‘UiTM seminar detrimental, un-Islamic’

1Malaysia Foundation director, Chandra Muzaffar, says the seminar was conducted in a manner contrary to the Islamic faith.

PETALING JAYA: The UiTM seminar on Islam and Christianity is un-Islamic and detrimental to inter-racial and inter religious ties in Malaysia, said 1Malaysia Foundation director, Chandra Muzaffar.

“What they said is detrimental and inimical to inter-racial and inter-religious ties of various communities and the nation. It is also against values espoused by Islam.

“Islam does not condone attacks on other faiths,” said Chandra, and quoted Chapter 49, Verse 13 of the Quran to show that Islam embraces diversity.

In the day-long seminar on the topic of Islam and Christianity, various speakers advocated several points to 1,000 people who were present in UiTM on Tuesday.

One speaker outlined 10 reasons why Christians should convert to Islam. Another praised Malaysia for banning the word ‘Allah’ from being used by non-Muslims.

Another warned that the number of Christians would overtake that of Muslims in Malaysia by 2100 and yet another forbade Muslims from celebrating New Year and wishing Merry X’mas.

There were also claims that Christian priests disguised themselves as football coaches here to spread Christianity. Reportedly, about a dozen students converted to Islam after the seminar.

Islam against forced conversions

Chandra also condemned the alleged forced conversions that took place involving 12 non-Muslim Bumiputera students from UiTM.

“Islam is specifically against coercion in matters of faith and this is clearly stated in the Quran,” he said, citing Surah al-Baqarah, Verse 256.

Islamic Renaissance Front director Ahmad Farouk Musa, meanwhile, dismissed claims that Christians would outnumber Muslims by 2100.

“Islam is the fastest growing religion worldwide. What are their claims based on? Going by their xenophobic statements, I wouldn’t be surprised even if Muslims no longer want to be recognised as Muslims,” said Ahmad Farouk.

“They only serve to create xenophobia towards the Christians,” he added.

He also said that during parliament sitting in March this year, Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom said that there were no Muslims who had converted to Christianity for over a decade.

“On the contrary, the seminar did not come up with any statistics to back the claim that the number of Christians would overtake the number of Muslims,” he added.

MCA should requisition for an emergency BN Supreme Council meeting for a policy decision to be taken on hudud as 11 or even 12 of the 13 component BN parties would oppose any hudud implementation

By Lim Kit Siang

The Barisan Nasional BackBenchers Club (BNBBC) comprising Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament have sprung a surprise on its website, lambasting MCA and advising MCA leaders that they “should not spew nonsense or act as a hero as if trying to show the Chinese community that it fights for them” over the controversial hudud issue.

In an anonymous opinion piece on the BNBBC portal, MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong was called “rude” for suggesting yesterday that the party will consider its membership in the ruling coalition should Umno continue to support hudud.

The BNBBC stand is a surprise as the question that is inevitably asked is whether it represents the views of all 133 BN MPs, i.e. 88 from UMNO, 14 from PBB, 7 from MCA, 6 from Sarawak People’s Party (PRS), 4 each from MIC, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Parti Demokratik Progresif Sarawak (SPDB); 3 from UPKO; 1 each from Gerakan, SUPP and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) or just the views of the 88 UMNO MPs.

If the BNBBC anonymous opinion piece does not represent the consensus views of all the BN MPs, will the seven MCA MPs ask the BNBBC portal to publish an open retraction and apology?

Or will the MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and the MCA Deputy President Datuk Wee Ka Siong just keep quiet as they do not want to jeopardise the three ministerial and five deputy ministerial seats the MCA leadership is hoping to get when there is a Cabinet reshuffle and MCA returns to the BN Cabinet and government before the reconvening of Parliament on 9th June?

In fact, this will be a crucial test whether to the MCA leaders, particularly to Liow and Wee, despite all the “hot air” the MCA is blowing recently, they are prepared to forgo all the three ministerial and five deputy ministerial seats on an important principle.

What Liow and Wee should do is to act on the advice of the former MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek and immediately requisition for an emergency Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting for a policy decision to be taken on hudud, as out of the 13 BN component parties, 11 or even 12 of them would oppose any implementation of hudud, whether PAS or UMNO.

Will this be on the immediate agenda of Liow and Wee?

Shooting death was ‘misadventure’, court rules

AMPANG: The magistrate's court today ruled the death of Dinesh Darmasena, 26, who was shot by police about two years ago, as a "misadventure" due the gunshot wound in the head.

Magistrate Noor Farah Hazwani Osman, acting as coroner in the inquest, said the findings could not ascertain which policeman shot Dinesh due to failure in matching the bullets to its shells and the pistol from which they were fired.

"The court is of the opinion that the verdict of the inquest is misadventure due to gunshot wound of the head," she said.

Noor Farah said according to the statement of ASP Jaswent Singh, Dinesh had allegedly tried to attack Corporal Thamu, who wanted to get out of a car, adding that at that time Constable Ganesh had released a "double tap" and Jaswent saw Dinesh fall to the ground.

She also said that according to the testimony of ASP Burhanuddin, the police could not ascertain from which pistol the bullet was fired, causing the death of Dinesh.

She added that ASP Fon Thiam Seong had stated that the police could not determine who actually fired the shot due to the failure to match the bullet and its shell by forensics.

Based on the facts of the case and the witnesses' statements, she concluded that it could not be ascertained that the death of Dinesh was caused by the shots fired by constable Jeganeshwaran or otherwise.

She said that according to pathologist Dr Nurhaliza Abdullah, the cause of death was due to a gunshot wound to the head of the victim.

On Aug 21, 2012, Dinesh was shot by the police in Ampang when he was travelling in a car in the wee hours of the morning. He died two days later at the Ampang Hospital.

A post-mortem at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital showed that he was shot twice, on his right arm and the back of his head.

PM Calls For Tighter Enforcement Of Security In ESSCom Area

TAIPING, May 8 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Thursday spoke of the need for tighter enforcement of security in the Eastern SabahSecurity Command (ESSCom) and the provision of a monitored passage for entry and exit in the waters off Sabah.

The Prime Minister said people using the passage would have to be required to pass through a checkpoint.

"Those entering or leaving outside the passage will be subjected to action from the authorities," he told reporters after opening the Taiping UMNO building in Taiping.

Najib was asked to comment on the abduction of a Chinese national manager of a cage fish breeding company in Pulau Baik off Lahad Datu last Tuesday.

He said tighter control would have to be enforced in all areas, including the 11 hotels as well as the places where Chinese nationals ran their enterprises.

Expressing regret over the abduction, Najib said the kidnappers went for Chinese nationals because of the commercial value in terms of ransom.

"Their motive is to secure a value. If they get victims with commercial value, they can demand a huge ransom. It is for this reason that they are targeting Chinese nationals or tourists," he said.

Tuesday's abduction was carried out by five men, two of them in military fatigues and two of them armed with M16 rifles.

Their victim was Yang Zai Lin, 34, of Guangzhao, a manager for three years with the fish farming company Wonderful Terrace Sdn Bhd owned by a Chinese national from Hongkong that has been operating there since 2006.

Adil, Islam kena potong tangan, bukan Islam kena penjara

Hindus again attacked in Bangladesh on false rumours of defaming Muhammad in facebook.

Attack on Hindus out of false FB defamation of Muhammad. Representational Pic. HE Archive.

Hindu households, temple attacked in Bangladesh

PTI | Dhaka | May 5, 2014:: A mob of nearly 3,000 attacked Hindu households and a temple in eastern Bangladesh after two youths from the community allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. 

Police on Monday arrested 17 people, including the principal of Bagmara Madrasa, for the attack on the temple and over two dozen households at Homna in Comilla district, about 100km south east of Dhaka, last week. 

“We so far arrested 17 people and some of them made confessional statements regarding the attack. A manhunt is under way to arrest the rest of the culprits,” police chief of Homna, Aslam Shikdar said. 

He said suspected mastermind of the attack Nazrul Islam is still on the run. 

