16-year-old Muslim girl kills herself by taking rat poison after she was forced to marry her rapist

Last year Amina Filali, 16, killed herself after being forced to marry the man who had raped her. Here her sister, Hamida, protests outside the local courthouse that approved the marriage deal.

Sharia in action in moderate Morocco. We ran ads (above) highlighting this monstrous practice of forcing rape victims to marry their rapists, and we were widely condemned. We were denounced, not this heinous practice. America's death spiral under the jackboot of the left.

Girl kills herself after being forced to marry her rapist By Alalam, November 23, 2013

A Moroccan has killed herself last month after she was forced to marry the man who raped her by her family.

In March 2012, 16-year-old Filali committed suicide in the northern town of Larache by taking rat poison after she was forced to marry her rapist.
Her death provoked several demonstrations and the Twitter hashtag #RIPAmina to demand the repeal of Article 475.

According to Article 475, a rapist can avoid a prison sentence by marrying his victim. The law is based on a similar measure in France.
The girl's family has refused to grant interviews to the press.

The Qatari Al Jazeera news network quoted Abdel Ali El-Allawi, director of the local chapter of the international NGO the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) as saying that the girl was raped by another minor.

"He was put in prison," said Allawi. "The family of the rapist entered negotiations with the family of the victim. They proposed the two get married”.

"These are things that are common here in Morocco. When a man rapes a woman or girl, the justice authorities say, you have a choice — you can marry the girl or go to prison."

In Moroccan society, a woman who loses her virginity — even by rape — is considered unmarriageable, explained AMDH president Khadija Riyadi.
"There's a mentality that says that a girl that's no longer a virgin is worthless," she said.

For families who cannot afford to financially support an unmarriageable daughter, arranging for her to marry her assailant may feel like the only solution, Riyadi added. 

"The girl is a victim of tradition and society — but also the law," said Allawi.

Both Riyadi and Allawi thought Article 475 had already been modified to bar rapists from escaping prison terms, but according to Al Jazeera Morocco's justice minister said the legislation is still waiting to be passed by lawmakers.

"Until now, it's still just a law project that's being considered by parliament but hasn't been rectified. We have not yet formally edited the article," Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid was quoted.

Anwar criticises Khalid again, says Selangor MB is slow in taking action that benefits people

 

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has chatised Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim 

again for being tardy. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, November 24, 2013.

 Once again Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has been publicly criticised by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over his tardiness in taking action and implementing measures for the benefit of the people.

"Pakatan Rakyat's achievements are not measured in terms of whether there is a surplus or deficit in the budget but how we prioritise the needs of the public," Anwar said.

"Khalid is one of the most loyal and attentive friend and colleague compared to other PKR leaders. However, there are times when he is among the slowest leaders to take action," he said.

"I admonish a leader for a reason, I point out mistakes and errors so that he will tighten the loose screws," Anwar said during the closing ceremony of the special PKR national congress in Shah Alam.

"Khalid is very attentive to other people's ideas and opinions, especially from his fellow PKR colleagues. Unfortunately, he does not put what has been said into practice," Anwar, who is the party's supreme leader, admonished Khalid who looked on unperturbed.

Last month at a forum in Petaling Jaya, Anwar had criticised Khalid over the latter's failure to use Selangor’s surplus funds to help the needy, resulting in some party members labelling him as "stingy".

Prior to the opposition leader’s closing remarks, the 800-strong crowd comprising PKR delegates and observers unanimously approved several amendments to the party's constitution.

The amendments to PKR's constitution will be sent to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) next week to be rubber-stamped.

Anwar had the attention of the 800-strong crowd at the Dewan Raja Muda Musa in Section 7, Shah Alam as he described the challenges facing PKR, DAP and PAS.

"We are facing a mighty political opponent who has billions of ringgit in their treasury. They will spend millions of ringgit to ensure that they remain in power," Anwar said.

He said Pakatan Rakyat had to intensify their efforts to woo support from the rural voters, who remember Barisan Nasional whenever they receive gifts and handouts.

