Marina flays gov't for not responding to threats - Malaysiakini

Social activist Marina Mahathir slammed government leaders for failing to speak up when conservative groups threatened to demonstrate in front of churches over the past week.

Muslim pressure group Sekretariat Solidariti Muslim Klang is demanding that Christians conform to a government ban that prevents them from using the word 'Allah', which they say is exclusive for Muslims.

Marina this morning turned up in front of the Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang with some 40 people, mostly Muslims, in solidarity with Christians as the Muslim group protested at a nearby field.

She hit out at the government for refusing to rein in such conservative groups that have taken a confrontational stance.

"Our leaders should not be silent. Everyone is complaining that the silence is deafening and far from elegant. It is certainly incriminating.

"Everyone is alarmed. I'm not alone in this. Everyone is asking, where are our leaders? As a great leader, he should be here, not us," she said without naming names.

When asked if she was referring to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, she replied, "Whoever. He should be here. As a leader he should be better than us."

She also condemned Thursday's raid by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) on the Bible Society of Malaysia where 351 Malay and Iban language bible which used the word 'Allah' were confiscated.

"We are now known as a country where people grab bibles from a house of worship. Is that how we want to be known?

"We can forget about Visit Malaysia Year, (the situation) is hardly an example of moderation," she said.

'Christians have right to Allah'

Marina, who is the daughter of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, added that Christians should be allowed to use the word 'Allah' as it is within their own congregation and they are not propagating their religion to Muslims.

She said the newly set up National Unity Consultative Council by the government, of which she is a member, will hold its first meeting tomorrow and the raid will be the first item on the agenda.

Among the groups that took up arms against the Christians was Selangor Umno, who last week also threatened to protest in front of churches after Christian publication The Herald editor Lawrence Andrew insisted that Christian will continue to use the word 'Allah'.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's thumbs up for the move drew a backlash of fire from critics.

Yesterday, Selangor Umno did an about turn and banned its members from attending such rallies, citing the need to maintain harmony.

The controversy began when in 2010 the High Court ruled that the Home Ministry's earlier ban on The Herald from using the word 'Allah was unconstitutional.

The landmark decision provoked a series of church burnings and the Court of Appeal last year overturned the decision arguing that the word 'Allah' was not integral to the Christian faith.

The Catholic Church is appealing the decision and insists that Islamic authorities have no power to dictate the internal affairs of other religions.

Father kills daughter, policemen shot dead, teenager raped

Police arrested the accused as he tried to flee to Multan. PHOTO: FILE 

KARACHI:A 10-month-old girl, Sawera, was allegedly killed by her father inside her house in Eidu Goth within the limits of Bin Qasim police station.

The victim was taken to the 100-bed hospital in Bin Qasim Town where she succumbed to her injuries. Police recorded the statement of the victim’s mother, 16-year-old Saima. “My husband was not happy with her birth as he wanted a son,” she said. “He often beat me up over the issue.” Saima had married the accused, Zahid Iqbal Odho, nearly two years ago with the consent of their families.

Police arrested the accused as he tried to flee to Multan and booked him for the murder of his daughter. He agreed that he wanted a son but insisted that he had no intention of killing his daughter. “During an exchange of words with my wife, I lost my senses and threw my daughter onto the floor,” said the 18-year-old father. “However, I had no intention of killing her.”

SHO Huzoor Buksh Solangi confirmed that the accused has been arrested and has confessed to the crime, adding that a case has been registered.

Separately, a policeman was shot dead in Shahnawaz Shar Goth within Sacchal police remits. The deceased was identified as 37-year-old Mohsin, son of Syed Sharif. Police officials said that deceased was killed while protecting a Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) team who were evacuating a piece of land that had been occupied by land grabbers.

A group of protesters gathered near the area as the KBCA tried to clear the land. Armed men from among the protesters opened fire at the police when they used teargas to disperse the protesters, said police officials. Nearly a dozen suspects have been detained as further investigations are underway, they added.

A teen was found dead from Indus Plaza in Sohrab Goth. His body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors said that he was subjected to rape before being killed. A case has been registered while further investigations were underway.

A scrap dealer, 28-year-old Munir Fareed was shot dead in Saeedabad. SP Malik Muhammad Ehsan said that the deceased was killed while resisting robbery.

