Khalid to stay on as Pelabuhan Klang assemblyperson

Khalid Ibrahim letak jawatan MB S'gor

Muslim cleric justifies Islamic State beheadings: “Islam is a religion of beheading”

 

Hussein bin Mahmoud invokes Qur’an 47:4: “When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks…” It would be refreshing if Barack Obama or the Archbishop of Brisbane or one of the many other non-Muslim authorities who have insisted that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam would explain how he is misunderstanding that verse. But it is doubtful that they even know that such a verse exists in the Qur’an.
“Jihadi Cleric Justifies IS Beheadings: ‘Islam Is A Religion Of Beheading,’” MEMRI, August 26, 2014 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

In a recent article, jihadi cleric Hussein bin Mahmoud, a prominent writer on jihadi forums, expressed support for the beheading of American journalist James Foley by a member of the Islamic State (IS). Bin Mahmoud wrote that beheading was an effective way to terrorize the enemies of Islam, and stressed that, under Islamic law, Foley was a harbi, i.e. a non-Muslim whose life was not protected by an agreement of protection. He argued further that Islam allows and encourages such acts, since it is a religion of war and fighting.
The following are excerpts from the article, as posted August 21, 2014 on the Shumoukh Al-Islam forum.

“All Scholars… Agree On The Permissibility Of Killing A Harbi Infidel”

“I don’t know what to say. My mind is perplexed by words I have read and heard from people whom I do not know how to describe!! Millions of Muslims have been killed, tortured and driven from their homes; tens of thousands of Muslim women have had their honor violated and have been sexually abused by the Americans – yet people are weeping over a Christian American harbi infidel who entered the Islamic State, knowing full well what the Islamic State is, and without a pact [of protection]. Were the soldiers of the Islamic State supposed to pat this American harbi on the back and smile at him? All scholars, without exception, agree on the permissibility of killing a harbi infidel, and agree that his blood and property are fair game. Most of them [also] agree on the permissibility of killing him if he is taken prisoner. So where does this condemnation of the IS come from?… Let it be known to all people that when a harbi enters the land of Islam without a legal pact [of protection], his property, life and progeny are fair game.
“Many Muslims are influenced by the West’s false views and its repulsive ideas, which are exported to the Islamic nation in order to weaken it and change the perception of its youth so that [the youth] become cowardly and subdued and abandon the means of power and terror, and thus create a generation that does not know fighting or the cutting of necks. Recently we saw some who are considered scholars mixing things up and deceiving the nation, changing the concepts of Islamic law to fit the plans of the enemies. We don’t know if they did this out of ignorance about some of the tenets of Islamic law, or were [simply] lying…”

“Beheading A Harbi Infidel Is A Blessed Act For Which A Muslim Is Rewarded”

“Chopping off the heads of infidels is an act whose permissibility the [Muslim] ummah agrees on. Beheading a harbi infidel is a blessed act for which a Muslim is rewarded. The [only] matter scholars disagree about is the question of transferring the head from one place to another, traveling with it and carrying it around…”

Bin Mahmoud: Jews, Christians, Shi’ites And ‘Alawites Who Committed Crimes Against The Muslims Must Be Beheaded

After clarifying that he is opposed to killing Muslims, bin Mahmoud continues: “As for beheading infidel Jews, Christians and ‘Alawites, as well as apostate Shi’ites, who commit crimes against the Muslims, they must be terrorized, filled with fear and beheaded without any respect. Cutting off heads is part of the tradition of the [Prophet's] Companions. In the Koran Allah ordered to smite the infidels’ necks and encouraged the Muslims to do this. He said [in Koran 47:4], ‘When you meet those who disbelieve on the battlefield, smite at their necks until you have killed and wounded many of them…
“How many hadiths [relayed by] the Prophet’s Companions have we read in which they demanded that he strike the necks of certain men, and the Prophet did not condemn the striking of necks… Striking necks was a well-known matter that did not elicit any condemnation in the eras of the Prophet, the rightly-guided caliphs and their successors,  right until the time of the Christian occupation of the Muslims’ lands in the [20th] century. Those crusaders fought the Islamic legal concepts, distorted the religion, and convinced the Muslims that their religion is a religion of peace, doves, love and harmony, and that there is no blood in it, no killing and no fighting. The Muslims remained in this state until Allah revived the tradition of beheading by means of the mujahid and slaughterer Abu Mus’ab Al-Zarqawi, may Allah have mercy upon him and accept him as a martyr.”

