No. 1 Nation in Sexy Web Searches? Call it Pornistan

AP Pakistan has banned content on more than a dozen websites because of offensive and blasphemous material. The Muslim country, which has laws on dress codes, ranks as the top…

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AP Pakistan has banned content on more than a dozen websites because of offensive and blasphemous material. The Muslim country, which has laws on dress codes, ranks as the top country to proportionally search for certain sex-related terms.

(FOXnews) They may call it the "Land of the Pure," but Pakistan turns out to be anything but.

The Muslim country, which has banned content on at least 17 websites to block offensive and blasphemous material, is the world's leader in online searches for pornographic material, FoxNews.com has learned.

“You won’t find strip clubs in Islamic countries. Most Islamic countries have certain dress codes,” said Gabriel Said Reynolds, professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Notre Dame. “It would be an irony if they haven’t shown the same vigilance to pornography.”

So here's the irony: Google ranks Pakistan No. 1 in the world in searches for pornographic terms, outranking every other country in the world in searches per person for certain sex-related content.

Pakistan is top dog in searches per-person for "horse sex" since 2004, "donkey sex" since 2007, "rape pictures" between 2004 and 2009, "rape sex" since 2004, "child sex" between 2004 and 2007 and since 2009, "animal sex" since 2004 and "dog sex" since 2005, according to Google Trends and Google Insights, features of Google that generate data based on popular search terms.

The country also is tops -- or has been No. 1 -- in searches for "sex," "camel sex," "rape video," "child sex video" and some other searches that can't be printed here.

Google Trends generates data of popular search terms in geographic locations during specific time frames. Google Insights is a more advanced version that allows users to filter a search to geographic locations, time frames and the nature of a search, including web, images, products and news.

Pakistan ranked No. 1 in all the searches listed above on Google Trends, but on only some of them in Google Insights.

“We do our best to provide accurate data and to provide insights into broad search patterns, but the results for a given query may contain inaccuracies due to data sampling issues, approximations, or incomplete data for the terms entered,” Google said in a statement, when asked about the accuracy of its reports.

The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan did not reply to a request for an interview.

In addition to banning content on 17 websites, including islamexposed.blogspot.com, Pakistan is monitoring seven other sites -- Google, Yahoo, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, MSN and Hotmail -- for anti-Islamic content, the Associated Press reported in June.

But it’s not to censor the Pakistani people, Reynolds said. It’s to shut out the rest of the world.

“[It] could lead to conversion, which would undermine the very order of the state,” he said. “Part of protecting the society is making sure that there is no way it could be undermined in terms of foreign influences.”

Pakistan temporarily banned Facebook in May when Muslim groups protested the “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” page, where users were encouraged to upload pictures of the Prophet Muhammad. The page remained on Facebook, but Pakistani users were unable to view it, said Andrew Noyes, manager of Facebook’s Public Policy Communication.

And while Pakistan is taking measures to prevent blasphemous material from being viewed by its citizens, pornographic material is “certainly” contradictory to Islam, too, Reynolds said.

The country’s punishment for those charged with blasphemy is execution, but the question remains what -- if anything -- can be done about people who search for porn on the Web.

“It’s a new phenomenon,” Reynolds said.

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Heritage status hollow as Malay villages vanish

(Malaysiakini) The Penang government is being haunted by the ghost of rampant development projects approved by its predecessor, Gerakan, which is putting a damper on George Town's second anniversary as…

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(Malaysiakini) The Penang government is being haunted by the ghost of rampant development projects approved by its predecessor, Gerakan, which is putting a damper on George Town's second anniversary as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

In particular, the Malay community complains that the heritage status is meaningless if its villages and culture is not preserved.

Malay Muslim cultural and religious experiences featured on Heritage Row, like the famous Majid Kapitan Keling and Penang Muslim Museum at Syed Alatas Mansion in Armenian Street, do little to help as Malay villages gradually vanish due to massive development creeping everywhere across the island.

