Marina Mahathir says will leave Malaysia if hudud arrives

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 ― Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir says she will leave Malaysia if hudud law is implemented in the country.

“I cannot live in a country where people want to cut off hands, I’m sorry, or stone people to death,” Marina told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview here.

“I would never live in Saudi Arabia. I don’t want to live in a country where this is official policy,” the prominent social activist added.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has submitted a private member’s bill to Parliament in a bid to remove the legal obstacles that prevent the implementation of the Islamic penal code in Kelantan.

Hadi said Tuesday that the Kelantan state government run by the Islamist opposition party will meet with the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government to discuss plans to implement hudud in the state. BN has yet to state its official stand on hudud.

Critics of hudud have lambasted the strict Islamic criminal law, which punishes theft with amputation of limbs, as well as apostasy and adultery with death by stoning, as unconstitutional in secular Malaysia.

Marina, who is the eldest child of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, related an incident where she attended the United Nations women’s conference in Beijing in 1995 and Iranian women living in exile in the US had opposed a session about including religion in feminism.

She said the Iranian women, who were middle-class elites living in New York, had sounded bitter and were aggressive about keeping religion out of everything, noting that their counterparts had stayed back in Iran and fought from within, when women’s rights were rolled back after Iran became an Islamic state following the 1979 revolution.

“I look at these women and thought ― I never want to be like that. I never want to be a bitter exile. So I always thought okay lah ― I will stay and fight,” said Marina.

She said, however, that she would emigrate if hudud were to be implemented.

The activist, who speaks out about women’s rights and freedom of speech among other issues, said her strength to continue fighting is instinctive as she was brought up to be honest and considerate of others.

“It's natural to me, if I see something wrong, to say something, or to do something,” said Marina.

“It’s a form of worship. It’s how I act out my life as a Muslim. If you say it’s a way of life, it’s not just about rituals. It’s acted out by trying to do good, to be charitable and to ensure justice,” she added.

‘I must be damned powerful’, Marina says of varsity ban

A local university has banned social activist Marina Mahathir from speaking at their campus.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Social activist Marina Mahathir has shrugged off the decision of a local university to ban her from speaking to its students at their campus, saying it must be because she is a “powerful” public figure.

Keeping the name of the university under wraps, Marina took to Facebook and announced the ban, saying, “Well, well, well….got invited by students from a public university and (what a surprise!) the same thing happened.”

She was referring to being banned for the fifth time by a local university and said, “That makes it the fifth time I’ve been ‘banned’ from a public university. I must be damned powerful.”

Marina was told that the Student Affairs Department at the university were “strict” about the ban as all public institutions of higher learning had taken the same approach.

Sounding upbeat all the same, Marina said, “It’s OK. Tomorrow I’m going to speak at a private college. And the students from the public university who had to cancel my invitation have a standing invitation from me to come and have a chat anytime.”

Last year, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was banned from speaking at Universiti Malaya, a ban he chose to defy that resulted in the students who organised it, getting suspended and fined.

The year of the Malaysian citizen

Marina Mahathir

I WAS afraid that this first column of the year would be a depressing and doleful one. 2014 had been remarkable for its sheer awfulness, with not one but three plane accidents in the region, the worst floods in our history and any amount of angst among our people due to the words and actions of various groups. Would 2015 be better or worse?

But for every action, there is a reaction and happily these reactions have also been unexpected and gratifying.

In January, when a church was a possible target of violence, a group of people turned up to give out flowers to churchgoers and did much to ease the tension of that day. That was the birth of a group called Malaysians for Malaysia (M4M) that set out to promote unity and harmony among their fellow citizens.

M4M then went on to organise the Walks in the Park in several cities that gave Malaysians the opportunity to simply gather and do things together.

When MH370 and MH17 happened, M4M was on hand to unite Malaysians with the Walls of Hope that allowed thousands of Malaysians and others to pour out their grief and hopes for the safety of the passengers of the former and prayers for the souls of the passengers of the latter.

M4M is certainly not the only group that sprang up to bring Malaysians together, not just in grief, but also in volunteerism.

When there was a threat to shut down soup kitchens, KLites banded together to keep them going and even started new ventures to support the existing ones.

Various individuals and groups have formed to do all sorts of charity work to help the poor, the marginalised, disabled and even animals. Civil society has stepped up and is going from strength to strength, a healthy sign.

Then when the worst floods ever in our history turned several states into exact replicas of countries far less developed than us, with people stranded and starving, Malaysians truly showed how generous and kind they can be.

Collection centres for relief goods were set up in various neighbourhoods and when the calls for volunteers spread through social media, dozens showed up.

I visited one and was truly moved and heartened by not only the number of people lending their time and energy to the effort to pack and send off the goods but how diverse they were.

They were young, old, male, female and represented every ethnic group including expats. And they worked side by side and took instructions from supervisors cheerily. There are even people who have organised convoys of cars and trucks to try and reach the stranded folks on the east coast with tonnes of food and other essentials.

Nobody told them to do it, nobody ever paid them to do it. They just did it because their fellow citizens were suffering and this was the right thing to do.

