Do Christians, Muslims and Jews worship the same God?

"To ask: ‘Do we have a common God?’ is, among other things, to worry: ‘Can we live together?’ That’s why whether or not a given community worships the same god as does another community has always been a crucial cultural and political question and not just a theological one."

Opinion by Jeffrey Weiss, Special to CNN
Sunni and Shia Muslims are killing each other in several nations, most notably in Syria's escalating civil war.

Coptic Christians churches are being torched in Egypt.

In Israel, what passes for peace talks has restarted after years of murder and brutality.

Religion is a common thread in each conflict. But why? Don’t these folks worship the same deity?

After all, Jews, Christians and Muslims all trace their faiths back to a fellow named Abraham, whom they all claim was chosen for special treatment by the Almighty. Why can’t they all get along?

Not academic

The “same God” question is one theologians have hammered at for as long as there have been enough religions for the query to make sense.

The question is hardly academic, though. In fact, a number of politicians, religious leaders and scholars have expressed hope in recent years that a convincing answer on the God question might dampen the violence committed in His name.

Last year, for example, Yale Divinity School theologian Miroslav Volf edited a book titled “Do We Worship the Same God? Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Dialogue.”

In the introduction, Volf explained why the title question matters:

    "To ask: ‘Do we have a common God?’ is, among other things, to worry: ‘Can we live together?’ That’s why whether or not a given community worships the same god as does another community has always been a crucial cultural and political question and not just a theological one."

On the other hand, there’s CNN Belief Blog contributor and Boston University religion professor Stephen Prothero. His book on this subject is titled “God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run The World.”

Prothero writes:

    “For more than a generation we have followed scholars and sages down the rabbit hole into a fantasy world where all gods are one … In fact this naive theological groupthink – call it Godthink – has made the world more dangerous by blinding us to the clash of religions that threaten us worldwide.”

In the world of politics, President George W. Bush asserted the unity side of the argument more than once in the years after the 9/11 attacks - often as a way to deflect accusations that America was at war with Islam.

Bush told Al Arabiya television, “I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality.”

Pope John Paul II drew from the same rhetorical well several times.

“We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection,” he first said in a speech to Muslims in Morocco in 1985.

Looking for a more recent example? Consider the plight earlier this year of the new Vatican envoy to Malaysia.

Shortly after he arrived there, Archbishop Joseph Marino said that is was fine by him that Christian translations of the Bible into Malay use the word “Allah” for “God.”

“Allah” is, of course, the Arabic word for God and is found in the Quran. The Christian translators explained that since most Malaysians are Muslim, it’s the word they’re most comfortable with and therefore the best choice for the translation.

But many Muslim authorities in Malaysia are furious. They say Christians are slipping in the familiar word as a way to convert Muslims. And conversion of Muslims is all but illegal in Malaysia.

There’s a lawsuit ongoing about the translations. Marino had to apologize for pushing into Malaysian politics.
READ MORE HERE

First They Came for the Islamists

Former Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Argentina, 1997 (Courtesy Reuters)

An Islamist political party does well at the polls, and an authoritarian regime goes after it with a vengeance, killing its activists and arresting its leaders. The party is driven underground while secularists and other political groups applaud the government’s harsh measures, all taken in the name of eliminating a terrorist threat. Meanwhile, the regime and the non-Islamist parties assure the world that once the Islamists have been dealt with, the regular political process will resume again.

So it has happened in Egypt, but it is also the story of Tunisia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when hopes for a democratic transition were smashed after a campaign of repression that first targeted Islamists but eventually grew into a much wider effort to eliminate all political opposition. Tunisia’s experience offers a glimpse of what may be yet to come in Egypt -- and suggests that Egyptian secularists should think twice before supporting the army’s efforts to eradicate the Muslim Brotherhood.

After replacing President Habib Bourguiba in a bloodless coup in November 1987, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, a military officer, embarked on a program of liberalization and democratization that was at that point unprecedented in the region. His government released all political prisoners and gave them amnesty, revised the laws governing the press and political parties, and got every political bloc -- including the Islamist Ennahda Party -- to sign a national pact guaranteeing civil liberties and free elections.

Those elections were held on April 2, 1989, and were at the time the most competitive in the country’s history, if not in the entire Arab world. Although the winner-take-all system guaranteed that Ben Ali’s party would carry the day, given its organizational advantages developed over decades of unopposed rule, the president and most observers assumed that the secular opposition parties would emerge as the dominant opposition. Instead, the Islamists received the highest share of the opposition vote, 14.5 percent, a figure that was likely deflated due to fraud.

Once Ben Ali finished with the Islamists, he trained his sights on the rest of the opposition.

Just after the election, The New York Times declared, “Tunisia is undergoing a transition from a one-man dictatorship to a much more open society with a sleight of hand that could furnish lessons for Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the Soviet leader.” The article went on to quote the head of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights saying, “I am absolutely certain of Ben Ali’s good will.”

As it turned out, though, the prospect of a strong Islamist opposition, and especially of an Islamist government at some point down the road, was too much for Ben Ali and the Tunisian state to bear. The government launched a brutal crackdown, killing 1,000 Islamists, jailing another 30,000, and forcing into exile the leader of Ennahda, Rachid al-Ghannouchi. The regime justified its actions by claiming that the Islamists were terrorists out to sow discord and tear Tunisia apart. Only because of the national security threat that they presented, Ben Ali argued, were the Islamists being targeted.

Even as the government’s campaign against Islamists turned violent and repressive, Tunisia’s secular opposition parties cheered it on. Fearful of the possibility of Tunisia’s Islamists emulating the Algerian intifada taking place next door, the secularists had no problem with the state neutralizing the threat of political Islam. Furthermore, given the country’s history of secularism, most Tunisians did not want to see Islamists of any stripe coming to power, and so they watched quietly as Ennahda was driven underground.

The twist is that once Ben Ali finished with the Islamists, he trained his sights on the rest of the opposition as well. Even if his crackdown initially stemmed from a legitimate ideological fear of Islamism, once he started down the authoritarian path, it was only a short skip and a jump to viewing all political opponents as enemies. In early 1992, the government shut down secular newspapers and magazines, imprisoned liberal journalists, and passed a new law of associations that curtailed the actions of human rights groups. A whole generation of secular opposition leaders, including Tunisia’s current president, Moncef Marzouki, found themselves in jail. In the 1994 sham presidential election, Ben Ali ran unopposed after disallowing all other candidates from running, and in 1999, he was “reelected” with 99 percent of the vote.

Egypt is now in the throes of a similar campaign to rid the country of its Islamists. The military rulers have charged Muslim Brotherhood members with terrorism and murder, and they are considering formally labeling the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and banning it entirely. Although Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s erstwhile strongman, did not allow the Muslim Brotherhood to participate in politics formally, even he did not go so far as to ban the group, and the contemplation of such a move in conjunction with the unprecedented arrest of the Brotherhood’s supreme guide demonstrates just how far the military is willing to go. To be sure, the Brotherhood-led government under former President Mohamed Morsi was hardly a paragon of democracy, and Brotherhood members have indeed resorted to violence since his ouster. But the terrorism charges represent a major escalation in anti-Islamist rhetoric since the military coup, and they allow the army to justify all its actions in the name of security.

In addition, the Muslim Brotherhood’s secular opponents, many of whom opposed the military when it last ruled the state following the toppling of Mubarak, are not only staying out of the streets but also actively supporting the anti-Brotherhood campaign. Much like their Tunisian counterparts two decades ago, Egyptian secularists have convinced themselves that the government is out to eradicate only the Islamists, rather than all political opposition. The enemy of their enemy, many of them figure, is their friend. This frame of mind is spreading among less stridently secular Egyptians as well, with former Morsi voters and Egyptians who were previously sympathetic to the Brotherhood lauding the military’s moves.