Villagers from Kg Jalan Pokok Asam, who face eviction by developers at the end of September, are particularly upset.

They have expressed extreme dissatisfaction that the on-going Heritage celebrations is featuring mostly Chinese and Hindu temples, and fishing communities like the Koay Jetty, and ignoring the plight of their villages.

At a two-hour dialogue session with PAS state deputy chief Mujahid Yusof Rawa in a Jelutong surau on Thursday, the villagers lamented that the heritage celebrations held in July was 'meaningless' if it did not include the Malay villages.

“What does it mean by heritage if Malay villages are being eroded one by one? Even if Penang celebrates Heritage Day again next year, it holds no meaning for us,” said Zarus Yusof (left), a 47-year-old businessman who has lived in Jelutong all his life.

“Heritage is not just about buildings, it is the culture and soul of the people living in the state. There is no meaning to heritage if the Malays are divided,” he added.

Not a racial problem

Zarus said he was not being racist to raise the issue facing Malay villagers, as the ongoing development projects would eventually affect the other communities as well, robbing them of their homes and disrupting their lives.

“We have to preserve our villages. That is the bottom line. We are not against development, relocate us but allow us to live in the same area, with reasonable housing facilities,” he added.

Another villager, Mohamad Idaham (left), warned that suraus, mosques,and cemeteries being provided for village folks risk becoming white elephants as the Malay community shrinks by the day.

“Who will go and pray if they are no more Malay communities in this area? No matter how you make the mosque, surau or cemeteries bigger, none of this means anything if there are no Malay families left to use them,” he complained.

Idaham appeared a little uncomfortable with the presence of PAS, although he admitted supporting the Opposition in the last general election.

He said the group preferred to be non-partisan when pleading their case, and would meet any group who were willing to help them resolve their eviction woes.

“It's difficult if we were to rely on political parties to help us. It can cause problems because even though we live in the same kampung, we all have different political allegiances,” he said after the meeting.

BN legacy

The group is demanding the developer to compensate them with a RM120,000 double storey house or a RM75,000 unit with three rooms per family.

However, they insist that they be relocated in the same area Jelutong, where they have lived since birth.

Jelutong parliamentarian Jeff Ooi (right) recently told the Sun that the rapid development issue is inherited from the previous government under BN's Gerakan led by Koh Tsu Koon.

These included 36 families affected by expansion plans for Heng Ee school and more than 40 families asked to move due to a housing project at Yew Kongsi. Over 50 families were evicted from behind the Perak Road market, 17 families from beside Sri Wonder centre, and 29 households in the Jalan Pokok Asam vicinity.

“In addition, 70 households will be affected by land acquisition for a road to link Jalan Tan Sri The Ewe Lim to the Jelutong Expressway, while compensation for another eight houses for a project at Jalan Madrasah has been resolved amicably,” he added.

In an immediate response, Jamek Mosque committee representative Yusof Noor apologised for any misunderstanding which has arisen out of the current situation.

Yusof, who is a municipal councillor, said he has contacted Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman to meet with the mosque committee and representatives from the affected villages.

Issue to be escalated

“We really lack information when the problem happened, so I am sorry if there was any confusion” he told the group.

“But since then, we have been speaking to all quarters to try and find the best solution for everyone,” he added.

Mujahid (in red, in photo), in responding to the villagers' grouses, explained that as a minority community in the state, they understandably feel marginalised but that this would be no different under an Umno government.

He was referring to Umno's attempts to capitalise on the situation for political mileage.

He however agreed with the group's demand to be relocated to the same area.

“We will tell the state and developer, you can do what you like, but we will remain on this land,” he vowed.

He promised to raise their issues to the CM and Pakatan Rakyat state representatives, which he said was a good channel to voice the villagers' plight.

“I will tell the state government to look into this issue seriously. Don't play a fool for this is my kampung too. I have relatives here and have lived and played here when I was young,” he said.

