Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Islamic State Video Calls Western Jihadists to Attack at Home
Algemeiner
A new Islamic State video released titled “Message of the Mujahid” calls on Western jihadists unable to travel to territory controlled by the terrorist group to conduct attacks at home. The message also offers a pointed rebuke of British Prime Minister David Cameron and the U.S.-led bombing campaign.
“A message to all of the brothers who cannot do Hijrah, I advise you to respond to the call of the sheik, the mujahid (Holy Warrior) Mohammed al-Adnani, to cause terror in the hearts of the kuffar (unbelievers),” the unidentified Islamic State spokesman said. “You are living in the West, you can cause terror in the hearts of the kuffar, right in the center of the kuffar in the center of all that shirk (polytheism), you can cause terror right from within.
“So unlike us, you can cause real damage right within the heart of Dar al-Kuffar (Land of Unbelief), so rise up my brothers. Rise up!”
He starts out the video mocking Cameron and the Western leaders for thinking they can defeat the Islamic State with bombs dropped from the air, chiding them that if they were “real men” they would send ground troops to fight them.
“You know that in the hearts of your men, they’re cowards,” the spokesman says. “So America, you think you are a superpower, when in fact if you were a superpower, you wouldn’t need these 40 nations to come and fight us.”
“Know that all power belongs to Allah, and Allah is with [the pious Muslims], so you could send your planes above us, but know that Allah is above your planes,” he continued. “You are fighting people who love death more than you love life.”
The message warns that the West and their Muslim allies can send all of their men, reserves, and backups, and the Islamic State will send them back one-by-one in coffins.
In a special message to British Muslims, he says that the caliphate has been re-established and calls on them to leave the land of the unbelievers and come to the Islamic State.
“If now is not the time to do Hijrah then when is the time,” the spokesman asks. “Why are you still in Dar al-Kuffar? What does Dar al-Kuffar have to offer you? We have the Islamic State here, and we are fighting jihad.”
He tells them that the “despicable” West has nothing to offer them.
This reaffirms the Islamic State’s desperate desire to inspire attacks against Western targets and hopes to turn Muslims against their home countries.
A new Islamic State video released titled “Message of the Mujahid” calls on Western jihadists unable to travel to territory controlled by the terrorist group to conduct attacks at home. The message also offers a pointed rebuke of British Prime Minister David Cameron and the U.S.-led bombing campaign.
“A message to all of the brothers who cannot do Hijrah, I advise you to respond to the call of the sheik, the mujahid (Holy Warrior) Mohammed al-Adnani, to cause terror in the hearts of the kuffar (unbelievers),” the unidentified Islamic State spokesman said. “You are living in the West, you can cause terror in the hearts of the kuffar, right in the center of the kuffar in the center of all that shirk (polytheism), you can cause terror right from within.
“So unlike us, you can cause real damage right within the heart of Dar al-Kuffar (Land of Unbelief), so rise up my brothers. Rise up!”
He starts out the video mocking Cameron and the Western leaders for thinking they can defeat the Islamic State with bombs dropped from the air, chiding them that if they were “real men” they would send ground troops to fight them.
“You know that in the hearts of your men, they’re cowards,” the spokesman says. “So America, you think you are a superpower, when in fact if you were a superpower, you wouldn’t need these 40 nations to come and fight us.”
“Know that all power belongs to Allah, and Allah is with [the pious Muslims], so you could send your planes above us, but know that Allah is above your planes,” he continued. “You are fighting people who love death more than you love life.”
The message warns that the West and their Muslim allies can send all of their men, reserves, and backups, and the Islamic State will send them back one-by-one in coffins.
In a special message to British Muslims, he says that the caliphate has been re-established and calls on them to leave the land of the unbelievers and come to the Islamic State.
“If now is not the time to do Hijrah then when is the time,” the spokesman asks. “Why are you still in Dar al-Kuffar? What does Dar al-Kuffar have to offer you? We have the Islamic State here, and we are fighting jihad.”
He tells them that the “despicable” West has nothing to offer them.
This reaffirms the Islamic State’s desperate desire to inspire attacks against Western targets and hopes to turn Muslims against their home countries.