Minority Hindus are attacked again and again in Bangladesh on false rumors on defaming Muhammad in facebook. In most of the cases it is established that some Muslim perpetrators like to use the social media like facebook to upload objectionable comments and pictures against Islam and Muhammad in a very  motivated way. After spreading the rumours of blasphemy  or the defamation of Muhammad, the Islamic goons attack Hindus, Hindu-house holds, temples and specially the women folk. This nefarious design of Muslims must be condemned everywhere. In this continuity of attack on Hindu-Buddhist minority in Bangladesh, the retaliation on Muslim by Hindus and Buddhinst can be emerged as a big challenge to the Muslims, where they are minority. Muslims must stop persecution on Hindus in Bangladesh or otherwise…… Editor, Hindu Existence.

Attack on Hindus out of false FB defamation of Muhammad. Representational Pic. HE Archive.

The local police chief said steps were under way to put the accused on trial on charges of attacking the Hindu households and the temple under a planned manner.

A makeshift police camp was setup at the village where the incident took place on April 26 following rumours that two Hindu youths had allegedly insulted the prophet in a Facebook post.

Earlier reports said culprits mobilized attackers mostly belonging to fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and several other ultra-right groups who ransacked the temple and the nearby households and looted some valuables. 

“The attack continued for some 20 minutes but during the time, the culprits preferred not to injure anyone … our initial investigation found it was a pre-planned attack as they used loudspeakers and distributed leaflets to mobilize the attack,” Shikdar said. 

People at the neighbourhood said nearly 3,000 attackers, mostly from outside the locality, staged the attack as the village elders were set to hold a meeting to resolve the issue of the alleged defamation of the prophet. 

Shikdar said police immediately rushed to the scene but reached the remote village only when the attackers had fled. (via TOI).

 

• An easy prey to attack on Hindus for a facebook defamation of Muhammad or anything.

Recent attacks on BD Hindus on fake facebook rumours that a Facebook post allegedly has defamed Prophet Muhammad. (Comilla, April, 2014)

Rumour triggers attack on Hindus’Jamaat-BNP men’ use false Facebook post for rampage: Hindus attacked in Pabna (Pabna. Nov 2013).

Courtesy: PTI | The Star | 24BD News | TOI.

Man stabbed for opposing construction of mosque: sons say police apathy

By: Praveen Kumar

Yousuf Ahmed was stabbed 34 times for opposing a mosque next door. No one took cognisance of his complaint or the threats he received.Two of his cars were burnt down near their house and cops did not act.

He's dead, right? Everything is over now, let it be." This, allegedly, was a police inspector's response when the two youngsters called him up on Wednesday minutes after an armed gang stabbed their father 34 times, muting his voice forever after he first raised it in 2010 in protest against a mosque and single-handedly carried on a relentless campaign thereafter.

Cold-shouldered by the authorities, Tausif Bin Ahmed, who is doing B.Com, and PU student Tanveer Bin Ahmed, came to the Bangalore Mirror office on Friday to narrate their story.

Recounting their father's murder, the boys say they called up K G Halli Inspector T Srinivas on his cell phone, soon after their father, Yousuf Bin Ahmed, 52, was brutally hacked to death near Ambedkar Medical College. But they were stunned when the cop allegedly hung up on them after mouthing his cold response.

The Ahmed family claims police apathy toward their predicament is not new. Four months prior to his murder, Yousuf, who worked as a typist near the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) office had petitioned every authority in the state, right from the jurisdictional police station near his house to Home Minister K J George and even the State Human Rights Commission, expressing fear he would be killed simply because he was opposing the construction of a mosque right next to his house.

Yousuf had clearly mentioned the names of those he believed posed a threat to his life. In his letter, the victim had reportedly named a few residents of his neighbourhood, including Kaleem Pasha, the husband of local corporator Irshad Begum. The same people have now been named as accused in the FIR which was registered with the D J Halli police following Yousuf's murder. Yousuf's family feels their sole bread-winner would have been alive today if only the cops had acted diligently and issued a stern warning to those named in the letter.

"Trouble began for our family after our dad started protesting against the construction of a mosque on 5th Cross, Basavanagar in K G Halli police limits. His petitions irked those who were getting the mosque built, and they took to threatening him from the very beginning," say his sons.

Yousuf's contention was that the mosque would cause a nuisance to him and others residing on the same street. So, he single-handedly took on the authorities, filing complaint upon complaint to the police, BBMP and other authorities. When the police and other authorities failed to act, he petitioned the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Human Rights Commission as well.

After the mosque started functioning, he objected to people parking their vehicles in front of his house. He also objected to the mosque's sound system. Since 2010, hardly a week passed without both parties being summoned to the police station. Allegedly under pressure to favour the larger vote bank using the mosque, cops remained mute spectators to the escalating war between Yousuf and his opponents, which finally ended with his murder.

The boys say they were at the receiving end of constant hostility. Stones were pelted at their home and their cars torched. "On October 4, 2013, a meeting took place in the police station in the presence of a DCP and Joint Commissioner to sort out the issue. At that meeting, the local corporator's husband, Kaleem Pasha, supported by anti-social elements threatened to kill my father, but no action was taken against them. The very next day, one of our cars was set ablaze right in front of our house. Police dismissed the matter as a miscellaneous case. Despite this, our father did not stop voicing his dissent. They burnt another of our cars on January 3, 2014; and the police turned a blind eye again. Since he did not heed their 'warnings', our father was brutally murdered by several armed men who stabbed him no less than 34 times on Wednesday," Tausif and Tanveer told Bangalore Mirror.

Blaming the police for their father's murder, the brothers claimed the police showed a callous attitude to all of Yousuf's petitions seeking protection. "Our father even met Home Minister K J George to ask for help, but nothing came of it. He was the sole bread-winner of our family. With his death, we are literally on the streets with no means to fend for ourselves," they say.

After murdering their father, the men threatened to kill the boys if they raised their voices against the masjid. "They have warned that our entire family will be wiped out one at a time. We need protection." Seeking a CBI inquiry into their father's death, the brothers say they don't believe a police probe will do justice.

Tausif and Tanveer are now planning to petition the High Court, seeking transfer of investigation into their father's murder case from the Bangalore police to the CBI. "We will not give up. We will tread our father's path and fight for justice," they added.

When contacted, K G Halli police inspector T Srinivas, refuted the allegations against him, terming them 'false'. "No police officer will ever turn down the family member of a murder victim so heavily if they call seeking help. I was with an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) squad, investigating a murder reported in Banaswadi jurisdiction when the boys called. I immediately alerted our crime staff, who rushed to the spot and also went to Ambedkar Medical College where Yousuf was shifted. Since the residence of the murder victim comes under my jurisdiction, I sent sub-inspector Shiva Kumar to their house to provide protection to the other family members," he said.

Kaleem Pasha told Bangalore Mirror the family was merely "simmering in anger following the death of their loved one". "In their state of mind, anyone is liable to be accused, including me. The police are investigating the case and a detailed probe will reveal who the real suspects are. I am an educated person and would never intervene in controversial matters. Being the husband of the local corporator, I was asked to attend a peace committee meeting and I advised the family to settle the issue amicably with their neighbours. There have been numerous petitions filed against me by Yousuf Bin Ahmed and his family and I was even called for questioning by the jurisdictional DCP, but I have told them my version."

The Long Fight July 12, 2010: First complaint against the mosque and construction activity given to K G Halli police station. October 25, 2010: Complaint to police commissioner.Subsequently, regular complaints to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Joint Commissioner of Police. October 5, 2013: Complaint filed first car was burnt. January 3, 2014: Second car torched. January 17, 2014: Final complaint in the form of a booklet, containing photographic evidence, to Chief Minister, Home Minister, DG & IGP, Police Commissioner, SHRC. Yousuf had clearly expressed fear about threat to his life from the corporator's husband, Kaleem Pasha, and others.

PAKISTANI MUSLIMS PERSECUTING HINDU COMMUNITY, VIOLATING GRAVE YARDS BY FLOODING LAND AND USING THEIR HOLY SYMBOLS IN FOOTWEAR…….

If you think what the Taliban did to the ancient Buddha statues of Bamiyan was outrageous, look at what their co-religionists are doing to the Hindus of Pakistan.