“Islam Is A Religion Of Bloodshed”

Bin Mahmoud goes on to quote a long list of texts which, according to him, prove that Islam condones beheading as a means of terrorizing the enemy, and then emphasizes once more that Islam is not a peaceful religion, since its essence is jihad and martyrdom. He concludes that “Islam is a religion of beheading”:
“The truth is that what distorts the image of Islam is not the beheading and terrorizing of infidels, but rather those who want [Islam to follow the path of] Mandela or Ghandi, with no killing, fighting, brutality, bloodshed or the striking of heads or necks. That is not the religion of [the Prophet] Muhammad son of ‘Abdallah who was sent [to fight] with the sword [until]   Judgment Day. The only Koranic surah that is named after him, Surah Muhammad, is [also] called ‘The Surah of Fighting’…
“Islam is a religion of power, fighting, jihad, beheading and bloodshed, not a religion of turning the left cheek to whoever slapped you on the right cheek. On the contrary, it is a religion of breaking the hand that is stretched out to humiliate the Muslim. [Any Muslim] who fights for his property, blood or honor is a martyr.
“In Islam, tourism [means] jihad for the sake of Allah… There is no true life for its believers except through jihad, [and] the goal of its fighters is to die for the sake of their religion…”

- See more at: http://pamelageller.com/2014/08/prominent-cleric-cleric-justifies-beheadings-islam-religion-beheading.html/#sthash.1MPeRTwU.dpuf

Poll: 92% of Saudis believe that Islamic State “conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic law”

 

Now where did they get this idea? Haven’t they been listening to Barack Obama and David Cameron, the Pope of Rome and the Archbishop of Brisbane, who tell them that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam, and to all the Muslim groups in the West who have condemned (in vague, non-specific terms) the Islamic State? Is the Kingdom of the Two Holy Places, dedicated to implementing Islam in every detail of life, somehow filled with misunderstanders of Islam? What an odd turn of events! How could it possibly have come about?
“92% of Saudi’s believe that ‘IS(IS) conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic law’ – Poll,” Muslim Statistics, August 24, 2014:

Saudi poll to reveal public’s level of sympathy for IS

The Sakina Campaign plans to carry out a scientific survey to determine the position of the Saudi public on the “caliphate” announced by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. This comes after the results of an opinion poll of Saudis were released on social networking sites, claiming that 92% of the target group believes that “IS conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic law.” Observers believe that in the current period, it is most important to “focus on the roots of extremism and to address and fight it.”

