'Raja bomoh' off to Oz, says passengers alive

Latest developments:

• 'Raja bomoh' says passengers are alive, not in ocean
   
• 'Plane not at US Diego Garcia naval base'
   
• Visit Malaysia tourism roadshows in China scrapped
   
• Search area refined four fold with ping findings
   
• Floating objects retrieved not from MH370

Will no one ever be blamed for MH370?

1:55 pm: "We only get denials and apologies but is no one going to take the blame for MH370?” A Malaysian whose husband, Azrai Izet, was on the still missing plane, asked this in an open letter published on AstroAwani's website.

Fadzilah Abdul Rahim questioned why the authorities cannot own up to mistakes or give the truth. She said that more than false comforts offered by MAS, the passenger's families really wanted the truth.

"I am sure Malaysians don't want 239 people to perish for no good reason. We want an assurance that such an incident cannot happen again to anyone else," Fadzilah wrote in Malay.

Specifically, Fadzilah added she would like to know:

"Who is responsible for passenger and aircraft safety, airline industry standards and for guarding Malaysia's airspace? And has anything been changed since?"

She noted that authorities have yet to explain why the army and the airport control tower could not trace or intercept the flight in time and how two stowaways could have boarded using false passports.

Read her full letter here.

Now 'raja bomoh' is heading down under

12.15pm: Since his last 'raise the dead' ritual on Pulau Sembilan late last month didn't get any clear signals from the afterworld, self-styled 'Bomoh King' Ibrahim Mat Zain is now saying passengers on board MH370 may still be alive.

In his latest offering, Ibrahim says he will go to Australia so that Malay traditional methods can work hand-in-hand with “science and technology” methods now being used in the search operation.

"In my view, as a raja bomoh, they are alive. It (the plane) can be in the air, on an island somewhere, but surely not in the ocean," Ibrahim says in a YouTube video uploaded by Suara TV yesterday.

Speaker: No intention to mislead with 'assumption'

12pm: Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia finds that Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri did not intend to confuse Parliament when he initially claimed the Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) had "assumed" the missing Flight MH370 was ordered to turn back by air traffic control.

 

The speaker today says he accepts Rahim's added-on explanation that the latter had relayed his own personal "assumption" when informing MPs on March 26 that that was the reason the RMAF did not act to intercept the plane when it had the chance to on the day it went missing.

Read more here.

M'sia needs 'more than PR exercise'

11.40 am: Bloomberg columnist William Pesek says the Malaysian government has much to do, much more than a major PR exercise, to regain its reputation that in the aftermath of the MH370 crisis, saying it must be "nothing less than a political revolution".

Ahead of possible upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama - the first by a US leader to Kuala Lumpur in 50 years - Pesek recommends Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak end all affirmative action policies based on ethnicity, which he dubbed "apartheid economics."

Writing from Tokyo, Pesek urges Najib to also take a break from his punitive campaign against the opposition and the ‘Allah’ issue.

"The Flight 370 crisis has fully exposed the dangers of allowing one party to rule a nation for six decades," Pesek writes in an editorial on Bloomberg View.

US: Deigo Garcia conspiracy untrue

11.18am: The United States denies the conspiracy theory that the missing jetliner is at its Indian Ocean naval base Diego Garcia.

"The speculation that passenger Philip Woods had sent a photo message from Diego Garcia is not true...

"There is no sign that MH370 flew anywhere close to the Maldives or Diego Garcia," an unnamed spokesperson for the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is quoted by Sinar Harian as saying.

The spokesperson adds that it only provides information upon request and Malaysia has not requested for data from US satellite located in Pine Gap, Australia.

What is the black box?

11am: The black box contains a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder. In 1960, Australia became the first country in the world to make black boxes mandatory for all commercial aircraft.

The black box is especially useful in the aftermath of a plane crash, with its underwater locator beacon (ULB). The ULB is activated as soon as the recorder hits water and can transmit from a depth of up to 14,000 feet (4.3 kilometres).

According to the National Geographic Channel, the cockpit voice recorder picks up all sounds within the cockpit, including pilot and crew banter, engine noise, warning pings and pops. Located in the tail end of a plane, it records on a two-hour loop.

In the case of MH370, other than recording the last words of the pilots before the plane went down, this recorder may not be able to shed much light at to the reason it deviated course as the plane had continued to fly for more than two hours after it ceased contact with air traffic control.

The flight data recorder, meanwhile, picks up the plane's altitude, airspeed and direction among others. It can help generate computer video reconstructions of a flight to help investigators visualise a crash and can record for 25 hours straight.

Also, to help investigators find them: a black box is not actually black at all, but bright orange.

Total four pings detected from man-made device

10am: To recap, the towed pinger locator being used by Ocean Shield has to date detected four ping signals northwest of Perth - two on Saturday and another two were reacquired on Tuesday.

Acoustic analysis of the first two transmissions assessed they were not of natural origin, but were emitted from a man-made electronic equipment, most likely a flight data recorder such as those contained in a plane's black box.