You have to wonder where those self-proclaimed champions of race and religion are in these times and what they would say about these multiracial, multireligious efforts to send aid to flood victims.

Indeed one of the happiest things that has happened in 2014 is the emergence of voices calling for more common sense in the way we discuss things in our country. The Group of 25 has been a pleasant surprise and has inspired more people to speak out against extremists and racists.

Young people especially have welcomed this new development, having previously despaired of a positive future in this country.

They have responded by organising petitions and writing articles of support for the G25, most notably by a multiracial group of 33 prominent citizens and a group of young Islamic Studies graduates from Middle Eastern universities.

These developments have really brought hope to many concerned Malaysians.

So perhaps when you look at it from this perspective, things were not so bad after all in 2014, despite the major tragedies.

While we mourn those we lost, and sympathise with those who are suffering in the floods right now, we can also rejoice in the fact that 2014 was really the year that The Malaysian Citizen showed that their natural kindness and generosity enabled them to respond much faster and more efficiently than any politician can.

This is truly community leadership at its best.

For 2015, perhaps we can put our hopes in The Malaysian Citizen and therefore be more optimistic about the coming year.

Their sense of unity that arises out of a sense of fairness is fully developed.

What The Malaysian Citizen has shown is that there is no law needed to foster unity. They will unite naturally against suffering and injustice.

The only proviso is obvious: keep the politicians out of it.

> Marina Mahathir is a human rights activist who works on women, children and HIV/AIDS issues. Her column in this newspaper goes back 25 years and has likewise evolved because, in her own words, “she probably thinks too much for her own good”. Marina continues to speak out and crusade for causes that she passionately believes in. The views expressed here are entirely her own.

Marina Mahathir ‘ignorant’ for attacking God’s law on hudud, claims Isma

(Malay Mail Online) – Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) branded today Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir ignorant for criticising hudud, a law the Islamist group claimed was part of God’s order for an Islamic country.

The right-wing group said Marina was jahil (ignorant) of Islamic teachings when the social activist and daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said implementing the Islamic penal code in Kelantan would end up splitting Malaysia’s multi-racial and multi-religious society.

“The obligation to implement it is not just because it is God’s instruction, but more importantly, it is for the benefit of society,” said Isma’s ulama council official Ustaz Muhammad Firdaus Zalani in a statement.

“It is impossible for God who created humans and the entire world to order something that will bring detriment to humans,” he added.

Last Friday, Marina was reported criticising the PAS-led Kelantan government’s plan to enforce hudud, saying that it was against the Federal Constitution and would inevitably affect non-Muslims although the strict Islamic criminal law was only meant for Muslims.

Opponents of hudud have said a Islamic criminal justice system cannot be implemented in Malaysia as the country is secular.

PAS’ renewed push for hudud law in Kelantan has once again put the Islamist party at loggerheads with its allies PKR and particularly, the DAP, in the federal opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

Firdaus said today that bad things will happen only if people ignore God’s teachings.

“Saying that God’s teachings will bring harm to us all is as if we’re saying that God has failed and cannot understand the things that will bring us good,” he said.

He stressed that Muslims need to understand that God will not obligate believers to do something unless it benefits the world or brings them good in the afterlife.

“For me, there’s no problem discussing the technical parts of hudud so as to insert it in the country’s legal system, whether it’s about the current obstacles or how to make it appropriate based on current technological developments,” he said.

Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob announced recently that the state legislative assembly will hold a special sitting on December 29 to table and pass amendments to the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II.

The move is in preparation for PAS’s plan to table in Parliament a private member’s Bill to amend the Federal Constitution and to allow Kelantan to implement the Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II passed by the state assembly in 1993.

In Islamic jurisprudence, hudud covers crimes such as theft, robbery, adultery, rape and sodomy. Punishments for the crimes are severe, including amputation, flogging and death by stoning.

Siti Hasmah pukau hadirin dengan gesekan biola

Marina harap Kelantan tak laksana hudud

Hukum Hudud tidak sesuai – Marina Mahathir

Tidak sampai hati untuk melihat penganut agama Islam dikenakan hukum Hudud jika ia dilaksanakan kelak selain menyatakan dengan perlaksanaan hukum Hudud itu akan memecah-belahkan masyarakat.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Aktivis sosial, Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir menentang usaha melaksanakan hukum Hudud di Kelantan kerana tidak sesuai dengan masyarakat berbilang agama.

Menurutnya, beliau berharap hukum tersebut tidak dilaksanakan kerana “Walaupun hukum Hudud hanya untuk warga muslim, tetapi kita hidup di dalam suasana masyarakat yang bercampur-campur, jadi kelak semua orang akan terlibat.”

Beliau yang juga merupakan anak bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad turut menyatakan, mengikut apa yang diketahuinya, Perlembagaan Malaysia tidak membenarkan hukum Hudud ini dilaksanakan.

Bahkan, Marina mendakwa, sekarang bukannya masa untuk Malaysia melaksanakan undang-undang seperti itu.

