Muslim billboard campaign that declares Jesus a 'prophet of Islam' causes outrage

 By Daily Mail Reporter,

A provocative billboard advertising campaign launched by an Australian Muslim group claiming that Jesus was a prophet of Islam has outraged Christians in Sydney.

The group, Mypeace, says its aim is to inform, not to offend, with Islamic awareness campaign, featuring four different slogans.

But one Catholic bishop said the assertions - made on roadside hoardings - are 'a direct assault on Christian beliefs'.

Outrage: One of many Muslim-erected billboards that have infuriated Christians

Outraged: Julian Porteous, Auxiliary bishop at the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney called the billboards an attack on Christianity

The slogans read 'Jesus: A Prophet of Islam'; 'Holy Qur’an: The Final Testament'; 'Muhammad: Mercy to Mankind'; and 'Islam: Got Questions? Get Answers'.

The posters invite people to get in touch by phone or online to obtain literature and a free copy of the Koran.

Mypeace says they will stay up for four weeks and will later be placed on the city's buses, Australian website cnsnews.com says.

A day after it appeared one of the billboards featuring the Jesus slogan was vandalised, according to the website.

Mypeace said its aim was to 'address the many misconceptions on Islam, to educate fellow Australians on Islam, invite them to ask any questions that they may have'.

Jesus is sometimes invoked to assert some sort of commonality between Muslims and Christians, implying that Muslims, too, 'believe in Jesus'.

But Muslims, and the Koran, deny the central Christian beliefs of Jesus' divinity, crucifixion and resurrection.

Elsewhere on its website, Mypeace states that 'the Qur’an repeatedly reminds that Jesus was a human prophet sent by God, not part of God Himself'.

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Julian Porteous, auxiliary bishop at the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, told the website: 'In Australia with its Christian heritage a billboard carrying the statement ‘Jesus A prophet of Islam’ is provocative and offensive to Christians.'

Slogans: The group says the billboards will remain in place for four weeks

Provocative: On its website, Mypeace states that 'the Qur'an repeatedly reminds that Jesus was a human prophet sent by God, not part of God Himself'

'Central to Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ is more than a prophet,” he said.

'He is the Son of God. He is acclaimed Lord and Savior of humanity. This statement is a direct assault on Christian beliefs.'

Urging Mypeace to take down the posters, Bishop Porteous said that religions should avoid offending people of different faiths.

PKR Selangor “play acting”, demolishes disabled Indian poor and partially blind wife’s home. Kampong Muniandy “ethnically cleansed”.

Despite Human Rights Party ’s (HRP) SOS letter to PKR Menteri Besar Tan sri Khalid Ibrahim way back in March 2011 at Parliament House, today the Selangor PKR Government allowed the UMNO linked developers actually demolish even a disabled Indian poor old man Mahalinggam Veeriah’s and his partially blind jobless wife Pushparani Balakrishnan home.

Just observe the similar fact evidence between this case and how the DAP Penang in collaboration with UMNO Neusmetro “ethnically cleansed” Kampong Buah Pala, the last traditional Indian village in Penang.

Last week the racist PKR Selangor Menteri Besar like racist Lim Guan Eng play acted that a stop work order had been issued against Peter Brickworks but on a day to day basis the building works are going on under the PKR Menteri Besar’s watchful eyes.

Then his racist DAP Exco Ronnie Liu, Exco Iskandar and PKR MP Hee Loy Sian and ADUN Hanizah all kosong “turun padang”. (Note DAP Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng similarly promised to get a High Court Order to stop the transfer of the Kampong Buah Pala land to UMNO’s Neusmetro based on the trust the Brown family gave the Indian poor of Kampong Buah Pala.

And in today’s Malaysiakini.com (4/6/2011) this very same PKR Selangor M.B. says that the Selangor Government would kosong seize Peter Brickwork’s land.

And after the dust settles down, PKR would get their coffers and pockets filled like how Lim Guan Eng got the new DAP head quarters on the Kampong Buah Pala “blood money” and “tears money” in addition to his pocket filled.

Win win win for PKR, DAP and the UMNO developers yet again.
And lose lose lose for the Indian poor who are politically and economically weak, vulnerable and the soft targets.

Karunainithi @ Compassionate Justice
(Malysiakini.com 4/6/2011 & Malaysia Nanban 4/6/2011 front page)

PAS Johor cadang bukan Islam calon pilihan raya

Langkah itu selaras dengan hasrat pimpinan parti yang sebelum ini menyuarakan keinginan untuk memberi ruang kepada DHPP meningkatkan peranan dalam PAS.