The Saudi Sakina campaign plans to conduct a survey to determine the extent to which the Saudi public sympathizes with the Islamic State and its recent declaration of a caliphate.
Author Abdullah al-Duhailan, Rahma Thiab, Shaden al-Hayek
July 22, 2014, Al-Hayat
Translator(s) Tyler Huffman
Original Article اقرا المقال الأصلي باللغة العربية
Meanwhile, Saudi families refused to hold mourning gatherings for their sons who were killed in troubled places outside of the kingdom. The “confusion” that was sparked by IS’ recent expansion saw the proliferation of websites selling shirts carrying slogans that called for jihad and glorified IS. Advisory Committee member Sheikh Abdullah al-Suwailem refused to classify those affiliated with terrorist groups as “criminals,” claiming that pressure had led them to join these groups in the absence of guidance.
Some of the families of those killed fighting outside of Saudi Arabia expressed their “joy,” refusing to show grief over the deaths of their sons. Preachers and sheikhs considered this ideology “the reason for terrorism,” saying, “It harms the reputation of the Islamic religion.” They stressed that those who go to these places of conflict are in violation of the religious authority, which must be followed. They therefore concluded that their deaths are not a form of martyrdom, as their families think. The families are overcome with emotion and distribute sweets and refuse to mourn, show sadness or cry, considering those killed to be martyrs.
Abdul Moneim al-Mushawwah, the director of the Sakina Campaign, which operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da’wah and Guidance in Saudi Arabia, told Al-Hayat: “In the coming period, the campaign plans to work on a manual survey, through which we can determine the extent to which the Saudi public sympathizes with what happened recently in Iraq, namely the declaration of the caliphate.” He added: “This survey will target a specific segment in a particular time period, ranging between one and two months. It will be supervised by an academic to meet the required conditions.”
In a related context, Sheikh Abdullah al-Suwailem, another Advisory Committee member, refused to classify those affiliated with terrorist groups such as IS and Jahbat al-Nusra as criminals. Suwailem told Al-Hayat: “The youth are languishing under various pressures, including some that are legitimate and brave. And excess and pressure are realities experienced by the youth, with little direction.” He added: “We do not classify the youth affiliated with these groups as criminals. If we do this, we prejudice them and make them our adversaries.”
“We must confront arguments with arguments, evidence with evidence. [We should] provide our youth with correct guidance, not criminalize them, so as to not further inflame the issue,” he noted.
On the other hand, shirts with phrases calling for jihad and photos glorifying IS and extremist currents and calling for fighting were promoted on Internet sites and on the social media pages of terrorist organizations. The spokesman for Saudi customs, Issa al-Issa, said: “The importation of clothing requires a commercial registration that lists the activity of clothing trade. As for controls on clothing imports, [any imports] must conform to adopted standards. The customs authority takes a sample and sends it to registered laboratories to report on the extent to which it complies with specifications. Another stipulation is that [the clothing] does not have inappropriate phrases or images that contradict Islamic law.”

Khalid resigns as S'gor MB, no snap polls

The sultan of Selangor has consented to Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's request to relinquish his post as menteri besar.

This debunks speculation of dissolution of the Selangor legislative assembly and subsequent snap polls.

However, the ruler had asked him to remain at the helm until a replacement is appointed.

A jovial looking Khalid (left) read the statement by the palace at a packed press conference at the state secretariat building in Shah Alam this afternoon.

While the sultan appears favourable to a smooth transition of power, he has however instructed Pakatan Rakyat leaders to propose more than two names for the post, citing “convention”.

"The Sultan has ordered for a leader each from PKR, DAP and PAS to submit more than two names among Pakatan Rakyat parties as the menteri besar candidate," the sultan’s press secretary Muhammad Munir Bani said in the statement.

"This is in tune with the convention that has been practised in all previous MB appointments.”

Sultan has 'absolute discretion'

Muhammad Munir also said that the sultan retains "absolute discretion" to appoint a new MB that he feels obtains the majority support of the state assembly.

Asked why he did not ask for dissolution, Khalid told reporters that he felt that his resignation was the best solution to the crisis because the issue in Selangor is about the majority not wanting him to be MB.

"The intention is not to have me as MB, so if I am no longer the MB there is no need (for state assembly dissolution or emergency sitting).

“Why are we going around in circles? If their intention is to change the MB, there are many ways and I want the best way," he said.

"The best way is to accept the request (by resigning)," he added.

He will also request the Selangor palace to release the list of candidates for the MB post that were considered but not appointed in 2008 and 2013.

This was after reporters questioned him if the same convention of submitting several names was practised when Pakatan nominated Selangor MBs both in 2008 and 2013.

"This was practised even during the times of the sultan's father, there were more than four names submitted at one point," he said.

Happy to be free from the job

Previously, PKR and DAP had agreed on PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (below) to replace Khalid.

After initially expressing support for the PKR president, PAS took a different stand after a meeting yesterday.

Earlier, Khalid had met the sultan at his palace in a highly-anticipated audience in the crisis which has dragged on for about month.

Making his announcement, Khalid also stressed that the issue of Wan Azizah's feasibility as a MB or her majority support did not arise in audience.