“Mengikut perlembagaan, setahu saya memang tidak boleh, saya harap ini bukan masanya untuk undang-undang Hudud macam ni,” ujarnya lagi.

Marina mendakwa, beliau tidak sampai hati untuk melihat penganut agama Islam dikenakan hukum Hudud jika ia dilaksanakan kelak selain menyatakan dengan perlaksanaan hukum Hudud itu akan memecah-belahkan masyarakat.

Dalam pada masa yang sama, Marina turut tidak menolak bahawa perlaksaan hukum Hudud ini mempunyai kaitan dengan politik yang dimainkan oleh PAS.

“PAS sudah membuat janji pada masa dahulu. Sekiranya tidak dilaksanakan, nanti orang kata PAS tidak ikut janji.

“Tetapi, PAS kena berjanji benda yang betul-betul, yang membawa kebaikan kepada masyarakat pada amnya dan bukannya pada satu-satu kumpulan sahaja,” katanya semasa ditemui media di Institut Pengurusan Wanita.

Kenyataan Kelantan sebelum ini Menteri Besarnya, Datuk Ahmad Yakob menyatakan, akan mengadakan sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Khas pada 29 Disember.

Ia bagi mengemukakan pindaan terhadap Rang Undang-Undang Kanun Jenayah Syariah (II) 1993 Kelantan (EKJS II) berkaitan hukum Hudud.

Jelasnya lagi, pindaan tersebut perlu dibuat untuk melayakkan Kelantan membawa usul rang undang-undang persendirian EKJS II ke sidang Dewan Rakyat di Parlimen dan seterusnya melaksanakan hukum Hudud di negeri itu.

Marina sees father supporting Group of 25

No reason why Mahathir should express any reservations or objections on the contents of the Open Letter by the Group.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Marina Mahathir, the social activist daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, is worried that nearly two weeks after a Group of 25 Eminent Malays penned an Open Letter to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, “the silence has been deafening”.

She was welcoming the Open Letter by the Group which wants the worsening polarization in the country, constitutional issues, creeping Islamisation and creeping desecularisation to be addressed urgently.

She also wanted to emphasize that there was no reason why her father should express any reservations or objections on the contents of the Open Letter

“I am in support of all efforts by the Group which has urged Putrajaya to address the mounting problems in the country which they have listed in their letter,” said Marina on the sidelines of a function on Friday at the Women’s Institute of Management (WIM) in expressing her admiration for the Group. “I salute them. They have given new hope to the country.”

“There’s a lot of tension in the country and we need to address the issues in a calm and rational manner.”

The Open Letter was apparently sparked off by Malay NGOs in the fringe going overboard with their statements in the media. The Open Letter particularly singles out Perkasa and Isma and criticizes them for “running amok” with their agenda.

Are Malays starting to leave the country?

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 — The South China Morning Post has suggested that Muslim Malays are starting to leave Malaysia as the country’s lurch towards authoritarianism and fundamentalism starts to bite.

A report in the weekend edition of the Hong Kong paper, titled: “Malay Muslims fleeing country as fundamentalism takes hold” painted a grim picture and suggested an exodus of members of the majority race but gave no numbers or hard data.

It cited a female researcher so disgusted with the state of affairs after her shared accommodation with other women was searched for the presence of a man by Islamic authorities on a morality raid that she has resolved to leave the country in two years.

“An anonymous phone call to the religious department alleging a man was seen entering her flat was all it took for the religious officials to descend on her home,” the paper said, adding that six or seven men from the Selangor State Islamic Department (Jais) had entered her flat.

Unaccompanied by any woman, the men were said to have searched all the bedrooms, closets and even under the bed.

"I don't feel safe in this country anymore," the researcher was quoted as saying. "It's like you are guilty until proven innocent. Anyone can make a phone call to accuse another person out of malice or vengeance and, without proof or investigation, the religious authorities will come to your place."

Figures hard to pin down

But apart from anecdotal accounts, evidence is on just how many Malays have left Malaysia is hard to come by. Most existing data has not been broken down by ethnic composition.

According to a World Bank report in 2011, an estimated one million Malaysians are residing overseas.

More than two million Malaysians have emigrated since Merdeka.

Last year, a total 308,834 high-skilled Malaysians moved overseas, with 47.2 per cent going to Singapore, 18.2 per cent to Australia, 12.2 per cent to US and the rest to other countries like UK and Canada.

According to the same report, the number of skilled Malaysians living abroad rose 300 per cent in the last two decades, with two out of every 10 Malaysians with tertiary education opting to leave for either Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries or Singapore.

These figures have not been broken down to show ethnicity.

But in October former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said that more Malay-Muslims could be expected to leave the country if local religious authorities continue to pursue and prosecute those whose opinions they deem “deviant”.

Over the years, Islamic authorities have gradually become more rigid in their interpretation and application of the Shariah code in Islam.

They vilified and attacked a recent dog-petting event in which some Muslims touched dogs, which are considered unclean to people of the faith. The programme triggered such outrage that its organiser received death threats.