For the military, the support from secular parties and ordinary Egyptians is crucial. The army’s removal of Morsi was made possible only by the presence of millions of protesters in the streets. Similarly, the widening crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood has been a much easier task, given the political and rhetorical support the army has received from Egyptian liberals. Were prominent liberal and secular voices to denounce the army’s moves, it would not bring an end to the Muslim Brotherhood’s troubles altogether, but it might constrain the military’s range of actions, just as public outrage against the last military government led to an expedited election and transition process. Yet for now, Egypt’s secularists seem to be backing the military to the hilt.

This view is shortsighted. Looking at the bigger picture, Egypt’s secular parties should realize that the authoritarian genie is extremely difficult to put back in the bottle once it has been released in the name of national security. Although the army is likely to return to the barracks at some point and resume ruling from behind the scenes -- it has promised to hold elections by 2014 -- it will not allow secular parties to construct a democratic system, let alone a liberal one. Egyptians are in for a rude awakening if they believe that just because the military has not yet put measures in place to repress all political opposition or begun to arrest secular figures, that it will not eventually do so. As Egyptians remember all too well, the allegedly temporary state of emergency put in place following President Anwar Sadat’s assassination in 1981 lasted 31 years. Today, there is little reason to think that the current monthlong state of emergency will expire along with the Muslim Brotherhood’s political fortunes.

If history is any guide, authoritarian governments do not confine their repression to only one category of opponents, and coercive measures taken in the name of security always morph into something larger. The secularists should think twice before cheering on the regime’s campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists, no matter what type of language the government is using to couch its antidemocratic actions. The lesson of Tunisia is that once the Islamists are gone, the secularist opposition is going to be next.

Lawyer lodges report against client over shooting threat

The Star 
by WANI MUTHIAH

PETALING JAYA: A lawyer has lodged a police report against one of her clients whom she claimed had threatened to shoot her for refusing to run an errand for him.

“He said he would find me and shoot me during a telephone conversation,” said N. Lalitha who had acted for the man in the purchase of a bungalow in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Lalitha, the man had entered a sale and purchase (S&P) agreement to acquire the bungalow for RM11.5mil and had agreed to pay a deposit of RM230,000.

“But the sale did not go through because the man was unable to make the deposit,” she added.

Lalitha said the houseowner then terminated the S&P agreement and the man sued the vendor for failing to honour the S&P agreement.

The court then ordered the man to make a RM20,000 payment as cost security pending his suit against the property owner by 4pm on Aug 23.

“He called me at about 2.30pm in my office in Rawang and asked me to collect the bank draft from him in Kuala Lumpur and then rush it to the house owner’s solicitor in Jalan Ipoh,” she said.

Lalitha said she had refused to do the man’s bidding and also reminded him that he still owed her legal fees for earlier transactions.

The man then lost his temper and threatened to shoot her.

“His brother also sent me an SMS asking for the return of the files and said that he was giving me a final warning,” said Lalitha who lodged a report at the Gombak police station on Wednesday.

Lalitha said she decided to lodge a police report because she was worried for her safety given the recent spate of shootings.

The man and his brother had faced multiple charges for cheating in 2010 and had been detained under the then Restricted Residence Act while awaiting the cases against them to be heard.

Meanwhile, a source from the Gombak district police headquarters confirmed Lalitha’s report.

Registrar of Societies should stop acting on the script of the Umno/BN “DDD” (Demolish/Destroy DAP) campaign but demonstrate that he is independent, impartial and professional including giving reasons why he wants DAP CEC re-elections

Yesterday, the Registrar of Societies (RoS) Director-General Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman asked the DAP to stop its “battle” with the RoS in the media and to comply with procedures.

It is the RoS which is guilty of being part of a “media war” against the DAP in the past eight months, and I would call on Abdul Rahman to stop acting on the script of the Umno/BN “DDD” (Demolish/Destroy DAP) campaign and to demonstrate that he is independent, impartial and professional in carrying out his duties, including giving reasons why he wants DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) re-elections when the DAP CEC elections last December were proper, valid and conducted fully in accordance with the party Constitution.

In the Umno/BN DDD campaign in the first seven months of the year, three reasons had been floated to question the validity of the DAP CEC re-elections at the DAP Congress in Penang last December:

• Firstly, allegations of electoral fraud and irregularities arising from a computer glitch resulting in an error in the announcement of the CEC results, which had nothing to do with any error in vote counting or tabulation but a mistake in the computer posting of the results for purposes of announcement.
• Secondly, allegation that 753 delegates “mostly Indians” were not notified of the DAP Congress in Penang last December, resulting in their being unable to attend and therefore deprived of the right to vote in the CEC election.
• Thirdly, allegation that 547 “phantom delegates, mostly from Penang” were allowed to vote in the DAP CEC elections in Penang, resulting in fraudulent election results.

All these three reasons have been proven to be baseless. In fact, after the first two months, the first allegation about electoral fraud and irregularities arising from the “computer glitch” was virtually dropped, with the attacks on the DAP elections focussed on the second and third allegations about the “753 delegates” not notified about the Congress and the 547 “phantom delegates”.

In July, a mysterious booklet “The Equity Report (CEC Election Fraud)” in four languages, Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil, appeared with great fanfare being quoted liberally in the Umno/BN controlled media, as well as distributed nationally throughout the country including Sarawak, although it was written by an entirely fictitious character, a phantom “Father Augustus Chen” and was an illegal publication, as it neither carried the name of the printer or publisher as required by Malaysian law.

I had challenged this “Father Augustus Chen” to surface publicly but of course he did not appear, as he is a pure phantom who had packed some 100 lies and falsehoods against the DAP in its 12-page booklet.
Never before in the nation’s history has a fictitious and unlawful publication been given such “royal treatment”, quoted in the official and Umno/BN media whether print, radio or television as if it is equivalent to official pronoucements emanating from the Prime Minister’s Department or Cabinet sources.

What is noteworthy is that this scurrillous and defamatory booklet by the phantom “Father Augustus Chen” was the final chapter of the Umno/BN “DDD” campaign to justify the UMNO/BN government (as publicly stated by Cabinet Ministers, including the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak) and RoS to demand DAP CEC re-elections, particularly over the baseless allegations about “753 delegates mostly Indians” not being notified of the Party Congress and the “547 phantom delegates, mostly from Penang” participating in the DAP CEC elections.

In the early phase of the UMNO/BN “Demolish/Destroy DAP” campaign, the RoS Director-General was fairly independent, impartial and professional, as evidenced from Abdul Rahman’s statement in January that DAP CEC re-elections “would only occur if there was concrete evidence there were discrepancies in the CEC election process”.

It is obvious that right from the beginning of the DDD campaign, there were intense pressures on the RoS to compromise its independence, impartiality and professionalism and to comply with the script of the DDD campaign to use the DAP CEC elections last December to undermine, destabilise and destroy the DAP as well as Pakatan Rakyat.

This was why the then Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein could announce on February 16, 2013 that an official probe would be launched by the RoS on the CEC elections held in Penang last December as the party had failed to submit its report within the stipulated 60 days, when in fact, DAP submitted its election reports on February 8.

But in the ensuing months, it was clear that the RoS had to act according to the script of the Umno/BN Demolish/Destroy DAP campaign, culminating in the RoS directive on DAP CEC re-elections, although the RoS Director-General was unable to comply with his own standards publicly stated in January that there must be “concrete evidence” about discrepancies in the CEC election process before there could be directive for CEC re-elections.

The Umno/BN Demolish/Destroy DAP campaign has a new agenda after the disastrous BN performance in the 13th General Elections, which is to eliminate the DAP from the political arena by all means, whether fair or foul, and by extension the Pakatan Rakyat.

Nobody is surprised by this Umno/BN agenda, but the RoS should not get involved in this nefarious Umno/BN agenda but must act as an independent, impartial and professional agency overseeing registered societies and political parties.

It is not too late for the RoS Director-General to discharge his duties lawfully and professionally, and the first step he should do is to give the reasons why he is not satisfied with the DAP CEC elections last December and wants DAP CEC re-elections.

I am also prepared to meet with Datuk Abdul Rahman to substantiate my allegation that the RoS had been acting on the script on the Umno/BN DDD campaign after the initial manifestation of independence, impartiality and professionalism of the RoS in the first weeks of the year.