Whenever you hear about indigenous people’s fighting with Muslims, remember one thing, Islam has always been, and still is, on the move, pushing its own fence posts at the expense of these ancient communities. It’s an ongoing battle, and in spite of the media reports, Islam loves to offend, and on a daily basis, check out this sandal made in a Lahore shoe/sandal factory, it has the Hindu holy sign of OM embedded in the sandal, (feet and footwear are considered dirty according to Islam):

You can only imagine if a theoretical sandal was made by a Hindu firm that had the Islamic word for allah on them, the Muslim street would be rampaging the world over in well known displays of outrage and spleen venting. Here’s a TT photoshop of what one might look like:

The following story comes to me by way of Zemira Eli Natan, who is highlighting the persecution of this ancient minority in order to bring about international condemnation and focus of their plight. What is happening to the Hindus of Paksitan is exactly what their forefathers experienced for centuries at the hands of Muslim invaders and conquerors.

Land Mafia has started to occupy the Graveyard of Hyderabad City.

Yesterday ·  · Taken at Hyderabad sindh.

Land Mafia has started to occupy the Hundreds Years Old and Ancient land of the famous and biggest one Hindu Graveyard of Hyderabad City, situated at Tando Yousuf Town.

Land Grabbers threw drainage water in the Hindu Graveyard, due to which all graves and samadies (shrines) of ancestors of the Hindus and their monks drowned in the dirty sewerage water.

Here the basic and fundamental rights of the Hindus has been violated, including forced conversion of innocent girls, kidnapping for ransom, illegally occupying the properties of Hindus, attacking upon the temples and dharamshalas and now the extremists have kept their evil eyes upon the graveyard of Hindus.

Those days are not so away, when the land grabbers would throw out the dead bodies of our monks and ancestors like “Bhooro Bheel” and would construct their houses upon their graves and samadhies. Such type of malpractice has been started by the land grabbers and land mafia. I assure very well that our Government will not take any legal action against such land mafia and extremist, because we are not on priority list, but we hope that International Organization will feel our pain.

'Stop the dangerous disease called Isma'

It appears that "another clown" has joined the circus but its antics are far from amusing, said a vexed MIC leader.

According to S Vell Paari (left), when somebody first mentioned the term "Isma" to him, he thought it was a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

"I am not joking. That's exactly what I thought," Vell Paari told Malaysiakini.

"But now I know that Isma is not a STD but something far worse.

"It is a more debilitating illness, which if left unchecked, could ruin all that we have achieved until now," Vell Paari warned

The MIC director of strategy was commenting on the latest salvo from Isma, the acronym for Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia.

Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdullah Rahman yesterday described Chinese Malaysians as "intruders" in response to the community's opposition to the implementation of hudud law.

He said that the ancestors of Chinese Malaysians were "in cahoots with the British to oppress the Malays."

"The Chinese came to this country with the British as intruders. Who gave them citizenship and wealth to the extent that the fruits of their intrusion is protected to this day?" he asked.

Describing the statements as nothing short of "revolting", Vell Paari said Abdullah "should be put in a time capsule and sent back to the Ice Age, where he belongs."

'Probe the alarming call'

Although the MIC leader said such characters were a "dime a dozen", he, however, found Abdullah's (right) call for the situation to be rectified rather alarming.

"What does he mean in urging the Malays to 'correct this historical mistake'? Is he asking for racial bloodletting? Is Isma a terror group and are the police going to ignore them?" he asked.

He noted that it is disconcerting to see such elements threatening the harmony of this nation and called on the authorities to act against them.

"If the authorities feel that (DAP MP) Teresa Kok's video was seditious in nature, then what about Isma? This is sedition of the highest order. It is also a threat to national security.

"Failure to act against these dangerous elements will give the impression that outfits like Isma have the tacit backing of those in power and are above the law," he added.

Other races helped build M'sia

As for Abdullah, Vell Paari said the Isma president must not shoot his mouth off and realise how much the Chinese and Indians have contributed to nation-building.

"The Chinese are wealthy because they are hardworking and have an enviable sense of business acumen. Unlike what Isma believes, wealth was not given to them on a silver platter.

"The Chinese, Indians and other races have helped shape what Malaysia is at present be it in economic terms, infrastructure and even information technology.

"If not for them, Isma and Abdullah would not even have Internet connection, let alone a website called 'Ismaweb' to spew their venomous views," he added.

Calling on the government to put its foot down, Vell Paari said groups like Isma threatened the 1Malaysia concept.

Failure to act against them, he warned, would embolden others as well believing that when it comes to the Malay race or Islam, one has carte blanche and legal immunity.

Meanwhile, Umno's Saifuddin Abdullah (left) also saw red over Isma's remarks and called for an investigation.

"Stop the anti-Chinese and anti-Christian sentiments before it turns to something worse. The authorities must investigate," the former higher education minister tweeted.

MCA and DAP have both stated they would be lodging separate police reports against Isma.

Police later confirmed in a press statement that it has received several reports against Isma. This will be investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, Deputy IGP Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin disclosed.

"We will not hesitate to enforce the law, using Sedition Act in particular, against anybody who issues statements or acts in any form that is seen capable of breaking up racial ties in the country," the statement said.

Fair if Muslim loses hand, non-Muslim jailed

 

It is fair for a Muslim to have his hand chopped off for a crime under hudud, even if the crime is committed jointly with a non-Muslim who can be punished under civil law, Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Nik Amar Abdullah said today.

Speaking at a forum on the PAS proposal to implement hudud, organised by Malay daily Sinar Harian, Nik Amar said this was because the Muslim individual embraced Islam by choice and thus had to accept the religion and its laws as a whole.

"It's like being a soldier. You know the repercussions," Nik Amar said when asked if it was fair for a Muslim to receive a heavier punishment than a non-Muslim for a crime carried out together.

He said justice in Islam does not mean equal treatment for all, but to "put everything in its rightful place".

Nik Amar also said that despite concerns that  Malaysian society is not matured and the institution for hudud implementation is not in place, the Kelantan government might need to wait for a long time before considering hudud.

"If we are going to wait for the ideal society, then that is an Utopian society. That might take forever and might never happen," he argued.

'Akin to buying a car'

Nik Amar also likened the move to legislate hudud in Kelantan akin "to buying a car".

"All these arguments about the implementation- we are only now trying to buy the car. There are so many ways to buy a car, and we haven't come to the stage," he said.

"It's like disciplining children. You put the cane in the room so they know it is there. We are just trying to put it there. Whether we use it later on, that's a different argument," he added.

"We are just trying to put Islamic law in its place within the national level."

Nik Amar said the Kelantanese were "mentally ready" for the enactment and argued that this was why they had kept PAS in the state for more than 20 years.

Meanwhile, Islamic scholar Asri Zainul Abidin cautioned against implementing hudud before the necessary institutions are in place.

"I am worried that we are taking a beautiful palace door, and fixing it on a rundown house," Asri said.

He also said that one of the most important prerequisites for hudud was that everybody should be equal before the law.

"You can't have a section of society that cannot be produced before the court. I'll be honest with you, even the King and the sultans should get the same treatment," Asri added.

DAP lodges report against Isma’s ‘intruder’ remark

The police meanwhile are investigating Isma for labelling the Chinese as “intruders”.

KUALA LUMPUR: Seven DAP leaders today lodged police reports against conservative Muslim pressure group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) for calling Chinese Malaysians “intruders.

The seven are Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, Kinrara state assemblyman Ng Sze Han, Kg Tengku state assemblyman Lau Wen Sang, Teresa Kok’s assistant Edmond Teoh, DAP FT chief Lew Chee Kwan, DAP FT assistant secretary Ng Wei Keong and DAP FT member Yip Weng Weay.

They lodged reports at the Dang Wangi police station today.

Lip Eng urged the police to act against the individuals who published the online statement.

“We want the police to investigate under Sedition Act 1948, Communication and Multimedia act 1998, Criminal Procedure Code and other relevant laws.

“We hope the police and Attorney-General chambers will act swiftly,” he told FMT via a text message.

In the statement on Isma’s website yesterday, Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman said the Chinese came to the country with the British as intruders and were given citizenship as well as wealth.

Abdullah Zaik said the ancestors of Chinese Malaysians today were “in cahoots with the British” to oppress and bully the Malays.

He called the Malays to protect the sovereignty of Islam and the race in “Tanah Melayu”.

In another development, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said Isma’s remarks would be probed under the Sedition Act.

Khalid warned all quarters against making inflammatory remarks and to be careful in making statements that could stir racial tension.

