‘Melayu benar-benar Islam akan lawan ketidak-adilan’

Muslim Imam Allowed to Praise Allah on House Floor

The United States House of Representatives allowed a Muslim imam to give the opening prayer on Thursday morning, in which he praised Allah, the demonic god of Islam, who is the enemy of Christ and America.

Imam Hamad Ahmad Chebli of the Islamic Society of New Jersey was invited by Democrat Rep. Rush Holt (NJ).

Chebli praised Allah as, "The most gracious, the most merciful" and then declared "Praise be to Allah, the cherisher, the sustainer of the world; the most gracious, the most merciful master of the day of judgment."

He then went on to declare, "Thee do we worship and thine do we seek. Guide us to the safe path."

Inconsistent with the biblical prophets and the Lord Jesus Christ, Chebli deceptively said that Allah is the "god of the prophets and the messenger says in the koran, he does not place a responsibility on you greater than you can bear. Everyone will receive the good they have earned and vice versa."

Then, the imam finally got around to his prayer.

"O god, bless us as we begin a new day," he said. "Bless this assembly. Bless the people and nation it represents. O god, at this time in our history, the challenges for our nation and the world are many. O god, grant these men and women the wisdom, the guidance and the strength to pursue compassion, justice and sound judgment. O god, in your wisdom, you have placed upon them great responsibility and honor. O god, please help them with your guidance and your light."

He concluded, "O god, O god, improve the well-being of all inhabitants of this great nation and beyond. Amen."

How can a false, non-existing god do any of these things, especially in light of the history of Islam? Their history is replete with violence, tyranny and bloodshed as they have been commanded to perform in the Koran.

America, Islam is your enemy, not your friend. America has invited the judgment of God into its government and now thinks it appropriate to call upon a god promoted by a demon possessed, murdering, thieving pedophile named Mohamed. America's leaders have not lifted a finger to stop the infiltration of Muslims into key positions in our government and only a few are willing to call them out.

Men like Chebli hold to the same ideology as those who are killing your sons and daughters overseas. They are of the same ideology as those who have murdered your fellow Americans on our own soil. Are we just going to stand by and watch this disgrace without a peep? You know the email addresses of your representatives. You know their phone numbers. You know their address. Demand that Islam be banned from entering the House or Senate ever again and that their be a forthcoming apology to the American people and repentance before God for bringing such a man into Congress.

There are professed Christians in the House of Representatives and yet, not one peep from them while a demonic deity was praised and petitioned. Shame on you!

Elijah would have been mocking this man and then calling for his removal and subsequent execution by the people (1 Kings 18). The longer Islam is tolerated in America, the more dangerous for the people and the more we provoke the true and living God to wrath against us.

Where is the Church? Where are her cries here as they have been against the lesbian mayor in Houston? Where is the outrage America that the "religion of pieces" is allowed to utter anything in the halls of our government? And don't give me "freedom of religion" or any such nonsense of an appeal towards the First Amendment, recalling that none of that was purposed in its writing.

This came just ahead of Friday's first ever Muslim call to prayer at the Washington National Cathedral.

America, judgment is at the door and you continue to sleep thinking that God will not bring the hammer down. Arise, wake from your slumber and put down the enemies of God and our country while there is still time to do it. Repent!

UN Report: ISIS Savages Denying Food, Medicine To Hundreds Of Thousands In Syria

GENEVA – The Islamic State group has denied food and medicine to hundreds of thousands of people and hidden its fighters among civilians since a U.S.-led coalition began launching airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, a U.N. panel investigating war crimes in Syria reported Friday.

The panel said Syrians and Iraqis are subjected to an Islamic State “rule of terror” from its calculated use of public brutality and indoctrination to ensure the submission of communities under its control, and that the tactics include repeated violations against children and women.

The conclusions from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, a four-member panel of independent experts, are based on more than 300 interviews with people who fled or are living in IS-controlled areas and on collected video and photographic evidence.

“Those that fled consistently described being subjected to acts that terrorize and aim to silence the population,” said Brazilian diplomat and scholar Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who chairs the panel. He said whatever “services” the group provides to civilians is “always in the framework of this rule of terror,” similar to criminal organizations that use such means to control populations.