Fuel Subsidy Cut On Track To Improve Fiscal Position, Says Nazir Razak

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- The government's move in reducing the RON95 petrol and diesel subsidy is on the right track in improving its fiscal position, said CIMB Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Nazir Razak.

"I think it is right, we need to reduce subsidies and widen our tax base, but we must do it in a way that does not affect the general public.

"In the context of what is happening globally, this is something very important that we need to do," he told reporters at the Khazanah Nasional open house here Tuesday.

He said following the negative outlook on the country by Fitch Ratings recently, there was a very real outflow of money from the region, and to mitigate this pressure, it was imperative to take control of both government fiscal deficit and a potential trade deficit.

Nazir said when there is an outflow of money, investors would evaluate and compare different countries, and their decision would be based on the fundamentals of each country.

"This is why it is important for the government to send out the right messages in terms of the country's fundamentals," he said.

He said across the region, every country is having to take measures to protect itself in the face of this new pressure.

"There is a lot of cheap money out there, and investors are constantly looking for an opportunity, so it is okay to be a little bit aggressive," he said.

Asked on the impact of the subsidy reduction on the general public, Nazir said the government has stated that the subsidy withdrawal would be used for specific programmes to cushion the impact on the lower- to middle-income groups.

"We look forward to these measures that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is going to announce in the tabling of the Budget 2014 on Oct 25," he added.

Meanwhile, the government's move to reduce fuel subsidies has received positive reviews from foreign investors as the ringgit hit a three-week high today.

The ringgit advanced 0.29 per cent to 3.2645 against the US dollar, after hitting 3.2590, its strongest since Aug 13.

-- BERNAMA

Photo of the day: Bridge-builders at work

While recent divisive controversies like the Tanda Putera movie grabbed the attention of Malaysians over the Merdeka weekend, other Malaysians were quietly building bridges behind the scenes.

The photo above shows Tasik Gelugor Pas information chief Abdul Rahman Kasim (left) poring over a calendar with Rev John Kennedy, the pastor of the St Mark’s (Anglican) Church in Butterworth, to agree on a date for a Muslim-Christian dialogue. Looking on is Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa (right).

The date finally agreed upon is 16 September, which happens to be Malaysia Day.

Anti Hindu Conspiracy, All Time High in Uttar Pradesh.

Molestation of Hindu girls sparks communal tension in Muzaffarnagar, 3 killed.

Muzaffarnagar | Uttar Pradesh | 28 August 2013 :: Security has been stepped up in Kawal village of Muzaffarnagar district as tension prevails after three persons were killed on Tuesday (27-08-2013) over a dispute which has now culminated into communal rift between two communities.The village witnessed a horrific series of events after two Hindu girls, returning back with their kin Gaurav from college, were molested by Shahnawaz, a local resident of the village. Gaurav first tried to oppose the act but finally decided to go home silently.

After sometime, Gaurav returned with his friend on bike and allegedly attacked Shahnawaz with sharp weapon. Meanwhile, Shahnawaz’s neighbours rushed to his rescue. They nabbed the two youths and beat them mercilessly to death. When Shahnawaz was taken to hospital, he was also declared dead by the doctors. Ironically, the police personnel were present near the spot of the incident but didn’t act in time.

After the three deaths, the security has been tightened and patrolling intensified as tension prevailed in the area. A posse of police have been deployed to maintain law and order.

A case has already been registered in this regard.

Situation has been worsened in Kawal Gaon in the day after, while a ancient temple was destroyed by the Muslim miscreants.

Source : Niti Central  | HJS.

Azam Khan thinks top Hindu  Bureaucrat are ‘anti-Muslim’. That was also Durga Shakti Nagpal.…

Azam Khan calls Health principal secretary of UP ‘anti-Muslim’

Lucknow | In Today |  28 August 2013 :: Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister Azam Khan has now unleashed another controversy by accusing a senior bureaucrat the state of being “anti-Muslim”.

Unhappy over poor medical facilities in a district hospital in his constituency Rampur, the powerful Samajwadi party MLA slammed Pravir Kumar, principal secretary, health, and accused him of having an anti-Muslim mindset, said a newspaper report on Wednesday.

The recent outburst of Khan on the health department is seen as an outcome of the ongoing tussle between two Muslim ministers in the Akhilesh Yadav’s cabinet — Azam Khan and Medical and Health Minister Ahmed Hasan.

……

Azam Khan’s tirade against Pravir Kumar is seen as veiled attack on Hassan, who has recently gained proximity to Akhilesh Yadav.Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has recently praised the Ahmed Hasan for the performance of the Health Department.

……

Notably, Pravir Kumar was posted as Principal Secretary in the Urban Development Minister before being moved to the Health Department.

Courtesy: In Today.

Perhaps, Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate Ravikant Singh is a Saffron Hindu and ‘anti Muslim’.…

Gautam Budh Nagar DM, who backed Durga Shakti Nagpal, transferred

……..

Lucknow | PTI | 28 August 2013::  Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate Ravikant Singh, who had given a clean chit to suspended Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, has been transferred.

…….

The action comes days after Singh had supported Nagpal, the 28-year-old SDM of Gautam Budh Nagar, who led the crackdown on sand mining mafia in her district and was suspended on July 27 ostensibly for ordering demolition of a wall of a under-construction mosque allegedly without following due process. Singh had in his report to the UP government supported Nagpal and said that the wall was demolished by villagers themselves and no JCB machine was put in operation to demolish it.

…..

Though no official reason has been given for Singh’s transfer, it comes after villagers at Sorkha village in Sector 115 in Noida on Tuesday protested against a demolition drive in the area and pelted stones and set ablaze police vehicle.

…..

District Magistrate Singh had on Tuesday reached the site and pacified the mob.Officials said on Wednesday that Singh has been put on wait list and replaced by DM, Unnao, Hiralal Gupta.

……

Besides Singh, others who have been transferred include Special secretary in Infrastructure and Industrial Development department Kaushal Raj Sharma, who has been made the new DM of Muzaffarnagar replacing Surendra Singh, who has also been put on the wait list.DM Mainpuri Vijay Karan Anand has been shifted to Unnao. Special secretary IT Vinod Kumar Pawar has been made the new DM of Mainpuri.

Courtesy: Indian Express.

Vande Mataram attacked in Uttar Pradesh.

Jihadi attack on Children singing Vande Mataram 
Saharanpur |Uttar Pradesh | HK | 19 August 2013 | Source :: The singing of Vande Mataram by school children has made hate mongers in Uttar Pradesh very unhappy.
So unhappy in fact that they have now taken to attacking unarmed and helpless children with sharp weapons.

According to a report in Dainik Jagran, children in Sarsawa’s Qutubpur village, singing Vande Mataram on their Prabhat Pheri on August 15, were attacked with sticks and sharp weapons.

As a result, several of them were injured and were forced to flee the place screaming.
Angry protesters took out a procession on Friday demanding that the attackers be brought to justice.

As per another report from Hindi Newspaper ‘Dainik Jagaran’, the mob claimed that very soon they will turn India into a Islamic country and Islam is against secularism and democracy.

Courtesy: Haindava Keralam.

Syrian crisis: World waits to see if the U.S. will strike

(CNN) -- U.N. evidence that could show whether chemical weapons were used in Syria will head to a lab Monday, but to some, the answer may just be a formality.

The American president has already said there's no doubt Syria's government killed hundreds of civilians in a chemical weapon attack -- and he wants to go after the regime. Independent tests have revealed "signatures of sarin gas" in blood and hair samples from Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry said.

President Barack Obama wants Congress to sign off on limited strikes on Syrian targets -- but some lawmakers bristle at the idea of getting ensnared in another overseas conflict.

A lot is riding on what the United States decides to do. Britain has already voted against taking any military action on Syria, and France said it won't act without the United States as a partner.

That means if the United States wants to attack Syria, it may have to do it alone.

But Russia says it doesn't buy U.S. claims that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons.