The signals were, however, getting weaker, possibly indicating that the black box battery is dying out as it has surpassed its 30-day expected lifespan.

According to a map from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the four pings heard so far came from a triangular zone with one side almost 30 kilometers long.

Yesterday, JACC chief Angus Houston (left) told reporters it would be a "matter of days" before a torpedo-like mini-submarine drone is deployed to the bottom of the ocean, some 4.5kilometres down.

Searchers want to exhaust use of the pinger locator until they are certain the black box’s emergency beacon has ceased all transmissions.

The underwater device, called Bluefin-21 and loaned from the US Navy, will hopefully give conclusive evidence as to MH370's “final resting place”, he said.

Nazri to visit Chinese ambassador

9am: In his capacity as Inter-Parliamentary Union Malaysia chairperson, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz, along with several other MPs, will visit Chinese ambassador Huang Huikang today.

The Star Online reports that the visit is an "expression of solidarity" with the Chinese people who are grieving over missing Flight MH370.

Nazri (right) also reiterates that he is halting all tourism roadshows in China until there is closure for MH370.

"So long as there is no closure, I do not think it is appropriate to continue the roadshows in China."

China is Malaysia's third largest market for tourism and the MH370 incident, with 152 China nationals on board, have affected tourist arrivals during Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

Search area significantly reduced

6am: The Australia-led search for Flight MH370 has successfully narrowed the search area by nearly four-fold after discovering four transmissions, a from likely black box, by using a towed pinger locator to comb the south Indian Ocean from last Friday.

As the eight-nation backed search enters its 34th day, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) says today they are now confident of spotting the Boeing 777 within an area of 58,000 square kilometre northwest of Perth.

This compares to the initial search area of 217,000 sq km when the pinger locator was first deployed into the waters on April 4.

Up to 10 military aircraft, four civil aircraft and 13 ships will assist today's search, while the main underwater search will still be led by Australia’s defence vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield, assisted by Chinese ship Haixun 01 and the HMS Echo.

"Aircraft and ships reported spotting a large number of objects during yesterday's search, but only a small number were able to be recovered.

"None of the recovered items were believed to be associated with MH370," JACC adds in its daily statement.

On the weather, JACC ays it expects moderate winds and isolated showers, although visibility is expected to be fair.

Background:

• The Beijing-bound Boeing 777-200ER aircraft went missing not long after taking off from KL International Airport in the early hours of March 8, with 12 crew members and 227 passengers.
   
• Authorities have determined the plane intentionally turned back and altered its course shortly after cutting communications with tower controllers for unknown reasons.
   
• "Groundbreaking" data analysis on the six last 'pings' between MH370 and British company Inmarsat's communications satellite has yielded clues to the aircraft's position and heading, leading investigators to narrow down the search area to the south Indian Ocean.
   
• Australia leads the search in the south Indian Ocean. As of March 30, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) is tasked with overseeing the operations, led by retired air marshal and former defence chief Angus Houston.

Pakatan files motion to condemn Sodomy II judges

HRW: Malaysia accused of shocking human rights violations, abuses against Shiite minority

Brief “Among the marginalized in Malaysia, there is a single group perhaps more marginalized than many. They are the people that Malaysia has forgotten. They are the Shiite Muslims” says Loyar Burok, a popular Malaysian blog. The article is entitled “Shiite Muslims in Malaysia: A Cultural Genocide.”

Malaysia has a serious human rights problem, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), which released a 100+ page report entitled “No Answers, No Apologies” detailing abuses by Malaysian authorities. The report comes on the heels of accounts that Malaysia arrested infants from the country’s minority Shiite Muslim sect, based upon the “crime” of engaging in Shiite religious practices.

International attention has been given to Malaysia after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing last month, and human rights watchdogs welcome the focus.

“Unjustified shootings, mistreatment and deaths in custody, and excessive use of force in dispersing public assemblies persist because of an absence of meaningful accountability for Malaysia’s police force, the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP),” says the HRW report.

The human rights abuses are directed at all sectors of Malaysian society, however significant media attention has been drawn towards the plight of Shia Muslims in Malaysia, who are facing increased discrimination on a daily basis.

“Among the marginalized in Malaysia, there is a single group perhaps more marginalized than many. They are the people that Malaysia has forgotten. They are the Shiite Muslims” says Loyar Burok, a popular Malaysian blog. The article is entitled “Shiite Muslims in Malaysia: A Cultural Genocide.”

The issue of anti Shia human rights abuses is slowly becoming endemic to the country’s populace. On Reddit, on a discussion of human rights abuses in Malaysia, one user wrote “In Malaysia, Shia is considered deviant […] You also not allowed to form a group to practice your faith. Yes we are stern in protecting our faith and our children faith and to keep it pure from innovation. Regarding Allah words, it was the right move, because there were underground movement to spread confusion among muslim youth in the country.”

When questioned about the morality of the behavior of the Malaysian government, the same user replied with a horrific account of conditions in Malaysia: “They were not oppressed, most probably they would end up in rehabilitation center to correct their faith.”