Commission member Vitit Muntarbhorn told reporters in Geneva the report is meant to amplify the voices of victims, who describe executions, amputations, public lashings and the use of sexual slavery, child soldiers and widespread indoctrination.

The group has “become synonymous with extreme violence directed against civilians and captured fighters,” the report said.

Humanitarian groups have been unable to reach almost 600,000 people in IS-controlled Deir el-Zour and Raqqa provinces, it says, and the group has obstructed the flow of medicine, doctors and nurses into Hassakeh province.

“The group deploys its fighters and materiel in close proximity to civilian areas,” the report concludes, adding that since U.S.-led airstrikes began civilians living in the northern Syrian town of Manbij have described IS fighters positioning themselves in local homes and farms.

The 47-nation Human Rights Council in Geneva authorized the commission to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011 in Syria and to identify whenever possible those responsible, so that they can be prosecuted.

Over the past three months, 1250 wounded ISIS terrorists were hospitalized in Turkey

Many Turkish physicians and nurses are disgruntled and tired of treating savage Islamist terrorists who are responsible for ultimate brutality and horrible bloodshed in Syria and neighboring Iraq.


Jiar Gol, BBC’s Kurdish service correspondent in Turkish Kurdish-populated provinces, reported that the injured high-ranking ISIS commanders escaping the war-ravaging Syria are entering the Turkish territory through the porous Syria-Turkey border and later being admitted into Turkish army’s military hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Gaziantep, Mardin and Adana southern provinces.

Dr. Othman Bayraktar, a well-known neurologist in southern city of Kilis near the border with Syria divulged that the hospitals in which he works, have so far received near to 1200 severely injured terrorists whom have been treated for a long time in heavily guarded hospitals and after a while they return to Syria to resume their barbaric and heinous crimes against the innocent civilian populations. Dr. Bayraktar further added that many hospital staffs are seriously distressed and “ashamed” of offering medical treatments for criminal and thuggish Islamist fighters.

Turkey, a Muslim member of NATO and a U.S. close ally has importuned the West to prepare
groundwork for establishing a buffer-zone stretching along the Turkey –Syria border areas to host and support all sort of Syrian militants.

Earlier, Kurdish officials in Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous Region had warned about Turkey’s dangerous agendas and said that Ankara by creating a buffer-zone would eradicate all independent Kurdish political parties to cement its grip over Kurdish-populated northern Syria and Iraq.

Jakim: All must respect Article 121 (1A) of the Federal Constitution

(Bernama) – The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) wants all to respect Article 121 (1A) of the Federal Constitution which provides that the civil court cannot interfere in the syariah court.

Its director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha said failure to abide by the provision could cause confusions in society when a court decision was made.

“The provision on the matter is clear. It is there and other courts cannot discuss matters related to Islamic law. But, because it has been requested, let’s wait for the appeal by the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Religious Council.

“As the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom had said prior to this, the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council and those from other states will intervene in the appeal proceedings later,” he said when met after attending a national level Quran and Islamic personal obligation gathering here, yesterday.

He said this when asked to comment on the decision of the Appeals Court on Friday which declared Section 66 of the Syariah Criminal Enactment (Negeri Sembilan) 1992 as invalid under the constitution because it discriminated against Muslim men who suffered from a condition known as gender identity disorder.

Big budget for education but standards remain poor, says Ku Li

Annual allocations by the government for the education sector increases yearly but the country's quality of education remains poor, said former cabinet minister and Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Speaking at Kolej Yayasan Saad in Malacca today, the former finance minister said Malaysia has been spending more than its Asean neighbours on education as well as South Korea and Japan.

He said the country was placed at the 16th spot among 102 nations in government expenditure for education at all levels.

"Unfortunately, in terms of gross domestic product ratio, the big spending is not worth it, at least it does not show the results in terms of improvement in education quality," said Razaleigh in the text of his speech released to the media.

He cited the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which found Malaysian students' score in Mathematics plunge from 520 in 1999 to 440 in 2011.