"We absolutely were not convinced by that (evidence) that our American partners, as well as the British and the French, showed us," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

"There are no facts, there's only talk about what we know for certain. When we ask for more detailed evidence, they say, 'You know, it's all secret, so we can't show you.' That means that there are no such facts."

On Monday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime asked the U.N. to step in.

"The Syrian government calls on the U.N. Secretary General to shoulder his responsibilities for preventing any aggression on Syria," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

For now, Syria seems safe from U.N.-sanctioned hits. It's unlikely the U.N. Security Council will authorize military strikes against Syria because two of its members -- Russia and China -- have blocked all efforts to take action against their ally.

U.S. naval ships enter Red Sea

Five U.S. naval ships are being positioned in the Red Sea, a U.S. official said Monday.

A second official said the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is not expected to participate in combat operations over Syria, but that the ship is there for a greater U.S. military presence in the region -- even as the possibility of a U.S. missile strike appears to be delayed.

U.S. Marines site hacked

The pro-Assad Syrian Electronic Army appears to have hacked the U.S. Marines recruitment website, marines.com, and posted a letter urging Marines not to attack Syria.

"Dear US Marines, This is a message written by your brothers in the Syrian Army, who have been fighting Al Qaeda for the last 3 years," the message states. "... Obama is a traitor who wants to put your lives in danger to rescue Al Qaeda insurgents."

The message ends by saying, " You're more than welcome to fight alongside our army rather than against it. Your brothers, the Syrian army soldiers. A message delivered by the SEA"

The waiting game

While British and U.S. intelligence reports say the August 21 attack involved chemical weapons, U.N. officials have stressed the importance of waiting for an official report from the U.N. chemical weapons inspectors.

The inspectors left Syria on Saturday, carrying evidence that will determine whether chemical weapons were used in the attack last month. But the U.N. won't give a date for when the testing would be completed.

"It's being done as fast as it is possible to do within the scientific constraints," said Martin Nesirky, spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Kerry: We must act

The independent test results from Syria have firmed up suspicions that al-Assad's regime killed civilians in opposition strongholds, the Obama administration said.

"We know that the regime ordered this attack, we know they prepared for it," Kerry said. "We know where the rockets came from. We know where they landed. We know the damage that was done afterwards. We've seen the horrific scenes all over the social media, and we have evidence of it in other ways, and we know that the regime tried to cover up afterwards, so the case is really an overwhelming case."

With "each day that goes by, this case is even stronger," he said, arguing that the United States must act.

"If you don't do it, you send a message of impunity," Kerry said. He said that could have a ripple effect on Iran, North Korea and Hezbollah.

Facing resistance

But the administration is facing resistance from lawmakers even before Congress officially comes back to Washington September 9.

About 100 members of the House and Senate came back early from recess for the briefing with top administration officials, according to members who attended the meeting. Many of those lawmakers - Republicans and Democrats alike - left the session skeptical and with major concerns about the language of the president's proposal.

While there have been no plans to put American boots on the ground, Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen said he wants to see an amendment that would prohibit American troops from being on the ground and a separate change that would put a firm expiration date on American action in the country.

Asking for support

Obama doesn't have to get Congress' approval to launch military action -- under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a president can initiate an attack as long as he notifies Congress within 48 hours.

But that's a U.S. law. Internationally, an Obama-led strike against Syria could be deemed illegal.

The United Nations' charter generally doesn't allow countries to attack other nations unless in self-defense or with approval from the U.N. Security Council -- neither of which is the case in Syria.

To help fix the legal problem, the Obama administration asked Congress over the weekend to approve a proposed authorization for the use of military force.

Congressional approval wouldn't solve the problem with international law, a senior administration official said, but it would enhance the legitimacy of military action.

China: Don't act unilaterally

Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Hong Lei said China has noted the U.S. claim of chemical weapons evidence and that the United States has briefed China about the situation.

But Hong said he was worried about any possible unilateral action against Syria.

"We are gravely concerned that some country may take unilateral military actions," Hong said Monday. "We believe that any action taken by the international community should abide by the purposes and principles of the U.N. charter ... so to as to avoid complicating the Syrian issue and bringing more disasters to the Middle East region."

Why China, Russia and Iran are standing by the Syrian regime

Syria denies claims

The Syrian government has denied that it used chemical weapons in the August 21 attack, saying that jihadists fighting with the rebels used them in an effort to turn global sentiments against the regime.

Maria Saadeh, a member of Syria's parliament, told CNN on Sunday that she sees no justification for a U.S. strike on Syria.

"There is no legitimacy to make this attack," she said, accusing rebel groups of using chemical weapons and committing other crimes against humanity.

Reports: Sarin's been used in Syria before

World leaders have said previously that sarin has been used in the Syrian civil war.

In April, the United States said it had evidence sarin was used in Syria on a small scale.

In May, a U.N. official said there were strong suspicions that rebel forces used the deadly nerve agent.

In June, France said sarin had been used several times in the war, including at least once by the Syrian regime.

No end to the bloodshed

While world leaders grapple with what to do about Syria, the reports of carnage on the ground keep rising.

At least 118 people were killed across Syria on Sunday, including 13 children, the opposition group Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

The United Nations said more than 100,000 people -- including many civilians -- have been killed since a popular uprising spiraled into a civil war two years ago.

Putrajaya moves to defuse religious issue, assures 101-year-old Hindu temple safe

Putrajaya has moved to placate Malaysia's minority Hindus, assuring them today that a 101-year-old temple in the centre of Kuala Lumpur will not be demolished to make way for a pavement.

The attempted demolition yesterday attracted scores of worshippers to protect the temple, raising the temperature in Malaysia's religious landscape and pitting the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government against politicians from its own coalition.

The location of non-Muslim houses of worship is a hot-button issue, with several incidents of temples being torn down or relocated due to development, especially in central Selangor.

The temple demolitions were among the factors that led to the ruling BN losing Selangor and its two-thirds super majority in parliament in the past two general elections.

But Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said today the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman temple in the central business district will not be demolished.

"Only eight feet of land has been taken, with work already started at the back of the temple," he told reporters after visiting the temple site in Jalan P. Ramlee.

But MIC Youth chief T. Mohan told The Malaysian Insider the authorities were trying to cover up the matter as a part of the 101-year-old temple has already been torn down.

Mohan, whose party is part of BN, said the demolition was intentionally done to accommodate the developer of an adjacent building who failed to get the certificate of fitness (CF).

"I was told that in order to obtain the CF, the developer has to first find room for the walkway. They did not have space on their ground so they encroached into the temple instead.

But Tengku Adnan said once the development of the commercial building is completed, the temple walls will be restored.

The minister also urged the parties concerned not to politicise the issue.

Mohan said police and City Hall officials were trying to cover their tracks by not telling the truth behind the move to demolish the temple located in the city centre.

He said that the statement given by police yesterday that the temple will not be demolished is not true.

"There were statues in the way yesterday which were removed before that section of the temple was torn down," he said.

Mohan said City Hall should be investigated because the series of events that has been unfolding shows that "something is clearly amiss".

"The cabinet had concluded that the temple must not be touched and City Hall has clearly gone against this directive," he added. – September 2, 2013.

Name the gang leaders

Merely naming gang leaders will not curb crime. Further concrete actions must be taken to nab criminals.

PETALING JAYA: The police should make public the names of the most wanted gang leaders as a commitment towards fighting crime, demands Malaysian Community Crime Care Association (MCCCA) pro-term committee member, V Ravindran.

According to Ravindran, MCCCA is willing to throw its support behind the Home Ministry in its effort to release the names.

Nevertheless, he said that merely releasing the names will not do any good. “Even a school boy can come out with a list.

“I am sure the police have gang leaders’ profiling obtained from their ground intelligence and they should announce to the public and go after them,” said Ravindran

He further added that by naming the gang leaders and hunting those down will restore public confidence towards the police as being serious in curbing criminals and illegal activities.

“MCCCA is new and our main objective is to assist the community and reduce crime along with the police and Home Ministry,” said Ravindran.