In October, the National Fatwa Council issued an edict banning Muslims from “celebrating” Halloween, which it categorised as a Christian celebration of the dead.

Kelantan, meanwhile, plans to enforce Hudud laws by way of state level enactments, even though its allies in Pakatan Rakyat are opposed to the idea.

An Oktoberfest-themed beer festival in Selangor also drew the ire of Muslim groups despite the promotional event being targeted at and restricted to non-Muslims.

Muslim intellectual Kassim Ahmad is also being prosecuted by Islamic authorities for allegedly suggesting that Muslims need only follow the Quran, and not the accompanying Hadith. The view differs from that which is officially approved.

Malaysia has also outlawed the Shiah denomination of Islam, which it considers deviant from the Sunni school that is officially sanctioned here.

Malaysia’s religious authorities also frequently warn against liberalism. The federal government’s Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has also stated that the National Fatwa Council had at its 74th meeting in 2006 declared liberal thinking as heretical.

Social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir told Malay Mail Online in October she knows of several Malays who say they do not want to return to their homeland.

“It’s not for economic reasons, but simply because they feel that the environment here has become so negative and oppressive that it’s impossible to be able to live as peaceful, productive citizens anymore,” said Marina, the daughter of Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s longest serving prime minister.

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/are-malays-starting-to-leave-the-country#sthash.YSiKPuxK.dpuf

We are challenging the process, not the fatwa, says SIS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Muslim women's group Sister in Islam (SIS) said today that it is challenging the process involved in formulating a religious edict or fatwa and not the authority of the state religious body to issue one.

The group clarified its position after the Sultan of Selangor said that religious edicts in the state are issued with his consent.

The group's founding member Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir said that the judicial review the group has filed aims to get an explanation on the reasoning for the fatwa that declared the NGO as deviating from Islam

"We were not informed when the fatwa was passed or even after it was gazetted," said Marina at a press conference today.

"Once it is gazetted and if we don't challenge it, it becomes a law and if we contravene the law, it is a crime.

"How would we know we were contravening it if we didn't know about it, and it so happened that we came across it by chance, 10 days before the deadline," she said.

On Friday, SIS filed for a judicial review on a gazetted fatwa in Selangor that declared the group of deviating from Islam.

SIS executive director Ratna Osman said they were filing the challenge as the fatwa – which was gazetted on July 31 - was issued without the group being told or questioned..

The three-month grace period to review a fatwa ended the day SIS filed the judicial review.

The group named the Selangor Fatwa Committee, the Mais and the state government as respondents at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/we-are-challenging-the-process-not-the-fatwa-says-sis#sthash.Xd9Jv9DM.dpuf

Spell out ‘liberalism’ before attacking us for it, Muslim group tells authorities

(Malay Mail Online) – Accused of being “deviants”, a Muslim women’s group and several activists today urged Putrajaya and religious authorities to clearly define “liberalism” and “religious pluralism”, and how the concepts are against Islam.

Sisters in Islam (SIS) also claimed that it was not consulted before the Selangor religious authorities decreed a fatwa, or religious edict, singling out the group as “deviants”—insisting that such a process is necessary before issuing a fatwa.

“What does it mean when they’re accusing us of being so-called liberals and religious pluralists?

“Can they please define these two terms and say exactly what it is we did that is liberal and pluralistic, and somehow also against Islam?” asked Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, a board member of SIS, at a press conference here.

“What we’ve worked for these years, is for justice and equality for Muslim women. If justice and equality is considered non-Islamic, then I don’t know (what is Islamic).”

SIS filed its challenge in the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning together with several individuals previously labelled as “liberals”, including prominent feminist Zainah Anwar and former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

They named the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais), the Selangor Fatwa Council, and the Selangor government as respondents.

The fatwa by Mais gazetted on July 31, 2014, singled out SIS by name, in addition to “any individuals, organisations or institutions”.

It also deemed any publications with elements of liberalism and religious pluralism as haram, or prohibited, and can be seized by religious authorities.

“I am a Muslim, and a liberal. When they issued such fatwa, naturally I was offended,” Zaid told reporters.

“I urge the prime minister to spell this out, for the sake of all Muslims,” he added.

Malaysia’s religious authorities have long derided liberalism and pluralism, with Friday sermons nationwide claiming a conspiracy by “enemies of Islam” to manipulate Muslims through ideas like secularism, socialism, feminism and positivism, in addition to the two.

This was repeated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who in April said that Islam is now being tested by new threats under the guise of humanism, secularism, liberalism and human rights.

SIS’s challenge, however, has antagonised conservative Muslims, with PAS Youth today declaring SIS as an “insolent” and “extremist” group out to challenge the monarchy and Federal Constitution.

Pro-clergy Muslim group Geng Ustaz Cintakan Ulama (Gang of Ulama-loving Ustaz) also originally planned a rally against SIS in front of the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex this morning, but only six people turned up to the aborted event.

“We have a right to file a judicial review, it is within the law,” SIS executive director Ratna Osman replied to the Muslim groups.