Last summer, government officials in the Malaysian state of Kedah announced their intention to curb Syiah (the Malaysian word for Shia Muslim) practices, authorities view as illegitimate. Malaysian media reported that elected officials said “When the fatwa is [announced], it will be enforced immediately to ensure Muslims do not deviate from the true teachings of Islam.”

The same official also expressed an interest in preventing Shia Muslims from exercising their funeral rights, and Free Malaysia Today reports he said “It is contrary to our usual practice as a Sunni Muslim. So, this is one of the things that is happening and we will try to avoid it from spreading.”

Malaysia’s “The Sun Daily” reported that a nearby state, Pahang, also banned Shia teachings “because [Shia] teachings are different.”

The national government later also banned all Shiite teachings, “All states have agreed that Syiah teachings should not be allowed in the country” said Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, according to the Sun. Earlier this year, an Imam was arrested and imprisoned for possessing books on Shiite teachings. In a startling incident, the deputy president of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party was obligated to prove he had no ties to Shia Muslims, after he was accused of making positive remarks about Shia individuals.

Another government official complained that more was not being done to combat the religious belief set. “Since the Syiah was gazetted as illegal by the National Fatwa Council in 1984 and 1997, not much enforcement was done,” said Home Ministry Security and Public Order assistant secretary Zamihan Md Zain Al-Ghari according to the Sun.

Other Malaysian media was quoted as saying “Those who practice [sic] Syiah will be severely dealt with, regardness [sic] of status or political ideology, and will not be accepted in the country.”

The campaign has not gone unnoticed by Middle Eastern countries and business leaders.

“An unofficial boycott of Malaysian goods by Iranian businessmen has left rubber products worth some RM2 million lying in a warehouse in the Middle East nation, a backlash against Umno’s recent anti-Shia campaign,” reported The Malaysian Insider.

“Since the anti-Shia campaign in Malaysia last year, Iranian businessmen refused to buy Malaysian-made products,” said one individual to the paper.

Malaysian leaders have refused to back down in the face of economic ruin, and Mufti Datuk Wan Zahidi Wan Teh told the Malaysian paper Berita Harian that “Shiism could be regarded as a ‘poison’ that can destroy the harmony and security of the country.”

The Mufti made the remarks at a conference held in Malaysia’s capital entitled “Facing the Shiite Virus.”

The Human Rights Report features a 7 page section on recommendations the country can take to halt police abuses, however stopped shy of recommendations on other pervasive human rights abuses.

Shariah Court is on par with civil court, say Muslim lawyers group

The Shariah Court is on par with the civil court under amendments to Article 121 (1A) of the Federal Constitution in June 1988, the Muslim Lawyers' Association of Malaysia told the Ipoh High Court today.

Lawyer Mohamed Hanif Khatri Abdulla (crt) said this was supported by the Federal Court which had made judicial pronouncements on three occasions between 1992 and 2008.

"To suggest that the High Court has supervisory role over the Shariah Court is an affront to the purpose and intent of Article 121 (1A)," he said.

The association is appearing as amicus curae (friend of the court) on the invitation of High Court judge Lee Swee Seng to assist him in making a ruling since the civil court and Shariah Court have issued separate custody orders for three underaged children.

Hanif was submitting in a contempt proceeding brought by kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi against her estranged husband who had converted to Islam.

He subsequently converted the children – Tevi Darsiny, 16, Karan Dinish, 15, and Prasana Diksa, 3 – and obtained custody from the Shariah Court in September 2009.

Indira obtained her custody order from the High Court in 2010.

However, her husband, Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah, refused to return their youngest child, Prasana Diksa (Ummu Habibah), to Indira.

Ridzuan, who was known as K. Patmanathan, has been holding on to Prisana Diksa since April 2009 when she was 11 months old.

Last July 25, Lee, in a landmark decision, quashed the certificates of conversion of the three children and ruled that the certificates were null and void because they were unconstitutional.

Under the Perak state enactment, it was a statutory requirement for a child to be present before a certificate of conversion could be issued.

He also cited provisions under the Perak Shariah law, where the children must be present to utter the affirmation of faith (Dua Kalimah Syahadah).

Indira married the then K. Patmanathan (Muhammad Riduan), 20 years ago according to Hindu rites.

Hanif said Islam, under Article 3 of the Constitution, was the official religion of the Federation and was above all other religions which were allowed to be practised in peace in the country.

"The word Islam is not restricted to ritual only but must be interpreted as a way of life. So Article 3 imposed an obligation on the Federation to protect, defend and safeguard Islam," he added.

In the light of judicial pronouncements and special position of Islam, he said it was beyond doubt that the religion was a basic structure in the Federal Constitution and could not be moved or altered.

He said another basic structure of the Constitution was that there was a separation of power between the Federation and the states to enact laws as provided under the ninth schedule of the supreme law.

"It is crystal clear that on matters pertaining under the state list, the Federal government cannot legislate on subjects relating to Islam," he said.