Laporan Muktamar Tahunan PAS ke 57
GOMBAK: Perwakilan daripada Johor hari ini mencadangkan agar PAS meletakkan calon dari kalangan bukan Islam pada pilihan raya umum ke-13 akan datang.

Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil berkata langkah itu selaras dengan hasrat pimpinan parti yang sebelum ini menyuarakan keinginan untuk memberi ruang kepada Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (DHPP) meningkatkan peranan dalam PAS.

“”Setidak-tidaknya di setiap negari akan ada seorang anggota DHPP bertanding kerusi Parlimen atau Dewan Undangan Negeri,” katanya ketika membahaskan ucapan dasar presiden dalam Muktamar Tahunan PAS ke-57 di Dewan Kolej Universiti Islam Zulkifli Mohamad, Taman Melewar di sini.

Menurut Khairul Faizi kehadiran DHPP dalam PAS kurang mendapat perhatian, hanya segelintir pemimpin yang serius mengenai Dewan tersebut.

Khairul Faizi menyifatkan DHPP sebagai ‘anak tiri’ sejak ditubuhkan pada 23 Mei 2010 lalu.
Beliau turut mencadangkan agar peruntukan khas disediakan bagi meningkatkan peranan Dewan itu dalam PAS.

“DHPP tidak begitu diberikan perhatian dalam PAS. DHPP seolah-olah bergerak sendirian dalam PAS. Pengerusi DHPP sepatutnya diberi peluang untuk hadir dalam mesyuarat PAS Pusat dan peringkat-peringkat lain seperti yang dimeterai dalam Aturan dan Peraturan DHPP.

“Malah peruntukan khas perlu untuk mereka mempunyai pejabat dan kakitangan sepenuh masa bagi memastikan tugas pentadbiran khususnya untuk menyiapkan proses keahlian seramai 20,000 ahli DHPP dapat diselesaikan dengan segera,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Khairul turut berharap agar Lajnah Penerangan terus diperkasa bagi memberi maklumat yang telus kepada rakyat.

Maka cadangan agar peruntukan dana sebanyak RM1 juta kepada lajnah untuk menyediakan bahan cetakan termasuklah VCD  kepada rakyat secara berperingkat-peringkat.

“Tingkatkan status Lajnah Penerangan kepada taraf jabatan seperti Jabatan Pilihan Raya. Malah wujudkan kumpulan penyelidik sejurus selepas muktamar ini untuk mendapatkan maklumat sebenar kecenderongan pengundi Melayu di seluruh negara.

“Ini bagi mempertingkatkan media sedia ada dengan menyalurkan maklumat dengan konsisten,” katanya.

Signs of panic

How do you detect signs of panic? It’s simple, really. As an example read PERKASA’s and UMNO’s kneejerk response to the Islamic Party of Malaysia’s party elections on Friday. These are what you can call signs of panic. And guess why they are panicking? If I have to tell you then you don’t deserve to live.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Ibrahim Ali calls new PAS leadership ‘Anwar’s voice’

(The Malaysian Insider) - Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali mocked the new PAS leadership as merely Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s voice, saying today the internal elections have not changed the Islamist party’s outlook.

Ibrahim said Anwar’s influence will still remain in the party if PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang continue to be at the helm.

“Anwar’s voice in PAS is determined by Datuk Nik Aziz and Hadi who has become a stooge… the others are not relevant… True, there are the Erdogans, ulamas and others but all do not have any influence except for Datuk Nik Aziz and Hadi the stooge,” he said in a statement.

******************************

Perkasa secretary-general says Mat Sabu has no academic qualifications

(The Malaysian Insider) - Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali criticised Mohamad Sabu’s credibility, saying the newly-elected deputy was not fit for the office.

“Mat Sabu only studied in ITM and did not even finish, he is not even a religious studies graduate from the Middle East. It is an embarrassment to the ulama faction in PAS because Mat Sabu has no academic qualifications while the Erdogans are disappointed because Mat Sabu does not support Anwar,” said Syed Hassan through a text message.

He added that Mat Sabu had once called the opposition leader as Anwar al-Juburi or Anwar the anus, referring to the latter’s sodomy trials.

Syed Hassan believed the new leadership will make it hard for Umno to have unity talks with PAS.