"We are talking about a very strong political party who has money to burn and a mighty election machinery ready to steamroll any opposition," he said.

"But one of our advantages is that we have a lot of young, talented politicians who can reach out to the masses," he said.

Anwar said Barisan Nasional had spent millions trying to defeat the party's two young politicians, his daughter and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah and Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, but failed.

"We must not give up, yes, the road ahead of us is long, hard and winding but we can surpass these obstacles and reach the summit," he said.

One of the weaknesses which Anwar noted in the new generation of young politicians was a lack of humility. He said the young politicians were talented, savvy and sometimes overconfident.

"But this is a weakness which can be rectified as the older leaders can guide the next generation and set them on the right path," he said. - November 24, 2013.

Buck up or left stranded, warns Ku Li

The Amanah president once again says the nation needs a new economic plan, failing which the nation will be overtaken by its neighbours.

PETALING JAYA: Former finance minister and Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has once again stressed that the nation was in need of a new economic plan to ensure economic growth and equitable development.

Speaking at The Perak Academy in Ipoh on Saturday night, Tengku Razaleigh said the new economy plan must be one that guaranteed a stake for all segments of the Malaysian society.

“I would like to propose that we establish a stakeholder economy for Malaysia over the next decade; an economic system that will ensure an equitable sharing of the benefits of development for all stakeholders and for future generations, under the protection of the Federal Constitution,” said the Kelantan prince.

He had first mooted the idea of introducing a new economy plan while launching the Economic Roundtable sponsored by the Mahkota Foundation on Sept 26 where he had proposed a new plan, calling it the Amanah Plan.

Tengku Razaleigh, who is the president of Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah), last night once again revisited the proposals he had laid down under the Amanah Plan.

While detailing out the weaknesses in the Budget 2014 which was unveiled by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Najib Tun Razak on Oct 25, Tengku Razaleigh said the challenge going forward was the ability for the economy to create quality and high-paying jobs.

He said this must particularly catered for the new entrants into the labour force who are gaining higher post-secondary and tertiary qualifications; not the low paying jobs that are now being filled by foreign workers in the plantations, construction and assembly-based manufacturing.

He added that if the nation was to move to a higher level of development to achieve developed status, a different structure of value-added growth and greater productivity was required.

“Shifting to a service-oriented economy may be part of the answer to this economic restructuring, but we cannot abandon higher-valued manufacturing altogether while maintaining our industrial competitiveness by importing such foreign labour to keep our unit labour costs down.

“Longer term sustainability of economic growth requires enhancing the knowledge content of our manufacturing, and yes even in the service industry, which all require innovation, technology and new entrepreneurship.

“Only in this way will we be able to raise wages and salaries, through increasing productivity. Thus, this involves not just up-skilling of our labour force, but also the provision of correct incentives and institutions to support such value-added growth.

“I wonder whether the New Economic Model is sufficiently geared towards the above tasks,” he said.

Will be left stranded

The Gua Musang MP submitted that the national task would require new and bold ideas which must be implemented over the next five to 10 years with supporting institutional reforms to generate

maximum impact and to ensure success.

“Otherwise we are going to be left behind once again. I say this because South Korea, who in the 60’s was behind us, is now three times more in terms of per capita income. Our neighbours Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia are now ahead on their reform path.

“If we do not take rapid and serious action, they may get ahead of us again,” he warned.

Tengku Razaleigh added that time was running short and that the expectations of the people who are demanding bold changes must be met.

“Leaders will have failed the mandate given to them if we are only toying with political slogans and creating myths about our development experience in the NEP and post-NEP years that do not hold up to the facts,” he said.

He added that the foundation of the nation was being threatened by political gamesmanship, empty promises and policy obfuscation.

“Only with this commitment to fundamental reform of our policies and the institutions that support them will we be able to restore the people’s trust in the government.

“Only with this resolve will we be able to offer our good people a secure feeling about Malaysia’s future,” he said.