‘Malays only race that banned scientific books’

Zaid Ibrahim says the government will ban more books and films to protect Malay belief and faith.

PETALING JAYA: The Malays are probably the only race in the world that prohibited the reading of scientific books, such as the Malay translation of Darwin’s The Origin of Species, said former law minister Zaid Ibrahim.

Zaid said in his blog that the government would probably ban more books and films in the future under the pretext of protecting Malay belief and faith.

“I think it is the fear that if Malays start thinking logically and scientifically, they will not vote for the Barisan Nasional,” he said.

Zaid said this in response to Najib’s non-committal stance on the proposal to implement hudud in Kelantan and the Home Ministry’s decision to ban several books perceived as disruptive to public order.

He said former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was not much of a fighter but cared about people’s welfare, especially the Malays, unlike Najib who expected total obedience from the people.

He added that Abdullah also was cautious in his approach and sensitive to people’s feelings.

“But Najib is like the Chinese Emperor from the Middle Kingdom, who keeps his thoughts to himself,” he added.

Woman candidate for MCA in Bkt Gelugor?

A young pharmacist daughter of a former MCA assemblyman is expected to challenge DAP's candidate, widely tipped to be Karpal's son, in the by-election.

GEORGE TOWN: MCA may field a woman candidate for the forthcoming Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election on May 25.

A young pharmacist Koay Wan Lee, daughter of former Seri Delima assemblyman Koay Kar Huah, is said to be the favourite for the candidacy.

The Bukit Gelugor by-election is being held following the death of incumbent parliamentarian Karpal Singh of DAP on April 17 in a car accident near Kampar, Perak.

Polling is on May 25 while nomination is on May 12, giving contestants 13 days to campaign.

Sources claimed Wan Lee could be picked among the three proposed names submitted to the party president Liow Tiong Lai last week.

It’s learnt that Bukit Gelugor MCA division chairman Kar Huah also submitted names of lawyer Ooi Siew Kim and state youth chief Michael Lee Beng Seng to Liow.

When contacted, Kar Huah however did not want to confirm the names and merely said “wait for the announcement.”

A local leader said the party preferred a female candidate this time.

“Wan Lee is favoured ahead of others due to her father’s political roots in the constituency,” said the leader.

Kar Huah was a three-term assemblyman for Seri Delima between 1995 and 2008. He lost to Karpal in Bukit Gelugor in the 2008 general election.

Besides Seri Delima, Air Itam and Paya Terubong are two other state seats under Bukit Gelugor.

Bukit Gelugor has 61,112 or 74.49% Chinese voters, 11,880 or 14.48 % Malays, 8,660 or 10.56% Indians and 390 or 0.48% others.

It’s also learnt that MCA’s top brass has yet to decide not only on the candidate but also if the party should even contest in the by-election. The party is expected to make an announcement in the coming days.

Grassroots not confident

Meanwhile according to sources, feedback from grassroots was not encouraging with many leaders apprehensive about fielding a candidate.

They strongly believe the party had no chance against the DAP, Penang’s ruling party.

A local leader even went on to say that the Chinese voters would vote blindly for DAP’s logo, Rocket.

“MCA currently is a sunset party unless it is revamped and reformed, which is unlikely under the current federal and state leaderships.

“In the current political scenario, MCA can’t woo Chinese to Barisan Nasional.

“DAP is currently enjoying an unprecedented popularity among Chinese,” said the leader.

However, MCA’s top leadership is said to be encouraged by the increased Chinese vote swing to the party following the Kajang by-election. It managed to clinch 25% compared to only 18% of votes during the 13th general election.

The late Karpal scored a stunning 42,706 majority win in Bukit Gelugor in last year’s general election against BN’s candidate from MCA, Teh Beng Yeam.

In the by-election, DAP is widely expected to field Karpal’s son, Ramkarpal, who has indicated that he was ready to fill in his father’s political shoes.

Although DAP is speculated to win the seat without dropping a sweat, Ramkarpal’s candidature is seen as an attempt to swing sympathy votes and maintain Karpal’s majority.

“The Karpal factor will give no chance for MCA to make inroads.

“Moreover, MCA’s own grassroots leaders and members may not be motivated to campaign for the party candidate as evident during the Kajang by-election,” said an MCA local leader.

Besides DAP and MCA, Bukit Gelugor by-election may also see a candidate from newly formed Penang Front Party (PFP) and Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM).

Isma being investigated under Sedition Act, says IGP

(The Malaysian Insider) – Police are probing the remarks made by Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma)

president Abdullah Zaik Abdullah Rahman under the Sedition Act, Malaysiakini reported today.

Zaik had said yesterday that Chinese migrants brought in by the British to Tanah Melayu were “trespassers” and questioned the citizenship and wealth given to them but did not specify how it proposed to correct this purported wrong.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar (pic) told the Malaysiakini news portal that investigations would be carried out.

He also warned all quarters against making inflammatory remarks.

“My advice to all is to be careful in making statements that could stir racial tension in the country,” he added.

MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong told The Malaysian Insider today that the party demanded that the police investigate the group for saying the Chinese brought to Tanah Melayu were “trespassers”, and stressed that such remarks were dangerous to society.

“When you make accusations like that, of course you will get a reaction. The Chinese community will be angry – the entire MCA is angry with this,” the Barisan Nasional’s Ayer Itam MP said.

“It’s bad, it’s unacceptable, and authorities should investigate Isma. In fact, this investigation is overdue and the police would know best which law to investigate them under.”

He said the Isma president had failed to understand the contributions the Chinese had made to the country, and urged him to stop generalising the entire community.

“Abdullah, don’t ever think that the Chinese are bad people. We are hard-working, and we treat this country as our only country; there is no other place to go,” said Wee.

“When the Chinese netizens whacked Malaysia (over flight MH370’s disappearance), they didn’t spare the Chinese Malaysians. Because they know we are a part of Malaysia, that this is our country.”

Politicians from both sides of the divide also joined MCA in expressing outrage over Isma’s incendiary remarks towards the Chinese.

Umno’s Saifuddin Abdullah also saw red over Abdullah’s remarks and called on the police to investigate it.

“Stop the anti-Chinese and anti-Christian sentiments before it turns to something worse. The authorities must investigate,” the former higher education minister said in a tweet today.

They were reacting to Isma’s claim that Chinese migrants brought in by the British to Tanah Melayu were “trespassers” and this wrong had to be corrected.

Abdullah Zaik said the Chinese who came to Malaya were “trespassers” and questioned the citizenship and wealth given to them but did not specify how it proposed to correct this purported wrong.

“Who gave them citizenship and wealth until the results of their trespassing are protected until this day?

“This was all the doing of the British, who were in cohorts with the Chinese to oppress and bully the Malays,” he said in a statement today, as reported on the group’s website.

Abdullah also said this was a mistake which had to be corrected but he did not say how.

“Nobody has the right to mortgage the sovereignty of Islam and the Malays on this land,” he said in a statement posted on Isma’s website yesterday.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the DAP condemned Isma's "dangerous lies" which preached religious and racial extremism.

He likened the group's language to that used against the minority Muslim Rohingyas ‎to justify the community’s oppression in Myanmar.

"DAP also condemns the Attorney-General for failing to act against these racists and religious bigots who use such language of violence, which the BN government appears to be indirectly encouraging the breeding of hatred," he said in a statement today.

He said that Isma's lies were full of seditious tendency under Section 3 (1) of the Sedition Act, by promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of Malaysia,

Lim added that Isma‎ had also questioned Part III of the Federal Constitution relating to citizenship of all Malaysians.

"How can the Attorney-General be fit to hold office and function impartially to uphold the law when there is such travesty of double-standards?"‎ said Lim.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke said the party would get the ball rolling by lodging police reports against Isma nationwide today.

“The comments were not only highly insensitive and seditious, but a distortion of historical facts. These are extremists who are trying to create racial disharmony in the country,” said the Seremban MP.

“Their existence is a threat to Malaysian society itself, and if left unchecked, could lead to hate crime in the country. The government must stop this immediately,” he said.

Loke added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his colleagues must step forward and condemn Isma’s remarks to keep the group in check.

“We need political leadership from the prime minister. The top leaders of the country must come out with a strong statement and put a stop to Isma,” he said.