********************************

DAP, PKR have influenced PAS to change principles: Mukhriz

(Bernama) - DAP and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) have succeeded in influencing PAS to the extent that the party's objective of setting up an Islamic state, which was the party's struggles all this time, has been changed to a welfare state.

Deputy chairman of the Kedah Umno Liaison Body Datuk Mukhriz Tun Dr Mahathir said PAS was also seen as lacking a fixed stand when it changed the principle of struggling for an Islamic state to a welfare state because it wanted to realise the aspirations of the DAP and PKR in championing the cause of the multi-racial society in Malaysia.

"Congratulations to the DAP and PKR for succeeding to influence PAS to the extent that only those aligned to them (no ulama) were elected as PAS vice-presidents and even the deputy president.”

"The influence of the DAP and PKR in PAS is very substantial. This does not reflect that PAS is free from the influence of those who are actually against Islam," he told reporters.

Altantuya : More Then a Smoking Gun….

By MCKK64

Go stop any Malaysian on the streets – it does not matter if he is Dollah wearing a sarong and a songkok quietly having a smoke at Block A of the PKNS flats in Kampong Baru: Or if he/she is a concerned citizen having a noisy discussions over teh tarik and roti chanai with their friends at Mahbub in Lucky Gardens in Bangsar: Or you could be one of the fortunate BN political elites having High Tea at Biba’s Café at the Mandarin Oriental just after a meeting at Petronas: who ever you are in Malaysia : one thing and one thing only had been able to hold our rapt, undivided  and unwavering attention since October 2006.

THE MURDER OF SHAARIIBUUGLIN ALTANTUYAA

????????????? ?????????

Yes we know already who shot her twice in her head and then blew up her body with C4 explosives! We too know that Razak Baginda is now comfortably exiled in London. To all intents and purposes the AG seems satisfied that justice has been done! The Malaysia government is done with it!

So how come the murder of Altantuya is still taking space in our consciousness? What are the questions we still want answered? How could a murder of a foreigner that took place almost five years ago is still reverberating around Malaysia and threatens to deliver to UMNO what even DSAI and Pakatan Rakyat seems unable to do?

From her grave, Altantuya threatens to deliver the coup de grace to Najib Tun Razakaspirations of continuing as Prime Minister of Malaysia and with it the political demise of UMNO! How is this possible?

“Its name is Public Opinion.

It is held in reverence.

It settles everything.

Some think it is the voice of God”

Mark Twain

Notwithstanding what that the Malaysian High Courts have already delivered its decisions by sentencing the two UTK personals to death, the Malaysian public opinion begs to differ.

Lord Hewart from Rex v Sussex Justices; Ex parte McCarthy:

“… it is not merely of some importance but is of fundamental importance, that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.”

And the verdict of the Malaysian High Court does not take this into consideration.

And now the dye is cast for Najib Tun Razak.

Not Sodomy Two, not the Carcosa Tapes, not the threaten deregistration of Pakatan Rakyat, not the antics of this maniacal idiot call Ibrahim son of Ali….nothing will distract the Malaysian Public from taking their focus off that unanswered question they all want to know about the Altantuya murder.

What is Najib Razak’s involvement

with Altantuya?

By seizing the Prime Minister post from Pak Lah before it was time for him to do so Najib has bought himself some time. He managed to extricate himself from being drag into court during Altantuya’s murder trial. The office of the Prime Minister in Malaysia has now been corrupted by Najib to be a refuge for him from fair and natural justice! So far so good for Najib!

But what of Muhyiddin’s political ambitions? What of Mahathir’s naked nepotism to have his son as Prime Minister too? Will Hishamuddin side with Najib his first cousin or will the political realities within Johore force him to take sides? The plot thickens!

In all this all that Najib can do is wait for the axe to fall! No warlord within UMNO can weather the storm that the murder of Altantuya will unleash against Najib if ever UMNO takes the cloak of invincibility away from Najib. The question is not if they will take it away…it is when!

You can see the ebb and flow of UMNO stalwarts as the physically move from faction to faction, from one Ketua to another  – all the while forming and dissolving alliances/loyalties determined by one constant only: what can you give me for my loyalty? Ada projek? NAjib knows this and Najibs sahabats are powerless to do much. They themselves have grown fat over these Najib years and know that their time is almost over. Better to concentrate on accumulating more wealth then to concern themselves with shoring up the crumbling defenses of Najib – nothing could stem the tide that was now sweeping towards them like a tsunami of biblical proportions.

If you ask me when the 13^th general election will be:

I will say this:

When Muhyiddin decides it is time!