"No, that was not discussed at all," he said.

Khalid said he also “apologised” to the ruler as the palace was “dragged along” in the Selangor political crisis.

"I hope all parties especially politicians, media and social media users avoid from making statements or criticism to undermine the role played by all involved parties, especially the institution of monarchy," he said.

Khalid also said that he would remain Port Klang assemblyperson at the time being, and refused to divulge any details on his next move until after he has handed over his duties as MB.

But he said that if by any bizarre circumstance any party nominates him as MB, he would refuse as he is "happy to be free from the job".

He, however, refused to state if he will be joining PAS in the future.

Palace's press statement


Selangor crisis today

11.50am: Fearing snap polls, DAP reveals that it discussed the possibility of a Pakatan break up in an emergency meeting last night

2.39pm: Selangor sultan has an audience with Khalid

3.33pm: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s office denies that he had offered PKR deputy president Azmin Ali the MB post if Azmin backs a PAS-Umno unity government.

4.42pm: Palace accepts Khalid resignation as MB, pending appointment of a replacement. The ruler also asks for more than two MB nominees each from each Pakatan party.

5.57pm: Selangor PAS says sultan’s decree for multiple candidates in in line with Abdul Hadi’s view.

10.29pm: PKR and DAP say they will only submit Wan Azizah’s name as in 2013 , the palace sought four names and was given only one.

Penang rep to be charged with sedition, likely for ‘Umno celaka’ remark

(Malay Mail Online) – Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer will be charged with sedition tomorrow, believed to be over his controversial “Umno celaka” remark that he made inside the Penang state assembly.

According to the DAP lawmaker, police instructed him today to appear at the Sessions Court early tomorrow morning.

“They called me at about 1pm telling me to be present at the sessions court tomorrow morning to face a sedition charge,” he said.

On June 18, Rayer was arrested and released on police bail before he was told to turn up at the sessions court on June 19.

He was investigated under Section 4(1)(b) for uttering allegedly seditious words at the state legislative assembly on May 20 and was supposed to be charged in court on June 19.

However, he was not charged on that day and was told to leave as the Attorney-General had issued instructions that his charge be deferred.

Rayer, who will be represented by his lawyers Gobind Singh Deo, Ramkarpal Singh Deo and S.Raveentharan tomorrow, said he will go to court tomorrow and see what happens.

Rayer was not informed what he will be charged over, but it is believed that he will be indicted for uttering the words “celaka Umno” in the state assembly in May this year.

Rayer’s controversial “celaka Umno” remark had sparked protests by Umno Youth members who had demonstrated and then invaded the Housel on May 21.

A total 15 men were arrested for the state assembly intrusion and charged with trespassing on June 19.

PKR & DAP defy Sultan, insists on only Wan Azizah’s name

(The Star) – In defiance of a decree by Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, PKR and DAP will forward only PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s name for consideration for the post of the mentri besar.

In a joint statement signed by PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua late Tuesday, the two parties maintained their recommendation of Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the Sultan’s consideration.

The component parties said a single name nomination was in line with the convention practised by Pakatan Rakyat in 2013 especially after the PKR party president had a majority support of at least 30 state assemblymen, including herself.

“In 2013, the Sultan had also requested for Pakatan Rakyat component parties to nominate more than one name for the appointment of mentri besar that year.

“That request was conveyed to PKR, PAS and DAP through a letter dated May 7, 2013 and it reflected the convention practised by the Sultan.

“Subsequent to that request, Pakatan submitted a single name nomination which was Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for the Sultan’s consideration. This nomination was agreed and used by His Highness,” it said.

On Tuesday, Khalid said he had submitted his resignation letter but that the Sultan had deferred acceptance of it until a suitable replacement could be named.

The Sultan had requested Pakatan Rakyat component parties to submit more than two names each for consideration for the post of mentri besar.

MMC did not ask for lower intake of medical students

MMC did not ask for lower intake of medical students

PETALING JAYA: Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan is in a bit of a twist. He said the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) had asked for a reduction in the intake of medical students. But the MMC has denied making the request.

DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok said Kamalanathan could not now keep quiet or he will be called a liar for making a false claim

On Aug 19, New Straits Times reported that Deputy Education Minister II Kamalanathan said that 418 places were available for a medical degree in public varsities this year, compared with 699 places last year, based on the recommendation of the MMC.

He said that MMC requested for a lower intake to prevent the oversupply of doctors as there were housemen in hospitals with no work to do.

Kamalanathan said 1,163 students who achieved a 4.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) from matriculation and straight As for the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) applied for the 2014/2015 session.

However, there days ago, MMC issued a statement to rebut Kamalanathan’s claim that it has issued a directive to reduce intake of medical students.

The MMC statement issued by its president Dr.Noor Hisham Abdullah states:-

” The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) would like to clarify that all accredited medical schools in Malaysia have been given approval for a specific quota in terms of the number of students to be enrolled every academic year. The quota is determined by their teaching capacity, and takes into consideration among others the lecturers to student ratio, and also the students to hospital beds ratio to ensure that students get adequate clinical teaching.”

” For the public medical schools in Malaysia, the total size of the approved quota is 1,550 student intake annually, and is distributed among the 11 Public Universities with 13 medical programmes (UM-180, UKM-200, USM-300, UPM-100, UNIMAS- 120, UIA-140, UMS-90, UiTM-230, USIM-80, UNIZA-60, UPNM-50). The approved quota was decided based on their ability to comply with the accreditation guidelines for medical programmes.

MMC has never given any directive to any of the public universities/public medical schools to reduce their intake of the medical students. They are free to enroll the students in accordance with the quota approved for them, provided they are in compliance with the accreditation guidelines .

“The issue of oversupply does not arise as long as the public universities comply with the approved quotas and the accreditation requirements, which is important in ensuring the quality of medical graduates so that patients are provided with safe and quality care.”

Kok wants to know why Kamalanathan said it was MMC that directed a reduction be made and why only 418 places were allocated, well below the approved quota?

Sultan tangguh peletakan jawatan MB

Sultan Selangor juga telah menitahkan agar setiap pemimpin parti PAS, PKR dan DAP mencadangkan lebih daripda dua nama daripada parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat sebagai calon MB Selangor

SHAH ALAM: Setiausaha Sulit Sultan Selangor, Mohamad Munir Bani berkata Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah menangguhkan penerimaan letak jawatan Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim sebagai Menteri Besar Selangor.

Menurutnya, Baginda menangguhkan sehingga perlantikkan MB Selangor yang baru ditentukan.

Ini untuk memastikan pentadbiran kerajaan negeri Selangor berjalan dengan lancar dan teratur.

Sultan Selangor telah menerima menghadap Khalid pada hari ini untuk menyembah maklum bahawa beliau memohon perkenan Baginda untuk meletak jawatan sebagai MB.

“Sebagaimana yang telah diperuntukkan di bawah Perkara LI (1), Perkara L111 (2) (A), (4) dan LV (2) (a) Undang-undang Rubuh Kerajaan Selangor 1959, Sultan Selangor telah diperuntukkan dengan kuasa budi bicara mutlak di dalam pelantikan seorang MB bagi kerajaan negeri Selangor yang pada pendapat Baginda mungkin mendapat kepercayaan majoriti Ahli Dewan Negeri,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Sultan Selangor juga telah menitahkan agar setiap pemimpin parti PAS, PKR dan DAP mencadangkan lebih daripda dua nama daripada parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat sebagai calon MB Selangor.

“Ini bagi memudahkan Sultan untuk menentukan calon yang berkelayakan dan seterusnya memberi perkenan untuk melantik mana-mana calon yang difikirkan layak sebagai MB.

“Ini adalah sejajar dengan konvensi yang telah diamalkan secara berterusan dalam pelantikan MB Selangor sebelum ini,” jelasnya.

Who’s ‘qualified’ to be MB?

Adat istiadat will be the guide to what will happen next.

Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had an audience with the Sultan of Selangor and indicated that in light of the current developments he would like to tender his resignation.