Last week the Home Ministry declared 49 societies associated with gangs as being unlawful under the Societies Act 1966. The detailed list revealed the gang names.

Stop abusing the Hindu Symbol

Meanwhile, MyWatch advisor S Gobi Krishnan also welcomed the decision to release the list and says that it will send a strong message to the gangs.

In a phone interview with FMT, he said that the outlawed gangs should be punished severely and the authorities should do the best in combating the underworld.

“The main concern here is to go after gang leaders and not only the small gang members,” said Gobi

According to Gobi, some Indian gangs such as Gang 04 carry a swastika logo and Gang 36 the Sanskrit OM as their gang symbol.

“It’s mocking Hinduism and it gives a bad impression to the society as though the religion supports gangsterism,” said Gobi

Gobi also stressed that the gangs should stop displaying the symbols and numbers during funeral procession as it’s a disgrace to the community.

He further suggested that Hindu Sangam should condemn such acts in public.

He also said that the authorities should take stern action against those displaying these logos in association with gangsterism.

“Do not stop after releasing the list. Further concrete actions must be mooted immediately to apprehend these gang leaders,” said Gobi.

Why fear presidential contest in MIC?

MIC is once again proving to the people that as long as we are happy in the party, why bother about the voters.
COMMENT

The new de facto MIC president is none other than Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. MIC seems to be inefficient in addressing their internal party woes for ages and clearly lack the wisdom of leadership.

It is embarrassing to the highest degree for the fact that their houses are in such a pandemonium ever since G Palanivel took over the helm.

Party president Palanivel never could take control of the troubled party. In essence, over the years MIC has done more damage and dent on the morale of the Indian community than bringing tangible benefits in general.

MIC gyrates on selfish and self-agenda platforms and has conveniently neglected the Indians per se.

Though given the doubt, with a pinch of salt, MIC tries very hard in projecting an image of championing Indian agenda in the Malaysian context, it has failed miserably.

From the Maika scandal right up to the AIMST University, it has fumbled in all projects. It is so entangled with its internal power struggles and dilemma.

MICs’ top leaders are behaving nothing more than class monitors in primary school. Frankly they do not even deserve to be school prefects.

Will Umno or MCA ever listen to the MIC president on how to run their houses? It is a big slap on the Indians in general to showcase to the world that they are just paraplegics in handling issues.

Their in-fighting that compelled the Prime Minister to intervene at presidential level warrants a serious and critical reflective view on themselves.

Have they gone to such a low level in politics that an Umno man has to advise them; and that too in the open?

There is no forgiving to the irrelevant leaders in MIC to have escalated their dirty linen droppings into the public court, so much to the extent that they stand corrected by Umno literally.

MIC has and never will learn what it takes to be the pulse of the nation, especially to those few die-hard Indian fans that they still boast about.

MCA was tossed out like a stale roti canai from the political mainstream during the 13th general election. On the other hand MIC is like a fish being fried alive in rancid oil. And yet unheedingly, MIC forerunners are too deaf and dumb to realise that their leisurely drive is long gone.

The mamak stalls are well known for their notoriety in recycling day before curries and dishing them out in the next day meals. Looks like MIC has taken an evening stroll on the same path. Are there no any Indian talents left in the country?

Beaten class monitor

A capable leader and one that demands respect from the majority will never take the path of a no-contest when time comes. Above that a good leader will always have the optimal leveraging power in the event consensus is to be negotiated when the moment comes.

But Palanivel, like a beaten class monitor ran crying into the arms of the headmaster and complained about the school bullying. He was pretty sure, being the monitor; the head master will pacify him and provide the necessary lollipops.

And that is exactly what happened when Najib took the cane out and said “look here you two, time to be good boys and go back to class. This year, no need monitor election. Palani, you can be monitor until standard 6, no problem.”

MIC, the all Malaysian Incapable Corporation, has once again proven to the people that as long as we are happy in the party, why bother about the voters.

MIC agenda supercedes community agenda. Dr S Subramaniam is still immature in politics and as punishment must stand by the class door for the next three years before we can allow him in.

The Indian community is battered in terms of economy and equal opportunities for their own making. Their unwarranted contribution to brutal crime in the country is making headlines almost daily.

A significant percentage is still in the lowest income group and many drop out of the mainstream education upon reaching their teens.

Discriminative policies for long have further pushed them into their shells. A community that has been ridiculed and belittled during elections with pittance. MIC is an unpalatable leftover in line for the trash.

PM Najib hails the blue ocean strategy in all aspects of management. Being a strong advocate of the strategy, he has tried his level best in infusing its principles in all transformation agendas.

Nevertheless, MIC and its members are definitely colour blind. Wonder if they even have an inkling what blue ocean strategy is all about. Time to dissolve MIC for good. When a diabetic limb goes gangrene, it has to be amputated to save a life; that best describes the current MIC situation in Barisan Nasional.

The 14th GE is not too far. A Nostradamic prediction will only point the compass towards the exit for BN if they continue dragging maggot filled limbs into the next election battle.

Even a lame duck is worthy of soup, but not MIC. It is idealess, crippled, and gangrenous; thus achieving nothing but negative publicity all this while.

Negative publicity is better than none but eventually it mounts into hatred, anger and disgust. That is the current reality of the all Malaysian Incapable Corporation.

Narinder Singh is a FMT team member.

No promised houses in sight despite eviction notice

Kampung Bunga Raya residents lodged police report after receiving notice to evict the longhouse they are currently occupying without first constructing the promised low-cost houses.

SUBANG: Residents of Kampung Bunga Raya alleged that they had been misled by MIC leaders, the government of Malaysia and developer Sinar Fadzilat when they signed a compensation deal in 1994 to purchase houses for them to move into when they are evicted from their longhouse settlement.

The residents alleged that they have until reporting time yet to take possession of the houses despite facing eviction as they have on Aug 23 received a legal notice from the developer to do so within 30 days.

On Aug 31, about 50 residents were at the Kampung Subang Baru police station to lodge a mass police report against MIC leaders, the government of Malaysia and the developer for uprooting them from their homes in the same area for development and placing them in a longhouse settlement for 19 years with the promise that houses would be built for them.

Last week, FMT reported that residents of the longhouse were living in abject poverty, in a snake, rat and insect-infested environment in which, the residents were often down with illnesses.

The village head K Ramachandran blamed MIC for their situation, saying that they were brought to the settlement by N R Krishnan and Rajagopal from MIC after they were promised that they would be entitled to purchase houses at a discount from the developer.

“It has been 19 years now and we have been serving interests for loans from Ambank to finance the purchase of the houses, which we have yet to see. We were promised that we will be only be in the longhouse for 18 months – it has been 19 years now,” Ramachandran said.

He added that they decided to lodge a report after their relentless effort to redress the issue with their countless visits to the land office, ruling and opposing political parties, and developer met with a dead-end.

“We voted for BN in the recent election as they told us that our housing issue will be the first they look into if they were to come into power. However, we feel cheated as they had side-lined us after receiving our votes,” he said.

Another resident, M Saravanan, 30, is up in arms now that his family is facing an uncertain future as they do not know where to go now that they have been told to evict the longhouse.

“The developer promised us new houses and placed us in their very own land. Now, how could they just ask us to leave without first building the houses that they promised us? he asked.

Supporting Saravanan’s statement, R. Batumalai commented that since it was MIC that brought them to the land that they are currently occupying, it should be held responsible for their sufferings throughout the years.

“The developer has cheated us while MIC and the government have ignored our plights,” he said.

They claimed that they were living in better conditions in their former homes in the same area, and that the developer promised to sell them the promised houses at RM42,000.

The process and negotiation were facilitated by the MIC leaders of Subang with NR Krishnan acting as a mediator between the developer and the residents.

Subang MIC leader blames political parties, local council and developer…..

“What power do I have in this matter?” asked NR Krishnan, who added that the matter was beyond his jurisdiction as he merely facilitated meetings between the residents and the developer and he was not directly involved in it.