For our friends that are with Pakatan Rakyat, I have this to say.

BN kita Lawan. PR kita Kawan.

Mengalu-alukan kenyataan Presiden PAS tentang Negara Islam

By Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin


4 JUN — Selamat bermuktamar kepada PAS dan tahniah kepada yang diberikan amanah. PAS adalah tonggak politik negara. PAS adalah nafas umat Islam dalam berpolitik di negara ini.

Saya mengalu-alukan kenyataan YB Presiden PAS DS Abdul Hadi Awang semalam yang menyebut: “Apa yang penting adalah pelaksanaan. Kalau letak jenama saja tak laksana tak ada faedah. Kita mulakan dengan pelaksanaan negara berkebajikan, itu ada dalam Al-Quran, Dia tak sebut negara Islam, Dia sebut negara berkebajikan”.


Bagi saya ini adalah satu kemajuan yang memberangsangkan dalam PAS. Dalam masa yang sama bererti PAS terus bersama dengan gerakan Islam lain di dunia ini yang mula keluar dari rethoric negara Islam kepada realiti kenegaraan yang sebenar yang diperlukan oleh manusia.

Ya, tiada dalam Islam istilah negara Islam atau daulah Islamiyyah atau islamic state seperti yang disangka oleh sesetengah pihak. Ia satu istilah yang muncul ketika kebangkitan umat Islam menghalau penjajah (decolonization). Sebelum itu, kitab-kitab fekah Islam hanya menyebut Darul Islam atau wilayah Islam yang merujuk kepada wilayah yang dikuasai oleh umat Islam ketika itu.

Apabila perkataan ‘daulah Islamiyyah’ atau Islamic state muncul, kemudian diikuti dengan kebangkitan Revolusi Syiah di Iran, maka perkataan daulah islamiyyah atau Islamic state ini mula dipopular oleh para pejuang politik islami di seluruh dunia. Disebabkan istilah ini juga mereka berbalah bahkan menuduh pihak lain kurang islam disebabkan tidak bersama dalam perjuangan menegakkan daulah islamiyyah atau negara Islam itu. Walaupun kadang-kala pertentangan ada asasnya, namun sebahagiannya hanya disebabkan perbezaan istilah yang dipakai.

Cuma, sekian lama ramai gerakan Islam yang memperjuangkan istilah ini, mereka masih gagal menetapkan satu takrifan yang jelas dan realistik.

Gambaran yang terlalu ideal tentang kenegaraan menjadikan ‘negara Islam’ itu bagaikan satu khayalan yang tidak berpijak di bumi nyata.

Kita boleh lihat khayalan Hizbul Tahrir yang cuba berkembang di negara kita pada hari ini. Ia bolehlah dikatakan utopia state yang hanya wujud diminda, tidak mungkin pada realitinya.

Alhamdulillah, apabila gerakan Islam — sebahagian mereka- benar-benar terlibat sendiri secara langsung dengan politik kenegaraan, maka mereka mula sedar tentang realiti sebenar sesebuah pemerintahan.
Kembali mereka merujuk kepada al-Quran dan hadis, juga amalan para khalifah Islam yang mendapat petunjuk (al-Khulafa al-Rasyidin), maka mereka akhir jelas mengapa perkataan ‘negara islam’ atau daulah islamiyyah itu tidak wujud atau tidak disebut.

Politik kenegaraan dan seninya sentiasa berubah mengikut keperluan suasana. Namun, prinsipnya kekal. Ini kerana Islam satu agama realistik. Perjuangan politik dalam Islam, bukanlah perjuangan menegakkan jenama negara, tetapi menegak tanggungjawab dan prinsip-prinsip keadilan yang dikehendaki oleh Allah dan rasulNya.

Bukan penting pada jenama, tetapi pada isinya. Islam agama yang menjamin keadilan, keamanan, memelihara rakyat dari munkar dan menegakkan kebaikan, menyebarkan kebajikan dan seterusnya. Itulah negara yang dikehendaki oleh Islam.

Soal mekanisme hukum –sama ada hudud atau tidak- dibincangkan setelah ditegakkan prinsip dan tanggungjawab utama, diwujudkan suasana yang condusive yang memungkin keadilan dan keindahan hukum itu berfungsi.

Bukan masanya lagi. Tangguhkan dahulu isu-isu makanisme, tumpukan kepada tanggungjawab dan prinsip utama kenegaraan.