Don’t exempt non-Muslims from hudud, Muslim scholars suggest

(Malay Mail Online) – Non-Muslims should not be exempted from severe hudud punishments if the controversial Islamic penal law is implemented in Malaysia, religious scholars suggested in a forum discussing the issue today.

According to the panellists, exempting non-Muslims from punishments prescribed for Muslims would create an unjust system, which would disturb the peace, ultimately defeating the original purpose of hudud itself.

“Should Ah Chong get a lighter punishment than Ahmad, although they both committed the same crime? Where is the justice?” said prominent religious cleric Dr Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin.

“I differ from Kelantan’s enactment. I agree with Brunei … we have to prescribe the punishments to all.”

The tiny, oil-rich nation of Brunei passed hudud laws last year and will begin enforcement from this year.

“Even non-Muslims must also get hudud punishments like Muslims … Hudud is meant to keep the peace. How can you keep the peace if non-Muslims can choose their punishments?” said Dr Mushaddad Abdullah, from Putrajaya-backed Institut Wasatiyyah Malaysia.

Mushaddad claimed that if criminals were given a choice, even a Muslim criminal would profess to be a non-Muslim to escape hudud punishments.

In 1993, the PAS state government passed the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment (II), allowing it to impose the strict Islamic penal code in the state. But the laws have not been implemented.

The hudud punishments in Kelantan’s enactment are exclusive to Muslims, and the state’s deputy mentri besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah defended the disparity of punishments between Muslims and non-Muslims.

“That is fair … because a Muslim has chosen his faith. When he chose Islam, he chose the entirety of Islamic teaching, including its laws,” said Mohd Amar.

Although some Muslims in Malaysia chose to convert in, most of the adherents were born into the religion.

Converting out of Islam in the country is almost impossible, and implementing hudud in Kelantan will make apostasy a crime punishable by death.

In April, Mohd Amar explained that Kelantan plans to implement an “open” concept of the hudud law in the state, which offers non-Muslims there a choice to live by the controversial Islamic penal code or not.

In response, MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong pointed out today that crimes under hudud are mostly already covered by the existing civil law, and furthermore it would be very unliikely for a non-Muslim to choose hudud.

PAS is now looking for parliamentary approval to implement hudud. It plans to put forward two private members’ bills in Parliament. One seeks approval for unconventional punishments, some of which are for offences already covered in the Penal Code.The the other seeks to empower Shariah courts to mete out the unconventional punishments.

According to the Shariah Courts (Criminal) Jurisdiction Act 1965, the Islamic court cannot sentence offenders to more than three years in jail or fine them more than RM 5,000. It also cannot sentence offenders to be whipped more than six times.

Malaysia’s Rosmah Goes Hollywood

Riza Aziz, right, with his buddy Leonardo

US law firm says misappropriated ‘family money’ backed ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’

A Los Angeles-based law firm is charging that embezzled or misappropriated funds from a foreign nation – apparently Malaysia – were used to fund the Hollywood movie production and financing company Red Granite, which made the Oscar-nominated movie “The Wolf of Wall Street,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese.

The charge, by the law firm of Freedman & Taitelman, alleges that “family money” from Riza Aziz, the son of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor, was used to create Red Granite. The company was founded in 2009 by Riza, whose full name is Shahriz bin Abdul Aziz, and Christopher "Joey" McFarland.

Riza Aziz is listed on Red Granite’s website as the company’s co-founder, chairman, and CEO.

The allegations follow on the heels of another story that appears to confirm that funds from a Malaysian sovereign fund, 1 Malaysia Development Bhd, better known as 1MDB, backed a vain 2011 attempt by flamboyant tycoon Jho Low, a close friend of Rosmah’s, to buy three prestigious London hotels including the iconic Claridge’s.

Penang-born Jho Low, 32, was also part of the entourage around “The Wolf of Wall Street,” even receiving an on-screen credit and “special thanks” from the movie’s producers.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” cost roughly US$100 million to make and is expected to gross as much as US$315 million from domestic and overseas sales, meaning that if the prime minister’s wife did front the money, she stands to make a healthy return.

Beyond charging that money from Malaysia funded Red Granite, the lawsuit is short on details. It doesn’t say who embezzled or misappropriated the funds, or how they were transferred from Malaysia to the US.

Brian Freedman, the lawyer leading the case, refused comment when Asia Sentinel contacted him by telephone.

It should be noted that Hollywood lawsuits often start out delivering spectacular charges and end up being settled quietly. Producer Alexandra Milchan also filed suit in 2010 against Red Granite, alleging she had been cut out of the deal to produce Wolf. Red Granite countersued and the two ended up settling, with Milchan getting an executive producer credit on the movie.

Rosmah married Najib in 1987 after she divorced her previous husband, Abul Aziz Nong Chik, with whom she had two children, one of them Riza Aziz.

Rosmah, once dubbed “the first lady of shopping” by the Sydney Morning Herald, has long been suspected in Malaysia of amassing a vast fortune under the table. In January 2013, a Kuala Lumpur-based carpet dealer named Deepak Jaikishan alleged that he had conducted US$985 million worth of quiet business dealings for the 61-year-old prime minister’s wife, although he didn’t say over what period, or deliver details for most of the transactions. He also published an e-book at that time that was mainly taken up with US$4 million worth of receipts for purchases he allegedly conducted for her through Hong Kong jewelers.

In the lawsuit, filed on behalf of movie producers Brad Krevoy and Steve Stabler, the law firm alleges that “Red Granite is funded with monies that include proceeds from offenses against a foreign nation that include bribery of public officials, or misappropriation, theft, or embezzlement of public funds by a public official.”

The plaintiffs, according to the lawsuit, “are informed and believe that public officials in Asia and the Middle East have taken bribes and/or misappropriated, stolen or embezzled funds, and that those ill-gotten funds have then been invested in Red Granite.”

Red Granite, the suit alleges, has “engaged in multiple financial transactions within the United States – including financing of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ and then separately financing ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ with knowledge that the property involved represented the proceeds of illegal activity and with knowledge that the transactions were designed to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, or control of the proceeds of the illegal activity,” all in violation of the US statute governing money laundering.

The defendants, according to the suit, “have used and invested the proceeds of their pattern of racketeering activity in the operation of Red Granite, in violation of the so-called RICO statute, which makes it illegal for any person who has received any income derived, directly or indirectly, from a pattern of racketeering activity.”

Despite citing the two provisions of federal law, there is no indication that Freedman & Taitelman has taken the allegations to US authorities.

Krevoy and Stabler, the producers of the original “Dumb and Dumber” movie starring Jim Carey and directed by the Farrelly Brothers, allege that Red Granite was seeking to squeeze them out of the production rights for “Dumb and Dumber To,” which was followed by “Dumb and Dumberer.”

In the pleading, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on March 25, the plaintiffs charge that “Red Granite has established a pattern of using Shahriz Bin Abdul Aziz's [Riza Aziz] family money to buy motion picture franchises from the studios that developed them and purporting to assume the studios' obligations relating to the franchises, but then reneging on contractual obligations.”

Krevoy and Stabler allege they had a written agreement with the original production company, New Line Cinema, that gave them right of first negotiation to produce sequels and/or remakes on terms at least as favorable as on the original, entitling them to the same compensation on a sequel as they were paid for the original.

The success of the original Dumber film generated huge overseas demand for a sequel, according to the complaint, as long it would star Carey and co-star Jeff Daniels, be directed by the Farrelly Brothers and produced by Krevoy, Stabler, and Charles Wessler.

But, the complaint alleges, despite an understanding that Krevoy and Stabler would be hired to produce the sequel, Red Granite made an attractive financial proposal to acquire the rights, which New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. accepted.

“Despite Plaintiff's substantial contribution to the Original and to the initial development of the Sequel, McFarland and Shahriz Bin Abdul Aziz caused New Line Cinema to wash its hands of Plaintiffs' agreement and Red Granite to renege on the obligations to Plaintiffs that it purported to assume from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.”

The suit accuses Red Granite, McFarland and Riza Aziz of having “maliciously created this scheme to deprive plaintiffs of their contractual right to payment from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. in connection with the sequel.”

The plaintiffs charge they are entitled to a minimum of $400,000 in compensation plus additional damages.