In science, Malaysian students also dropped from 510 in 2003 to 426 in 2011.

Similarly, the Programme for International Student Achievement (Pisa) found Malaysian students performing below average compared with countries in the same economic ranking.

Pisa ranked Malaysia at 39 with a mean score of 422 after assessing students in 2012 on creative problem-solving, while neighbouring Singapore came out tops with a mean score of 562.

The overall mean score for all countries was 500.

Razaleigh said there was a lack of emphasis in critical thinking in the country's education system, which is too exam-oriented.

"Rote learning will not improve students' thinking and problem solving skills which are crucial in the working world, and to be students who are thinking, disciplined and responsible.

"Teachers and parents should not glorify results such as scoring 13 As in PMR and SPM. This only encourages rote-learning which is mechanical and unable to open the students' mind," he added.

He also expressed worries over the rising unemployment rate among local graduates, which according to the World Bank, stood at 21% in 2013.

He said excluding Indonesia, the unemployment rate among young people in Malaysia was the highest in Asia.

"It doesn't matter if the situation is worse in Europe. We should not be happy about this situation. If there is an economic crisis which we expect in the near future, unemployment among youths is very worrying."

He urged Putrajaya to pay more attention to improving primary and secondary education especially on skills development, saying this was crucial if the country were to achieve high wage economy as opposed to high income economy.

He also underlined the importance of mastering the English language among college and university graduates, saying it was the world economy's "lingua franca".

He said mastering English has been emphasised since the Razak Report, a blueprint on the future Malayan education system released in 1956 and named after then education minister Tun Abdul Razak.

"What has happened that we now have problem with this medium of international communication?" he asked. – November 15, 2014.

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Family of ex-MAS steward held in Paris appeals to Putrajaya for help

Breaking their silence for the first time, the tearful family of a former Malaysia Airlines flight steward detained in Paris since August for alleged sexual assault on a passenger, today appealed to Putrajaya to bring him home..

The former MAS employee’s eldest daughter Syaza, 24, said under Article 3 of the Tokyo Convention 1963, her father should be brought back to Malaysia instead of being held in France.

Both Malaysia and France are signatories to the Tokyo Convention 1963, which is a multilateral treaty on offences and certain other acts committed on board an aircraft.

Article 3 states that the state of registration of the aircraft is competent to exercise jurisdiction over offences and acts committed on board.

Therefore, Syaza said, there were grounds for her father to be brought back to Malaysia to be investigated for the offence which he had been accused of.

The former MAS flight steward had been accused of sexually assaulting an Australian passenger during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris.

The alleged assault occurred aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH20 on August 7. The steward was detained by French authorities upon arrival in Paris.

A hastily convened press conference was held today by the National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam) at Holiday Villa in Subang Jaya.

Also present were Syaza and her husband Mohamad Faiq Ilhan, their legal counsel Shailender Bhar and Nufam president Ismail Nasaruddin.

Despite being detained since August, the former flight steward, who had served MAS for 32 years, has not been charged or tried by French authorities.

Syaza said that she, her mother, an aunt and Faiq had flown to Paris last month and met with her father three times for about 30 to 45 minutes.

"When we met my father for the first time in two months, we did not speak much as we were all overcome with emotion.

"My father looked so sad and depressed, he had also lost about 20kg. The weight loss was due to dietary issues in the prison," Syaza said, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

She suggested that one of the "dietary issues" involved the availability of halal food, as the same food is provided to all detainees.

"He is being detained in a prison where he is confined in a cell with other suspects, most of whom are French."

Syaza also expressed scepticism over the accusations levelled against her father by the passenger, saying it did not sound logical.

"My father is the sole male in our household as he has three daughters besides my mother. So I do not believe he would behave inappropriately."

Syaza said the saddest moment was their third and final meeting with their father, as the family knew they had to return to Malaysia.

"As winter is approaching, we bought some warm clothing for him as he has been borrowing clothing from his colleagues," she said.

Shailender told reporters that under French law, the 54-year-old former steward could be detained for up to 10 years without being tried.

"I have asked around and the average detention period is about four years," Shailender said.