Sekian lama istilah negara Islam memisahkan PAS atau menyukarkan parti itu bergerak lebih kehadapan, namun hari ini- dengan kenyataan YB Presiden akan memberikan nafas baru yang lebih luas dan fleksibel kepada PAS.

Cumanya, saya sedang meneliti apakah maksud ‘negara kebajikan’ yang hendak diwujudkan. Saya percaya Presiden PAS ada kerangka yang jelas.

Ahli-ahli hendaklah difahamkan terlebih dahulu sebelum membicarakannya secara meluas. Ini kerana welfare state mempunyai pelbagai gambaran.

Secara umum, dunia memahami welfare state adalah negara-negara yang memakai nordic model seperti Norway, Denmark, Sweden dan lain-lain.

Mungkin PAS ada model yang tersendiri. Apapun saya merasakan PAS akan dapat melangkah dengan lebih jauh dengan kenyataan tersebut.

* Prof Madya Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin adalah pensyarah di Universiti Sains Malaysia dan bekas Mufti Perlis.

June 10 ruling on whether to accept police report

The New Straits Times

SHAH ALAM: The Sessions Court will decide on June 10 whether a police report lodged by Corporal Jenain Subi, who is charged with causing the death of teenager Aminulrasyid Amzah, is admissible as evidence.

Jenain's lawyer, M. Athimulan, made further submissions yesterday why the police report should not be submitted by the prosecution at this stage of the trial.

The trial of Jenain, 49, came to a halt in April when the prosecution attempted to tender the police report made by Jenain when they were cross-examining him.

Jenain is charged with causing Aminulra-syid's death at Jalan Tarian 11/2, Section 2 here between 1.10am and 2am on April 26 last year.

Yesterday, Jenain's wife, Siti Noraniza Tamrin, 37, submitted to the court a two-day medical certificate for Jenain, who was unable to attend proceedings due to a gout attack.

The court then fixed June 10, 17, 24 and July 15 for continuation of the trial.

Judge Latifah Mohd Tahar presided, while the prosecution team was led by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar.

KL 'wants veto power' on refugees

The New Straits Times
by Santha Oorjitham

PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry hopes the bilateral refugee deal will be signed this month, says its deputy secretary-general (Registration and Immigration) Datuk Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap.

His colleagues and their Australian counterparts are negotiating the final details in the memorandum of understanding.

Last night, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Lateline claimed to have obtained a draft containing Malaysia's proposed amendments.

It stated that Malaysia wanted "veto power" over the 800 boat people who would be transferred to the country, claimed the ABC reporter.

A refugee advocate also commented that unaccompanied child asylum seekers "risk being sent to the brutality of Malaysian detention camps".

The ABC quoted United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regional representative Richard Towle as calling for the deal to be "judged on its final terms, not according to one piece of a part of a negotiation that has been going on for some months".

Towle said there were some "bottom-line core principles" the UNHCR expected to see and "there have been some pretty positive indications that they'll be in the agreement".

So, what could be in store for the 800?

"Australia will do basic testing before anyone is transferred," its Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, told the New Straits Times in reply to emailed questions.

Australia would determine "whether they are medically fit to travel and are not a threat to national security, and then send them to us", said Raja Azahar.

"If they are on criminal or terrorist blacklists, we don't want them."

He added that upon arrival, the asylum seekers would stay in a transit centre.

"For the first few weeks, we will screen them thoroughly by checking on medical and security aspects."

Australia was looking into both existing facilities that they could upgrade, or rent or build a new centre at their cost, said the deputy secretary-general.

After that, they would be released but he noted "we want to track them while they are here".

Like all foreigners entering the country this month, they would undergo biometric fingerprint scanning and their contact information (address, phone number, etc.) would be recorded.

"Asylum-seeker assessments will be undertaken in Malaysia with support from Australia and the UNHCR," said Bowen.

It takes UNHCR between one and two years to process claims, depending whether the asylum seeker appeals a decision.

If the UNHCR categorised them as refugees, the Malaysian authorities would register them and they would wait for resettlement in a third country.

Most of the refugees here were resettled in the United States.

But if they were not classified as refugees and not in danger of persecution in their home country, they would be sent back "with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) assisting in finance and logistics", said Raja Azahar.

He estimated that most of the processing would be handled by UNHCR and IOM, which was "about 80 per cent of the responsibility but the Immigration Department, health and airport officials would also be involved because they landed here".

The Home Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the National Security Council and the Attorney-General's Chambers will be the main stakeholders in the refugee swap deal.