“I have brought the plight of the villagers to the attention of the party leaders and the town council but it has not been resolved,” he said.

Krishnan also blamed the local council MBSA and the assemblyman for neglecting the issue while explaining that the oil palm plantation that they were occupying before they were evicted and placed in the longhouse was being developed by Sinar Fadzilat.

“I didn’t want these people to be chased out from their settlement due to development, so I negotiated with the developer for a temporary settlement for the villagers,” Krishnan told FMT.

“That was when Sinar Fadzilat agreed to place these people in a land owned by them and also promised to build low-cost houses for the villagers.”

He further explained that it was MIC who arranged for the settlement to be equipped with basic facilities such water and electricity supply. During the negotiation with the developer, Krishnan also claimed to have insisted in building a longhouse wihtout the villagers having to bear the cost as it will further burden them.

“How could they now say that I am the cause of their sufferings as if I had not intervened, the developers would have chased them away and they would be without the the current facilities?” Krishnan asked.

The Subang division leader also argued that without providing the promised low-cost houses, Sinar Fadzilat will not be able to chase this people from the current settlement, which area is under MPSJ.

Krishnan elaborated that MPSJ, then under the BN government, engaged in developer Unique Creations to build low-cost houses for them instead. However, the company was wound up before the developer could start construction and the task is again entrusted on the former developer.

“Even under the Pakatan government today, MPSJ has not looked into the issue. The council should be held responsible for bringing in a financially-weak developer for projects sucg as this,” Krishnan said.

He also alleged that Sinar Fadzilat is the main cause of the problems plaguing the villagers while the federal and state government had swept the issue under the carpet.

‘Minister should take blame for temple demolition’

Federal Territory Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor should be blamed for the demolition of part of a temple in Kuala Lumpur by DBKL officers, said MIC Youth.

PETALING JAYA: MIC Youth said today Federal Territory Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor should take responsibility for demolishing part of the 101-year-old temple in Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday.

Its chairman, T Mohan, told FMT that Tengku Adnan had failed to stop Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officers from demolishing the wall of the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman temple despite a cabinet decision not to do so until a solution was found.

“Earlier, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has ordered the Federal Territories Ministry and DBKL officers not to demolish the temple.

“It seems like Tengku Adan and DBKL officers are trying to challenge the prime minister,” said Mohan.

He said Tengku Adnan had promised to allocate funds to beautify the temple before.

“But yesterday, Tengku Adnan broke his promise by demolishing part of the temple,” he added.

Mohan was one of the eight people arrested by police after they tried to stop the demolition.

The others are temple caretaker R Nalini, PKR leader P Jayathas, MIC Youth secretary C Sivarraajh, MIC Federal Territory Youth chief D Tharmakumaran and temple photographer known only as Prem.

Mohan said the temple had been issued an eviction notice on June 13 ordering it to vacate the premises before June 26.

It is reported that the eviction order was issued so that a developer could build a multi-storey building.

Political leaders from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat along with temple devotees staged several protests to stop the demolition.

Finally, the notice was put on hold after the matter was brought to the prime minister’s attention and it was decided in a cabinet meeting not to demolish the temple until a proper solution was found.

“So, who made the mistake now?” asked Mohan.

“There will be no compromise in this issue,” said Mohan, adding that the temple demolition was a “Merdeka Day gift” to Indians by Tengku Adnan.

MIC Youth secretary Sivaraajh urged DBKL officers to be polite when engaging the public.

The special officer to Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir said the enforcement officers were rude and unprofessional during the demolition work.

“The officers must respect the places of worship of other religions,” said Sivaraajh, adding that to go into the temple wearing boots and smashing the statues with sledge hammers cannot be forgiven.

“Worse still is they used derogatory words against the temple caretaker who is a woman,” he said.

Sivaraajh said action must be taken against the officers involved in the incident.

Temple ambush op 'an insult to Hinduism', says lawyer

 

The government has deliberately insulted all Hindus in Malaysia by tearing down three deities at the 101-year-old Muneswarar kuil, claimed a lawyer.

Adviser to the temple committee N Surendran said that the ambush operation yesterday was to destroy a place of worship and nothing short of sacking Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, and restoring the deities and temple land would appease the community.

“It was an insult to Hinduism and the Indian community in this country,” Surendran (left) said at the temple site to over a dozen barefooted reporters.

“It was sacrilege and desecration of a place of worship carried out not by individuals but by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), and the Federal Territories Ministry, which means the government is responsible.”

He said that Najib Abdul Razak’s government had violated Section 295 of the Penal Code, and Tengku Adnan had misled the public by telling some media that  it was an attempt to refurbish and not demolish the temple. The Muneswarar temple on Jalan P Ramlee is the only and oldest one in the golden triangle, in the heart of  KL city.
“We place blame where it lies - this is the fault and act of the government of Malaysia. Najib’s government has deliberately insulted the religious sentiment of every Hindu in this country... by coming and smashing our statues, by coming and walking around in boots and smoking all over the place,” Surendran, who is also a PKR vice president, said.

Surendran showed reporters the damaged deities which were hacked off from a cement altar. He then showed a picture of uniformed DBKL officers forcefully removing the deities. Surendran then said that the defenders of the temple early on Sunday morning were also assaulted by over a hundred non-uniformed “gangsters” who he personally saw taking instructions directly from DBKL officials.

“Is DBKL employing gangsters and thugs in order to carry out their work?” Surendran asked.

‘Tengku Adnan needs to check his facts’

Subang MP R Sivarasa then joined him in defending the temple, rebutting what he said was minister Tengku Adnan’s earlier attempt to shrug off the status of the temple, which sat on a sliver of state land, surrounded by high-rise office towers all around it.

“I am calling Tengku Adnan an ignorant and arrogant liar.... he needs to check his facts,” he said, giving a rundown of historical documents to back the temple’s existence.

Sivarasa cited that even the company developing a 30-storey office building next to the temple, Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd, had sought a court order before building right up to the temple’s side. Reading from the court order, Sivarasa noted that a judge had ordered Hap Seng not to “demolish the wall of the temple building and it was also not an eviction order”.

Sivarasa also showed a 1978 document in which the government had tacitly agreed to let the temple reside at its location by approving water supply to the temple.

Some controversy however arose in 1999, when the temple had allegedly received a licence to operate drink stalls in the same vicinity but that licence was revoked in 2009, and Sivarasa said that the temple has since reverted to being a full temple with deities restored.

There however remains a signboard in front of the temple saying that it was a “Friday bazaar area”.

Sivarasa alleged that Sunday’s DBKL operations was a bid to seize back a slither of land for the benefit of building a walkway for the next-door developer.

“That land does not belong to Hap Seng... so I want to ask Tengku Adnan... why is the government giving such a valuable piece of land free to a developer, knowing at the same time that it has been occupied by this temple for many, many years?” Sivarasa said.

He promised that he would complain to the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission for a full public enquiry.

Meanwhile, WM Nalini, who is the acting secretary of the temple management committee, told Malaysiakini they would not budge.

“We don’t want to move because we have a right. We have been squatting on this land for the last 100 years... from the time of my great grandfather... we have a right to be here,” said Nalini, who was also among the 10 people arrested yesterday over the scuffle.

“This is where Hindus came from... this is only one place showing that Indians were here 100 years back.”

She said that her mother, who usually stayed at the temple, was first alerted to the DBKL ambush. The temple was open three hours in the morning and evening every day and has about 150-200 devotees.

Golden Triangle temple mulls legal action against DBKL

The Golden Triangle Muneswarar Kuil committee is considering legal action against Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), after it removed statues of deities and seized land on one side of the property yesterday.

M Manogaran (left), who is the committee's legal adviser, said the site belongs to the state and not to a developer who is constructing an adjacent project.

Scuffles broke out as DBKL moved in to remove the statues and wall on one side of the temple in Jalan P Ramlee in Kuala Lumpur.

Ten people, including PKR activist S Jayathas and MIC Federal Territories Youth chief D Tharmakumaran, were arrested by the police when they intervened, but were later released.