He also apologised for the party being perceived as not willing to help the Malay community, and condemned Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia for enforcing the wrong perception.

“This is not only a Malay problem as the papers make it out to be. The Chinese and Indians are involved too, because everyone is affected by the same (problem),” he added.

Kg Jalan Pokok Asam is one of many victims of Penang's development overdrive inherited from the BN which continue to dog Lim Guan Eng's administration, including the controversial Kg Buah Pala and the Tanjung Bungah issues.

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'Hunted' Air Force man goes into hiding

The Air Force sargeant who faces charges of being involved in the 2007 theft of two jet engines has gone into hiding amidst claims that his former colleagues are trying…

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The Air Force sargeant who faces charges of being involved in the 2007 theft of two jet engines has gone into hiding amidst claims that his former colleagues are trying to get a hold on him before his trial commences on Monday.

According to his lawyer N Surendran, several Air Force personnel - three men and one woman - turned up at the home of Tharmendran's parents in Seremban yesterday asking for Tharmendran (left) to “report to base”.

“The parents, however, said they do not know where their son is after he left their house recently to stay elsewhere,” Surendran told Malaysiakini.

Tharmendran is out on RM50,000 bail while facing charges of the theft - and abetment to theft - of two fighter jet engines from the Subang Air Force base in December 2007.

Given Tharmendran's allegations that he was tortured by military officials during his three-week detention to force him into confessing, Surendran said the Air Force must be “seriously disturbed and upset” about the revelations he made regarding the ordeal he had gone through.

“Why and what authority does the Air Force have to pick up a civilian?” asked the lawyer.

This is the second attempt, said Surendran (right), by certain parties to get him to return to the Air Force base in what the lawyer alleged was part of efforts “to influence what Tharmendran is going to say in court.”

On Wednesday, the lawyer had claimed that an Air Force official called Tharmendran on the phone demanding his return.

“But as Tharmendran told the Air Force official, his 21 years of service with the Air Force expired on May 28, 2010,” said Surendran.

“The Air Force itself has in effect recognised that his service with them has ended, as they did not pay his June and July wages,” Surendran added.

“I have written to the chief of Air Force, the Defence Ministry, and the chief of the Armed Forces, and emphasised that Tharmendran is now a civilian and that he shouldn't be disturbed by them.”

Their attempts to get a hold of Tharmendran is "tantamount to attempting to kidnap him", said Surendran further, as they have no legal authority over him since his tenure with them expired.

According to the lawyer, Tharmendran will appear in court to fight the charges.

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Ku Li: General election date depends on Sarawak polls results

KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — All eyes are on the upcoming Sarawak state elections as its outcome will determine when the next general elections will be held, according to Tengku…

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KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — All eyes are on the upcoming Sarawak state elections as its outcome will determine when the next general elections will be held, according to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

The veteran politician believes that a convincing Barisan Nasional (BN) victory in the Sarawak state elections, slated to be held before July 2011, will hasten the 13th general elections to within the first few months of 2012.

But if the Sarawak BN state government fails to retain its two-thirds majority, or loses, the general elections will only be held in late 2012.

“If Sarawak BN does well, the next general elections will be held early in 2012. But if the results are unfavourable to BN, whereby it fails to regain a confident two-thirds majority in the state assembly or loses the state, then I think elections will be held late 2012,” Tengku Razaleigh told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview.

The Kelantan prince popularly known as Ku Li said that retaining Sarawak is crucial for BN because it would be the tipping point for the federal coalition’s hold on federal power.

“It really depends on the outcome of Sarawak. If the results goes against Barisan, we are done for. If the win is not in favour of BN, like retaining control in Sarawak (with a simple majority) then this will affect Sabah,” said the Gua Musang MP.

It is understood that Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Taib Mahmud himself will be leading the charge come the state elections, despite repeated calls for the veteran politician to step down as head of the state government.