"Just imagine if you were to go for a holiday and get detained for up to 10 years in a foreign country based on a mere accusation," he said.

Meanwhile, Ismail (pic, left) took aim at Malaysia Airlines, saying the national carrier was trying to wash its hands of the incident.

On Thursday, MAS confirmed that it had sacked the flight steward, despite the fact that he had not been charged or tried for the alleged incident.

Ismail said the letter of dismissal had been sent to the flight steward while he was still languishing in an overseas detention centre.

Ismail said MAS gave the flight steward 60 days to appeal against the termination on grounds of "misconduct", but added that he could not appeal as he had no idea he had been sacked.

The union has since referred the matter to the Industrial Relations Department. – November 15, 2014

Compulsory for Malaysians to separate rubbish from next year

The plan for all households to do mandatory solid waste separation at source looks set to begin in September next year.

All Malaysian households will have to separate their solid waste according to categories, the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government ministry announced today.

In a statement, its minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said that this mandatory move will see household solid waste be separated in several compositions including plastic, paper, cardboard, glass, metal, food waste, lump waste and farm waste.

"The collection of the separated waste will be implemented according to a schedule which will be determined by a concession company that will be appointed," he said.

The concept, he added, has been fully implemented in states that use Act 672 of the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007, that is Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Kuantan, Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis dan Kedah from September 2014.

In 2009, Alam Flora chief executive officer Zahri Abdul Ghani had said that it would begin in June that year in Kuala Lumpur, with two rubbish bins given to each household in the federal territory to separate organic from inorganic waste.

Zahri had said that failure to separate waste into the correct bins would result in uncollected rubbish.

Then, in 2011, the then housing and local government minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said the household waste segregation system would begin the following year in stages.

It has taken some time for household waste separation at source to be implemented across the board, as local by-laws had to be streamlined.

In his statement today, Rahman also said that the National Solid Waste Management Department will launch campaigns, awareness programmes and education nationwide.

The government will also ensure that solid waste management facilities and operation centres are upgraded to ensure the success of this new initiative.

"The implementation of this new rule is part of the government's effort to reduce the amount of solid waste sent to waste disposal sites, which is becoming serious. The current sites are now inadequate following the sudden increase in waste," he said.

"The separation at source will also help reduce the amount of solid waste sent to disposal sites which will then increase the lifespan of the sites."

A study by Putrajaya last year showed that an average Malaysian produced 800 grammes of solid waste per day while those in urban areas produce 450gm of waste more than the daily average.

It said that about 30,000 to 33,000 tonnes of waste were produced each day last year last year, compared with 22,000 tonnes of solid waste produced per day in 2012. – November 15, 2014.

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Negara-ku says Sabah ban on Ambiga uncalled for, mulls other options

Disappointed over Sabah’s entry ban imposed on Negara-ku patron Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, the non-governmental organisation said it is looking at other ways, such as Skype webcam, to enable her to speak at its forum in the state later this month.

“We are disappointed and feel that the ban is inappropriate. After all, she has been given a datukship, as a recognition for her contributions to the country," said Negara-ku co-founder Zaid Kamaruddin.

He said the people’s movement might consider using other options to enable Ambiga to participate in the November 25 forum.

"For now, we have no plans yet but we will consider the practicality of using Skype as an option," he added.

Ambiga, who formerly headed the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), was informed yesterday via a letter from the Sabah Immigration Department that she was not allowed to enter the state.

She had earlier written to the department to enquire if she would be restricted from entering the state to speak at a forum on national unity, which will also feature Tan Sri Simon Sipaun and Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

Zaid said that as far as he knew, no other Negara-ku member has been barred from entering the East Malaysian state for the forum.

The visit to Sabah is part of Negara-Ku's nationwide road show to "reclaim Malaysia" and return rationality, open and civil discussion, moderation and harmony to the country.

The roadshow began on Wednesday night in Malacca, and will cover six other states: Perak, Johor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.

Endorsed by over 60 civil society groups, the movement's patrons are Ambiga, national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said and former vice-chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), Tan Sri Simon Sipaun.