Manogaran told Malaysiakini today that the committee was refusing to concede the status of the land.

"The removal (of land) was illegal. They (DBKL) were not acting on a court order or a legal notice. Why was DBKL assisting the developer in taking land illegally?" he asked.

No notice given
The scuffles broke out after contractors from DBKL hacked off deities which were cemented on an alter located within the area to be cleared.

Two representatives from the temple were among those arrested in the five-hour long stand-off in which activists trying to stop the work were roughly handled by the police.

Manogaran said that the temple committee had not received any prior notice that the work was to take place.

Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor's aide R Ramanan met with representatives from MIC and PPP during the stand-off and said that work would continue despite the protest.

He said the government was giving the land to Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd who are planning to build a 30-storey office building next to the temple.

Yesterday, Dang Wangi police chief ACP Zainuddin Ahmad reportedly said that DBKL personnel were only removing the deities so they could repair the pavement and that the statues would be returned once the pavement was repaired.

Zainnuddin said the issue was a merely a misunderstanding between MIC Youth and DBKL.

However, the 10 arrests took place after Ramanan had explained to MIC and PPP that the temple was not being demolished and had left.

Lawyer Michelle Yesudas told Malaysiakini that those arrested were investigated under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing public servants in discharging their duties.

Former air force man shot thrice in head Read more: Former air force man shot thrice in head

 

IPOH: A former TUDM air traffic controller was shot dead at point blank by a gunman here this morning.

Ipoh police chief Assistant Commissioner Sum Chang Keong said in the 7.15am incident, S. Jambu Keshan, 39, was taking some items from his Perodua Kancil near his father's restaurant in Taman Rishah.

He said two suspects in a Toyota Vios arrived at the scene before passenger got out and fired three shots towards the victim.

"Police recovered three spent 9mm shells and a slug at the scene," he told reporters today.

It is learnt that Keshan who retired from the force five years ago was shot thrice to his head.

Sum said relatives brought the victim to Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun for treatment but he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

Keshan, whose last rank was laskar udara kanan, retired after completing his contract and was helping to run his father's restaurant.

Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Hindu temple demolition

Instil patriotism to prevent Indians from criminal activities

Foreigners work hard to make a living but locals are resorting to short-cuts to make quick money

KUALA LUMPUR: The spirit of patriotism should be instilled in the Indian community from an early age to prevent youths from descending into criminal activities.

Selangor deputy police chief DCP A Thaiveegan, who has served in the force for 29 years, stressed that patriotism was not just about waving flags but must also be demonstrated by respecting the laws of the country.

He felt that someone who loved their country would not engage in any immoral activities but prefer to serve society instead.

“Despite all the facilities available to everyone across the board, we see a lot of young people falling into gangsterism, robbery and burglary just to get quick money. They don’t think of the consequences and how it affects their future,” he said.

He said it was an irony that foreigners made Malaysia their second home and proceeded to vastly improve their living standards, but the local community did not appreciate what was available to them.

“Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Indonesians come to Malaysia to make a living. They work as carpet sellers, domestic and construction workers,” he said.

“They work very hard to send money back to their families and build large houses in their villages. But our people use ‘short-cuts’ to gain money,” he said, adding that the failure of the local community to work hard was the cause of rampant crime.

“All quarters, including schools, parents and religious institutions must foster love for the country among children in order to create peace and harmony,” he said.

-Bernama

Hindraf pressures Najib to honour promise

After more than 100 days in office, PM is still silent on the implementation of the blueprint agreed upon.

JURU: A local Hindraf leader today called on Umno ministers, who told P Waythamoorthy to quit as deputy minister, to instead question the Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on what had happened on the movement’s blueprint.

Penang Hindraf chairman K Kalayselvam said Ministers Ahmad Zahidi Hamid, Hishammuddin Hussein and Khairy Jamaluddin should advise their boss to initiate pro-active steps to implement the blueprint.

Kalayselvam said the Umno ministers should realise that Hindraf signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to implement the five-year blueprint for betterment of marginalised segment of the Indian community.

He reminded the Umno ministers that Hindraf campaigned for Barisan Nasional in the last election to secure the long deprived rights of Indians in the country.

But, after 100 days in office since the last general election, he said Najib administration was yet to take any proactive step to implement the blueprint.

“We did not sign the MOU for any other reason except to improve the living standards of the marginalised Indians in the country,” emphasised Kalayselvam after a Hindraf seminar for Indian youth development here today. Some 120 people attended the seminar.

The Umno ministers called Waythamoorthy to quit Putrajaya administration after the Hindraf supremo questioned the police for slaying five ethnic Indian youths in name of criminality.

During the much-publicised MOU signing, Kalayselvam recalled that Najib had promised to implement the blueprint.

He said the blueprint among others, had spelt out various plans to assist Indian youths to earn a decent livelihood and prevent them from getting involved in crime.

He insisted that police action to shoot and kill crime suspects all these years had failed to curb rising crime rate anyway.

“The blueprint was also designed to reduce crime among Indians in a more holistic and comprehensive way.

“The government should take proactive steps immediately to implement the blueprint if it is serious to prevent Indians from becoming criminals,” he told newsmen.

‘Betrayed’ but PSM still needs Pakatan

SHAH ALAM: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), though “bullied” and “betrayed” by its Pakatan Rakyat friends, still needs to work with Pakatan to win elections, PSM chairman Dr Nasir Hashim said.

He said the left-wing political party shares a common goal with the opposition coalition and that is to bring down the Barisan Nasional (BN) government through the democratic process.

“We need Pakatan as much as PKR or PAS or DAP needs Pakatan,” he said in an interview with theantdaily.

He strongly believes that all the opposition parties must work together to advance their common objective.

However, Nasir, the former Kota Damansara state assemblyman, stressed that PSM has always been independent in its stand.

PSM's relationship with its Pakatan partners has been growing frosty in the aftermath of the 13th general election.

Although discussions are still ongoing about PSM joining the coalition, the talks are going nowhere.

The May polls especially left a bitter taste in PSM's mouth.

Nasir recalled that PSM faced a lot of problems during the GE13 because of the betrayal of its own “friends”.

“The problem is we did not see them (Pakatan allies) as the main enemy. We were focusing on BN as our main enemy," he said.

"We tried to reach a compromise (on meeting the needs of the rakyat and on gaining Pakatan’s much-needed support to win) with the hope that we could all unite.

“(But) we were trampled on, bullied, promises made to us were broken, and tackling our problems took a back seat as everyone was concerned with their own (political) well-being,” he said.

PSM ran into seat allocation problems with its Pakatan partners well past nomination day in GE13.

The Pakatan partners fielded candidates in three out of four seats that PSM contested, leading to multi-cornered fights.

Besides, the socialist party was not permitted to use its white fist logo in two constituencies.

Although the candidacy of Nasir for the Kota Damansara seat under the PKR banner was finally ironed out, the PAS candidate continued to run against him, causing both to lose.

“... the Kota Damansara seat was given to Umno on a silver platter,” Nasir said, adding that the same story of sabotage happened in Semenyih.

Ten arrested during temple 'demolition'

 

Ten people including MIC Youth chief T Mohan and PKR activist S Jayathas were today arrested when trying to stop Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) from erecting a wall at a 101-year-old temple at Jalan P Ramlee.

Also arrested in the standoff, which lasted at least five hours today, were two representatives of the Golden Triangle Muneswarar Kuil.

The rest are MIC Youth exco members and an aide to PKR's Padang Serai MP N Surendran. They are believe to have been brought to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters.

The activists had tried to stop DBKL from entering the temple as they said the temple committee were not notified of the construction work, as claimed by the DBKL.

Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor's aide R Ramanan, however, said that notice will be issued tomorrow as the mayor is currently overseas.

Speaking after an hour's meeting with MIC and PPP representatives, he added that work will continue despite protests, as this is a government decision.

Ramanan, who came an hour after the scuffles broke out said the work was to mark off eight feet wide strip of land which the government is giving to Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd.