He also said the Guardianship of Infants Act 1961 and the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 were not applicable.

He said under the Law Reform Act, Indira Gandhi could only dissolve her marriage with her spouse and the civil court had no jurisdiction to give her custody of the children nor can it hold the estranged husband to being in contempt of court.

Lee adjourned hearing to April 16. – April 9, 2014.

'Convert ex-husband snatched my son, kicked me' - Malaysiakini

 

 A mother tried in vain to stop her ex-husband, a Muslim convert, from snatching away their six-year-old son from her home in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, today.

"I held on to his leg as the car was moving but he kicked me and I fell on the road.

"I have injuries on my head, legs, ankles and elbows," said S Deepa when recounting this morning's ordeal.

According to Deepa, her former husband, Izwan Abdullah, 30, came to her house in Jelebu around 9am and called out their son's name.

When the boy appeared, she said, Izwan, who works with an Islamic NGO, grabbed their son and immediately ran to the car, with another person at the wheel.

The 30-year-old clerk later filed a report with the Seremban district police headquarters.

Court decision

On Monday, the High Court in Seremban granted Deepa a divorce and custody of the couple’s son and nine-year-old daughter.

However, the children remain Muslim converts and Deepa must pursue a separate case to revoke their conversion.

Izwan, who converted to Islam last year and later converted the two children without their mother’s knowledge, was visibly upset with the court decision.

Deepa's lawyers will be filing a contempt of court application against Izwan, formerly known as N Viran, tomorrow.

Malaysiakini was earlier notified about the incident by Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) advocacy officer Sally Wangsawijaya, who has been helping Deepa in her fight for the custody of her children.

In her police report, Deepa said her former husband took their son away in a green Mitsubishi Pajero.

She also stated that when she attempted to stop him, her clothes got caught in the car door and she was dragged on the road as the vehicle was driven off.

PM wants MIC ministers, deputies to deliver

The Prime Minister wants them to submit detailed reports on their "portfolios" regularly.

PETALING JAYA: MIC’s two ministers and two deputy ministers are now requested to submit detailed reports of the “portfolios” set aside for them specifically on a regular basis to the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Najib, who is also the Barisan Nasional chief, wants the ministers and deputy ministers in the party to ensure the Malaysian Indian community is not sidelined in aids and assistance.

“The PM also wants them to submit reports of what they have done and what needs to be done for the community. They have been asked to submit reports every three months when the cabinet committee for Indian Affairs meets,” said a source.

On his part, said the source, Najib has divided areas which should be focused by the MIC leaders.

MIC, the largest Indian based political party in the country, has two ministers and equal number of deputy ministers. Party president G Palanivel and his deputy Dr S Subramaniam are Natural Resources and Environment, and Health Ministers respectively.

Party vice president M Saravanan is Youth and Sports deputy minister while MIC central working committee member P Kamalanathan is deputy Education minister.

After the 13th general election last year, Najib appointed Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy to the cabinet as a deputy minister to look into the Indian affairs. Waythamoorthy however resigned earlier this year saying that Najib did not have the political will to walk the talk when it came to Indian matters.

The ball was back on MIC’s court and the party leaders were once again entrusted to look into matters pertaining to the two million strong Malaysian Indian community.

The four leaders were given specific portfolios to help the Indian community by the Prime Minister more than a month ago, when the cabinet committee met for the first time since the general election.

Palanivel is entrusted to look into woes faced by temples, construction of multi-purpose halls, crematoriums, MIC seat allocations and small and medium industries. Dr Subramaniam on the other hand will handle health matters, identification papers for Indian without MyKads or birth certificates, promotion of Indian in the civil sector and estate workers.

Saravanan is in charge of youth empowerment and skills training and agriculture including poultry while Kamalanathan will look at education.

The move by Najib to designate portfolios to these leaders is to ensure that they do their part for the community apart from serving as ministers and deputy ministers.

“Since Waythamoorthy resigned, the burden has come back to the MIC. The PM wants them to produce. It is not enough to just say we have the support of the Indian community. The MIC must show that they do indeed have the support through programmes which are beneficial to the community.

“So far only one of them have started working on the ground, which is good. But what about the other three. It is hoped that they will pull up their socks and get to work for the betterment of the community,” said the source, who declined to name the leader who has hit the ground.

The source also said that Najib was concerned if allocations for the community had indeed reached its intended target.

“Four of them were shocked at the last meeting when the Prime Minister brought up more than 20 unresolved issues. It showed that Najib had done his homework. MIC leaders then agreed to the tasks allocated to them.

“They now cannot come back and complain. They have to do their job first and show results,” he added.

Orang Hindu perlu bertaubat?

Dari Ezry Fahmy Bin Eddy Yusof, melalui e-mel

Jika Hinduisme “abang sulung” kepada Islam, apakah “si abang” perlu bertaubat?

Mungkin ramai yang teruja dengan buku “Hinduisme: Agama Tauhid Terawal?” (2014) karya Kamaludin Endol seperti mana ulasan Uthaya Sankar SB bertajuk “Hinduisme, ‘abang sulung’ kepada Islam?” (FMT, 1 Mac 2014).