Najib: Tax evaders are traitors

Paying taxes is a duty towards the nation and a sign of patriotism. It is immoral to avoid taxes

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said those who avoid paying tax can be regarded as having betrayed the country.

This, he said, was because the responsibility to pay tax was one of the pillars of patriotism.

“The definition of patriotism in our country is that we must discharge our responsibility to the country for the good of the people and the nation.

“When we pay tax, we are helping the people. We instil this spirit, with this our country will be more successful,” he said when opening the National Economic Empowerment (Pena) Conference at the Federal Territory Mosque auditorium here today.

Also present were Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan, who is also Pena Secretariat chairman.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said the time had come for the government to introduce the Goods and Service tax (GST), which will be implemented beginning April 1, 2015, because it was for the good of the people and the country’s future.

“The benefit is that we will have a stronger source of revenue to accelerate the country’s development and the people will be happier because it is based on resources that will make the progress further,” he added.

He said that towards making Malaysia a developed country by 2020, the country should have additional resources to cater to the country’s needs, especially in developing infrastructure facilities.

“If we are to look at the country’s journey, take a moment to imagine the direction of our country’s development, a country where traditional villages, small towns are given a facelift.

“We want new roads, new schools and universities and these require more allocations. So, we need revenue. Otherwise, who is going to pay for all these.

Taking loans not the answer

“The other option is to take loans, but if we continue to borrow, what will happen, (if) we cannot pay, the country’s rating will drop, we will be bankrupt, the people will suffer, we cannot manage the country like this,” he added.

Najib also hit out at the opposition for making various promises, as well as, at times, objecting to the implementation of GST, but later supporting it.

“(When) we administer the country, there has to be a sense of responsibility, we admit there may be possible leakages, but we have the determination to correct it, that is why we make public the Audit General’s report. No country is perfect,” he added.

On empowering the Bumiputeras, he said it had been made a national agenda to ensure the group shared the country’s wealth fairly.

The one-day seminar aims to provide understanding and information on GST, Budget 2014 and the agenda on empowering Bumiputeras.

-Bernama

Govt depts must learn to say ‘sorry’

Little did the NRD think that Kamala would highlight her predicament to the press - when she did, the department developed cold feet and resorted to lying.
COMMENT

Newly-elected Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong says PKR de-facto leader Anwar Ibrahim cannot be let off the hook for lying to the rakyat that 40,000 Bangladeshis voted in the May 2013 general election.

Mah wants Anwar to apologise for causing major public panic in the run-up to the polling day. “As a result of his statement, many people were unfairly treated because their skin colour is similar to a Bangladeshi,” Mah had said.

Does racial repercussion worry Mah? If it honestly did, the Gerakan chief would not have stopped at castigating Anwar. Mah would have been just as upset with the treatment the Perak National Registration Department accorded to a mother-daughter duo.

Instead of it being ‘business as usual’, the 60-year-old mother, V Kamala and her 12-year-old daughter were told by the department to undergo a DNA test before a MyKad could be issued to the girl.

As puzzled as the mother and daughter were, they were stunned with the reason cited for the DNA test – the child is fairer than her mother!

If the department’s blatant refusal to serve its client is all because the mother and child do not share the same skin colour, this clearly is the height of racism in Malaysia.

Just because a child is fairer than her parent or parents gives no right to the NRD to reject a MyKad application until a DNA test is done.

Would NRD react the same way to a VIP whose child is fairer or looks ‘different’ and demand that they too undergo a DNA test? Or is the NRD only competent at flexing its muscles at the average Malaysian who have no ‘cables’ to latch onto?

It is a relief that Kamala took her dissatisfaction with the NRD to the media. The Tamil daily, Tamil Nesan reported Kamala as saying that the Perak NRD asked her to undergo a maternity test to prove that she is the biological mother of S Mahalachemi, all because their skin tone did not ‘match’.

“I was shocked when the so -called officer asked (me) to do maternity test just because we have different skin colour,” she said.

That Kamala refused to comply with the NRD’s demand is understandable. She had all the necessary documents to aid her daughter’s identity card application.