The ban on Ambiga has been criticised by politicians, including Penampang MP Darell Leiking, who said the Sabah government should not abuse its power to deter people who do not pose any security problems to enter the state.

"I must emphasise that I fully support the autonomy of Sabah on being able to decide who can enter Sabah. But it must be used in the right manner," he said.

"It should be used against real criminal elements who pose security concerns such as Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Perkasa president), who had threatened to burn Bibles."

He said the state was using its right as a "political tool" against Ambiga, who was bringing "constitutional enlightenment" to the people of Sabah.

"I don't know what they are so afraid of. What about the vast number of illegals entering Sabah, which is a huge problem. That is more of a concern than people who want to educate and help," he added.

Earlier, Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng said the ban on Ambiga showed that the Barisan Nasional government have lost their power of reason and their sense of what is right and wrong, pointing at their "siege mentality".

"Laws are meant to ensure the interests and security of Sabah, and she is only going to be speaking about the rule of law. She is a lawyer.

"How can the rule of law and upholding what is right and wrong be a threat to Sabah's security?

"Obviously this is a travesty of justice and we hope they will respect the rule of law and democracy by reversing the ban," Lim said. – November 15, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/negara-ku-says-sabah-ban-on-ambiga-uncalled-for-mulls-other-options#sthash.ufwRfgjK.dpuf

Dr M out of line with criticisms on BR1M

Salleh Keruak says it does seem that everything Najib does is wrong in the eyes of Mahathir.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: After giving prime minister Najib Razak a tongue lashing over the gross mismanagement of the 1Malaysia Development Board (1MDB) recently, former premier Mahathir Mohamad has now criticised Najib over the BR1M handout to low-income earners, saying it was a form of bribery.

In his latest blog entry, former Sabah chief minister Salleh Keruak commented on this, saying that while criticism was something all democracies had to “tolerate”, what was actually needed was “constructive criticism”.

Summing up Mahathir’s remarks over BR1M as “a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t”, Salleh explained how Najib could not do nothing right in the eyes of Mahathir.

He wrote, “Soon after the 2013 general election, Dr Mahathir accused the Prime Minister of pandering too much to the Chinese and of not giving enough attention to the Malays, who form the backbone of Umno’s support.”

Salleh noted however that despite Najib making amends by giving out BR1M payments to the poor, Mahathir had condemned this initiative as a form of bribery instead.

“Now, when the Prime Minister introduces BRIM, which goes to the needy, and hence benefits the Malays since more of them are amongst the needy group, the Prime Minister is accused of an attempt to bribe the people,” Salleh wrote in a direct hit at Mahathir.

Hiding his own cynicism behind a professional tone, Salleh spoke on behalf of Najib, inviting Mahathir to offer any suggestion “on how aid can be given to the people”.

He added that “constructive criticism where we also offer alternative views on how to improve what we view as weaknesses in the present system”, was something the present administration under Najib would greatly welcome instead of just empty criticism.

Hindraf: Commissioner didn’t do enough to save Ashram

Hindraf says the heritage commissioner did not use full extent of the law to save Vivekananda Ashram.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Non-governmental organisation Hindraf has initiated legal action against Heritage Commissioner Zainah Ibrahim, seeking an explanation as to why she failed to gazette the Vivekananda Ashram as a national treasure even if its board of trustees objected to it.

In a statement, Hindraf said the Heritage commissioner still had the legal right to go ahead and gazette the Ashram as a national heritage but that she failed to use the full extent of the law for that purpose.

The statement explained, “…if it was determined the Ashram site is of cultural heritage significance, then the onus was on the commissioner to designate and gazette the site as a heritage site/building.

Hindraf said the commissioner should have conducted a hearing to determine whether the objections of the board, made in 2008 and 2009, had any legitimate grounds under Section 29 of the National Heritage Act 2005.

With moves now being made to re-develop the site into a 23-storey residential complex, Hindraf, through their lawyers, has given the commissioner two weeks for an explanation, failing which legal action will be initiated to compel the commissioner to gazette the site as a national treasure.

Saying the Vivekananda Ashram was deemed a national treasure as far as Hindraf was concerned, the building then “did not solely belong to the trustees of the said ashram to do as it pleases.”