Ulasan persamaan dan perbezaan ajaran Hindu dan agama Islam bukanlah suatu subjek yang baru bagi para pelajar yang biasa dalam ilmu perbandingan agama. Hal ini telahpun diulas oleh tokoh-tokoh perbandingan agama seperti Allahyarham Sheikh Ahmad Deedat, Dr Zakir Naik dan sebagainya serta boleh dibaca dan dilayari secara meluas di alam maya.

Saya bersetuju dengan pujian Uthaya bahawa “Kehebatan Kamaludin ternyata bukan hanya sebagai pengarang kreatif dan buku ‘Hinduisme: Agama Tauhid Terawal?’ menjadi bukti pemikiran kritis beliau dalam meneroka pelbagai sisi yang selalunya jarang berani dijelajah penulis tempatan; khususnya penulis Melayu.”

Namun, saya kurang bersetuju dengan ulasan Uthaya bahawa setiap hujah atau pandangan yang dikemukakan penulis adalah berdasarkan fakta dan maklumat daripada pelbagai sumber yang sahih. Hal ini adalah kerana penulis tidak peka terhadap penggunaan Hadis sehingga mencampur-adukkan ulasan dengan menggunakan Hadis lemah; bahkan Hadis bertaraf palsu dalam cubaan berhujah.

Buku kajian separa akademik ini juga diakui oleh penulis sebagai hanya merujuk kepada rujukan sekunder dalam bahasa Inggeris dan hanya banyak merujuk pada kitab “Ihya Ulumuddin” oleh al-Imam al-Ghazali rahimahullah sebagai rujukan tunggal dalam mengulas hampir semua aspek hipotesis yang dibawa.

Rujukan tunggal terhadap kitab Ihya dalam hampir semua aspek ulasan mengingatkan saya terhadap komentar Imam Ath-Thurthusi (520H) terhadap kitab Ihya dalam suratnya kepada Abdullah bin Al Muzhaffar:

“Sebahagian besar orang yang mencintai kitab ini dengan kecintaan yang berlebih-lebihan adalah orang-orang soleh (ahli ibadah) yang tidak memiliki pengetahuan tentang kewajiban-kewajibannya terhadap akal dan dasar-dasar agama, tidak memahami (konsep-konsep) ketuhanan dan tidak mengetahui hakikat sifat-sifat (Allah).”

Seperti mana kepercayaan bahawa ajaran agama asal yang dibawakan oleh Nabi Isa AS (Jesus) disalah tafsir dalam agama Kristian, kandungan buku ini juga menghidangkan hipotesis bahawa Hinduism asalnya merupakan agama tauhid terawal berdasarkan jumlah Rasul pilihan dan Nabi lantikan.

Disertakan juga kenyataan bahawa setiap Nabi dan Rasul telah diberikan dan dikurniakan al-Kitab dan Suhuf. Hanya sahaja ajaran Tauhid dalam ajaran asal Hinduisme telah diseleweng sehingga menyebabkan ajaran Tauhid sebenar telah disalahtafsir oleh para penganut ajaran Hindu.

Pemikiran penulis bercanggah akidah

Antara hipotesis penulis, jika boleh diringkaskan berdasarkan 5 perkara berikut:

1 Hinduisme ialah agama tertua yang dianggarkan melebihi 4000SM.

2 Nabi Adam AS diturunkan di bumi India dan berada di sana selama 100 tahun sebelum mengharungi Lautan Hindi dalam pencarian cinta terhadap isterinya, Siti Hawa.

3 Istilah Hindu difahami sebagai Sanatara-Dharma – “agama yang abadi” atau “agama yang tiada permulaan dan tiada kesudahan”.

4 ‘Sruti’ bagaikan menyamai tradisi penurunan wahyu sementara ‘smirti’ menghampiri tradisi Hadis dan Sunnah Rasul.

5 Hinduisme juga agama yang diturunkan dari langit dan bukannya agama budaya.

Dalam pada mencari unsur Tauhid dalam ajaran Hindu, saya berpandangan bahawa penulis dalam tulisannya turut mempromosi pemikiran tasawuf ahli al-Tajalli wal-Zahir wal-Hadarat atau lebih dikenali sebagai Wahdatul Wujud dengan meluas dalam buku ini.

Pertentangan pemikiran ini dengan ahli zahir syarak memang tidak asing lagi kerana pemikiran jenis tasawuf yang kabur ini sukar difahami dan tiada asal dan dalil syarak yang jelas.

Seorang Muslim wajib beriman/beriktikad bahawa hanya agama Islam yang diterima di sisi Allah. Islam itu agama yang diajarkan Nabi Muhammad SAW dan para nabi sebelum baginda. Firman Allah SWT yang bermaksud:

“Dan sesiapa yang mencari selain Islam sebagai agamanya, maka sama sekali tidak diterima daripadanya dan dia di akhirat nanti termasuk dalam kalangan mereka yang rugi.” (Surah Ali-‘Imran, ayat 85).

