sites, as well as the homes of 46 Hamas commanders. By now, the army said, nearly all of Hamas' top commanders and their families were homeless.

On Wednesday, The IDF published video and photographic evidence of the use of human shields by Hamas. In a screenshot of a television broadcast from July 8, civilians gather on the roof of the home of a Hamas terrorist who was targeted by the IDF. They did so in order to act as human shields and deter an imminent IDF attack, explained the military.

In one instance near the start of Operation Protective Edge, seven people were killed after locals responded to an Israeli warning flare by flocking to act as human shields at the site of the intended strike just moments before it was hit.

Israeli leaders have often accused Hamas and other Arab terrorist groups of committing a "double war crime" via such methods - firing indiscriminately at Israeli civilians while using Palestinian Arab civilians as human shields.

In an interview earlier Thursday Economic Minister and Jewish Home party head Naftali Bennett said that Hamas was to blame for any civilian casualties in Gaza as a result.

"Hamas has missile-launchers hidden in homes and in schools," he said. "I myself was a commando fighter in Gaza and I saw missile-launchers in the living room of a home. When you do this you are killing your own children. Hamas is clearly responsible for the very unfortunate death of Arab citizens."

Bangladesh bans marriages for Rohingya refugees

DHAKA, Bangladesh has barred official marriages between its nationals and Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya refugees, whom it claims are attempting to wed to gain citizenship.

Law minister Syed Anisul Haque said he has ordered marriage registrars not to officiate any unions between Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas and also between Rohingyas themselves, thousands of whom have fled to Bangladesh.

He said Rohingyas try to use the resulting wedding certificate to gain Bangladeshi passports and other documents, while Rohingyas who marry Bangladeshis could automatically qualify for citizenship.

“By registering their marriage in Bangladesh they try to prove that they’re Bangladeshi citizens,” he said.

“We’ve told the marriage registers not to list any marriage of Rohingyas and also between a Rohingya and a Bangladeshi citizen in Bangladesh. “Law ministry spokesman Abdullah Al Shahin said marriage registrars have been warned of punitive action if they officiate any such marriages.

There are around 300,000 Rohingyas living in Bangladesh’s southern coastal districts bordering Myanmar who have fled alleged persecution in the Buddhist-majority nation since the 1990s.

Sectarian clashes flared up two years ago in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, with fighting that has displaced about 140,000 people, mainly stateless Rohingya Muslims.

Bangladesh recognises only around 28,000 of the refugees in its country, who are entitled to food, basic housing and other aid provided by the United Nations.

The rest of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh live in slums set up in cleared forests and on beaches.

Guru baling kasut terhadap murid dipindahkan,Kamalanathan bertindak

KUALA LUMPUR, Julai 11 : Kementerian Pendidikan memandang serius tindakan seorang guru yang membaling kasut terhadap seorang pelajar tahun dua di Sekolah Kebangsaan Port Dickson semalam.

Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan II P. Kamalanathan dalam satu kenyataan ringkas di Facebooknya hari ini berkata “saya amat kecewa dengan insiden tersebut. Saya dan Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia memandang serius perkara ini.Saya telah menghubungi Pengarah Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sembilan untuk memastikan tindakan diambil dengan segera.

Berikut adalah maklumat lengkap mengenai insiden tersebut :

Masa : 9:10 pagi
Tempat: Kelas 2 Lotus
Nama guru: Tn Hj Abd Rahim b. Jaafar
Nama murid: Sharmini A/P Muthu
Matapelajaran: P. Moral

Kamalanathan berkata pihak Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sembilan dan PPD Port Dickson telah mengadakan pertemuan dengan penjaga murid tersebut untuk memohon maaf manakala guru tersebut telah dipindahkan serta merta ke Sekolah Kebangsaan Linggi serta merta mulai hari ini.

Beliau juga berkata surat tunjuk sebab akan dikeluarkan untuk tindakan lanjut selepas ini.

Kamalanathan kecewa dengan tindakan guru baling kasut kepada murid

Tindakan seorang guru lelaki di sebuah sekolah di Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan yang didakwa membaling kasut kepada seorang murid tahun dua tidak seharusnya berlaku lebih-lebih lagi dalam bulan Ramadan ini, kata Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan Kedua P. Kamalanathan (gambar).

Katanya beliau sangat terkejut dan kecewa dengan apa yang berlaku dan guru terbabit dipindahkan ke sekolah lain.

"Kementerian tidak akan membiarkan kelakuan seperti itu. Kami tidak memandang perkara ini secara ringan. Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri dan Pegawai Pendidikan Daerah akan melakukan siasatan dan akan dirujuk kepada jawatankuasa tatatertib. Jawatankuasa tatatertib akan mengambil tindakan selanjutnya," katanya kepada pemberita di George Town hari ini.

Semalam, seorang murid perempuan berusia lapan tahun menerima tiga jahitan di dahi kanannya selepas terkena kasut yang dikatakan dibaling guru lelaki itu yang sedang mengajar di dalam kelasnya.

Difahamkan, dalam kejadian pukul 9.30 pagi itu, murid itu sedang bermain di dalam kelas bersama dua lagi rakannya sehingga membuatkan guru lelaki terbabit hilang sabar dan membaling kasut dan terkena dahi murid berkenaan.

Dalam perkembangan lain, Kamalanathan berkata kementerian mengenakan tindakan awal terhadap seorang guru pendidikan khas Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bandar Mentakab, Temerloh, Pahang yang menengking murid dan guru besar.

Beliau berkata guru terbabit dikeluarkan dari sekolah itu dan kini ditempatkan di "pool" bahagian pentadbiran sementara menunggu laporan siasatan

"Kami akan menunggu laporan dari siasatan yang dijalankan sebelum turut merujuk guru terbabit ke jawatankuasa tatatertib," katanya.