“Taib is going to stand again. He is going to lead Sarawak BN into the elections,” claimed the former Umno vice-president.

He said that the mood or sentiments on the ground was a signal that would determine the date of elections.

“You have to determine the date of elections based on the feelings of the people on the ground, or the economic climate of our country.

“Public reaction is the best yardstick, look at the results of the last few by-elections. Going by Hulu Selangor, BN was happy. They were shocked when the Sibu results came out,” said Tengku Razaleigh.

The former finance minister told The Malaysian Insider that DAP’s win in Sibu had forced BN to abandon their plans of having an early nationwide elections and Sarawak state elections simultaneously.

“I think they were planning to have the general elections simultaneously with Sarawak state elections if they had won Sibu. BN had indicated that having general elections together with Sarawak would be a better move.

“That was their game plan, when they lost Sibu, they decided not to proceed with the plan,” added Tengku Razaleigh.

DAP won the Sibu parliamentary seat recently in a surprise upset despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself going through extreme measures to ensure a BN victory.

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Hisham: Absence a sign of disrespect

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Tun Hussein today described as a sign of disrespect the absence of four assemblymen at yesterday's Setiu Umno division delegates meeting in Terengganu opened by…

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KUALA LUMPUR: Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Tun Hussein today described as a sign of disrespect the absence of four assemblymen at yesterday's Setiu Umno division delegates meeting in Terengganu opened by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. They should have attended the meeting even if there were internal problems, he told reporters after opening the Seputeh Umno division delegates meeting, here.

Muhyiddin had expressed disappointment over the absence of the assemblymen -- Ramlan Ali (Jabi), Abd Halim Jusoh (Permaisuri), Asha'ari Idris (Langkap) and Khazan Che Mat (Batu Rakit) -- at the meeting.

"This is not our way of doing things. We should respect the person opening the meeting, more so when it is (Umno deputy president) Muhyiddin Yassin. The division is more important than us," Hishammuddin said when asked to the comment on the absence of the assemblymen.

Hishammuddin, who is chairman of the Terengganu Umno liaison committee, said the four assemblymen would be advised accordingly.

"We will make them understand that the positions they hold came with the support of the people. Whatever their excuse, their absence has tarnished the image of Setiu Umno itself," he said.

-Bernama

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Storm brewing beneath the surface

By Zainal Epi - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: On the surface, Umno is all calm and stable. But beneath the seeming tranquillity, discontent is simmering – and sending the…

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By Zainal Epi - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: On the surface, Umno is all calm and stable. But beneath the seeming tranquillity, discontent is simmering – and sending the jitters down the backbone of the Barisan Nasional.
With the next general election looming, Umno top leaders are worried that internal bickering would take a heavy toll on the party and render it weak. This is politically fatal, especially when the opposition front is seen as growing in strength and confidence.

The wind of discord is already blowing hard across Umno divisions, with many chiefs bearing the brunt of the blows from dissatisfied members.

Division committee members, for one, are angry because their rice bowls are getting empty. This is understandable since they are mostly small-time contractors and businessmen. They feel that contracts are not coming their way anymore and they blame the top Umno leaders in the government for not giving them much help.

Then there are factions in the party which are still practising the old patronage system, whereby the division heads would favour a select few among the committee members and would recommend them to the government for contracts.

After securing the contracts, the members would pay the delegates to vote for and retain their patrons (division chiefs). This has been in practice since the mid-1960s.

Crying quietly

The “parachuting” of federal leaders to head state liaison committees to solve party problems is not much of a help either as the internal rivalries still continue to boil, away from the glare of the media.

Terengganu is the best example where the rivalry between former menteri besar Idris Jusoh and the current Menteri Besar Ahmad Said still persists despite claims by liaison chief Hishammuddin Hussein that everything is fine.

The feud is expected to erupt in the open when Idris’ supporters may not be picked as candidates to contest in the coming general election.