In open letter, MH370 passenger’s husband asks Malaysia for transparency, apology

 

Indian national K. S. Narendran, whose wife Chandrika Sharma was on the Malaysia Airlines plane with 238 other people, told Putrajaya in an open letter today that it must be transparent about the circumstances that led to flight MH70 vanishing two months ago, and should apologise for shortcomings in the search for the missing plane. – The Malaysian Insider pic, May 7, 2014.

Putrajaya must be transparent about the circumstances that led to flight MH70 vanishing two months ago, and should apologise for shortcomings in the search for the missing plane, the husband of one of the passengers wrote in an open letter to the prime minister.

K. S. Narendran, whose wife Chandrika Sharma was on the Malaysia Airlines plane with 238 other people, said the families have lost their loved ones but Malaysia had lost its credibility in the search for the Boeing 777-200ER.

"Perhaps the most serious casualty second only to the loss of the plane is the severely impaired credibility of your Government and the airline's handling of the crisis.

"The skimpy Preliminary Report released to the public this week, supposedly based on your guidelines does little to enhance your government's commitment to transparency, and therefore only adds fuel to doubts, suspicion and speculations," he wrote in an email to Datuk Seri Najib Razak dated May 4, 2014.

Narendran, an Indian citizen, also asked Najib to act like a statesman in the hunt for the plane, which has yet to be found after going missing on March 8, 2014, while en route to Beijing.

"I have heard you speak thrice now, the first time on 15th March when you referred among other things to the MH370's 'turn back' as 'deliberate action' by someone on the plane, then on 24th March when you delivered an unpalatable, cryptic message that MH 370 had ended in the Indian ocean, and a third time a little over a week ago – you in conversation with Richard Quest wherein you spoke of mistakes made.

"Each time, I experienced you as measured, sombre in a way that could be easily taken as sincere, and as a man with good intentions. You and perhaps your managers have ensured that you are statesman-like. The time has come now for you to actually be the part," he wrote in the email.

Narendran asked the prime minister "to go deeper into what was unprecedented and when did the event enter unprecedented territory or proportions."

"This will help separate the misjudgements and negligence of your civil aviation and military establishments from very early in the MH 370 saga: these we know from history have precedents and were avoidable.

"The rest that followed has confounded the best among experts. Therefore to invoke the lack of precedent and disclaim any direct responsibility all the way is being somewhat disingenuous," he added.

He said that the findings could help avoid a repeat of the incident, adding that "for Malaysia's sake and for the sake of the affected families is a sincere, heartfelt apology that things have come to such a pass.

"I would imagine that for wounded Malaysian pride, it will serve as a point from which to refashion a new set of commitments unto itself and people at large.

"For the families of passengers, it might begin a healing process and a fresh start free of rancour, accusation and suspicion," Narendran said in the email.

He also urged Putrajaya to be transparent about the investigations into the lost plane.

"My hypothesis is that the lack of transparency that has come to define your government's engagement with the rest of the world is because your government wants to hold onto a pretence of competence, mask the guilt and shame of initial lapses and a fear of the scorn and contempt that may be heaped on it from round the world.

"The burden of this only grows. The burden of a heavy conscience will weigh on your people for a long time if you fail to not own up," he added.

Narendran also asked for an apology to the families of passengers and crew aboard the plane.

His wife, Chandrika, was the executive secretary of the International Collective in Support of Fish Workers and was heading to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to attend a regional conference for Asia and the Pacific hosted by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
The couple have one daughter.

"A heartfelt apology to my mind is an admission of direct responsibility for a set of lapses that were entirely within the control of the government and the airline, taking responsibility for consequences of such responsibility, holding oneself publicly accountable for the conduct of the search and rescue/recovery, invoking humility to include or hand over to others who are competent some or all parts of the investigation, and being facilitative of the families access to detailed information at every stage.

"No doubt there is a price to pay. It must be paid. However, an apology and an appeal for forgiveness would enhance Malaysia's standing amongst nations and peoples in a way that no amount of protestations or grandstanding will," he added.

Narendran said for the families, "a lot rides on how diligently and persistently your government pursues the truth through investigation, how compassionate it is towards all the affected, and how humble and receptive it is in taking the waves of criticism from interested parties.

"It needs to measure up to the international benchmarks of transparency, public scrutiny and challenge, and assure the sceptical world that there is indeed no cover-up, no attempt to be creative or economical with the truth. After all, the world is watching, waiting...," he said.

Narendran said that while the truth sometimes hurt, it would also be liberating.

"The loss of trust I alluded to earlier threatens this for me personally and I suspect for many others. It is disturbing to consider that self-centred deceit and duplicity to get ahead, move on, or self-preservation could be at work in the present instance.

"We do need a fresh start here, Mr Prime Minister. You have a part to play in shaping what we believe in, and what world we create. For us to trust you and your government, we need you too to take a leap of faith and do what is right and not just what is safe.

"So cast aside the cravings and compulsions of office and try being the statesman. Malaysia will emerge stronger, and others would be willing to give it another chance in due course," he said in ending the letter to the prime minister.

Bar Council: SIB case is different

The Sun Daily
by Lee Choon Fai

PETALING JAYA: The High Court should not have used an earlier Court of Appeal ruling as a precedent in rejecting Sidang Injil Borneo's (SIB) leave application for a judicial review against a Home Ministry ban on importing Christian books containing the word "Allah", a human rights lawyer said today.

Bar Council Human Rights Committee chairman Andrew Khoo said the court should have treated SIB's judicial review as a separate issue instead of relying on the appellate court's ruling in the Herald case.

"The ruling by the Court of Appeal clearly stated that this was a decision that was based on the particular situation of Herald. Therefore, it is based on different facts.

"SIB's case have been viewed as a different case as the decision in the Herald case is not immediately applicable (to it)," Khoo told theSun today.

SIB filed the judicial review in 2007 against the Home Ministry to challenge the Customs Department's seizure of its books brought in from Surabaya, Indonesia at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang the same year.

In 2009, the High Court gave the green light to an application by Catholic Church Archbishop Murphy Pakiam to use the word "Allah" to refer to God in Herald, following a ban made by the Home Ministry.

The decision was later unanimously overturned by a bench of three judges in the Court of Appeal, which ruled that "Allah" was not an integral part of Christianity.

Khoo explained that in Herald's case, they were dealing with ministerial discretion on newspapers but the SIB case does not involve any publications.

"This (SIB) has nothing to do with a newspaper, so the facts are very different.

"If the courts are going to apply what they think is precedence, it would be unhelpful in any review in similar situations in the future," he said.

Khoo also pointed out that several sweeping statements were made in the judgement by the Court of Appeal to not allow Herald to use the word "Allah".

Najib Lauds The Appointment Of Dr Jemilah

KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 (Bernama) -- The appointment of Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood to lead the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat in 2016, is testament to her exceptional leadership qualities, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Wednesday.

In his latest Facebook posting, he said Dr Jemilah was known as an untiring Malaysian for her humanitarian work.

"Her indefatigable medical and humanitarian work for her country, Malaysia, and for the world, helped to redefine women's roles and responsibilities and helped put Malaysia on the world map.

"Congratulations, you make our country proud," said Najib.

Dr Jemilah, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Teach For Malaysia, has been appointed to head the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York.

The World Humanitarian Summit, an initiative of the UN secretary-general, is an opportunity for governments, UN and intergovernmental agencies, regional organisations, non-profit and civil society actors, private sector, academia as well as people affected by crises to come together, take stock of humanitarian action, discuss the changing landscape, share knowledge and best practices, and chart a forward-looking agenda.

The Summit will be held in Istanbul in 2016, and will focus on four major themes: Humanitarian Effectiveness, Transformation Through Innovation, Reducing Vulnerability & Managing Risk, and Serving the Needs of People in Conflict.

MIC and MCA not doing enough for the non-Muslims — Sane Malaysian

MAY 6 — With the hudud controversy now in the forefront and both UMNO and PAS are competing with each other to use it to win Malay votes, it appears to me that the issue is only championed by Gerakan and the DAP, but both MIC and MCA are doing nothing about it.

Although the late DAP chairman, Karpal Singh was against the implementation of the hudud, he was not anti-Islam. In fact, the DAP cannot be accused of being anti-Islam, especially when the present chief minister of Penang has been giving more allocations to the Muslim community in the state since 2008, compared to the previous state administration when Penang was under Barisan Nasional.