Namun, sayang kerana tiada satu pun petikan ayat Quran ini diguna pakai dan/atau diulas dalam mengingatkan para pembaca akan kepentingannya.

Islam mengiktiraf kewujudan agama lain dan hak mereka untuk berpegang dengan apa yang para penganut agama lain yakini. Firman Allah SWT yang bermaksud:

“Tiada paksaan dalam agama (Islam), kerana sesungguhnya telah nyata kebenaran (Islam) dari kesesatan (kufur).” (Surah al-Baqarah ayat 256).

Barangkali jika buku ini diteliti pegawai Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) dan Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN), bukan isu unsur Tauhid dalam ajaran Hindu yang bermasalah, tetapi unsur pemikiran tasawuf Wahdatul Wujud yang jelas bercanggah dengan akidah Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah yang perlu ditelusuri.

Buku ini dipromosi dan dijual kepada umum, maka saya beranggapan kesilapan yang tersebar secara umum mesti juga diperbetulkan dengan sebaran umum juga (menerusi surat ini) supaya masyarakat khususnya para pembaca boleh menilai perkara yang betul dan salah dengan lebih tepat.

‘Bandar seks’: Guan Eng kena jawab

(Bernama) - Kerajaan Pulau Pinang perlu memberi penjelasan berhubung laporan sebuah badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang mendakwa negeri ini ‘bandar seks’ berikutan kononnya terdapat sekurang-kurangnya 200 kawasan panas yang menawarkan perkhidmatan seks.

Ketua Pembangkang Pulau Pinang, Datuk Jahara Abdul Hamid berkata, semua pihak terutama rakyat negeri ini mahu Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng tampil memberi penjelasan mengenai perkara itu berikutan laporan itu memberi imej buruk kepada Pulau Pinang.

“Umno mahu Guan Eng beri penjelasan mengenai perkara itu dan jika beliau enggan berbuat demikian, kami akan bangkitkan pada sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri yang akan bersidang bulan depan.

“Laporan itu bukan sahaja memberi imej buruk malah menunjukkan pihak berkuasa tempatan tidak buat kerja mereka kerana saya difahamkan 200 premis yang menawarkan perkhidmatan berkenaan mempunyai lesen dan bagaimana perkara itu boleh terjadi,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Program Kembara Kebajikan 1Malaysia Family Care (IMFC), di Dewan Sungai Dua, di sini hari ini.

Jahara yang juga Pengerusi Majlis Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (MPWKM) mengulas dakwaan Jaringan Utara Migran dan Pelarian (Jump) itu.

Laporan kajian itu berdasarkan temu bual membabitkan 172 pemandu teksi di negeri ini yang mendakwa pernah membawa penumpang ke kawasan panas berkenaan sekurang-kurangnya sekali.

RM300 million ESSCOM should not be a costly “April Fool’s joke” for Sabahans and Malaysians

ESSCOM (Eastern Sabah Security Command) has become a costly “April Fool’s joke” for Sabahans and Malaysians.

It celebrated its first anniversary on April 1, boasting about its success as “guardian” of security of Sabahans, and I quote from a Bernama write-up:

“ESSCOM Celebrates Its First Anniversary with Confidence.

“Come Tuesday (April 1, 2014), after officially starting operations on April 1, 2013, the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) celebrates its first anniversary…

“…Sabahans are increasingly confident with the ESSCOM’s ability in protecting Sabah’s sovereignty and maintaining security at the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE)”

The Director General of ESSCOM Datuk Haji Mohammad Mentek was then quoted as saying:

“ESSCOM has succeeded in stopping the attempts by foreigners to enter Sabah illegally to commit criminal acts like the kidnapping of Taiwanese tourists in Pulau Pom-Pom on 15 Nov 2013″.

However, within 24 hours of the ESSCOM first anniversary celebrations, there was a second abduction of a tourist from China and a hotel employee of Singamata Reef Resort in Semporna on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at about 10.30 pm

As a result, ESSCOM has become a costly “April’s Fool joke”, giving Sabahans a false sense of security although more than RM300 million has been spent on establishing it.

Barisan Nasional MPs have called ESSCOM a “toothless tiger” but it would be more accurate to call it a useless “white elephant” costing over RM300 million with an establishment of over 500 people.

This is especially the case as ESSCOM has said that it is powerless to act in the abduction cases, as it has no authority to command, direct or order any action.

I agree that ESSCOM might as well be abolished if the government is incapable of carrying out a total revamp of ESSCOM to ensure the safety of Sabahans.

I believe needs an organization like ESSCOM to ensure the security of the East Coast of Sabah.

I call on the Cabinet at its next meeting to give top priority for the revamp of ESSCOM so that it would not be a “white elephant” or a “toothless tiger”.

It is no use of the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ordering ESSCOM to boost its level of preparedness, surveillance and intelligence following the second kidnapping incident in the waters of Sabah without ensuring that ESSCOM can function authoritatively and effectively to ensure the security in the ESSZONE.