The Sultan took note of Khalid’s request but deferred the acceptance of his resignation (meaning, did not accept the resignation yet) until a new MB has been decided.

According to the Articles of the Selangor State Constitution, the Sultan has the absolute powers to use his discretion in the appointment of an MB who in his opinion may most likely command the confidence or trust of the majority in the state assembly.

Note the part about “discretion”, “opinion” and “may most likely”, words that mean what the Sultan “believes to be” even if it is not so.

The Sultan commands the leaders of PAS, PKR and DAP to propose “more than two” names as candidates for the MB’s office to facilitate his determining a candidate who is qualified for the job.

This is a titah, or royal command, and not open to discussion or debate. And note the word “qualified”. And how do you determine the qualifications?

This qualification and the manner the MB will be appointed will be done in accordance with convention.

And the operative phrase here is “according to convention”.

And convention may be something not stated in the Selangor State Constitution but has been the practice in the past.

Hence, adat istiadat will be the guide to what is going to happen next.

Roslan Bistamam is a FMT columnist

Who is ‘likely to command the confidence of the majority’? — Gurdial Singh Nijar

AUGUST 25 — The Selangor Constitution obliges the Sultan to appoint as the MB “a member of the

State Legislative Assembly who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Assembly”: Article 53(2)(a).

30 of the 56 members of the Assembly have already sworn on oath a declaration that they support Dato Seri Dr Wan Azizah. This constitutes 53.5% of the members of the Assembly – a clear majority; and in any event a majority that is higher than that which led the Sultan of Perak to appoint an MB on the basis that he commanded the majority. This exercise of discretion was accepted by the Federal Court in the Perak case (Nizar v Zambry).

Secondly, PAS has also expressed its support for Dato Seri Dr Wan Azizah, although the Party also proposed an additional name. This means that Dato Seri Dr Wan has the cumulative support of 43 out of the 56 members of the Assembly — an overwhelming 77% of the majority of the members of the State Assembly.

Significantly, BN has not indicated its support for any candidate. That is, it has abstained in this exercise.

This means that Dato Seri Dr Wan Azizah has the support of a very clear majority of the members of the Assembly; with no one opposing her appointment as MB.

Where it appears abundantly patent who is likely to command the majority, the Sultan’s discretion must be exercised in favour of that person – based on the facts, the Constitution, constitutional convention (practice) and the Perak case. — Reuters pic

* Gurdial Singh Nijar is a Professor at the Law Faculty of University of Malaya.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.

Court quashes Christian woman’s khalwat conviction

The Malaysian Insider
by LOOI SUE-CHERN

Halimah, the Indonesian Christian woman who was charged and found guilty of "khalwat" (close proximity) two years ago, can finally put her worries behind her, as her conviction was quashed by the Penang lower shariah court this morning.

Syarie prosecutor Mohamad Fahmi Mohamad Idris informed the court that they are withdrawing its case against Halimah.

The instruction came from the shariah chief prosecuting officer under the Section 103 of the Penang Shariah Criminal Procedure Enactment, which allows the chief prosecuting officer to withdraw any charge at any stage of the case.

Judge Zaini Abd Rahim allowed the application by the prosecution and ordered Halimah to be discharged and acquitted immediately.

Halimah, 42, a reflexologist, and a mother of four from Bandung, was acquitted after the charge against her was withdrawn, just as her case was scheduled for retrial at the Penang lower shariah court.

"I am finally free. I am so happy," she said told reporters when she walked out of the courtroom.

"I am crying because I am so happy. I thank tuan-tuan (sirs, referring to her lawyer Wan Faridulhadi Mohd Yusoff and officials from the Indonesian Consulate-General in Penang) for helping me.

"Thank you, adik-adik (little brothers and sisters from the media for highlighting my case)."

Halimah was charged with committing close proximity under Section 27(b) of the Shariah Criminal Offences Enactment (Penang) on May 15, 2012 at a Penang Shariah Lower Court.

It was reported that Halimah, who is illiterate, had pleaded guilty as she was unrepresented and did not understand the charge against her.