The tortured body of a 30-year-old man, Iqbal Rafaqat, was found from Shah Latif, claimed police. Meanwhile, an unidentified young man was also found dead in Rizvia. SHO Hassan Haider said that the deceased was shot multiple times and his hands and legs were tied with rope.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2014.

Man in Pakistani Punjab attacks step-daughters with acid

Lahore: A man in Pakistan's Punjab province attacked his two young step-daughters with acid for refusing to marry men chosen by him, police said today.

Muhammad Aslam, a mason from Pattoki village, located 70 km from provincial capital Lahore, threw acid on his step-daughters Malaika, 19, and Javeria, 23, while they were asleep last night.

Both victims were brought to Jinnah Hospital in Lahore, where doctors described their condition as critical.

Police said Aslam often quarrelled with his step-daughters on the issue of their marriage. "He wanted to marry them with men of his choice," police official Bashir Ahmed said.

Aslam had allegedly accepted money from a man in his neighbourhood after promising to marry one of the step-daughters to him.

"When both girls refused the proposal, Aslam threw acid on them to teach them a lesson," Ahmed said.

A case was registered against Aslam and police are conducting raids to arrest him.

PTI

Last of the ISA detainees freed

Six people, who were the last batch held under the now defunct Internal Security Act, were freed from the Kamunting Detention Centre this morning.

TAIPING: The six remaining detainees held under the now revoked Internal Security Act (ISA) were released today.

The three Malaysians, two Indonesian nationals and a Filipino national emerged from the Kamunting Detention Centre here at 8.30 am.
“You have nothing to worry about, all of you are now free,” the director of the centre, prisons assistant commissioner Mohd Roslen Ramli, told them upon their release.

The ISA was revoked and substituted with the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 on July 31 last year.

Home Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced yesterday that the six remaining ISA detainees would be freed today.

The six people, in normal attire and carrying a bag and a box containing personal items, seemed cheerful and expressed gratitude over their release.

Just as they stepped out of the main door of the centre, they chatted with several of the officers and staff and posed for photographs with them.

They thanked the officers and staff for having taken care of them during their detention over the past two years.

The six were detained on Nov 14, 2011, for being members of the Sabah Darul Islamiah (DI), an alleged terrorist group.

- Bernama

No protest but unity at Church

Christians performed their Sunday prayers without any disturbance, while solidarity groups offered support
VIDEO INSIDE

KLANG: It was all calm at the Church of Our Lourdes, here, as parishioners peacefully attended Sunday mass despite earlier threats from far right Malay groups, linked to Umno, for a demonstration outside the church.

Church goers described today’s mass as unique as they welcomed a group of mixed faith individuals including Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who came to show solidarity to their fellow Malaysian Christians.

A group, known as “In the name of Allah” gathered in front of the church distributing roses to parishioners as a symbol of unity amongst the Abrahamic religion believers.

“There is nothing to be afraid of, today is a unique day and I am happy to see Malaysians from different faith together at one place,” said 55 year old Santana who attends the service weekly.

Santana said the whole Allah fiasco was an uncalled for, and explained that it was just a matter of language differences.

“This is not a religious issue. It is a language matter. This whole mess is unnecessary,”

“Certain quarters tried to sensationalise this issue for personal gains,” Santana added.

When approached, Marina lambasted the authorities for failing to address the matter where she described Malaysia as a bible grabbing state.

“Forget Visit Malaysia Year. We are known as a country that grabs bible,” she shrugged.

Echoing Marina’s sentiment, the spokesperson for ‘In the name of Allah’ Nik Elin Nik Abdul Rashid said that both the Muslim and Christian faiths believed in one God.

“We belong to Allah and Allah does not belong to one group of people.”

“There is no other God but Allah,” she said.



Earlier reports claimed that the church would continue their Sunday rituals despite the Klang Muslims Solidarity Secretariat confirming that they will proceed with their rally against Christians over the latter’s insistence on using the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for God.

It was also reported that Selangor Police chief, Shukri Dahlan had also warned protesters not to proceed with their plan to rally to the church and has ensured safety for church goers on Sunday by deploying police officers to man the church area.

Among the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Klang Muslims Solidarity Secretariat coalition are Jalur Tiga Malaysia (Jati), Selangor Perkasa, Klang Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), and Pertubuhan Ikatan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Selangor (IKDDAS).