Video perbuatan guru itu yang tersebar di laman YouTube sejak 6 Julai lepas, menjadi perhatian ramai terutama pengguna laman sosial yang memberi pelbagai reaksi terhadap kes itu.

UTM lecturer flays Muslims in Negara-Ku

 

A Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) lecturer has hit out at Muslim members of the newly-formed NGO Negara-Ku.

Khalif Muammar A Harris said that the Muslim members have joined the "liberal fight of the non-Muslims".

"I am saddened to see a group of Muslims who have joined the secular and liberal fight of the non-Muslims," he said of the NGO in a Facebook post.

"They think they are fighting for justice, equality, freedom and also believe that Islam, according to their superficial understanding, allows for their efforts," he said.

Negara-Ku, whose full name is "A people's movement to reclaim our nation", was formed by former Bersih co-chairpersons Ambiga Sreenevasan and A Samad Said.

The NGO is chaired by Ikram vice-president Zaid Kamaruddin.

The coalition, made up of 60 other NGOs, was formed to battle racism and extremism in the nation.

'Doing harm instead of good'

Khalif, meanwhile, added that Muslim members of the NGO did not realise that the justice and freedom concepts they were fighting for were not in accordance with Islam

"Rather, it is in accordance with the West's worldview.

"This is why it is important for Muslim activists to master the Islamic worldview because if not, it would be so easy for them to be confused," he said.

The academician added that they were only blindsided from thinking that they were doing something good when in fact, they were creating damage.

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) had also condemned Negara-Ku as a new front to champion "humanism, liberalism and religious pluralism".

"Name it whatever you want, we still know who you are and for whom you work for," Isma's president Abdullah Zaik Rahman said yesterday.

6 lodge reports on Bung's 'bathe in blood' tweet - Malaysiakini

Six police reports were lodged in Perai on mainland Penang today against Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin for his alleged "criminal threat" against Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy.

Several community leaders lodged the reports, all similar in content, at the Perai police station at 11.30am.

They are Taman Chai Leng village development and security (JKKK) chairperson Turaisingam Mahalingam, Taman Supreme JKKK member Tanngisuran Ramasamy, JKKK Perai chairperson Sri Sangar Sivalingam Raman, Taman Inderawasih JKKK Ng Hooi Lai, Taman Supreme JKKK member Kirupanantha Pillay, and Taman Chai Leng DAP member Saghadevan Vallayan.

In their reports, the group claimed that Bung on July 10 threatened Ramasamy (right) in a "criminal and racist" tweet.

The tweet posted by Bung reads “P Ramasamy belum merasa bahana perkauman kaum, saya berharap dia akan terkena dan dapat merasa mandi dlm darah.” (P Ramasamy has yet to feel the heat of racism, and I hope he will experience it and can feel how it is to bathe in blood).

"Bung issued a criminal threat against Ramasamy and the police should act against him using the Penal Code," the group members said.

"As a lawmaker, Bung should not utter such criminally threatening words," they added.

They called the Sabah MP's tweet a "racist statement against Ramasamy and the Indian community".

"Stern action should be taken against Bung as a lesson to all that the country has laws and that we do have law enforcement," the group said.

Jousting over DPM remark

Bung had taken Ramasamy to task over the latter's remark that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should "bring on" the May 13 racial riots the DPM kept harping on.

Ramasamy was at the time responding to Muhyiddin's statements in an Utusan Malaysia report on Jul 9 headlined "13 May 1969 not impossible - DPM".

Muhyiddin (left) has since claimed that his statement regarding racial unity had been "manipulated" by certain unnamed quarters.

Despite Muhyiddin's clarification, the group also lodged reports urging the police to probe the "threatening" elements in Muhyiddin's statement.

"When attending a programme in Pagoh on Jul 4, Muhyiddin issued a statement with seditious elements, which can threaten national security and harmony in society," said the group in their police reports.

"Muhyiddin's statement was a warning that threatens public safety, peace and harmony among the different races in Malaysia," they added.

 

Isma accuses liberal Muslims of selling out Islam

A controversial Muslim group today accused liberal Muslims of selling out their religion by allying themselves with the Chinese, Christians and Muslims of other denominations.

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) central committee member Mohd Hazizi Abdul Rahman said in a posting on the group's website that these liberal Muslims were deliberately ignoring provocative acts against Islam.

"The Chinese have been blatantly inciting hatred against the Malays while also insulting Islam repeatedly in various ways," Hazizi said.

He also said the Christian evangelists have been trying to justify using “Allah” in their publication, which is just an attempt to proselytise the Malays.

"The liberal Muslims have become a tool for foreign agendas controlled by groups which are combining fanatical ‘ultra kiasu’ and Jewish teachings.

"Not only are the liberal Muslims turning a blind eye on all these insults towards Islam, but they are in league with the Chinese and Christians."

Hazizi saw the emergence of liberal Muslims as not something new, but he believed their presence has become more offensive following the 2008 general election.

"These liberal Muslims, when they talk about religion, they like to make comparisons with the Buddhist priests in Myanmar who kill the Rohingya Muslims.

"They also make religious comparisons with the Ku Klux Klan, the Orthodox Christians in the Serbian army who raped Bosnian Muslim women."

He said it was bad enough for the liberal Muslims to be working hand in hand with the Chinese and the Christians, and warned that something worse was to come.

"The chauvinistic Christian Evangelist is openly trying to make Malaysia a civil country without any dominant religion," Hazizi said.

"Do these liberal Muslims not know this project manufactured by ‘ultra kiasu’ evangelists will eventually destroy Islam in Malaysia?

"It is also blatant trampling of the rights of Muslim followers in Malaysia, which coincidentally in this country are all Malays.

"Actually, these liberal Muslims know, but they are willing to be accomplices and continue their efforts to confuse young Muslim followers."

Singling out PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad as an example, Isma said the liberals were betraying "true Muslims" with their remarks and polluting the image of Islam.