She was sentenced to 14 days jail and fined RM3,000. She has not served her sentence pending the appeal.

"It has been difficult. My heart had been troubled ever since. I could not eat or sleep very well as I was worried.

"Now it is over. I want to call my family back home to tell them the news."

The soft-spoken and shy woman, who could not leave Malaysia while her case was pending, said she is planning to go back to Indonesia next year to see her family.

"I will still go on working here. I want to save up more money to take home.

"Maybe by then, I will be a grandmother. Who knows?"

Halimah's son got married this May but she had to miss the wedding.

Her employer Datin Josephine Ong, who paid for Halimah's legal fees and stood by her throughout the case, said she is just happy.

"I am happy for Halimah. She is now a free woman."

Lawyer Cecil Rajendra, who was holding a watching brief for the Malaysian Bar Council and the National Human Rights Society (Hakam), said they are now discussing the next step.

They are contemplating suing the relevant authorities for the ordeal Halimah and her employer had to face for more than two years.

Rajendra said there has been no formal apology to Halimah by the court or the state Islamic department (JHEAIPP) that had her taken from her place of work on Jalan Siang Tek on December 8, 2011, for interrogation.

Her detention by the religious authorities subsequently led her to be charged with khalwat.

"Halimah and her employer were both put under stress due to the wrongful prosecution.

"She should never have been charged in the first place. She was virtually under house arrest since she could not go home to her family in Indonesia.

"We will discuss further after this if we should pursue this," Rajendra said, adding that Halimah's rights as a woman, migrant worker and religious minority were also violated.

Cecil also thanked the Consul-General of Indonesia in Penang, Ronald P. Manik, for writing to the Penang shariah chief judge recently regarding the case.

Halimah's case attracted attention because she was likely the first non-Muslim to be charged and found guilty for khalwat in the country. – August 26, 2014.

Najib: People In Selangor Should Gauge Rationally Political Developments In The State

DENGKIL, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants the people in Selangor to gauge rationally, the political developments in the state.

Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said nepotism openly occurred in Selangor where a fit elected representative was asked to resign and be replaced by one's own wife. A by-election was earlier held and after that, the wife was chosen as candidate for the menteri besar post.

"Just imagine, if in BN we make our own wife as menteri besar, we will be accused of open nepotism but this is happening in Selangor.

"It is up to the people in Selangor to think of what is good and appropriate to be done based on wisdom and rationale, and this consideration will save the state and country as a whole.

"Consideration with a motif like 'ada udang galah disebalik batu (there's a giant prawn behind the rock - meaning, ulterior motive) will only bring losses to the people," Najib said at a Selangor Umno Aidilfitri celebration attended by over 10,000 people at Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina), here, tonight.

Also present was state Umno liaison chief and Federal Action Council chairman for Selangor, Datuk Seri Noh Omar.

Najib said the federal government expressed its appreciation for Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim who agreed to sign the agreement for the implementation of the Air Langat Water Treatment Plant 2 (Langat 2) project to ensure sufficient water supply for the people in Selangor and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

He said although the agreement should have been signed three years ago, politics was above Abdul Khalid's rational consideration at the time.

"The Selangor menteri besar has realised that the federal government's decision on the project was right after all as without Langat 2, there is no guarantee of adequate water supply (for the three areas)," he added.

Meanwhile, Najib said there were lessons learned from the MH17 tragedy as Malaysians were united in sadness and grief when they observed one minute of silence last Friday in honour of the crash victims.

"This was a very unique and special situation when we managed to forget our quarrels and different political ideologies and regardless of our race and religion, we as Malaysians shared the sadness and sympathy.

"This showed that in such a testing time, Malaysians could unite and there were no hurdles they could not overcome," he said.

Earlier, Najib and the other attendees of the Raya celebration also observed a minute of silence in honour of the victims of the MH17 crash which occurred on July 17 when the Malaysia Airlines plane was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, as well as the passengers and crew of MH370 which went missing on March 8.

At the function, Najib also handed over contributions to the Haj would-be pilgrims from the Sepang parliamentary constituency.