Being vocal against the hudud laws, especially in a country where the Federal Constitution was established by our patriarchs as a secular state, does not mean that one is anti-Islam. I, for example, admire Tok Guru Nik Aziz for who he is, but would not hesitate to criticise and condemn Perkasa president, Ibrahim Ali or Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) president, Ustaz Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman, and the BN Government which continues to provide funding for their activities.

These are the NGOs which project a negative image of Islam, contrary to the Prophet who was known to have told the Christian Arabs in his time, “Your Allah and our Allah is one. Let us not fight among ourselves.”

Both MCA and MIC, in particular, being the bigger component parties in BN should speak up. They cannot remain silent about the hudud issue, especially since Umno is now a party to the implementation of the hudud. If both parties do not speak up, they may as well remain silent for the rest of their century. They will not gain the support of the non-Muslim communities.

Although former MCA president, Dr Chua Soi Lek has spoken up, it’s surprising that MIC’s president has remained silent over this issue. As the Minister of Health, he has an important role to back the stand made by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA). Silence is not an option. Do not be surprised that most of us do not even know who is currently the MIC president, in the same way that most of us knew Samy Vellu was the longest-serving MIC president.

To stay relevant, both MCA and MIC have to speak up against the implementation of the hudud, at least the way it is being implemented in Malaysia, at a time when the nation is still not ready for the hudud laws. Otherwise, history will judge both BN component parties for not making their stand against an issue that is currently being supported by UMNO.

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

Teresa Kok claims trial over 'seditious' satire

Nigeria: As Shekau Claims Responsibility - Two Abducted Schoolgirls Die

An intermediary of Boko Haram has claimed that two of the girls abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, have died from snakebite while 20 others are critically ill, The Associated Press (AP) reports.

This shocking news has come as a blow to millions of Nigerians and people from around the world who have joined the BringBackOurGirls movement, demanding the release of the schoolgirls in good condition.

In a televised media chat on Sunday, President Goodluck Jonathan said that an encouraging bit of news so far was the fact that there had been no report of loss of lives.

However, the terrorist sect's leader, Abubakar Shekau, has released a new video claiming credit for the kidnap of the schoolgirls and threateninh to sell out the girls.

The Boko Haram kingpin further said that the sect was ready to negotiate ransoms for the girls. The man who claimed to be an intermediary also said that the Christians among the girls had been forced to convert to Islam.

President Jonathan had, during Sunday's "Presidential Media Chat" dismissed insinuations that the federal government was negotiating with Boko Haram to secure the release of the abducted schoolgirls, adding that the government could not have been negotiating with faceless people.

I kidnapped your schoolgirls, Shekau claims in new video Shekau, in a video, claimed responsibility for the abduction of more than 200 final-year students GSS, Chibok, Borno State.

In the video, the hoodlum said,"I abducted your girls. By Allah, I will sell them in the market, and Allah has commanded me to sell them in the market."

"There is a market for selling human beings. Allah says I should sell them. He commands me to sell them. I will sell women. I will sell women," he continued in local Hausa language.

However, the BBC Hausa Service points out that the Boko Haram leader did not state the number of girls abducted, nor where they were taken or are now.

Dressed in his usual combat attire and armed with AK47 rifle, Shekau who spoke in Hausa and some Arabic said the girls would be held the way their colleagues were being kept in various detention cells of the military "without any negotiations ".

He said the girls are regarded as war booties, upon whom his group has rights over and can even "sell them in market ", if they so wish.

"We would also give their hands in marriage because they are our slaves. We would marry them out at the age of nine. We would marry them out at the age of 12," he said.

"Western education is sin, it is forbidden, women must go and marry," he said.

He said the abduction of the girls was justifiable because "it is just the same way they incarcerated our members in Nigerian prisons"

One of the parents of the abducted girls, Ms Martha Yarama Ndirpaya, in her interview with the Hausa service of the (BBC) has accused the federal government of being insensitive to the plight of the girls and its slow pace of rescuing them from the heartless abductors.

In a broadcast appearance on Sunday, Jonathan promised, "Anywhere the girls are, we will surely get them out."

The president described the girls' abduction as a trying and painful time and pleaded for the cooperation of parents, guardians and local communities in the rescue efforts.

Hindu households, temple attacked in Bangladesh

A mob of nearly 3,000 attacked Hindu households and a temple in eastern Bangladesh after two youths from the community allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.

Police today arrested 17 people, including the principal of Bagmara Madrasa, for the attack on the temple and over two dozen households at Homna in Comilla district, about 100 km south east of Dhaka, last week.

"We so far arrested 17 people and some of them made confessional statements regarding the attack. A manhunt is underway to arrest the rest of the culprits," police chief of Homna Aslam Shikdar told PTI on phone.

He said suspected mastermind of the attack Nazrul Islam is still on the run. The local police chief said steps were underway to put the accused on trial on charges of attacking the Hindu households and the temple under a planned manner.

A makeshift police camp was setup at the village where the incident took place on April 26 following rumours that two Hindu youths had allegedly insulted the prophet in a Facebook post.

Earlier reports said culprits mobilised attackers mostly belonging to fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and several other ultra right groups who ransacked the temple and the nearby households and looted some valuables.

"The attack continued for some 20 minutes but during the time, the culprits preferred not to injure anyone...our initial investigation found it was a pre-planned attack as they used loudspeakers and distributed leaflets to mobiles the attack," Shikdar said.

People at the neighbourhood said nearly 3,000 attackers, mostly from outside the locality, staged the attack as the village elders were set to hold a meeting to resolve the issue of the alleged defamation of the prophet.

Shikdar said police immediately rushed to the scene but reached the remote village only when the attackers had fled.

If Christians continue to grow, they will outnumber us by 2100, says Muslim group

‎

Pertubuhan Muafakat Sejahtera Masyarakat Malaysia (Muafakat) president Abdul Karim Omar said today that if Christianisation is allowed to continue, Christians will outnumber Muslims by 2100. – The Malaysian Insider pic, May 6, 2014.

The “threat” of Christianisation was brought up again today at a forum at a public university where a crowd of about 1,000 was told that Christians will outnumber Muslims in Malaysia by 2100.

‎Pertubuhan Muafakat Sejahtera Masyarakat Malaysia (Muafakat) president Abdul Karim Omar said this was based on the rapid increase of Christians in Malaysia.

He said this is what Malaysia will face if Christianisation is allowed to continue here.

‎"According to our research, the percentage of Christians increases by a huge amount every decade," he said at a seminar on the use of the word Allah and Christology at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) today.

He said the latest statistics showed that the number of Christians in Malaysia ‎stands at less than 10% of the population, while Muslims are more than 60%.

"But if Christianisation continues, by 2100, ‎there will be an equal number of Christians and Muslims - 40%."

"And it will continue to increase, he said.

Karim used South Korea as an example, saying that in 1905 the number of Christians in the country were only 0.5% of the population. But because of rapid Christianisation in the 1970s and 1980s, it increased to almost 30% in 2005, he said.

"This happened in South Korea‎ and could happen here," he added.

Karim earlier said his speech was meant to “expose the planned agenda and the ill-intention of Christian evangelists”.

‎He also told the 1,000 people gathered, including secondary school and university students, the number of Muslims who converted to Christianity in the early 1900s "could be counted with fingers".

“But in a Parliament white paper, the then PAS president Yusof Rawa revealed that 66,000 people had turned away from Islam.

“And in 2006, Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Hurusaini Zakaria said the number had increased to 250,000‎. I don't know how much it is now,” he said, adding that the situation painted a “scary picture”.

‎An Indonesian former Catholic priest also told the seminar that Christians were betraying God if they do not convert to Islam.

H. Insan LS Mokoginta, ‎said that every follower of Jesus should convert to Islam otherwise it would be a betrayal to Him.

Mokoginta, who converted to Islam in 1976, said this in his speech entitled "the Threat of Christianisation". – May 6, 2014.

MCA: Hudud only for Muslims a lie

 

MCA has accused DAP and PAS of “lying” in the interest of votes when it said that the Hudud will only apply to Muslims.

Referring to an Utusan Malaysia interview, MCA vice president Chew Mei Fun (below) said that an Islamic scholar said that the Hudud should apply to all in the interest of fairness.