"When they see support decreasing among the Malays, these liberal Muslims begin promoting Islam as a blessing to the world to win the support of non-Muslims.

"They do not care whether the image of Islam is tarnished, that the principles and teachings of the religion are blurred.

"So long as they achieve their goal of power and overthrow those who are currently in power. They do not realise they are actually destroying Islam in Malaysia."

Khalid has been criticising Selangor's religious authorities for its handling of the seized Bibles issue.

He had even called for the Selangor Islamic Religious Department to be separated from the Selangor Islamic Religious Council.

Jais officers carried out the raid at The Bible Society of Malaysia and took away 321 Malay and Iban Bibles.

Six months after the raid, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail announced that Jais had erred when it raided the BSM. But, the Selangor religious authorities have yet to return the Bibles.

Murdered Estonian model’s boyfriend arrested, couple were charged with drug possession, say reports

The boyfriend of Estonian model Regina Soosalu, whose death in Pulau Rawa has attracted national

interest, has been detained by police to assist investigations.

The Star reported that 28-year-old Tunku Alang Reza Tunku Ibrahim, who has links to a member of a royal family, was picked up by police yesterday and remanded for seven days.

Johor CID chief Datuk Hasnan Hassan confirmed Tunku Alang Reza's arrest, which brings to seven the total number of people detained in connection with Soosalu's murder.

The Star also reported that Soosalu and Tunku Alang Reza had been involved in a drug case earlier this year and were charged in the Magistrate Court on May 12 with possession of 5.84g of cannabis.

The couple pleaded not guilty and were released after paying a total of RM7,000 in bail money.

Their lawyer Bustaman Menon Abdul Hamid Menon told The Star the case was still ongoing and was last mentioned on May 25.

All of the suspects who have been arrested so far in connection with the model's murder were believed to have been on Pulau Rawa when Soosalu's body was discovered on the beach on July 1.

The Star quoted sources as saying those arrested were a bartender, two boatmen, a resort manager and an acquaintance of Tunku Alang Reza.

The 28-year-old Tunku Alang Reza has been remanded for a week along with a friend known only as Augustine, 30, with the custody order obtained from the Kota Tinggi magistrate’s court yesterday morning.

Hasnan Hassan said the autopsy is still being carried out and samples have been taken for tests.

Soosalu was initially thought to have drowned but suspicious wounds on her body led to police reclassifying her death as murder.

An Estonian news website has linked a two-minute video clip made by Vision Studio entitled “Remem­bering Regina” in which the model speaks about her life and hopes in Malaysia.

The clip, which was published on July 8, carried the words “We remember not just that you are gone but your existence had given us memories too beautiful to forget”.

In the video, Soosalu talked about how warm Malaysia is since she was from a cold country and said she was unsure if she would continue living in Malaysia permanently.

According to the website, her family last spoke to her on June 27 and claimed that they were only told about her death on July 8.

Meanwhile, in another article, The Star reported that Tunku Alang Reza is an ardent surfer who enjoys water sports.

Sources close to him said he usually spends his time at Pulau Rawa and Mersing as his late father, Tunku Alang Ibrahim Tunku Muhammad Archibald, owned the Alang Resort on the island.

The Star reported that these places have been his playground since he was a boy.

Tunku Alang Reza is a grandson of Almarhum Tunku Muhammad Archibald Almarhum Tunku Temenggong Ahmad, the first cousin of former Johor ruler Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail.

After Soosalu was found dead on the beach, Tunku Alang Reza was silent as sources said he was too distraught to talk about it.

However, on Tuesday, he wrote about his grief on Facebook, describing Soosalu’s death as “the worst tragedy of my life”.

He bemoaned the loss of Soosalu, saying: “Regina, my love has passed away on July 1, in the holy month of Ramadan. She is my love, my best friend and will continue to be my inspiration for the rest of my life.”

Tunku Alang Reza is the second of five siblings, including four boys.

He has a younger sister and all of them are in their 20s.

Melayu, Islam tidak terlepas dari Akta Keharmonian, kata Najib

Akta Keharmonian yang dicadangkan Majlis Konsultasi Perpaduan Nasional (MKPN) tidak akan terlepas dari menyentuh kepentingan Melayu dan Islam, kata Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Perdana Menteri berkata Umno melalui biro perlembagaan dan undang-undangnya akan menubuhkan satu jawatankuasa kecil bagi menulusuri akta berkenaan dan memberi cadangan kepada pihak kerajaan.

"Kita akan lihat dari segi keseluruhan segala aspek termasuk apa yang kita fikirkan penting dalam konteks perjuangan Umno maknanya soal kedudukan Islam, kedudukan orang Melayu dan raja-raja.

"Umno harus beri cadangan serta pendapat berkenaan akta keharmonian. Oleh itu satu jawatankuasa kecil ditubuhkan di bawah biro perlembagaan dan undang-undang untuk mengkaji perkara ini dan membuat cadangan untuk pertimbangan pihak kerajaan," katanya pada. satu sidang media selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat Majlis Tertinggi Umno di Kuala Lumpur hari ini.

Akta Keharmonian yang dicadangkan MKPN adalah bertujuan bagi menggantikan Akta Hasutan 1948 supaya mereka yang mengeluarkan ucapan kebencian kaum dan agama dapat dituduh di bawah akta berkenaan.

Bekas Ketua Hakim Negara Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad sebelum ini mendakwa kerajaan secara sengaja atau tidak, sudahpun menyerahkan tugas menetapkan dasar dan menyediakan draf undang-undang iaitu Rang Undang-Undang Kebencian Kaum dan Agama, Rang Undang-Undang Rekonsiliasi dan Keharmonian Nasional serta Rang Undang-Undang Suruhanjaya Rekonsiliasi dan Keharmonian Nasional kepada pembangkang, yang dilihat sebagai 'merampas' MKPN.