Labels:
ISIS
ISIS Lists Out 5 Islamic Reasons to Justify Beheading Alan Henning and other Captives
By Johnlee Varghese
In reply to the outburst over the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning, the Islamic State has released a five point explanation, especially meant for the Muslims to justify the brutal killing.
The five reasons aim to lay down an explanation based on Islamic principles to "guide the permissibility of killing the Prisoners."
Using views and opinions laid down by Islamic scholars, the ISIS statement tries to clarify to its followers that as per the Islamic dictates it has the right to behead or do what it wants with its prisoners.
The Sunni militant group that has taken control of several parts of Syria and Iraq wants to establish an Islamic State governed purely on principles of Sharia law.
The ISIS guide tells the "faithful" on how to reply to those who say that prisoners in Islam are not killed but rather shown compassion.
The first argument notes that all Mushrik (anyone who worship any other God other than Allah, which includes the Shias, Yazidis, the Kurds) can neither be granted amnesty nor be ransomed off. Quoting a passage from Surah Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War), it says: "Punish them severely in order to disperse those who are behind them, so that they may learn a lesson."
The second argument states the reason that a "kufaar" (including Jews and Christians) has to be killed is that if they are not killed, they will later return and pose a threat to Islam.
The third argument is that until and unless a prisoner says subhaanahu wa ta'ala, he can neither be shown generosity and freed without ransom nor be set free after paying a ransom.
The fourth is that amnesty and ransom are possible only after the killing of a large number. So if a captive was imprisoned after that, the Imam has a choice to kill him or (do) otherwise.
The fifth argument is that the Imam or someone acting on his behalf can choose between killing, amnesty, ransom or enslaving the prisoner.
In reply to the outburst over the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning, the Islamic State has released a five point explanation, especially meant for the Muslims to justify the brutal killing.
The five reasons aim to lay down an explanation based on Islamic principles to "guide the permissibility of killing the Prisoners."
Using views and opinions laid down by Islamic scholars, the ISIS statement tries to clarify to its followers that as per the Islamic dictates it has the right to behead or do what it wants with its prisoners.
The Sunni militant group that has taken control of several parts of Syria and Iraq wants to establish an Islamic State governed purely on principles of Sharia law.
The ISIS guide tells the "faithful" on how to reply to those who say that prisoners in Islam are not killed but rather shown compassion.
The first argument notes that all Mushrik (anyone who worship any other God other than Allah, which includes the Shias, Yazidis, the Kurds) can neither be granted amnesty nor be ransomed off. Quoting a passage from Surah Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War), it says: "Punish them severely in order to disperse those who are behind them, so that they may learn a lesson."
The second argument states the reason that a "kufaar" (including Jews and Christians) has to be killed is that if they are not killed, they will later return and pose a threat to Islam.
The third argument is that until and unless a prisoner says subhaanahu wa ta'ala, he can neither be shown generosity and freed without ransom nor be set free after paying a ransom.
The fourth is that amnesty and ransom are possible only after the killing of a large number. So if a captive was imprisoned after that, the Imam has a choice to kill him or (do) otherwise.
The fifth argument is that the Imam or someone acting on his behalf can choose between killing, amnesty, ransom or enslaving the prisoner.
Labels:
ISIS
Sabah MP welcomes disclosure of illegal immigration report in Parliament
After months of waiting, the report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Sabah's illegal immigration problem will finally be made public when it is brought to the next Parliament sitting.
This promise made by Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who is from Sabah, has been welcomed by Penampang MP Dareel Leiking.
Leiking said this was the first time a minister had stated so clearly that the RCI report would be released to the public.
"Prior to this, despite many calls by the peoples of Sabah for the government to release the report, Putrajaya has kept quiet. The minister’s words, if true, will be an early Christmas gift to the people of Sabah," he said in a letter to The Malaysian Insider today.
Rahman had said the RCI report would be tabled in Parliament, which convenes its next sitting tomorrow.
Rahman said this during a forum "Sabah dalam atau keluar Malaysia" (Sabah in or out of Malaysia), which was organised by Suara Masyarakat Sabah (SMS), a non-governmental organisation based in Kota Kinabalu.
It has been more than a year since the RCI proceedings ended at the Kota Kinabalu High Court, with 211 witnesses giving their testimony, and five months since the RCI report was submitted to the King.