It is a normal practice in Umno that the menteri besar draws up the list of the recommended candidates. Hence, Ahmad may not want to take onboard Idris' men, thus worsening the rupture. Come polls day, Terengganu Umno may not be united at all.

In Kedah, several division heads are “crying quietly” because they claim that liaison chief Shafie Apdal is not doing much to help them tackle several pressing matters faced by the members.

They claimed that Shafie did not meet them often to listen to their woes and this does not augur well for Kedah Umno. If the frustration goes unchecked, there is genuine fear that Umno may not get back the PAS-ruled state.

Formidable challenge

Meanwhile in Selangor, Umno is in quite a bad shape mainly caused by the “intense rivalry” between supporters of former menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and deputy liaison chief Noh Omar.

However, some division leaders said the situation could be controlled since Najib Tun Razak is the state's liaison chief.

“With Najib as the chief, members are a little shy in expressing their resentment openly,” said a division chief.

But the fear is that they may show their anger at the ballot box.

Umno may yet face another formidable challenge in the form of Perkasa. The powerful right-wing Malay group is attracting a lot of attention – and support – from Umno members who feel their party is no longer championing the cause of the Malays.

Some Umno members who are also in the Perkasa camp hope the Malay NGO will register itself as a political party so that Umno dissidents can have a new platform to fight for their rights.

Said a party member: “Most of us will not vote for PAS or PKR but if Perkasa becomes a political party, we may just cast our votes there.”

“At least, Perkasa still champions the Malay cause, which Umno seems to be abandoning,” he added.

It is a grim scenario. Top Umno leaders must come up with answers – and fast – if they do not want to see their party cast adrift and eventually sink in a storm of their own making.

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Imam Behind Ground Zero Mosque Silent About Malaysian Government’s Pro-Jihad Statements

Evidence continues to mount showing that the developer of the proposed mega-mosque at Ground Zero, Abdul Faisal Rauf, is untrustworthy at best, and possibly downright dangerous. The project would be…