Beliau berkata jika Majlis Peguam diberi peluang berbuat demikian, badan itu akan menggubal mengikut kehendak dan kesesuaian parti-parti yang disokongnya.

Abdul Hamid turut mempersoal mengapa pembangkang, khususnya Majlis Peguam, diminta, dibenar dan dibiarkan menetapkan dasar dan menggubalnya sedangkan mereka mempunyai agenda sendiri.

Katanya, mengikut amalan biasa, apabila kerajaan hendak membuat sesuatu undang-undang, kerajaan (kementerian atau jabatan) akan terlebih dahulu membuat keputusan-keputusan dasar.

Najib berkata MKPN bukanlah satu badan muktamad yang boleh membuat keputusan akhir berhubung akta keharmonian tetapi kerajaan dan kabinet yang mengambil peranan itu.

Katanya apa yang diutarakan Hamid berhubung Majlis Peguam bukanlah menjadi matlamat utama penubuhan MKPN.

"MKPN bukan satu forum atau platform untuk membincangkan perkara ini secara tertutup. Apa yang dilakukan Majlis Peguam tidak selaras dengan tujuan MKPN ditubuhkan," katanya.

Awal bulan lalu, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Nancy Shukri mengesahkan belum menerima tiga draf awal berkaitan Akta Keharmonian Nasional bagi menggantikan Akta Hasutan 1948.

Bagaimanapun, katanya draf terbabit yang diterima daripada MKPN belum dibawa ke kabinet kerana perlu diperhalusi bagi memastikan tiada percanggahan dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

"Saya sudah menerima tiga draf bill (rang undang-undang), tetapi penerimaan itu tidak semestinya bermaksud kerajaan terus terima.

“Hanya kerana mereka menyerahkan kepada saya, tidak bermakna kabinet sudah bersetuju," katanya dalam sidang media di lobi Parlimen.

Menurut Nancy, pelaksanaan undang-undang baru itu akan mengambil masa, selain turut memberi jaminan undang-undang tersebut tidak akan membelakangkan hak Raja-raja Melayu dan elemen-elemen lain dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Terdahulu dalam jawapan bertulisnya kepada Anggota Parlimen Kuala Selangor Datuk Irmohizam Ibrahim, beliau berkata Akta Hasutan 1948 masih lagi sah selagi tidak ada akta baru menggantikannya.

Beliau juga berkata kerajaan masih belum memutuskan tarikh sebenar pemansuhan akta sedia ada memandangkan akta baru sedang dalam kajian dan memerlukan penelitian daripada pelbagai aspek.

Malaysia penyokong terbesar Palestin

Selagi Palestin tidak menjadi negara berdaulat, selagi itu Malaysia akan terus menyokong perjuangan Palestin dan mendoakan agar perjuangan mereka kesampaian

SHAH ALAM: Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata Malaysia akan terus memberi sokongan yang tidak berbelah kepada perjuangan rakyat Palestin.

Menurutnya, tengah hari semalam beliau telah berjumpa dengan Duta Palestin yang baharu, Dr. Anwar Hamadto Kassem Al-Agha mengatakan bahawa rakyat Malaysia merupakan antara pemberi sokongan yang paling kuat dalam perjuangan rakyat Palestin sehinggalah ia menjadi negara berdaulat.

“Dia juga ada menceritakan tentang kesengsaraan dan penderitaan yang sedang mereka alami.

“Perdana Menteri Palestin Mahmoud Abbas ada mengutus surat kepada saya dan meminta untuk saya membuat lawatan di Tebing Barat. Saya pernah sampai ke bumi Gaza tetapi belum lagi sampai ke Tebing Barat,” katanya dalam Majlis Berbuka Puasa bersama rakyat Selangor di Masjid Tengku Ampuan Jemaah, Bukit Jelutong.

Tambah beliau, selagi Palestin tidak menjadi negara berdaulat, selagi itu Malaysia akan terus menyokong perjuangan Palestin dan mendoakan agar perjuangan mereka kesampaian.

“Mengapa pada masa ini umat Islam mudah dijajah dan ditindas oleh orang lain? Ini kerana umat Islam sendiri tidak dapat memantapkan perpaduan ummah sesama mereka.

“Kita lihat konflik yang semakin meruncing, ramai umat Islam terkorban di tangan umat Islam yang lain.

“Sebagai contoh di Syria, seramai 150,000 umat Islam telah terkorban dan 10 juta orang sudah menjadi pelarian. Di Iraq pula rakyatnya telah dibunuh, diikat dan diletupkan dengan bom,” tambahnya.

Katanya lagi, dalam konflik Syiah dan Sunni yang masih belum dapat diatasi, beliau menggunakan analogi lebuhraya bagi menggambarkan situasi yang berlaku. “Ibarat kita berada dalam landasan lebuhraya yang sama, destinasi yang sama, cuma kita berada di jalur yang berbeza.

“Jika kita tidak sembarangan menukar jalur untuk menghimpit kenderaan orang lain sehingga berlaku kemalangan, maka kita akan sampai ke destinasi yang dituju dengan selamat.

“Sehubungan dengan itu saya berharap umat Islam dapat menumpukan kekuatan asas seperti mental, fizikal dan rohani agar dapat membina kekuatan dalam semua bidang.

“Malaysia juga akan menjadi contoh kepada negara Islam lain dan bakal dilihat lebih berjaya, progresif dan maju dari segi akidah berdasarkan lima prinsip Maqasid Syariah iaitu agama, nyawa, akal, keturunan dan harta,” ujarnya.

Najib juga menambah, inilah dasar yang kerajaan amalkan selama ini. Dalam majlis itu juga beliau telah memberi sumbang RM5,000 kepada 100 buah sekolah tahfiz di Selangor.

How government has failed poor Malays

The billions of ringgit spent under the NEP don't seem to be helping the people targeted for affirmative action.