‘Nobody wants to visit a Bible grabbing country’

Jaqueline Png, fz.com


Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir took a swipe at the country’s leadership for the handling of the JAIS raid and the Allah issue today, saying it is a shame that they are not making a stand against religious tolerence.

“Everyone has been complaining that the leadership’s silence is deafening. It’s far from elegant and certainly incriminating.”

“The last time when churches were burnt he wasn’t present either,” said the daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, declining to confirm if she was referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

She described last Thursday’s raid conducted by JAIS (Selangor Islamic Religious Department) on the Bible Society of Malaysia as “despicable” and something that should have never happened.

During the raid, about 300 copies of the Bible in the Malay and Iban languages were seized.

“You should never enter others’ house of worship without permission. I think they (BSM) should go ahead and take legal action against JAIS as they don’t have jurisdiction (over Christians).”

“Forget Visit Malaysia 2014, who wants to visit a Bible grabbing country?” said Marina.

Marina turned up at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church here this morning with a bouquet of flowers, along with a group of other non-Christian activists, in a show of solidarity with the Christian community.

“I’m so proud of us for resisting to react to such provocation last time. This time we will, as peace loving Malaysians, resist any attempt to disunite us,” she said.

The activists handed flowers to Parish priest Rev Michael Chua and members of the church as a symbol of solidarity and friendship.

“If we believe that God is one, then the word ‘Allah’ is for all,” said Marina.

Marina, who is a member of the National Unity Consultative Council, said this issue will top the agenda in the council’s meeting tomorrow.

Klang MP Charles Santiago was among those who attended the mass at the church this morning.

“If the government and the court cannot uphold our constitutional rights, the people will do it themselves,” he said.

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, Selayang MP William Leong and Sri Andalas state assembly member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar also turned up to show their support.

Police personnel were present to ensure public safety, and the mass ended peacefully.

On Thursday, Muslim groups had announced plans to gather at the church in protest against the use of the the word “Allah” by Christians.

However, no protests took place outise the church.

Instead, about 50 members of a group calling itself Klang Muslims Solidarity Secretariat opted to gather at the nearby Stadium Sultan Sulaiman.

They criticised The Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew over his statement that Catholic churches in Selangor would continue to use the word ‘Allah’ in their weekly Malay congregations despite JAIS’ reminder on the ban of its use by non-Muslims.

At a press conference, the group’s president, Mohd Khairi Hussin, said Andrew’s speech was seditious and disrupted peaceful relations between the Muslim and Christian communities.

He urged Andrew to adhere to the Selangor Sultan’s decree that the word ‘Allah’ can only be used by Muslims in the state.

Anwar calls Jais action “high handed”, wants Najib to make a stand on Allah issue

Eileen Ng, TMI

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) waded into the Allah debate by calling on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to make a stand on the controversy while declaring that he did not approve of the “high handed” ways of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), which had seized Malay and Iban language bibles containing the word Allah.

“If Jais felt that there are any actions that have contravened the law, then they should call up the relevant parties for an explanation.

“But you can’t take such drastic action because it will be perceived as anti-Christian. There is no need for such action. It only causes tension,” he said after giving a talk at the Centre for Reform, Democracy and Social Initiatives today breaking his silence on the issue.

Jais raided the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) office in Petaling Jaya, where it seized over 300 copies of the AlKitab and Bup Kudus. Two top BSM officials were also detained in the raid.

But lawyers have since questioned the authority of Islamic authorities to raid the BSM premises or seize the bibles, pointing out that Jais and other such departments have no jurisdiction over non-Muslims.

They also cast doubt on the validity and constitutionality of enactment that they say impinged on the right to religious freedom.

Anwar believed the entire controversy was an attempt to deflate attention from the country’s economic problems such as the rising cost of living due to price hikes and subsidy cuts.

“I don’t dismiss the fact there are attempts to deflect attention from the economic problem the country is facing and other problems like the quality of education, economic injustice and moral degradation.

Anwar said Najib should take a position on this issue.

“The government should deal with it and not by attacking the rest,” he said.

Anwar also ticked off the three DAP assemblyman – Yeo Bee Yin (Damansara), Rajiv Rishyakaran (Bukit Gasing) and Lau Weng San (Kampung Tunku) for proposing to amend the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988.