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Evidence continues to mount showing that the developer of the proposed mega-mosque at Ground Zero, Abdul Faisal Rauf, is untrustworthy at best, and possibly downright dangerous. The project would be called Cordoba House, named for a Spanish city conquered by the Moors which Muslims regard as a model for other communities.
Rauf’s political/religious vision is intimately connected with Malaysia, where he lived for ten years as a youngster and where he now owns a home and bases his policy-making organization, the Cordoba Initiative, which also has an office in Manhattan. Malaysian officials have come out with statements that are virulently anti-American and anti-Semitic, including explicit calls for jihad and suicide bombing. Rauf claims that he intends to build bridges between the West and Muslims, yet he has never made any public statement objecting to such incitement.
Previously unpublished English translations of sermons from Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development reveal potentially lethal levels of hostility towards the West that appear to have gone unnoticed. The Department of Islamic Development cannot be dismissed as some renegade fringe group. It is an official and intrinsic part of the Malaysian government, similar in function to the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States. On its website, the Department defines itself thusly:  “Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) is a Malaysian Government institution which has a vision to assist in the creation of a progressive and morally upright ummah based on Islamic principles in line with the Malaysian vision through an efficient and effective Islamic Affairs Management organisation.” JAKIM is an acronym for Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia.
Every Friday, the Muslim holy day, sermons (khutbahs) are given in mosques. During Israel’s Cast Lead operation in January 2009, when Israel entered Gaza to stop being bombarded with rockets, the khutbahs of Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development became warlike.
On January 9, 2009, the khutbah denounced Israel as “evil” and a call was made to use the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to channel financial assistance to the Palestinians. A boycott was demanded of all goods and services connected with both Israel and America. Countries that are part of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and all other Muslims were urged to stop using the American dollar as currency.
(Click here for the link to a translation of the January 9, 2009 khutbah.)
On January 16, 2009, military plans were further consolidated. There was a call to “strengthen strategic planning in the defense system of Islamic countries” and to stop allowing foreign military bases to be built in Islamic countries on the grounds that they are used for spying.
(Click here for the link to a translation of the January 16, 2009, khutbah.)
On January 2, 2009, we have the most alarming khutbah of the three given here. The unnamed imam proclaimed his support for Hamas and Hezbollah, demanded a boycott of any goods associated with all Jews (not just Israelis), and called for jihad and suicide bombing, or “bind(ing) the stomach” in the manner of the “fatwa [of] Sheikh Yusof Al-Qaradawi.
By using the word “fatwa,“ the imam gives moral authority to his call for jihad and suicide bombing. Sheikh Qaradawi is a Muslim Brotherhood ideologue based in Qatar who has made himself very popular throughout the Muslim world by constantly calling for “martyrdom operations” against Israelis. Qaradawi even expresses admiration for Adolf Hitler and hopes that Jews will be “punished” with another Holocaust. He has stated: “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption.The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them — even though they exaggerated this issue — he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.” (Translated by MEMRI).
What could be more hateful than to call for another Holocaust against Jews, assume that Jews deserved a Holocaust because they were guilty of something or other, and say that Jews “exaggerate” what was done to them, implying they are lying to manipulate public opinion? And what was “peacemaker” Rauf’s response? Nothing. He was silent.
Similarly, what was Rauf’s response to the khutbahs that called for a state of war against American interests?  Nothing.
It is very hard to conceive of Rauf not knowing about these pronouncements.  They were up on the JAKIM website, and as previously stated, JAKIM is an official department of the Malaysian government.
(Click here for the link to a translation of the January 2, 2009, khutbah.).
These khutbahs and others in the original Malay can be viewed here. [Acknowledgement is gratefully given to Kalvan Kam, a Malaysian native, who found these khutbahs and brought them to my attention.]
What does this mean for the United States? As a fairly stable constitutional monarchy, Malaysia appears to be considered a moderate Muslim country by the U.S. State Department, whose website claims that the two countries “share a diverse and expanding partnership” with “robust” economic ties. The United States is Malaysia’s largest trading partner and Malaysia is the sixteenth-largest trading partner of the U.S. The fact that Malaysia would even consider boycotting American goods, services, and currency shows that the level of rage is extraordinarily high and must be carefully monitored.
Our State Department’s website writes that it sees itself cooperating closely with Malaysia on security issues, including counterterrorism, of all things. The State Department claims that “the relationship between the U.S. and Malaysian militaries is strong with numerous exchanges, training, joint exercises, and visits.” In July 2006, a mutual legal assistance treaty was signed between the U.S. and Malaysia.
One has to wonder if our State Department is aware of rising levels of anti-American sentiment in Malaysia. Certainly Israel has had to wake up to that with the May 21, 2009, flotilla of thugs posing as humanitarians who tried to force their way into Gaza. The largest backer of that convoy was a Malaysian NGO called the Perdana Global Peace Organization (aka Perdana4Peace), an organization that purports to call for an end to all wars.
In a country where the government runs the Department of Religion, and has state-run television and radio stations (RTM TV1), it is hard to conceive of a true NGO — meaning a non-governmental organization. The Perdana Leadership Foundation is a state-run organization founded by a former prime minister. It was started in 2003, presumably when Mahathir left office. The name Perdana is taken from Mahathir’s official residence, Sri Perdana, where he lived from August 1983 to October 1999. The residence was later turned into a museum, also bearing his brand, Galeria Sri Perdana. Mahathir has been the honorary president of the Perdana Leadership Foundation since the organization’s inception.
Mahathir’s presence in Malaysia is inescapable, and with his larger-than-life personality, he made himself a notable figure on the world stage. In 2005, he founded the Perdana Global Peace Organization, dedicated to “criminalizing” war. Mahathir is the first signatory, followed immediately by Imam Abdul Faisal Rauf.