Rosmah, Marina sebagai teladan: Apa kata Dr Mahathir?

A lot of strange things have been going on, must be a sign of the end of an era

THERE is a belief among some people that one of the signs of the end of times is when really strange things start to happen. I was never one of those because often “strange” can be quite subjective. There are some who think women taking leadership positions is one of those strange events.

But of late I have had to revise my view of this, although it may not coincide with the same theories that those people have. It is true, however, that a lot of strange things have been going on that, to me, must surely be a sign of the end of something. Maybe it’s not quite the end of the world, but certainly the end of an era, at least for some people.

For instance, we are now seeing this bizarre phenomenon of the nation’s top cop deciding that if anyone has the temerity to be “biadap” (rude) about his law enforcement agency or even himself, then he’ll use the Sedition Act against us.

Now, I don’t recall that the Act actually says we can’t pass a snide remark or two about the agency. After all we are all familiar with that remark “itu biasa lah” whenever we’ve had the misfortune to have to report a bag-snatching or a petty theft.

Would saying that such a remark is not be­coming of law enforcement officers be consi­dered “biadap”? Would saying that our top cop’s performance in front of the world media during the MH370 press conferences was far short of impressive make us liable to be arrested? If yes, then there are lots of people who would be in handcuffs by now.

Today you can get done in for giving an expert opinion that some governance processes were not legally kosher, or for saying that elections are the time for us to change governments if we wanted. Isn’t that what elections are for?

Undoubtedly some people have been foolish enough to let loose on social media things they would only say privately to friends. But that’s a very Gen Y thing to do, say everything you feel and put it up for all to see. It doesn’t necessarily mean you mean it, nor that you even had much reason to say it. But those get hauled up, too. Will this actually stop more ill-considered opi­nions being aired? I doubt it.

Yet these are the sorts of strange things that one can get charged for these days. Even stranger is the penchant for the same said officer to refuse to obey the laws under which he should operate. In all our 57 years of nationhood, there has never been confusion among our law enforcement officers as to what laws they are supposed to obey.

Suddenly, these days they are easily confused. And when compelled by the courts to do their job, they find the country’s top legal man, whose job is to protect the Federal Constitution, to become their lawyer.

That’s a lot of firepower to fight one poor beleaguered mother who just wants to have her children with her. They must think she’s darn powerful to warrant this type of abuse of the courts.

I even think that the UPSR leaks, as well as the response to it, are also a sign of the end. For one thing, why so much panic over an exam that 12-year-olds sit for? And secondly, although the leakers should be punished, why bother making all 473,175 pupils re-sit it?

Leak or not, the smart ones are still going to get good results. So we might as well wait for the results of the entire exam and see if there are any real anomalies such as those who normally don’t do well suddenly getting all As. Frankly, I doubt it.

So these strange events, as well as some others, are a sign that an era is coming to an end. Perhaps it is the end of doing things the same old way when things are changing rapidly every day. It is the end of a time when people all think and see things the same way. Nor is it any longer a time when people will not voice what they don’t like.

Einstein said that the surest sign of insanity is doing the same things repeatedly while expecting a different result. In our case, we are seeing the same things done more incompetently while expecting love and respect in return.

I’m not sure what to call that.

By Marina Mahathir – The Star

Only Utusan has total freedom, says Marina Mahathir

Activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir today took a dig at Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia, saying that the daily enjoys absolute freedom unlike other newspapers which do not have such a privilege.

"Utusan has the freedom to stir up things," said the eldest daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in her speech at the International Malaysia Law Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

She was speaking at a session titled “Freedom from Fear – Is it a Basic Human Right?” when she made the reference to Utusan Malaysia, which had been slapped with numerous suits for its reports.

Marina said this in response to a question by moderator, former Bar Council chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who asked panel members whether the Sedition Act 1948 must be repealed.

Many, including opposition members, have asked why the newspaper was not prosecuted for carrying inflammatory articles that touched on race and religion.

Marina said Putrajaya was wrong in using the law on the pretext of stopping chaos from happening.

"Are they talking about a pre-emptive strike, and did it work?" she said.

She said she had complete faith in the public who would not react when provoked.

"Some people wanted to burn churches, but Malaysians did not buckle," she said, adding the event could have been manufactured to create fear.

She said it was Putrajaya who was in fear, and not the people, in using the law to stifle freedom of speech and expression.

"Young people are not scared and the law will not deter them."

She also said Malay rights group Perkasa enjoyed special treatment and obtained space to have its views heard on the media compared to others.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, who was in the panel, said the law was there to preserve peace and harmony in a multi-racial society.

"Some are insecure while others are aggressive. How do you maintain harmony?" he said.

Low said Putrajaya was not trying to instil fear or prevent the people from being critical of the establishment but only to stop remarks that incited violence and hatred.

But, he told the audience that there should not be political interference when the Attorney-General (A-G) decides to charge someone with sedition.

"The A-G must be free to decide and for the court to mete out appropriate punishment."

Centre for Better Tomorrow co-president Gan Peng Sieu said there must some form of amnesty from prosecution under the law until a replacement was introduced.