“(The scholar's) statement is shocking and it makes people wonder if his statement represents the thoughts of the majority of Muslims.

“In other words, no matter how PAS and DAP stressed that the theocratic law is only meant for Muslims, this is just a lie to fish votes,” she said in a statement.

In the interview, state-funded research centre International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies scholar Mohamed Azam Mohamed Adil said that it would be unfair to implement Hudud only for Muslims.

He said that this is especially when the crime also involves non-Muslim assailants.

“If Hudud is to be implemented, it cannot just be for Muslims but also for non-Muslims. It cannot be implented separately (for adherents of different faiths) because it would not be just...

“For example, if a Muslim steals and it is proven in court, his hand will be amputated, but for a non-Muslim who steals, he does not undergo the Hudud but is only jailed for the offence,” he reportedly said.

Mohamed Azam, a professor specialising in syariah law, said it is equally unfair if an inter-religious adult couple is proven to have had pre-marital sex, as the Muslim is stoned but the non-Muslim unpunished.

'DAP is beautifying PAS and Hudud'

According to Chew, the scholar's statement shows that PAS and DAP are continuously trying to “mislead” the people into accepting two sets of criminal laws.

“We already have two types of courts, which has triggered a series of problems for the people. This proves that one set of law will not interfere with another is a non-practical and nonsensical explanation,” she said.

She added that even if PAS shelves the plans, the episode shows that DAP in complicit in “beautifying” PAS' theocratic goals to appeal to more Malaysians.

“DAP cannot run away from its historic responsibility and it has caused a permanent damage to our nation's development just to win power.

“However, we hope that DAP can still do the right thing, be brave to leave Pakatan Rakyat instead of telling PAS to leave Pakatan Rakyat because we have not seen PKR in rejecting hudud.”

ROS query six MIC leaders on polls

ROS officers have questioned six MIC election committee members for five hours on the party polls.

PETALING JAYA: Six MIC leaders, including the party information chief, have been questioned by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) over alleged irregularities in the party elections held last year.

A party insider told FMT today that two ROS officers questioned the MIC election steering committee members for nearly five hours.

“The ROS officers arrived at the MIC headquarters at about 11.30am and left the building at 3.30pm,” said the party source.

The leaders questioned were K Kumaran, Selva Mookiah, SS Rajagopal, V Jagarasah, V Sivaparamjothi and information chief L Sivasubramaniam.

“The party former secretary-general A Sakthivel was questioned by the ROS two months ago,” added the party insider.

When contacted, Sivasubramaniam confirmed that ROS took a statement from him. However, he refused to furnish further details on the investigation.

The party elections, held in Malacca on Nov 30, last year, was said to be marred with irregularities, including vote manipulation.

ROS started questioning MIC leaders and members since last year, following 48 complaints on irregularities in the divisional and national elections.

‘PAS mahu hudud di Kelantan sahaja’

Oleh kerana PAS terus memimpin di Kelantan, maka PAS memilih Kelantan sahaja

PETALING JAYA: PAS mempertahankan keputusannya untuk terus memperjuangkan pelaksanaan hukum hudud di Kelantan kerana parti itu berterusan memerintah negeri itu.

Menurut Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, parti itu menyambut baik reaksi positif semua pihak yang menerima perjuangan mereka ini dan pada masa yang sama, bersedia memberikan penjalasan secara terbuka ataupun tertutup kepada mana-mana pihak yang masih meragui hukum tersebut.

“Marilah kita menjelas dan menyatakan Islam adalah rahmat kepada seluruh manusia,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Beliau turut menyeru semua umat Islam untuk menerima kewajiban melaksanakan syariat tanpa menuding jari dan memperlekehkan mana-mana pihak.

Tambah Abdul Hadi lagi, terdapat sesetengah pihak enggan memahami kesempurnaan Islam dan hukumnya itu yang tidak menghalang kemampuan akal dan membelakangi hak asasi manusia.

“Ada yang lebih bersimpati terhadap penjenayah, tanpa peduli terhadap mangsanya. Atau lebih melihat hak asasi binatang lebih daripada hak asasi manusia yang sebenarnya.

“Sebenarnya kita wajib mengambil hikmah dari para perunding kemerdekaan negara yang mewujudkan Perlembagaan yang memberi ruang adanya hak hukum syariat dan undang-undang jenayahnya, sehingga menolak dakwaan halangan perlembagaan terhadap wujudnya berbagai-bagai undang–undang dalam masyarakat majmuk,” katanya lagi.

Bagi mengutarakan kebimbangan orang bukan Islam terhadap pelaksanaan hukum tersebut, Abdul Hadi memetik ayat Surah Al-Maaidah ayat 42 yang bermaksud “Oleh itu kalau mereka datang kepadaMu, maka hukumlah di antara mereka (dengan apa yang telah diterangkan oleh Allah), atau berpalinglah dari mereka; dan kalau Engkau berpaling dari mereka maka mereka tidak akan dapat membahayakanmu sedikitpun; dan jika Engkau menghukum maka hukumlah di antara mereka dengan adil; kerana Sesungguhnya Allah mengasihi orang-orang yang berlaku adil,”

Abdul Hadi yang juga ahli parlimen Marang turut menegaskan hudud bukan bertujuan untuk menghukum, sebaliknya untuk memberikan pengajaran kepada masyarakat.

“Wajib difahami, bahawa undang-undang jenayah Islam lebih bersifat mendidik daripada menghukum, kerana adanya syarat-syarat yang sangat menyusahkan bagi menjatuhkan hukuman Qisas dan Hudud yang dinaskan dan lebih banyak ruang kepada hukuman Takzir yang lebih ringan dan dengan mendidik.

“Dalam masa yang sama hakim diminta mencari jalan untuk membebaskan, sama ada daripada kefahamannya sendiri atau bantuan para peguam, dengan meneliti segala keterangan saksi dan lain-lain,” katanya lagi.

Kerajaan Kelantan pada 2 April lalu mengambil keputusan untuk membawa usul persendirian ke parlimen bagi membolehkan Enakmen Kanun Jenayah Syariah II yang dilulus sejak 1993 dapat dilaksanakan.

Permainan politik

Sementara itu Bernama melaporkan dari Johor Baharu, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sedang menuju kehancuran sebagaimana Barisan Alternatif (BA) tidak lama dahulu berikutan kedegilan PAS untuk melaksanakan hukum Hudud di Kelantan, menurut seorang bekas pemimpin DAP Johor.

Norman Fernandez , bekas Timbalan Pengerusi DAP Johor berkata kedegilan PAS untuk melaksanakan hukum hudud tidak lebih hanyalah satu permainan politik untuk menarik kembali sokongan masyarakat Melayu.

“Apa yang dikhuatiri ketika ini adalah Pakatan Rakyat adalah seperti sedang “retak menanti belah” disebabkan kedegilan PAS untuk melaksanakan hukum hudud di Kelantan.

“Jika ia berlaku (perpecahan), ia akan mengulangi perpecahan yang berlaku pada Barisan Alternatif pada 2004 yang berpunca apabila PAS mahu mewujudkan Negara Islam di Malaysia,” katanya kepada Bernama di sini, hari ini.

Norman yang merupakan seorang peguam berkata, PAS terpaksa menimbulkan isu hukum hudud ketika ini kerana parti itu ketandusan idea tentang cara paling berkesan untuk menarik sokongan masyarakat Melayu.

Umno, menurutnya lebih berjaya berbanding PAS dalam menarik sokongan dan membela nasib masyarakat Melayu.

“PAS sebenarnya ketandusan idea untuk menarik sokongan orang Melayu. Ia tidak ada idea tentang cara untuk membangunkan Kelantan dan kini terpaksa bergantung kepada isu hukum hudud,” kata Norman.

Beliau menjangkakan PAS akan kehilangan sokongan masyarakat Cina yang banyak membantu calon-calonnya memenangi kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri dan Parlimen pada pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13) lepas, jika ia meneruskan hasrat melaksanakan hukum hudud.

Oleh itu, katanya PAS sepatutnya mengugurkan hasratnya untuk memperkenalkan hukum hudud di negara ini sebagaimana dilakukan oleh DAP yang mengugurkan konsep “Malaysian Malaysia” selepas menyertai PR.