Passed by the then Barisan Nasional state government, the enactment prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases in their faith, including “Allah”, “Nabi” (prophet), “Injil” (gospel) and “Insya’Allah” (God willing).

Anwar said there is no need for such hasty action as there are proper channels within the state government and Pakatan Rakyat for them to put forth their views.

Jais’s raid comes amidst heightened tensions over the use of the word Allah, the Arabic word for God, by non-Muslims, which Muslim groups insist is exclusive to Islam.

The raid is widely seen as being triggered by Catholic weekly Herald editor Rev Father Lawrence Andrew’s remarks that churches in Selangor will continue to use Allah in their Bahasa Malaysia services following a warning from Jais to stop.

Although global Islamic scholars have clarified that the term can be used by anyone, state Islamic authorities in Malaysia have reacted negatively to reports of churches using the word Allah in services and literature catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christian community.

The tussle over the word Allah arose in 2008 when Herald was barred by the Home Ministry from using the Arabic word. The Catholic church had contested this in court and won a High Court decision in December 2009 upholding its constitutional right to do so.

Putrajaya later appealed the decision and successfully overturned the earlier decision when the Court of Appeal ruled last October that "Allah was not integral to the Christian faith".

Christians make up about 9% of the Malaysian population, or 2.6 million. Almost two-thirds of them are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as Allah in their prayers and holy book.

Besides the Bumiputera Christians from East Malaysia, some of whom have moved to the peninsula to live and work, Orang Asli Christians in the peninsula also typically use Bahasa Malaysia in their worship. – January 5, 2014.

Najib should ask first Cabinet meeting of the year to endorse the 10-Point Solution as well as Summit of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders on National Reconciliation to rebuild National Unity

By Lim Kit Siang,

Malaysia has never been in more dire straits in more than half-a-century of nationhood going by the avalanche of challenges and problems confronting the the nation and people even before the first week of the new year is over.

Heralding in the 2014 New Year, the country was convulsed for two weeks by the Inspector-General of Police’s “fairy tale” plot of a conspiracy to “topple the government” on New Year’s eve in Dataran Merdeka just because there are Malaysians who want to exercise their constitutional rights of peaceful protest against the series of price hikes which would add to the economic hardships of the people.

As a result, the police wasted over 2,000 police man-hours over some 2,000 police reports lodged by trouble-makers all over the country who wanted to exploit the “fairy-tale” plot of a “topple government” conspiracy, when these precious 2,000 police man-hours could be more productively spent on making the Malaysians, investors and tourists safer from crime in Malaysia.

Malaysians entered the new year totally clueless about the national educational crisis of deteriorating standards, highlighted by the poor performance of Malaysians students in the 2012 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results, which confirmed the poor results of Malaysian students in the 2011 TIMSS (Trends in International Maths and Science Study).

As a result, the Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin spent the whole of last month avoiding comment on the poor performance of Malaysian students in the 2011 TIMSS and 2012 PISA, for they showed up the impractical and utopian objective of Malaysian students performing multiple educational miracles so that Malaysia can catapult from the bottom-third to the top-third of TIMSS/PISA international educational assessments when in fact Malaysian educational standards have been heading southwards in the past decade.

Also as a result, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak shied away from comment on the 2011 TIMSS and 2012 PISA results and deteriorating educational standards in the country, and was reduced to re-tweeting Deputy Education Minister Mary Yap Kain Ching’s post on the Malaysian Education Blueprint – that the government will do all it can to ensure that initiatives under the blueprint will be fulfilled.

Imagine the Prime Minister having to re-tweet the Deputy Education Minister on the government’s education plans for the new year – as if the country has no Education Minister, when in fact we have two: Deputy Prime Minister who is also Education Minister as well as the second Education Minister Idris Jusoh. A most sad and pathetic state of
governance in Malaysia.

Most shocking of all, the new year started with the illegal and unconstitutional raid by Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) and seizure of Malay and Iban Bibles – which would not have taken place if the illegal and unconstitutional trespass had not been aided and abetted by the police.