While Kamala had to endure such an ordeal, the situation was far easy for foreigners with there being as many as 1.5 million fake MyKad currently in circulation since the 1970s.

Recently, STAR Sabah chief Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said Putrajaya should revoke all identity cards issued in Sabah and issue new ones if it is serious about overcoming the problem of fake MyKad.

NRD ‘corrupted’, racist and ageist

Kitingan’s comments were spurred by two incidents where Sabahans obtained employment as security guards in Kuala Lumpur using false identification documents. This included the security guard who shot dead an Ambank employee at the bank’s branch at Jalan USJ Central 2, Subang Jaya on Oct 23.

Not only did the security guard concerned had access to a fake MyKad to gain employment, he was also allowed to use a firearm without undergoing proper security vetting.

“Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the NRD and the police are every bit as complicit and guilty as the foreigners holding fake MyKad if they do not investigate the culprits who started this entire mess,” Kitingan had said in a statement.

In Kamala’s case, she deserves a pat on the back for being courageous to question the NRD’s rationale for a DNA test. In the end she could only surmise that the department is deliberately delaying the application for unknown reasons.

“Why would they require us to do a DNA test for a MyKad when my daughter has a valid birth certificate?” Kamala asked.

The NRD’s attack on Kamala and her daughter’s skin colour and the big age gap has revealed the judgemental nature of the country’s government agencies.

In hindsight, the racist behaviour of the Perak NRD is not an isolated case; whether it is a deliberate attack on the Indian community is another matter.

But it brings about a feeling of deja vu of how government officials treat the rakyat, especially the Indians. Someone once complained to me how a Road Transport Department top official stretched his legs on his desk while a woman complainant sat in his office relaying her trouble.

Is it a coincidence or do the government departments have a hidden agenda in victimising the non-Malay communities?

In June, an elderly man who turned up at the Pakatan Rakyat’s Black 505 rally at Padang Merbok ‘slapped’ prime minister Najib Razak.

M Krishnan, 55 was as fed up as he could be with the premier whom he claimed failed to understand the laws enacted that he continued ‘whacking’ Najib’s portrait with his slippers before spitting out the water he drank on the premier’s face.

Krishnan was frustrated and angry with the government agencies, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall for turning a blind eye to his complaints concerning poor conditions of his public housing scheme (PPR) flats and the Social Security Organisation Malaysia (Socso) whom he claimed failed to compensate him in full despite an injury suffered while at work.

Did Najib who has tailored his administration based on the ‘people first performance now’ philosophy take City Hall and Socso to task? Or was he even upset that the quality of life a senior citizen was marred by the incompetence of government agencies?

Govt depts must learn to say ‘sorry’

It came as no surprise when the NRD denied having compelled Kamala to undergo a DNA test.

“NRD has no need for such a test since Kamala is Mahalachume’s biological mother (according to birth certificate),” public relations officer Jainisah Mohd Noor had told FMT.

Doing a complete volte- face, the Perak NRD it seems was prepared to give Kamala’s daughter her MyKad as her mother had furnished all the necessary documents.

A shame that not only does the Perak NRD practice racism among its clients, the department has also proved its unworthiness when it denied having asked the mother and daughter to take the DNA test.

The department can deny all its wants for there is proof that it did hassle Kamala and her child and behave unprofessionally. Buntong assemblyman A Sivasubramaniam claimed he witnessed how the Perak NRD treated Kamala.

“I was the one who brought the family to the NRD department after the latter seized the daughter’s birth certificate in their previous visit.

“However, we managed to get a new birth certificate for Mahalachemi. During the second visit, the deputy director, known as Premah, told the family to undergo a DNA test before applying for MyKad,” he added.

Sivasubramaniam urged the NRD to issue the MyKad immediately as Mahalachemi would be attending secondary school next year.

Little did the NRD think that Kamala would highlight her predicament to the press – when she did, the department developed cold feet and resorted to lying to ‘safe its skin’ instead of having the decency to say ‘sorry’ for disrespecting its client.