"It is not to demolish the temple," he said, adding that the temple had encroached into government land and the wall will serve as a boundary.

Deities removed

The first scuffle broke out after DBKL contractors hacked off deities which were cemented onto an altar placed at the temple annexe, located within the eight feet wide area.

This resulted in the arrest of Jayathas and two temple representatives.

Temple committee chairperson RK Bala said that DBKL personnel had also entered with their boots on, while some were smoking.

He said that the removal of the deities should have been preceded with prayers and not in such a thuggish manner.

DBKL halted operations temporarily upon the urging of Padang Serai MP N Surendran and PPP Federal Territories chief A Chandrakumanan (middle, seated) but continued after Ramanan left.

"They removed our Lingam. I had tears in my eyes," Chandrakumanan told Ramanan in the meeting.

In the meeting Ramanan also promised that to put in the notice that only eight feet will be taken, and that Hap Seng will help beautify the temple as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Hap Seng is building a 30 storey office building next to the temple.

The MIC youth leaders were all nabbed in subsequent scuffles, with one breaking out after a DBKL personnel securing the worksite asking the activists whether they "had brains".

No notice from DBKL

Shouting and shoving, which happened while the temple bells rang in the background, carried on for several hours with activists even attempting a sit-in protest.

Work still continued while about 20 activists sat cross-legged chanting "Om Shanti".

Also clearly upset was temple caretaker RA Saroja, 57, who was also manhandled when she tried to push DBKL officers off the temple grounds and into the 8 feet boundary.

"Yesterday we were all '1Malaysia! Merdeka!' Is this what Merdeka is about?" she asked.

The temple was also due to hold Merdeka prayers today, but it was cancelled following the incident. DBKL's completed erecting most of the wall at about 3.30pm.

Meanwhile, the temple's legal advisor M Manogaran said the temple committee had snubbed meetings with the government as they refuse to concede the disputed land.

He also stressed that today's work, which was done by DBKL with the help of police, was also without notice.

"They say they sent (a letter), but it was not received. In other cases, they even paste the notice to ensure it is served, but here there is nothing," he said.

Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Hindu temple demolition, Kuala Lumpur.

A City Hall enforcement officer cutting the lock on the gate of the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Hindu temple in Jalan P. Ramlee to enter the temple grounds. City Hall had moved in earlier today to demolish the 101-year-old temple. The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, September 1, 2013.as the people lock inside

 

 

City Hall's move to demolish the 101-year-old Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Hindu temple in Jalan P. Ramlee today saw a commotion outside the temple gates this morning. The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, September 1, 2013.

MIC Youth chief, others held in protest over Hindu temple demolition

MIC Youth chief T.Mohan getting arrested for trying to block DBKL and contractors from demolishing a temple in Jalan P.Ramlee in Kuala Lumpur today. The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, September 1, 2013.
 MIC Youth chief T. Mohan became the latest politician to be held by police in a protest to stop Kuala Lumpur City Hall from demolishing the 101-year-old Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman Hindu temple in Jalan P. Ramlee in the capital city today.

Police have also arrested few others in a commotion outside the temple as more supporters stream into the area to stop the demolition.

All those held were handcuffed and taken to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters.

This morning, police detained PKR's S.Jayathas when he tried to stop the demolition to make way for a pedestrian walkway as temple lawyers negotiate with the authorities.

The PKR deputy human rights chief was taken to Dang Wangi district police headquarters for obstructing civil servants from carrying out their duty under Section 186 of the Penal Code.

Lawyer Latheefa Koya said Jayathas, PKR vice-president N. Surendran and Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M. Manoharan went to the temple around 8am after receiving a message from the temple committee about the presence of City Hall officers there.

"They came and started to remove the deities and wanted to demolish the temple without any warning," said Latheefa.

Surendran, who is also the temple's lawyer, said more than 100 City Hall officers came this morning to demolish the temple.

The chaos in the temple as police break through the gate and try to enter, while devotees and their supporters try to block the passage. The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, September 1, 2013."They brought over all the machines including the bulldozers ready to destroy the temple. They also brought a group of thugs to scare off the devotees who came to perform special prayers for National Day," he said.

The action taken by City Hall came a day after Malaysia celebrated its 56th National Day.

Surendran said City Hall's action was not valid as they do not have a court order to destroy the temple or deities.

The structure of the century-old temple, which was built in 1911, now sits on reserve land meant for roads or walkways.

Last year, the temple committee received an eviction notice after Hap Seng Land, which is constructing a 30-storey office building on the adjacent plot, was told that it would only be given a Certificate of Fitness if it built an 8-feet(2.4m) walkway along the building according to City Hall requirements.

But that could not be done as the temple sits on the land on which the walkway needed to be built.

Despite the intervention by local government, the temple committee and the developer failed to come to any agreement.

The developer previously offered to relocate the temple to a land in Sepang but it was rejected as the temple has a historical value and has been there for more than a century.

After numerous failed attempts in reaching an agreement, the developer took City Hall to court.

The court served an injunction to the temple and City Hall served it an eviction notice.

The temple has about 300 devotees and houses two main deities Muneswarar and Kaliamman, hence its name. - September 1, 2013.

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PKR veep roughed up in temple fracas

“We don’t care if you are an YB, we’ll whack you.” 
With that shouted threat, MP for Padang Serai N Surendran was pushed by a band of toughs when the PKR vice president tried, with a band of party activists, to stop Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) personnel from demolishing a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur today.

After the incident, which took place at the Golden Triangle Muneswarar Kuil on Jalan P Ramlee, Surendran lodged a report at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters on the assault he and his party colleagues suffered at the hands of unknown hoodlums.

The lawyer could consider himself lucky for his PKR compatriots, S Jayathas and K Nagarajan, were not only roughed up but arrested for allegedly trying to stop DBKL personnel from demolishing deities on the temple premises.

According to Surendran, a reputable developer of a project adjoining the temple had yet to obtain a court order enabling it to proceed with the demolition of the temple.

Surendran said that lawyers R Sivarasa, MP for Subang, and Manogaran, former DAP MP for Teluk Intan, had argued in the courts last year against an order for the temple’s demolition.

“The outcome of the proceedings was that no order was granted and the case is still pending in the courts which means that today’s demolition work was unauthorised,” said Surendran, who regularly acts for stateless residents and the families of victims of custodial deaths.

DBKL demolishing shops, not temple, says MIC chief

MIC President G Palanivel said the demolition works at the site of the historic Golden Triangle Muneswarar Kuil at Jalan P Ramlee is okay as long as the temple is not touched.

When asked by reporters about the incident today after being re-elected as the president of MIC unopposed, Palanivel said he had written to Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor urging him to stop him demolishing the temple.

“In the last cabinet meeting I wrote a letter to Tengku Adnan. They wanted to pull out the existing temple in the city area, so I presented a paper and he agreed to keep it.

“So they wanted to demolish all the other shops and all that, but that is okay.

“Not the temple, they are keeping the temple as it is. I am the one who wrote the letter to Tengku Adnan, they didn’t disturb it (the temple),” he said.

Earlier today four people, including PKR activist S Jayathas and MIC Federal Territories Youth chief D Tharmakumaran were arrested for trying to stop what they believed was the demolition of the temple.

When asked about the arrests Palanivel said that he hadn't heard about it yet as he had obviously been very busy this morning with the elections, and said he would look into it.

Four arrested during temple 'demolition'

PKR activist S Jayathas, MIC Federal Territories Youth chief D Tharmakumaran and two temple representatives have been arrested for allegedly trying to stop the demolition of a Hindu temple at Jalan P Ramlee Kuala Lumpur.

They are believe to have been brought to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters.
They were allegedly nabbed while attempting to stop the Kuala Lumpur City Hall's (DBKL) demolition of the Golden Triangle Muneswarar Kuil at Jalan P Ramlee in progress this morning.

However, Raman Ramakrishnan, an aide to Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, told the temple officials later that DBKL was only trying to erect a retaining wall.

"It is not to demolish the temple," he said, adding that the temple had encroached into government land and the wall will serve as a boundary.

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