By Mariam Mokhtar

Why would a father bludgeon his own son to death? The father had not caught his son abusing his siblings or having sex with someone. The son was not taking drugs or robbing people.

The details are scanty, but we know that on July 5, 17-year-old Muhamad Hafiz Abdul Ghani, who lived in Kampung Jawa, Alor Gajah, told his father that he wanted to work to help the family. The father’s response was to repeatedly beat him with a piece of wood. When he collapsed, Hafiz was put to bed by his mother so that he could sleep off his “exhaustion”.

Was the father’s ego dented? Did his son make Abdul Ghani feel inadequate and a failure?

Abdul Ghani is a construction worker. His children don’t have birth certificates, which means that they cannot have identity cards and cannot be enrolled in school and don’t qualify for medical assistance. Hafiz is the oldest of the 10 siblings, one of whom is a special needs child.

Why were the births of the siblings not registered? Was it the parents’ laziness or ignorance? Were they illegitimate children? Were the children delivered in the backwoods, where there are no registration facilities?

We know that the family is very poor. Hafiz’s mother, 38-year-old Siti Habibah Ismail, said: “Our family can only afford porridge, banana fritters and plain water for breaking of fast.”

We are told that Abdul Ghani has a violent streak. Siti described her 52-year-old husband’s reaction when Hafiz told him he wanted to get a job so that he could buy better food for the family. “Hafiz’s father lost his temper and hit Hafiz repeatedly until he collapsed in the living room,” she said.

We have a glimpse into the character of the father, his control over the family and their fear of him. The mother was unable to prevent the beating of her son, but did Hafiz’s sense of filial piety prevent him from avoiding the blows? He could have run away and sought refuge with a neighbour or family friend.

Why did the neighbours not react? They must have heard the shouts and screams. Is our society the kind where people cannot be bothered to intervene or call the police? Perhaps people have been made to believe that the police will not interfere in “domestic cases”.

We know that Abdul Ghani is a heartless man. Siti said she was the one who took Hafiz to his room after the thrashing. Did her husband feel it beneath him to help his own son and wife?

We realise that Hafiz’s father lacks compassion and a conscience. Siti was stopped by her husband from seeking a neighbour’s help when she saw that there was something wrong with her son. He said Hafiz was merely exhausted.

We learn that Siti’s husband had a strong hold over her. She believed what he told her about Hafiz’s condition. Some women don’t have the moral or physical courage to confront their husbands or defy them even when they know they have to.

Important lessons

We also wonder about Siti’s mental state or level of wisdom. She said, “I woke him up for sahur at 4am, but he gave no response. I thought he was sleeping and I did not suspect anything.”

We suspect Abdul Ghani is a coward from Siti’s description of how he slunked out of the house on the morning after the beating.

After he had left, Siti checked on Hafiz. Failing to elicit any response from him, she called an ambulance.

Police are investigating the case as murder.

So, could this tragedy have been prevented? Yes. There are—or should be—several forms of government assistance for the poor and marginalised. Why have they not reached families like Hafiz’s?

Perhaps the most important lesson here, at least for the Malays, is that large families are not sustainable. A breadwinner can provide only so many children with good education, good nutrition, stability and love. Malays need to understand that quality is preferable to quantity. What has happened to family planning?

As expected, in this and in other tragedies, politicians and political parties have scampered to gain brownie points for appearing to do something. A new house, the promise of a job for the mother, help to register the children with the National Registration Department, schooling and counselling for the family have all been offered.

The fact of the matter is that our politicians and the civil service have failed our poor.

We do not pay our politicians and civil servants to clean up the mess. We pay them to prevent the mess, to help the poor people in our society all the time, not after a tragedy and certainly not to make promises or visits once every five years.

Despite the hundreds of billions of ringgit spent on affirmative action in the last four decades, many Malays have not benefited from the New Economic Policy. And many don’t even know of its existence and the assistance available through it.

So, how many other families like Hafiz’s are out there?

Bring May 13

by AIDC 4

Dear DAP Leaders and Dr. P. Ramasamy,

Need I remind you that May 13th, 1969 was a dark blotch in Malaysia’s otherwise clean history?Neighbour turned against neighbour. Friends turned to foes. And the blood of innocent Malaysians painted the streets of Malaysia. Our history was meant to teach us a bitter lesson; creating racial dissention wasn’t worth the blood spilt. You would think that this was a lesson that everyone carries with them today, but nope, it seems to have missed its mark with Dr. P. Ramasamy.

The DPM recently released a statement, discouraging Malaysians from criticizing one another’s religious or ethnic practices, saying that doing so might lead to a repeat of May 13th. Which in light of the racial and religious issues that are going on today, I thought was a fair statement to make, reminding people of their past doesn’t hurt. However, the DPM’s statement did not sit well with Dr. Ramasamy. In response, Dr. Ramasamy challenged the DPM to “bring May 13” that DAP were not scared of May 13. That they were game for a repeat of May 13.

Of course you’re not scared, if May 13th breaks out again, you will be safe. You will still be rich and have power. You won’t even be touched by the violence, doctor, because you will have bodyguards to protect you. May 13th doesn’t affect people like you, it affects people like me, businessmen, and average Malaysians.

You think it’s a joke when people are being slashed on the street just because they look Chinese or Indian or Malay? You are a representative of the people, but who the hell are you representing? I voted for DAP but those are certainly not my views. You are a leader of people, you are supposed to carry the responsibility of our lives and livelihood on your shoulders, and yet you make statements that encourage violence and economic instability?!?!

Are you blind Doctor? Do you not see what is happening amongst our neighbours in Thailand and Indonesia? Riots have caused their economies to plummet. My business countrerparts in Thailand are suffering because of the political unrest in their country. Is that what you want for Malaysia? Maybe it is, because if the economy goes down people like you, who have money, benefit because you have money to spend in a shit economy. But for the average people in Malaysia, we suffer! Business suffers! We can’t make money when people are scared to walk the streets!