"However, provisions in the Penal Code can be used against anyone for causing disharmony and unrest."

He said there was no point for anyone to "to dig old wounds as the country need to move forward".

Lawyer Tommy Thomas said the sedition law was introduced by the British without much debate, and intended to protect a select few, including the Malay Rulers.

"The law is now being used because Umno is paranoid," he said in reference to Seri Delima assemblyman R. S. N. Rayer who was charged for uttering "celaka Umno".

He said no political parties were protected under the law.

The Malaysian Insider editor and chief executive officer Jahabar Sadiq said the current climate of investigation and prosecution under the law had not jolted journalists.

"I wonder why the prime minister who won the general election, and who is in a comfortable position, is taking this path." – September 25, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/only-utusan-has-total-freedom-says-marina-mahathir#sthash.aPFvfz36.dpuf

‘Hidden hands’ steering our path

Some claim these unseen hands operate through us being a democratic nation, where we get to vote our leaders into power and also have a say in what we want for our country.

Marina Mahathir, The Star

LET me first wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin. This Ramadan has been a particularly sad one with the MH17 tragedy, especially when it came so soon after the disappearance of MH370. Our hearts and prayers go to all those who lost their loved ones in both tragedies.

But even without MH17, Ramadan was no less rancorous with attempts to ban soup kitchens and bad-tempered drivers behaving without restraint towards old people.

Then in a misplaced attempt to be “even-handed”, some radio stations made the perpetrator look like a celebrity, much to the disgust of many.

Whatever it was, a month that is supposed to be about restraint and moderation turned out to be ill-tempered.

I can’t help thinking that if it hadn’t been for the very sobering effect of MH17, things would have been much worse.

Not that we can truly expect the rest of the year to be calm and peaceful.

Already people whose sole purpose in life seems to be being as divisive as possible have declared that democracy is an evil invention of the West that we should not follow.

Its worst effect, it seems, is that it gives “citizens the right to determine their own future”.

Funny, I thought that’s why we wanted independence from our colonisers, so that we could decide the future of our country for ourselves.

But I suppose their argument here is that we are still not independent because there are many “hidden hands” actually steering our path.

The thing about these “hidden hands” is that apparently they operate through us being a democratic nation where we get to vote our leaders into power and also have a say in what we want for our country.

Thus, an undemocratic concept like the “hidden hands” operates through being democratic.

So if we didn’t have democracy, their logic goes, these invisible unknown hands wouldn’t control us.

The funny thing is there must be a lot of these unseen hands around the world since there are so many democratic countries.

If they vote in the people we like, then the hidden hands fail.

But when they vote in people we don’t like, then those hands managed to win.

Since it is democracy that works in both cases, it’s hard not to think that those hands are really inconsistent.

So perhaps we should follow the undemocratic nations where the hands are not hidden at all, like, for example, Saudi Arabia?

So after 57 years of democracy, more or less, there are now people who think this is not a good idea. Not that they have any idea what should replace it, apart from that we should have an “Islamic” state. But a true Muslim state is a democratic one. Indeed the Quran warns us against despots and tyrants.

In chapter 4, verse 135, the Holy Book says “O You who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it be against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God’s claim takes precedence over [the claims of] either of them. Do not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve from justice: for if you distort [the truth], behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do!” (Translation by Assad).

There are some whose sense of history seems to have little to do with facts.

The Constitutional monarchy, they claim, existed long before we became independent.

Which is an interesting re-telling of history, given that we did not have a Constitution before independence.

So what was “Constitutional” about the sultanates before then? Is that what they are proposing we revert to?

There are others who claim we should not have democracy because our Federal Constitution doesn’t contain the word.

I do love selective literalists who don’t know their history.

Did our forefathers clamour for independence because they wanted to be under anyone else’s yoke?

Why on earth did they decide we should have a Parliament we should vote for in elections if they did not want democracy?

Do they have to spell out every single word or did they know that “self-determination” meant democracy and nothing else? Perhaps people in 1957 were more intelligent than today?

And as for claiming we should not have democracy because it’s not mentioned in our Federal Cons­titution, I find this disingenuous of the selective literalists.

After all, they’re quite happy to want to do things that aren’t mentioned in the Quran. Like, the punishment for apostasy or for drinking. Or to do the opposite of things enjoined in the Quran such as not respecting people’s privacy and raiding them in their homes.

Marina gets stay on defamation suit hearing

Social activist Marina Mahathir today obtained a stay of her defamation suit against the leaders of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) leaders.

This follows the Court of Appeal unanimously allowing a stay of the hearing in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, which was scheduled to hear the matter from today.

Marina sought the order as she wants Isma leaders who accused her of being the person behind Comango, to testify first in her defamation suit against them rather than she testify first, as normal in civil suits.

Comango is a coalition of Malaysian non-governmental organisations on the Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights.

"As they had accused her of being the person behind Comango, they should testify first, to prove their allegation," said Marina’s lawyer Nitin Nadkarni.