RCI Report public next month

Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and Huguan Siou Joseph Pairin Kitingan will head a committee to look into the findings.

FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced at the Upko Convention in the Sabah capital on Sat that the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) Report on illegal immigrants in Sabah will be made public next month.

“Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan will head a committee to look into the findings and come up with the next course of action,” he said in adding that this must be within the context of esprit de corps, without elaborating what he meant by using the term.

Najib said he was aware how important the issue was to Sabahans. He made the decision to make the Report public after discussing with his Federal Cabinet colleagues, he stressed.

The RCI Report was handed over to the King and Najib six months ago.

The RCI headed by Steve Shim Lip Kiong, a former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, was set up on 21 Sept, 2012 and closed on 20 Sept last year.

It summoned 211 witnesses including former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, Pairin and his younger brother Jeffrey Kitingan, the Assemblyman for Bingkor.

Najib’s career hangs in the balance if Anwar not jailed

Zainuddin Maidin hits back at pro-Chinese media who think Najib’s days are over if Anwar is jailed.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: Former chief editor of Malay-daily Utusan Melayu has said that if opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is not jailed for sodomy, it could very well spell the last days of prime minister Najib Razak’s career.

In his latest blog posting, Zainuddin Maidin said that contrary to what some pro-Chinese media thought, jailing Anwar was the only right thing to do if Najib wanted to fix the “crisis in confidence” he was suffering from among Umno members and the Malays.

He also cautioned that if Anwar walked free, Najib’s days would be numbered as he would be forced to step down before his term was up.

Without mentioning names, Zainuddin hinted at “another candidate” already waiting on the sidelines and ready to pounce on Najib should the unacceptable happen.

He wrote, “If Anwar is not jailed, the president of Umno and the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib will be challenged before his term is up by a candidate that is waiting on the sidelines”.

Saying Najib had lost the confidence of Umno and the Malays, he listed the premier’s weaknesses as being too soft on opposition parties, and giving too much leeway to the Chinese and ultra-liberals to do as they pleased.

Attacking The Edge for a commentary saying that jailing Anwar would hurt Najib more than it did former premier Mahathir Mohamad, Zainuddin said their arguments were baseless, did not reflect reality and were pro-Chinese and DAP.

Saying the Chinese only wanted Anwar free so he could be used for political mileage, Zainuddin said they continued to believe that only Anwar had the capacity to bring down the Malay-led Barisan Nasional.

He also said the comments disregarded how influential the Malays were from a political standpoint, but treated them as if they “did not even exist in this country”.

Saying the Kajang Move had “destroyed Anwar’s political integrity”, he also criticised the commentary for its complete refusal to acknowledge the damaging spilt in PKR in the aftermath of the Kajang Move which he said was a blunder that also resulted in a total loss of confidence among Pakatan Rakyat supporters for the coalition.

ISIS uses beheadings, other violent acts to crush civilians, UN report says

By ZACHARY R. DOWDY

UNITED NATIONS -- Beheadings, stonings and mutilation are common weapons of terror employed by the Islamic State in its campaign to subdue civilian populations that have come under its control in Syria, according to a UN monitoring group.

"ISIS has perpetrated murder and other inhumane acts, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery and violence, forcible displacement, enforced disappearance and torture," according to a 15-page report released Friday by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. "These acts have been committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population in Aleppo, Ar-Raqqah, Al-Hasakah and Dayr Az-Zawr governorates."

It documents the group's violation of international humanitarian law and commission of both war crimes and crimes against humanity as defined by the Geneva Convention.

The report is among the most extensive to document the savagery attributed to the Sunni Islamic group whose origins, the report said, stem from the evolution of an Al Qaida offshoot, Al Qaida in Iraq, which established itself in 2004 and rebranded itself as Islamic State in Iraq in 2006.

That group crossed the Iraq-Syria border after Syria's civil war broke out in March 2011 and joined other rebel forces aiming to overthrow the Shia-dominated government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. It emerged as one of the most fearsome of the hundreds of groups aligned against Assad and withdrew into northern Syria and relaunched attacks against the Shia-dominated government forces in Iraq earlier this year, marching toward Baghdad and gaining money, oil fields and materiel as it captured cities.