Aren’t you a proud Malaysian, Doctor? I pride myself on being a Malaysian because we are one of the most peaceful countries in South East Asia. And you want to change all that. Do you realize that another May 13 would mean Malaysia would be thrust into Emergency mode? That we would be at the mercy of the military and the police? That YOU would be at their mercy? The power that you have gained through our votes would mean nothing, it would be the end of democracy. Good Luck to you should that happen. Did you think before you spoke?

Doctor, we are not the United States of America, who can afford to go to war. We are a developing country, having even the slightest bit of unrest is detrimental for our economy. How are we ever going to achieve first world economy status with people like you encouraging violence?!? And here you are a leader who professes to want the best for his nation encouraging people to fight one another, consequences be damned.

I voted for DAP and its leaders because I had faith in your vision of a better Malaysia, where everyone was equal. But if your vision has changed to one of violence and dissention to get what you want,then I am ashamed of my decision. You’re not the responsible leaders I thought you were. You are not looking out for my betterment, you are looking out for yours, because unlike you I cannot afford May 13 and I AM scared.

Sincerely,
A Disappointed Supporter.

Police hold boyfriend of Estonian model found dead in Malaysia

(Malay Mail Online) – Tunku Alang Reza Tunku Ibrahim, 28, the boyfriend of Regina Soosalu, who was found dead on a resort island on July 1, has reported to police to be remanded into custody at the Kota Tinggi court in Johor Baru, Malaysia, on July 10. He will be held for a week in order to assist police in their murder investigation into Soosalu’s death.

Reporting to the police station and also detained together with Tunku Alang is an associate of his identified only as “Augustine”. The detention of the two men brings the total number of people held in connection to the suspected murder to seven.

Among the other five people in custody are a bartender, two boatmen, and a manager all from the resort on Rawa island where Regina Soosalu’s body was found. They were detained separately. The day she died, Soosalu was meant to check into the Alang Resort, located elsewhere on the island and owned by her boyfriend’s family.

According to The Star, Tunku Alang and Regina Soosalu were awaiting trial on drug possession charges related their arrest at Taman Century in Johor Baru on January 11. They are charged with possession of 5.84 grams of cannabis, to which they pleaded not guilty and posted bail of RM7,000 on May 12.

Regina Soosalu, a successful Estonian model in Malaysia, was found dead on a resort island last week. Previously assumed to be a case of drowning, police have now classified the case as murder after discovering wounds on the model’s body.

“Initially, the police investigated the case as a drowning incident. However, we classified it as a murder case after finding injuries on the body,” said Johor CID chief Datuk Hasnan Hassan in a press conference.

Soosalu, who lived in Kuala Lumpur, arrived on Pulau Rawa for a vacation on July 1, according to The Malay Mail. However, it remains unclear whether she had company.

Quoting an unnamed source, Malaysian newspaper The Star reported that the 30-year-old model was last spotted leaving her room for a walk near a jetty by hotel workers. Her body was found on a beach on the same day.

However, the model’s death was only publicised five days later when her boyfriend Tengku Alang Reza Ibrahim posted it on Facebook. In a status update that was later deleted, he wrote: “I am deeply saddened and totally heartbroken to confirm the worst tragedy of my life. Regina my love has passed away on July 1, in the holy month of Ramadan.”

The late announcement spurred shock and questions among Soosalu’s friends. One of them, who refused to be named, told the Malaysian Digest that they couldn’t understand why her death was made public until five days after her death.

Six people who were on the island on July 1 are now detained by police to assist investigation. The model’s boyfriend was not among the detainees.

Soosalu’s family was informed of the model’s death through the Estonian embassy in Beijing. Her stepfather and mother are expected to arrive in Malaysia today.

Harsh Islamic Law Loses Momentum in Malaysia

Amputation and stoning disappear into a committee

It is beginning to look like the issue of implementing seventh-century Islamic law requiring the amputation of limbs and stoning of adulterers has crested in Malaysia and is receding.

The issue attracted widespread concern among human rights groups and the international investing community as well as within the country itself, with Chinese, Indians and other minorities loudly objecting to any attempts to enact such a law, not only because they deemed it as barbaric, but because they fear it would spread from Muslims to wider segments of the population.

Parti Islam se-Malaysia, the rural-based fundamentalist Islamic party with its roots in the poverty-stricken east coast of the country, had threatened to introduce two private member’s bills in the parliament in June when Parliament reopened its session. PAS, as the party is known, had been pushing for introduction of hudud, the Islamic system of punishment under Shariah law, in the state of Kelantan, which it controls. It needs federal approval for implementation, however.

Under its provisions, hudud would impose age-old punishments for certain classes of crimes under Shariah law including theft, sex out of wedlock, consumption of liquor and drugs and apostasy. As an indication of the modern inapplicability of the laws, there appear to be no punishments for corporate crime, which is rife in Malaysia. Corporate crime hadn’t been thought of when the Shariah laws were written hundreds of years ago.

But with a rising crime rate and concerns especially over violent street crime, the issue caught fire with the Malay public, egged on by such Malay nationalist organizations as Perkasa. One United Malays National Organization source said UMNO members of parliament were being intimidated into agreeing to vote for it or being thought of as “bad Muslims” by the country’s rural population.

However, it has horrified the 35 percent of other races that make up the country’s polyglot population of 29.6 million. It also posed a huge problem for the Pakatan Rakyat, the three-party opposition coalition made up of the Chinese-majority Democratic Action Party, the moderate urban Malay Parti Keadilan Rakyat headed by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, and the fundamentalist PAS.

How much real political momentum was behind the measure is uncertain. PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang announced in April that he would introduce a private member’s bill in the Dewan Rakyat, or parliament, to pave the way for the introduction in Kelantan. Shortly after, despite the fact that PAS is an opposition party, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom told local media that the Federal Gov ernment would back PAS on the matter, an almost unheard of parliamentary action, especially in Malaysia.

Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister, later proposed the establishment of a national-level committee to study the effect of the law, including bringing in experts from overseas, and that PAS and UMNO would participate in the formation of the committee. But three months later, no committee has been announced, and it appears unlikely that it will be.

There is some thought that the threat of backing the hudud bill was a subterfuge on the part of UMNO strategists because of its potential to split the opposition. Especially the Democratic Action Party headed by Lim Kit Siang and his son, Lim Guan Eng, were outraged by the thought of such a law, as were most urban Malays. Indeed, referring an issue to a committee is a time-honored and effective way to bury such a plan. The threat of implementation drove Chinese voters to stay from polls in an Perak by-election when DAP, in an effort to widen its appeal, ran a Malay candidate. Although she was attractive and intelligent, she lost.

The UMNO source said at the time Hadi Awang was considering introducing the bills that he feared the northern tier of Malay-dominated states would likely implement it on their own if it passed for Kelantan.

It was also to apply only to Malays and not the Chinese, who make up 23 percent of the population, Indians, who make up 8 percent, or ethnic groups in East Malaysia, most of whom are Christian.

But, as former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad – who became a prominent voice against enactment of the law, said: “There are Muslims and non-Muslims in our country. If a Muslim steals, his hand will be chopped off but when a non-Muslim steals, he goes to jail. Is that justice or not?"

Mahathir has been perhaps the strongest voice opposing any such law, ironically despite the fact that he has been a moving force behind the strident Malay nationalists who have been calling for its passage. It has once again shone a spotlight on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who has once again backed away from taking a strong stance.

Najib stood in the presence of President Barack Obama while Obama praised the country as a modern, moderate Malay society, but he has sent contradictory signals. He has said there would be no hudud in Malaysia but at a meeting of a religious group in June, Najib said the federal government has never rejected implementation of hudud although there are “loopholes and shortcomings” that must be addressed. He called for a meeting of Islamic scholars to interpret shariah law to ”scrutinize and to exercise ijtihad (an Islamic term for independent reasoning) so that justice can be served.”

“When they ask Najib to stand up, he holds his balls and looks the other way,” said a longtime western observer who asked not to be named.

In recent weeks, a wider spectrum of Muslims has come out against implementation. Anwar, who himself has been relatively muted on the subject, has come out against it in force as well, telling the PAS contingent of his coalition that any attempt to pass it would wreck the coalition.

As Mahathir has said, although the law would apply only to Muslims, it sets up the specter of a dual class of punishments, with a Chinese, Indian or other minority facing perhaps two months in jail for theft, for instance, and a Malay facing the prospect of losing his hand. Adultery in Malaysia is rarely punished today for any of the races and although it is not talked about, it is rampant among the leaders of UMNO. Under hudud, ethnic Malays would face death by stoning.

Other Islamic organizations with a less harsh agenda have suddenly found their voices. That has included Sisters in Islam, whose executive director Ratna Osman said hudud punishments were not necessarily Islamic but instead were common in medieval society. Islamic Renaissance Front chairman Ahmad Farouk Musa questioned whether hudud is applicable in today’s society.

Anwar Ibrahim: Towards A Cohesive Nation

Keynote address by Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Opposition Leader and Selangor State Economic Advisor at the Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur on July 9th 2014

English Version

Najib should be a voice of moderation to fulfil the aspiration of our 1957 Merdeka Proclamation to make Malaysia “a beacon of light in disturbed and distracted world”

By Lim Kit Siang

The call by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in Shah Alam yesterday for unity between followers of Islam’s two biggest schools, Sunni and Shia, is probably the first good news not only for Muslims but also for Malaysians in this year’s Ramadan as the past 12 days of the holy month in the Muslim calender have been dominated by negative voices of unreason – raucous, divisive and extremist – threatening the very fabric of Malaysia’s multi-racial and multi-religious nationhood.

Najib’s message to the Muslim world to learn to set aside whatever differences among the different denominations and coexist peacefully if it intends to guarantee its own future applies equally true and pertinent to the diverse races, religions and cultures in Malaysia if the Malaysian nation is to fulfil its Merdeka promise in 1957 to be “a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world” and not to become a basket case instead in the international arena.

Najib ‘s call for the unity of Sunni and Shia is particularly welcome as Middle and Moderate Malaysia, both Muslim and non-Muslim, had been most upset by a campaign of persecution and vilification of Shia Muslims, with calls at the UMNO General Assembly last December to spell out the definition of Islam as “Sunna waL Jamaah” in the Federal Constitution as well as recent developments in Syria and Iraq.

Najib said that continued antagonism between the two competing ideologies is the single biggest reason Muslims are fighting each other in the Middle East, despite the fact that they all believe in the same fundamental struggle for Islam.

“The simplest analogy I would use is that both the Shia and Sunni are on the same highway. The only difference is that they are on different lanes. Even the destination is the same.
“So long as we don’t switch lanes and push others, accidents would not happen and if there are no accidents, everyone will arrive safely at our destination.”

This highway analogy applies not only to Sunni and Shia Muslims, but also to the different religions as the Federal Constitution has guaranteed freedom of religion in Malaysia.

If this highway analogy had been strictly adhered to, there would not have been a crackdown on Shia Muslims in the country or the incessant stoking and incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tensions in the past year.

The question is whether Najib is prepared to provide leadership as Prime Minister, both in the country and internationally, be a voice of moderation advocating not only peaceful and harmonious co-existence among Sunni and Shia but also among all religions to fulfil the aspiration of our 1957 Merdeka Proclamation to make Malaysia “a beacon of light for a disturbed and distracted world”?

Does Najib have a Cabinet who is prepared to give him full backing to be such a voice of moderation?