Nitin also told the appellate court that Isma leaders had earlier stated in their statement of defence agreeing that they had made the allegation. However, subsequently in their amended defence statement, they retracted it.

Hence, he said the burden of proof is on Isma to prove their allegation.

Justice Zaharah Ibrahim, who chaired a three-member panel together with Justices Mohd Ariff Mohd Yusof and David Wong Dak Wah, agreed to allow the stay.

Following this, the Court of Appeal fixed June 24 for the case management to hear Marina's appeal for Isma leaders to testify first.

'Published with malice'

In the High Court in Kuala Lumpur earlier, Justice Rosilah Yop had disagreed with Marina’s lawyers and ordered the hearing fixed for today to go on.

Marina filed the defamation suit in January and named Isma's president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman (left) and 15 members as defendants.

This follows the publication and distribution of 70,000 copies of a leaflet titled `Dalang di sebalik Comango' with Marina's photograph last November that said she is the mastermind behind Comango.

Marina, admitted she is a Sisters in Islam board member, but claimed no role in Comango. She claimed that the leaflet was published with malice and that its content is false and defamatory.

The leaflets, which named other leaders as well, were widely distributed in mosques in the Klang Valley, Seremban, Malacca, Samarahan (Sarawak), Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu.

Marina, the eldest of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's children, had sought a retraction from Isma on the claim made in the leaflets. Its failure to do so resulted in this legal action.

She said the leaflets had tarnished her reputation, lowered her esteem in society, and made her subject to ridicule and scorn.

Marina Mahathir questions need to interrogate Kassim Ahmad until 4am

(The Rakyat Post) - Social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir today lashed out at the way former political and social activist Dr Kassim Ahmad was charged by religious authorities.

“It’s so cruel and unfair. They (authorities) had questioned the elderly man until 4am, what is that?

“They even wanted to have him remanded for a week, I don’t think that is the best solution,” she tearfully told reporters at the Syariah High Court here today.

Marina appeared in the court today as Kassim’s surety after the court agreed to a bail with one surety on condition that the guarantor resides in the Federal Territory.

Kassim, when asked to comment on the conditions set by the court, said the existing law should be changed because it is difficult for the accused to find a guarantor.

“The system needs to be changed. A guarantor must reside in the Federal Territory?

“This law is trivial and stupid. The conditions are ridiculous. We cannot continue to live in a stupid system like this.”

In a related matter, the Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association of Malaysia (Aswaja) has shown its support to the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) for arresting Kassim, who is believed to have sown anti-Hadith sentiments in the country.

Aswaja’s president Zamihan Mat Zin said the ideology of Kassim had been deemed as deviant by some states as it may lead to apostasy.

“Aswaja gives full support to the arrest and charges made by Jawi because Kassim’s ideology is clearly against the teachings of Islam and is upsetting to the Muslims in the country,” he said in a statement.

“Aswaja supports the arrest that was done in a “civilised” manner and followed protocol.”

Zamihan said that his group once had a meeting with Kassim to persuade him to repent and return to the true path of Islam, but he remained defiant and continued to defend his anti-Hadith leanings.

Marina Mahathir sues Muslim NGO over Comango allegations – Bernama

Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir (pic) is suing the president and 15 committee members of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) over its allegations linking her to the activities of the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in the UPR (Universal Periodic Review) Process (Comango).

Marina, who sits on the Sisters in Islam (SiS) board of directors, named Isma's president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman, deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya, vice-president Abdul Rahman Mat Dali and 13 other committee members as the defendants.

Marina was represented by counsel Muhammad Faizal Faiz Mohd Hasani, of Messrs Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, who filed the defamation suit at the High Court Registrar's office on January 16.

The media was provided a copy of the statement of claims today when the case was mentioned in chambers before Judicial Commissioner Rosilah Yop.

The defendants' counsel Azad Bashir told reporters that Rosilah had scheduled March 10 for the filing of their defence statements.

In her statement of claims, Marina claimed that Isma had distributed 70,000 pamphlets titled "Among the 54 NGOs in Comango" at mosques in the Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam, Putrajaya, Seremban, Kota Samarahan (Sarawak), Melaka, Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu on November 8 2013.

The former chairman of the Malaysian AIDS Foundation claimed that Isma also posted an article titled "Isma distributes 70,000 pamphlets exposing Comango" on its website http://www.ismaweb.net the same day.

She stated that the pamphlets and article implied that she was involved in Comango's activities, personally involved in its report on human rights, was the mastermind behind the non-governmental organisation and did not respect the Federal Constitution.

Marina claimed that on November 11 2013 she had issued a press statement refuting the allegations, denied she was involved in said report and gave the defendants a chance to retract their accusations.

She claimed that on the same day Isma had however made a press statement through Aminuddin repeating its accusations, to which she responded two days later through the press as well.

She further claimed that all the defendants had failed to retract the alleged defamatory statements despite three letters of demand dated November 19 and 27 and December 12.

Marina said the statements had tarnished her reputation and sought general, exemplary and aggravated damages, an injunction to prevent the defendants from publishing said statements again and an apology from them. – Bernama,February 26, 2014.