This is why I had yesterday asked the Inspector-General of Police why the police had aided and abetted Jais in the illegal and unconstitutional act, which also violated the 10-Point Solution to resolve the Bible controversy which was endorsed by the Cabinet in April 2011 anf there has been no reply from the IGP.

The country has been moving in the wrong direction all these years under the Najib premiership, with this year the worst of all.

It is for this reason that I call on Najib to ask the first Cabinet meeting of the year next Wednesday to endorse the 10-Point Solution as well as for a Summit of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders on National Reconciliation to rebuild National Unity.

This is the time for all Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat leaders to rise above political differences and work in unision to rebuild national unity through a national reconciliation blueprint.

Press Release | Abide by the Federal Constitution; Focus on Achieving Harmony and Unity

The Malaysian Bar is concerned by reports that Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (“JAIS”, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department) had on 2 January 2014 conducted a raid on the office of the Bible Society of Malaysia (“BSM”), confiscated more than 300 copies of the Alkitab (Bahasa Malaysia bible) and Bup Kudus (Iban bible), and arrested the President and the Office Manager of BSM.  It is also reported that the President and the Office Manager have been required to present themselves to JAIS officers on 10 January 2014.

It is alarming that the religious body or enforcement agency of one religion would purport to have jurisdiction or purview over other religions.  This is not what is envisaged under the Federal Constitution.  The actions of JAIS are purported to have been carried out pursuant to the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment No 1 of 1988 of Selangor (“said Selangor Enactment”), in particular sections 9 to 13 thereof.

The said Selangor Enactment is stated in its preamble to have been enacted pursuant to Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution, which provides that State law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam. The purpose of the said Selangor Enactment is therefore an enactment against the propagation of other religions to Muslims or the proselytisation of Muslims.

However, section 9(1) of the said Selangor Enactment provides that a person commits an offence if he in any published writing, or public or broadcast speech or statement uses any of the words listed in Part I of the Schedule “pertaining to any non-Islamic religion”.  Similarly, section 9(2) provides that a person who is not a Muslim commits an offence if he uses any of the expressions listed in Part II of the Schedule.  Part I lists 25 Arabic words and Part II lists 10 Arabic phrases.

It is immediately apparent that the provisions of sections 9(1) and (2) are general in nature and ambit, and are not confined to the purpose stated in the preamble of the said Selangor Enactment and to the limits proscribed in Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution.  These provisions purport to make it an offence to merely use the listed words or phrases.  They purport to be general blanket prohibitions and offences, irrespective of whether the words or phrases are used in the course, or for the purpose, of propagation of a non-Islamic religion to Muslims.

In such circumstances, resort to sections 9(1) and (2) would be ultra vires the said Selangor Enactment itself, as they go beyond the purpose and ambit of the said Selangor enactment as set out in its preamble, and as self-evident in its title. The impugned provisions are also unconstitutional, inasmuch as they are unsupported by Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution.

Further, Article 11(3) of the Federal Constitution effectively provides for each religion to be self-regulatory.  This is to facilitate inter-religious harmony.  It is therefore unconstitutional for JAIS, an Islamic body or enforcement agency, to have jurisdiction, powers and ambit over other religions or persons professing other religions.  This encroachment is in any event against the spirit of the Federal Constitution.

Thus, any authorisation pursuant to section 10 of the said Selangor Enactment, or any notification or gazette purporting to vest JAIS with such jurisdiction or powers, would be repugnant to the Federal Constitution.

Accordingly, the raid, seizure and arrest by JAIS were unconstitutional and illegal.  At a time when we should be exerting our energies and resources towards national reconciliation and harmony, the actions by JAIS are unnecessarily provocative and unwise.

We urge all Malaysians to act rationally and calmly, and continue to focus on achieving harmony and unity.

 

Christopher Leong

President

Malaysian Bar

Over Three Million New Job Opportunities By 2020 - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 (Bernama) -- The government targeted to create more than three million job opportunities by 2020, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib on his Facebook page Sunday said the government's desire to provide more employment opportunities to Malaysians was in line with the country achieving a high-income, developed nation status the same year.

"Since 2011, more than a million job opportunities have been created for Malaysians through economic-generating efforts.

"The government targets to create more than three million job opportunities by 2020, in line with the high-income, developed nation status," he said.

Najib said 313,741 job opportunities were created in 2011 and about 800,000 in 2012.