It all but erased the border between Iraq and Syria and called the new area under its control a caliphate, with Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi claiming to be its caliph, wielding absolute control.

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The report said that while the group has within its ranks thousands of Syrians, it is composed primarily of foreign fighters.

Civilian populations trapped under the Islamic State's control have borne the brunt of horrific levels of violence imposed under the group's interpretation of Sharia law, said the report, which is based on 300 interviews with witnesses. The group employs a kind of "morality police" that conducts constant surveillance of the population, reports violations and metes out punishment.

Suspected adulterers were stoned. In one videotaped case, women accused of the offense were bound at their hands and forced to stand in a shallow grave with veils on as men hurled huge rocks at their heads until they collapsed and died. Enemy fighters or people perceived as traitors were systematically killed by being shot in the head or having their throats cut.

The methods of control, the report said, appear to be systematic and designed to inflict psychological terror on the population to exert maximum control.

Children were forced to watch videos of torture and execution, and to participate in the killings of captured soldiers. Women over the age of 10 must be fully covered when outdoors. Ghastly executions are public and members of ISIS regularly force civilians to attend them. The bodies of the dead are often left on display in public squares for days.
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"Witnesses saw scenes of still-bleeding bodies hanging from crosses and of heads placed on spikes along park railings," the report said.

"The brutal nature and overall scale of abuses is intended to reinforce the group's absolute monopoly on political and social life to enforce compliance and conformity among communities under their control," the report said. "Imposition of severe measures disguised as religious edicts has formed part of the attack against the civilian population, in addition to the perpetration of armed violence against civilians, mistreatment of persons taking no active part in hostilities, and violence against identified communities."

The Commission of Inquiry has also issued reports of abuses committed by the Syrian government's forces, including torture and mass executions.

Read more: http://www.newsday.com/news/world/islamic-state-uses-beheadings-other-violent-acts-to-crush-civilians-un-report-says-1.9619593

Government Will Continue To Implement Programmes That Directly Benefit The Rakyat - Najib

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the government will continue to implement programmes that directly benefit the rakyat (people).

Launching the Sabah Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) here Saturday night, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said the setting up of UTCs was one of the major successes of the government with 7.5 million Malaysians who used them expressing satisfaction with the services offered at the one-stop-centres.

In view of UTCs being a bit hit among Malaysians, he said the government would expand the concept to other areas in line with the government's aspiration to further improve its delivery system to the rakyat, investors and also tourists.

"The government will continue with transformation programmes like this because in order for Malaysia to become a top ranked nation, we must further improve our world ranking even though our economy is improving and there is no reason why Malaysia cannot achieve High Income Advanced Economy status," he said.

Najib said Malaysia was on the right track to achieve developed nation status by 2020 as the World Bank had reported the country was in 18th place out of 189 economies currently.

Also present were Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah.

Najib said the UTC transformation initiative was a sterling example of a programme that directly benefited the rakyat and was done in a short time and at a reasonable cost, including in Sabah.

He also said the government would consider building another UTC for the people of Sabah as requested by Musa.

He thanked Musa's commitment in making the UTC a success which was proof of the close ties between the federal government and the Sabah government in working for Sabahans who had always stood by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

The Sabah UTC is the sixth UTC in the country and is the most unique because it took just 12 weeks to build from an unused commercial complex that was abandoned more than 20 years ago.

Since the UTC concept was introduced in 2012 under the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS), UTCs are now available in Perak, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Kedah, Johor dand Sarawak.

At the Sabah UTC, currently there are 41 state and federal government agencies especially counter service agencies such as the National Registration Department (JPN), Road Transport Department, Immigration Department and police operating at the one-stop centre which was opened on Dec 16, 2013.

Other agencies operating at the UTC are 1Malaysia Clinic, 1Malaysia Store, Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority, Pos Malaysia, Sabah State Library, Sabah State Water Department, Kota Kinabalu City Hall and the Inland Revenue Board.

As at Oct 31 2014, 771,375 visitors have called at the centre to obtain various services or an average of 2,000 people daily.