Mahathir Mohamad is posing as a peace maker?  He condemned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948. In a speech before a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1997, Mahathir called the declaration an oppressive instrument imposed on Asians by the United States in order to change their “values.” Mahathir has made repeated sharp criticisms of the United States and has distinguished himself in the Muslim world as an anti-Semite. Some of his more notable remarks are:  “Jews rule the world by proxy and get others to fight and die for them. … Jews are not happy to see Muslims progress.  If it were Palestine, the Jews would rob Palestinians. Thus this is what they are doing to our country. … The expulsion of Jews from the Holy Land 2,000 years ago and the Nazi oppression of Jews have taught them nothing. If anything at all, it has transformed the Jews into the very monsters that they condemn so roundly in their propaganda material. They have been apt pupils of the late Dr. Goebbels.”
Ironically, the Perdana Global Peace Organization was the largest sponsor of the convoy of activists trying to breach Israel’s marine safety in May 2010, donating $366,000 to the Free Gaza Movement. And, as mentioned earlier, Rauf’s name is the second down from the top, directly preceding Mahathir’s signature.
During Mahathir’s twenty-two years as prime minister of Malaysia, from 1981 to 2003, and frequently thereafter, he has been outspoken in his anti-West and anti-Jewish views.  Rauf — as a peace maker — has had plenty of occasion to disagree with Mahathir, or at least to distance himself from Mahathir. This has not happened. Instead, when Mahathir went from talking to acting, putting into motion the convoy threatening Israel, Rauf apparently followed him.
Rauf has had a long and involved connection with Malaysia for decades. As a professed peace maker, a builder of bridges between Muslims and the West, Rauf has had countless opportunities to speak out against Malaysia’s belligerence towards the West, or at least, to be on the record as distancing himself from those attitudes and policies.
Rauf has not done so. One can only wonder, with alarm, about his true beliefs and what his hidden agenda for the planned Cordoba House mosque and community center at Ground Zero might be.
Madeline Brooks is a New York City resident and counter-jihad activist and writer.

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Kids on the streets: Where are their parents?

The New Straits Times
by Badrolhisham Bidin and G. Shanti

Several hundred teenagers are living in abandoned buildings in Kuala Lumpur. They roam the streets, robbing and prostituting themselves to…

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The New Straits Times
by Badrolhisham Bidin and G. Shanti

Several hundred teenagers are living in abandoned buildings in Kuala Lumpur. They roam the streets, robbing and prostituting themselves to survive. One couple even made a sex tape for sale. Shockingly, the parents of some of these kids know what they are doing.

THEY are unwanted, neglected and shunned by their parents and society.

These teenagers, aged between 14 and 18 and numbering several hundred, live on the streets, exposing themselves to the underground activities thriving in the hidden parts of this city.

Many of them get addicted to drugs, mainly "ice", and "survive" by robbing illegal immigrants and prostituting themselves, the boys included.

The New Sunday Times team, who staked out several areas over a few days, found the youngsters sleeping in abandoned buildings in several parts of the city.

"When we are sleepy, we don't care about the surroundings," said one of them.

Most of the time, they can be found wandering around in specific parts of the city centre.

Some become jaga kereta boys, and would not hesitate to scratch cars if their owners refuse to pay them a ringgit or two.

The bolder ones peddle drugs, earning enough to buy them lunch or dinner, sometimes at fast food outlets.

At least one teenage couple had their sexual act recorded and sold in DVD format. They did it willingly, to survive.

The sight of the authorities would send them scurrying to their hideouts.

They would use the toilets in cybercafes and fast food outlets to clean themselves. The adults among the homeless would keep an eye on these kids.

A Scottish woman chanced upon them while searching for a dining outlet with her husband.

Jill McWilliams, who has two children of her own, took pity on them and over two years has discovered hundreds of them.

Some of them were relocated to several safehouses but the numbers keep increasing, some apparently dropped off by the roadside by parents who cannot cope with them.