Barisan Nasional MPs have said the problem about the ineffectiveness of ESSCOM was because a Sabahan and a civilian had been appointed as its director-general, and who could get the police and military heads to take orders from him.

This should not be the nub of the problem, as the question is not whether a Sabahan or a civilian had been appointed ESSCOM Director-General, but whether he has been vested with the full authority to carry out the powers and duties assigned to ESSCOM.

If this is indeed the problem, then the Cabinet should immediately ensure that the civilian and Sabahan ESSCOM director-general is given full authority and powers to carry out the tasks of ESSCOM, and any person, however high-up in the police and military hierarchy who countermands the directive of the civilian Sabahan ESSCOM director-general or guilty of insubordination should be disciplined immediately and severely.

Start behaving like world-class universities, Ambiga tells local varsities

The Malaysian Insider 
BY ELIZABETH ZACHARIAH

Malaysian institutions of higher learning should start behaving like world-class universities, says Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, following Universiti of Malaya's (UM) refusal to allow the prominent lawyer to speak at its law convention last week.

Claiming it was a ridiculous move by the university, the former Bersih co-chair said UM was setting a bad example by curtailing the rights of students and clamping down on academic freedom.

"This has to stop. We cannot have narrow-minded people up there telling us this. Public institutions of higher learning  should start behaving like world-class universities," she told The Malaysian Insider.

Ambiga, who is the former Bar Council president, was scheduled to speak at the Law Faculty’s Law Career Convention on Public Interest Litigation on March 29.

A student representative said an official letter was sent to the university's deputy vice-chancellor of Student Affairs to seek permission for Ambiga to deliver the lecture on March 25.

The university had initially agreed on condition that there should also be a pro-establishment speaker at the convention to make it more balanced.

However, the approval was retracted with the excuse that Ambiga's lecture was not part of the programme, which was organised by the UM Law Society.

A group of UM students handed a memorandum to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs yesterday to protest the university's decision and its attempt to violate their rights.

Student group Progressive University Malaya president Richtyne Yusuf said the university seemed to be practising double standards when it came to speakers allowed to deliver lectures.

“When Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was invited to give a lecture, there were no issue. But when Ambiga was invited, the seminar was cancelled. This seems unfair,” he said.

Ambiga praised the students who stood up against the university's move, noting that it shows that there is still "hope in the country".

"I was pleasantly surprised that the students are not letting this go. I feel encouraged by what they are doing now, that they will not let their right to academic freedom be taken away.

"I am happy that they realise the world is at their feet," said the lawyer.

Ambiga said she has not faced such a situation before but was told that students were afraid of inviting her for fear of getting into trouble with university officials.

"I learnt that previously, students had wanted to invite me to speak but backed down because they knew they will run into trouble with the university.

"This shows that they are practising self-censorship and this is wrong," she said.

Meanwhile, Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) chairman, Datuk Kuthubul Zaman, also took a swipe at UM, saying the university should have considered Ambiga's vast experience as a top lawyer than her "presumed political inclination".

"Proham calls on the university to reconsider their decision and to allow Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan to address the law students on Public Interest Litigation. It is a clear violation of the students’ rights and a contravention of a universal human right to freedom of speech and expression.

"Ambiga herself had personally appeared as counsel in the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Federal Court on issues concerning public interest. Her valuable experience is an asset for her to share with the law students. In the circumstances, the decision by the university in refusing her to address the law students is puzzling," he added in a statement.

The Malaysian Insider sent emails and made telephone calls to the offices of the university vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Amin Jalaludin and the Dean of the Law Faculty, Associate Professor Dr Johan Shamsuddin Sabaruddin, but they have not responded at press time. – April 9, 2014.

Malaysia Wants To Be Educational Destination Of Choice For West Asia

DUBAI, April 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia aims to be a higher educational destination of choice for West Asian students, including that of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by raising its profile through participation in top educational exhibitions and government-to-government cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the UAE wished to foster cooperation with Malaysia in the field of education.

He said the wish was expressed by UAE Education Minister Mohammed Al Qatami and Culture, Youth and Community Development Minister Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan whom he received Wednesday during working visit to Dubai.

The UAE ministers later accompanied Muhyiddin to visit the Gulf Education and Training Exhibition (Getex) at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre where he opened the Education Malaysia pavilion.

"The UAE leaders greatly appreciated our cooperation and wanted us to broaden the scope of educational areas offered.

"I told them that is what we want to do and they were glad that we want to expand various fields," he told Malaysian journalists covering his five-day working visit here since Monday.

Muhyiddin said the UAE felt that Malaysia's participation in Getex 2014 as one of the biggest exhibitor reflected close ties between the two countries in the field of education.

The Education Malaysia pavilion boasts the participation of 27 public and private institutions of higher learning, including University of Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Sunway University, and SEGi University College.

Muhyiddin said participation in high-profile education fairs like Getex and close ties with UAE leaders could help promote Malaysia as a higher education hub for West Asian students.