More than 5,000 people attended the opening ceremony. The guests were also entertained to performances by Akademi Fantasia winner 2014, Mohd Firman Bansir or Firman, who is from Sabah.

Bible: PERKASA hormati, ISMA anggap MAIS betulkan keadaan

Kita menerima keputusan ini dan dalam masa yang sama tanggungjawab kita kepada agama telah selesai.

FMT

PETALING JAYA : Beberapa pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang berkaitan dengan perjuangan agama Islam dan Melayu menghormati keputusan penyerahan semula Bible versi bahasa Melayu kepada Persatuan Bible Malaysia (PBM) oleh Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS).

Menurut Ketua Penerangan PERKASA, Hasan Basri, pihaknya menghormati keputusan yang diambil oleh Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah dan MAIS serta menyifatkan tanggungjawab PERKASA telah selesai berkenaan isu tersebut.

“Kita menerima keputusan ini dan dalam masa yang sama tanggungjawab kita kepada agama telah selesai. Kita juga menghomati keputusan ini kerana prinsip perjuangan PERKASA adalah untuk mempertahankan rukun negara dan perlembagaan,” katanya ketika dihubungi Free Malaysia Today.

Hassan menegaskan, pihak gereja perlu mematuhi keputusan yang diambil oleh Sultan Selangor dan MAIS agar Bible itu tidak diedarkan di Selangor dan hanya digunakan di Sabah dan Sarawak.

Sementara Presiden Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA) Abdullah Zaik menyifatkan pemulangan kitab itu adalah untuk memperbetulkan keadaan.

“Mungkin MAIS tersilap masa merampasnya dan pemulangan kitab Bible itu barangkali adalah untuk memperbetulkannya,” ujarnya dalam satu sistem pesanan ringkas (SMS).

Uthayakumar dibenar mula prosiding hina mahkamah

Azman mengesahkan perintah yang dikeluarkannya pada 9 September tahun lepas memerintahkan Uthayakumar ditempatkan bersama-sama tahanan politik

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Mahkamah Tinggi hari ini memberi kebenaran kepada peguam P. Uthayakumar memulakan prosiding menghina mahkamah terhadap Pengarah Penjara Kajang kerana gagal mematuhi perintah mahkamah mengasingkannya daripada banduan tegar.

Lapor Bernama, Hakim Datuk Mohd Azman Husin menetapkan 13 Januari bagi Abdul Wahab Abdul Kassim hadir di hadapan beliau dan menjelaskan kenapa dia tidak boleh dikenakan tindakan menghina mahkamah.

Bagaimanapun, beliau menolak permohonan serupa terhadap dua lagi inspektor penjara, menghadapi tindakan sama.

Azman mengesahkan perintah yang dikeluarkannya pada 9 September tahun lepas, antara lain, memerintahkan Uthayakumar ditempatkan bersama-sama tahanan politik lain dan bukannya banduan tegar.

Uthayakumar telah mengadu dia dipaksa berkongsi sel bersama-sama lima lagi banduan yang disabitkan atas kes merompak dan merogol.

Azman juga memerintahkan Uthayakumar dirujuk kepada pakar Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia untuk merawat “collapsed disc.”

Pada 2007, Uthayakumar, 52, pengasas pergerakan Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) dan bekas tahanan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) didakwa menerbitkan satu surat berbaur hasutan di laman web Police Watch.

Dia melakukan kesalahan itu di Jalan Toman 7, Kemayan Square, Seremban, pada 15 November 2007.

Peguam itu didapati bersalah dan dijatuhi hukuman penjara dua tahun dan enam bulan oleh Mahkamah Sesyen pada 5 Jun 2013.

Mahkamah Tinggi mengekalkan hukuman itu tetapi Mahkamah Rayuan mengurangkan tempoh penjara daripada 30 kepada 24 bulan.

Beliau selesai menjalani tempoh tahanannya pada 3 Oktober lepas.

Uthayakumar diwakili peguam M. Manoharan dan M. Manogaran, manakala responden diwakili Timbalan Pendakwa Raya Azlina Rasdi