"The authorities are not helping. Instead, they asked why am I doing all this," she said.

The girls are drawn into prostitution when they cannot survive in the concrete jungle.

One of them is pregnant with her third child and she is only 17. Her boyfriend has been in and out of prison but would look for her whenever he is released. Her mother, a clinic assistant, knows what she is doing in the city. The girl is now staying in a budget hotel, courtesy of the McWilliams.

Another girl, who was an international school student, ended up on the street after being physically abused by her drug addict father.

The 17-year-old is being taken care of by her boyfriend, who also acts as her pimp.

She admits that she has never gone for a medical check-up and, therefore, does not know whether she has sexually-transmitted diseases. She would charge her customers, mostly foreigners, between RM150 and RM300 per session.

The couple is currently staying in one of the abandoned buildings in the heart of the city. Checks at these abandoned buildings revealed several cans of glue lying around. This is a tell-tale sign that the building is "occupied".

These kids don't normally hang out together in a big group as this would attract the attention of the authorities. Instead they scatter and blend into the crowd. Despite their condition, they are well clothed, courtesy of donors.

"Sometimes, new clothes would result in fights and many times, mine were stolen but life goes on. If my shirt is stolen, I would steal someone else's," said a 15-year-old boy.

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Terrorist recruiting students held under ISA

The Star
by LOURDES CHARLES

KUALA LUMPUR: One of the country’s most wanted terror suspects who is allegedly involved in recruiting university students for Jemaah Islamiah (JI) has been detained…

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The Star
by LOURDES CHARLES

KUALA LUMPUR: One of the country’s most wanted terror suspects who is allegedly involved in recruiting university students for Jemaah Islamiah (JI) has been detained under the Internal Security Act.

Mohamad Fadzullah Abbul Razak, who graduated from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Skudai, Johor, in 2005, was arrested by police officers from the Special Task Force (Operations and Counter Terrorism) Department on Thursday.

It is learnt that the 28-year-old engineer, whom the task force had been hunting since 2007, had just returned from Thailand when he was arrested by the officers at a house in Keramat here.

Sources said the man had allegedly been recruiting undergraduates from UTM as well as other institutions of higher learning into JI and had even sent several of them to participate in “holy wars.”

According to them, intelligence reports showed one of his recruits was a 17-year-old student.

The Task Force’s director, Commissioner Datuk Mohamed Fuzi Harun, confirmed the arrest but declined to elaborate.

Last January, his department arrested 10 students for alleged involvement in terrorism activities.

Investigations revealed that certain people had infiltrated institutions of higher learning and universities to recruit students to participate in “holy wars” in the region.

The students, most of them foreigners, have since been deported as investigations showed they were planning to blow up some non-Muslim places of worship in Selangor and in Penang.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan had said then police would continue to monitor the activities of certain individuals suspected of being involved in such activities.

He had also instructed his officers to meet with universities and institutions of higher learning to brief them on the latest incident where undergraduates had been targeted by certain terror groups.

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Khir Toyo’s ‘mahligai’: Status of MACC probe

The MACC probe of Khir Toyo is ongoing.
“The MACC has to carry out a thorough, detailed and comprehensive investigation into any corruption investigation to obtain adequate proof and explanation…

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The MACC probe of Khir Toyo is ongoing.
“The MACC has to carry out a thorough, detailed and comprehensive investigation into any corruption investigation to obtain adequate proof and explanation even though it might take a long time to complete,” said Nazri in response to a query from Nga Kor Ming.
Nazri added that the investigation paper would be put forward to the DPP once investigations were complete.
“The MACC hopes that YB Taiping will be patient and wait for the outcome of the ongoing investigation,” Nazri said.
Taiping MP Nga had raised an oral question in Parliament on 10 June asking what action had been taken in response to a report with the MACC on the former Selangor MB including the construction of his ‘mahligai‘ (palatial residence) in Shah Alam. He had also inquired into the current status of the probe.

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