It will also help entice UAE's participation in educational programmes in Malaysia and foreign institutions collaboration in specific fields such as science and technology, he added.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said about 160 UAE students were currently studying in Malaysia in various fields, including engineering, science and technology, and he hoped the number could increase in future.

"While promising more UAE students would pursue higher studies in Malaysia, the UAE leaders also want our students to study in the UAE. That's why we want to forge a long-term partnership," he said.

Among fields of educational cooperation that could be pursued by Malaysia and the UAE are science, technology, oil and gas, and language, he said, adding that one of Malaysia's pull factors was competitive cost. Muhyiddin said Malaysia, which had participated in Getex since 2004, would continue to take part in the education fair in an effort to woo more students from West Asia. Between 25,000 and 27,000 students from West Asia are currently studying in Malaysia.

Malaysia Wants To Be Educational Destination Of Choice For West Asia

DUBAI, April 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia aims to be a higher educational destination of choice for West Asian students, including that of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by raising its profile through participation in top educational exhibitions and government-to-government cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the UAE wished to foster cooperation with Malaysia in the field of education.

He said the wish was expressed by UAE Education Minister Mohammed Al Qatami and Culture, Youth and Community Development Minister Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan whom he received Wednesday during working visit to Dubai.

The UAE ministers later accompanied Muhyiddin to visit the Gulf Education and Training Exhibition (Getex) at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre where he opened the Education Malaysia pavilion.

"The UAE leaders greatly appreciated our cooperation and wanted us to broaden the scope of educational areas offered.

"I told them that is what we want to do and they were glad that we want to expand various fields," he told Malaysian journalists covering his five-day working visit here since Monday.

Muhyiddin said the UAE felt that Malaysia's participation in Getex 2014 as one of the biggest exhibitor reflected close ties between the two countries in the field of education.

The Education Malaysia pavilion boasts the participation of 27 public and private institutions of higher learning, including University of Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Sunway University, and SEGi University College.

Muhyiddin said participation in high-profile education fairs like Getex and close ties with UAE leaders could help promote Malaysia as a higher education hub for West Asian students.

It will also help entice UAE's participation in educational programmes in Malaysia and foreign institutions collaboration in specific fields such as science and technology, he added.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said about 160 UAE students were currently studying in Malaysia in various fields, including engineering, science and technology, and he hoped the number could increase in future.

"While promising more UAE students would pursue higher studies in Malaysia, the UAE leaders also want our students to study in the UAE. That's why we want to forge a long-term partnership," he said.

Among fields of educational cooperation that could be pursued by Malaysia and the UAE are science, technology, oil and gas, and language, he said, adding that one of Malaysia's pull factors was competitive cost. Muhyiddin said Malaysia, which had participated in Getex since 2004, would continue to take part in the education fair in an effort to woo more students from West Asia. Between 25,000 and 27,000 students from West Asia are currently studying in Malaysia.

Malaysia Wants To Be Educational Destination Of Choice For West Asia

DUBAI, April 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia aims to be a higher educational destination of choice for West Asian students, including that of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by raising its profile through participation in top educational exhibitions and government-to-government cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the UAE wished to foster cooperation with Malaysia in the field of education.

He said the wish was expressed by UAE Education Minister Mohammed Al Qatami and Culture, Youth and Community Development Minister Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan whom he received Wednesday during working visit to Dubai.

The UAE ministers later accompanied Muhyiddin to visit the Gulf Education and Training Exhibition (Getex) at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre where he opened the Education Malaysia pavilion.

"The UAE leaders greatly appreciated our cooperation and wanted us to broaden the scope of educational areas offered.

"I told them that is what we want to do and they were glad that we want to expand various fields," he told Malaysian journalists covering his five-day working visit here since Monday.

Muhyiddin said the UAE felt that Malaysia's participation in Getex 2014 as one of the biggest exhibitor reflected close ties between the two countries in the field of education.

The Education Malaysia pavilion boasts the participation of 27 public and private institutions of higher learning, including University of Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Sunway University, and SEGi University College.

Muhyiddin said participation in high-profile education fairs like Getex and close ties with UAE leaders could help promote Malaysia as a higher education hub for West Asian students.

It will also help entice UAE's participation in educational programmes in Malaysia and foreign institutions collaboration in specific fields such as science and technology, he added.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said about 160 UAE students were currently studying in Malaysia in various fields, including engineering, science and technology, and he hoped the number could increase in future.

"While promising more UAE students would pursue higher studies in Malaysia, the UAE leaders also want our students to study in the UAE. That's why we want to forge a long-term partnership," he said.

Among fields of educational cooperation that could be pursued by Malaysia and the UAE are science, technology, oil and gas, and language, he said, adding that one of Malaysia's pull factors was competitive cost. Muhyiddin said Malaysia, which had participated in Getex since 2004, would continue to take part in the education fair in an effort to woo more students from West Asia. Between 25,000 and 27,000 students from West Asia are currently studying in Malaysia.