Marina flays gov't for not responding to threats - Malaysiakini

Social activist Marina Mahathir slammed government leaders for failing to speak up when conservative groups threatened to demonstrate in front of churches over the past week.

Muslim pressure group Sekretariat Solidariti Muslim Klang is demanding that Christians conform to a government ban that prevents them from using the word 'Allah', which they say is exclusive for Muslims.

Marina this morning turned up in front of the Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang with some 40 people, mostly Muslims, in solidarity with Christians as the Muslim group protested at a nearby field.

She hit out at the government for refusing to rein in such conservative groups that have taken a confrontational stance.

"Our leaders should not be silent. Everyone is complaining that the silence is deafening and far from elegant. It is certainly incriminating.

"Everyone is alarmed. I'm not alone in this. Everyone is asking, where are our leaders? As a great leader, he should be here, not us," she said without naming names.

When asked if she was referring to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, she replied, "Whoever. He should be here. As a leader he should be better than us."

She also condemned Thursday's raid by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) on the Bible Society of Malaysia where 351 Malay and Iban language bible which used the word 'Allah' were confiscated.

"We are now known as a country where people grab bibles from a house of worship. Is that how we want to be known?

"We can forget about Visit Malaysia Year, (the situation) is hardly an example of moderation," she said.

'Christians have right to Allah'

Marina, who is the daughter of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, added that Christians should be allowed to use the word 'Allah' as it is within their own congregation and they are not propagating their religion to Muslims.

She said the newly set up National Unity Consultative Council by the government, of which she is a member, will hold its first meeting tomorrow and the raid will be the first item on the agenda.

Among the groups that took up arms against the Christians was Selangor Umno, who last week also threatened to protest in front of churches after Christian publication The Herald editor Lawrence Andrew insisted that Christian will continue to use the word 'Allah'.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's thumbs up for the move drew a backlash of fire from critics.

Yesterday, Selangor Umno did an about turn and banned its members from attending such rallies, citing the need to maintain harmony.

The controversy began when in 2010 the High Court ruled that the Home Ministry's earlier ban on The Herald from using the word 'Allah was unconstitutional.

The landmark decision provoked a series of church burnings and the Court of Appeal last year overturned the decision arguing that the word 'Allah' was not integral to the Christian faith.

The Catholic Church is appealing the decision and insists that Islamic authorities have no power to dictate the internal affairs of other religions.

‘Nobody wants to visit a Bible grabbing country’

Jaqueline Png, fz.com


Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir took a swipe at the country’s leadership for the handling of the JAIS raid and the Allah issue today, saying it is a shame that they are not making a stand against religious tolerence.

“Everyone has been complaining that the leadership’s silence is deafening. It’s far from elegant and certainly incriminating.”

“The last time when churches were burnt he wasn’t present either,” said the daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, declining to confirm if she was referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

She described last Thursday’s raid conducted by JAIS (Selangor Islamic Religious Department) on the Bible Society of Malaysia as “despicable” and something that should have never happened.

During the raid, about 300 copies of the Bible in the Malay and Iban languages were seized.

“You should never enter others’ house of worship without permission. I think they (BSM) should go ahead and take legal action against JAIS as they don’t have jurisdiction (over Christians).”

“Forget Visit Malaysia 2014, who wants to visit a Bible grabbing country?” said Marina.

Marina turned up at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church here this morning with a bouquet of flowers, along with a group of other non-Christian activists, in a show of solidarity with the Christian community.

“I’m so proud of us for resisting to react to such provocation last time. This time we will, as peace loving Malaysians, resist any attempt to disunite us,” she said.

The activists handed flowers to Parish priest Rev Michael Chua and members of the church as a symbol of solidarity and friendship.

“If we believe that God is one, then the word ‘Allah’ is for all,” said Marina.

Marina, who is a member of the National Unity Consultative Council, said this issue will top the agenda in the council’s meeting tomorrow.

Klang MP Charles Santiago was among those who attended the mass at the church this morning.

“If the government and the court cannot uphold our constitutional rights, the people will do it themselves,” he said.

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, Selayang MP William Leong and Sri Andalas state assembly member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar also turned up to show their support.

Police personnel were present to ensure public safety, and the mass ended peacefully.

On Thursday, Muslim groups had announced plans to gather at the church in protest against the use of the the word “Allah” by Christians.

However, no protests took place outise the church.

Instead, about 50 members of a group calling itself Klang Muslims Solidarity Secretariat opted to gather at the nearby Stadium Sultan Sulaiman.

They criticised The Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew over his statement that Catholic churches in Selangor would continue to use the word ‘Allah’ in their weekly Malay congregations despite JAIS’ reminder on the ban of its use by non-Muslims.

At a press conference, the group’s president, Mohd Khairi Hussin, said Andrew’s speech was seditious and disrupted peaceful relations between the Muslim and Christian communities.

He urged Andrew to adhere to the Selangor Sultan’s decree that the word ‘Allah’ can only be used by Muslims in the state.