High-level panel to tackle human trafficking

The New Straits Times
by KOI KYE LEE AND KRISTY INUS

SEPANG: THE Home Ministry has agreed to form a high-level committee to deal with 

human trafficking issues.

The decision to set up the committee came about during a meeting by the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Mapo).

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the committee would be tasked to deal with human trafficking matters in Malaysia.

He said the committee was the way forward for Malaysia in addressing recommendations made in the United States Department of State Trafficking In Persons (USTIP) Report 2014.

“Certain recommendations in the USTIP Report 2014 requires amendments to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007, particularly the proposal for trafficking victims being allowed to stay outside shelter homes, as well as the freedom to move and take up employment.

“These matters will be thoroughly studied by the Legislative Committee headed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers under Mapo.”

On non-governmental organisations’ (NGO) participation in victims’ protection, the minister said work with local NGOs would continue.

“The government will continue working with the NGOs concerning psychosocial health, therapy, case management, counseling and medical services.”

Earlier, Zahid met US Ambassador-At-Large on Trafficking in Persons Luis CdeBaca.

The main purpose of CdeBaca’s visit was to engage Malaysian ministers and government officials following the release of the USTIP Report 2014 on June 20.

Zahid said the visit was the best platform for Malaysia to engage with the US and better understand measures or actions that were essential to improve the nation’s tier rating for the next evaluation year.

Among the issues highlighted in the report was that the Malaysian government had failed to comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and was deemed as not making any significant effort to comply with the minimum standards.

Several issues in the report require rectification on the part of the Malaysian government, especially on victims’ protection.

In the 2012 and 2013 reports, Malaysia was granted consecutive waivers. However, a waiver is no longer available given the nation’s demotion to Tier 3.

Meanwhile, in Kota Kinabalu, Zahid said the restructuring of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) would see a review of its operations, including its standard operating procedure (SOP).

“We know no SOP is perfect ... it depends on situational changes, we need to be specific — on demands including from the public.

“Having assets and manpower is not enough, we also need intelligence and the gathering of information. This is something we are working on, with assistance from the Philippines.

“We thank the prime minister for believing in us, and hopefully this will be a new era in fine-tuning Esscom operations,” he said, adding that Esscom would be officially taken over by the Royal Malaysia Police on July 15.

Speaking to reporters at the breaking of fast with ministry staff in Sabah, Zahid said the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police Datuk Abd Rashid Harun as Esscom commander was apt, considering his vast experience in the force.

Regarding the status of Esscom director-general Datuk Mohammad Mentek, he said, it would be decided by the National Security Council and the prime minister.

Present at the event was Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Zinin.

Cabinet Has Last Say On Bill To Replace Sedition Act - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- The Cabinet has the last say on the Bill to replace the Sedition Act 1984, not the National Unity Consultative Council, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

The prime minister said the Cabinet would decide on an appropriate law to replace the Sedition Act 1948 or otherwise.

He said the council was not the definitive or ultimate forum or platform to discuss or determine whether the National Harmony Bill was well suited to replace the Sedition Act.

"The views expressed on the matter (drafting of the Bill) should be discussed privately and the council is not the ultimate body, instead it is the Cabinet," he told reporters after chairing the Umno Supreme Council meeting at PWTC here Friday.

He was commenting on former chief justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad's statement that Bar Council members were also involved in preparing three drafts of the Bill to replace the Sedition Act 1948.

On the Umno Supreme Council meeting, Najib, who is also Umno president, said Umno would take a stand and contribute opinions in the drafting of the Bill.

Hence, he said, Umno would set up a sub-committee under the aegis of its constitution and law bureau to study and make recommendations on the draft Bill for the government's consideration.

Negara – Ku : The work that awaits us all

What are the stated objectives and aspirations of this newly minted people’s movement?
To mobilize and empower the People: -

• ·         to resist all forms of intolerance, bigotry, hatred, extremism, and violence;
• ·         to oppose all forms of discrimination, oppression, persecution and injustice;
  • to strive for a socially inclusive society
  • to exhort the State and its Institutions to respect, adhere and uphold the Rule of Law; and
  • to demand adherence to the principles of stewardship, integrity, accountability and transparency in all aspects of governance.

To read the full text of the Negara – Ku Charter, go HERE.
To this, Isma’s Zaik contends that Negara – Ku is a direct threat to its cause to uphold Islamic and Malay rights, so reports Malaysiakini.
This criticism, by Zaik, without more, serves as a most damning testimony of his ‘Islam’, but let’s leave that discussion for another day.
Ambiga has responded to these allegations, and responded well.
Ambiga has called on Zaik to  produce facts to back up his allegations.
“He will have to explain how that is so. Why is he so nervous about the movement? The movement is based on the Federal Constitution, Malaysia Agreement and the Rukunegara. What is his problem with that?”, the Malay Mail reports Ambiga asking.
My sense, though, is that no explanation from Zaik or anyone in Isma will be forthcoming, because the very reason for which those allegations were made have been, or will be, in the near future, served.
What might that reason be?
To give fodder to the mainstream media to print and broadcast these lies about this new people’s movement, and to have those lies fed to those in the Malay heartlands who may well have little or no access whatsoever to the alternative news and the real truth about what this initiative is about.
If Negara – Ku is to have the impact we hope it will, our immediate task, then, is to get this truth out to those who most need to know it.
Our first, and foremost, task, is to overcome the untruths that certain segments of the media will convey to our brothers and sisters in the Malay heartlands.
Negara – Ku has put together an introductory video that was screened at the press conference on 10th July.


Here’s what you can do for  starters.
Download and burn this video on DVDs.
As many as you can.
The Hari Raya holidays will soon be upon us, and many of us will balik kampong.
Distribute the video to as many people as possible.
Explain to them why this movement is so vital to the survival of our nation.
You and I must be the agents of truth that Negara – Ku so desperately needs.