Leiking said Rahman (pic, below) also told the forum during the question and answer session that the Cabinet felt that MPs should get the report before the public.
"I, as the people’s representative for Penampang, cannot wait to read the final RCI report. I can only hope this RCI report will provide the closure that Sabah needs in order to move forward.
"The 2.4 million 'real' Sabahans, cannot wait to read the RCI report. Since the 1970s, the people of Sabah have suffered in every aspect of normal living by the sheer number of illegals moving into Sabah," Leiking said.
The Borneo state's population rose by 390% over 30 years, with the arrival of illegal immigrants who were later allegedly made citizens through Project IC.
"These illegals not only took jobs away from Sabahans but flooded our hospitals and schools and contributed to the lawless reputation of the state.
"No other state in Malaysia, or for that matter no other country, would tolerate this sort of people invasion," Leiking said.
The RCI, chaired by former Borneo chief judge Tan Sri Steve Shim, began on September 21, 2012, and covered eight terms of reference.
These included investigating the number of foreigners issued Malaysian identity cards via Project IC, whether the issuance was in accordance with the law, whether they had been registered in the Sabah electoral roll and the social implications of these foreigners in Sabah.
Amid all the testimonies heard during the year-long proceedings, which concluded in September last year, the names of former deputy home minister Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad frequently cropped up.
Dr Mahathir, who appeared before the panel last year, denied any knowledge of Project IC.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was Dr Mahathir's deputy until he was sacked in 1998, also testified and said it was impossible for the latter not to know about Project IC as such a large-scale operation could not have been carried out without the approval of the executive, especially since Dr Mahathir was also Home Minister in the late 1980s and throughout most of the 1990s.
Project IC refers to the allegations of systematic granting of citizenship to legal or illegal immigrants by issuing them Malaysian identity cards (IC), which were later renamed "MyKad".
It was reported that by the end of the proceedings, a key point that was clear then was the fact that illegal immigrants in Sabah had been issued Malaysian identity cards indiscriminately.
Witnesses who were asked how the problem could be solved said it would be very difficult as some of the immigrants have lived in Sabah for decades.
After the proceedings, the commissioners worked through the various exhibits and documents tendered during the inquiry, and in May this year the RCI submitted its report on the outcome of the investigations to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. – October 6, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sabah-mp-pleased-with-ministers-statement-on-disclosure-of-rci-report#sthash.xmv15vQO.dpuf
This promise made by Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who is from Sabah, has been welcomed by Penampang MP Dareel Leiking.
Leiking said this was the first time a minister had stated so clearly that the RCI report would be released to the public.
"Prior to this, despite many calls by the peoples of Sabah for the government to release the report, Putrajaya has kept quiet. The minister’s words, if true, will be an early Christmas gift to the people of Sabah," he said in a letter to The Malaysian Insider today.
Rahman had said the RCI report would be tabled in Parliament, which convenes its next sitting tomorrow.
Rahman said this during a forum "Sabah dalam atau keluar Malaysia" (Sabah in or out of Malaysia), which was organised by Suara Masyarakat Sabah (SMS), a non-governmental organisation based in Kota Kinabalu.
It has been more than a year since the RCI proceedings ended at the Kota Kinabalu High Court, with 211 witnesses giving their testimony, and five months since the RCI report was submitted to the King.
Leiking said Rahman (pic, below) also told the forum during the question and answer session that the Cabinet felt that MPs should get the report before the public.
"I, as the people’s representative for Penampang, cannot wait to read the final RCI report. I can only hope this RCI report will provide the closure that Sabah needs in order to move forward.
"The 2.4 million 'real' Sabahans, cannot wait to read the RCI report. Since the 1970s, the people of Sabah have suffered in every aspect of normal living by the sheer number of illegals moving into Sabah," Leiking said.
The Borneo state's population rose by 390% over 30 years, with the arrival of illegal immigrants who were later allegedly made citizens through Project IC.
"These illegals not only took jobs away from Sabahans but flooded our hospitals and schools and contributed to the lawless reputation of the state.
"No other state in Malaysia, or for that matter no other country, would tolerate this sort of people invasion," Leiking said.
The RCI, chaired by former Borneo chief judge Tan Sri Steve Shim, began on September 21, 2012, and covered eight terms of reference.
These included investigating the number of foreigners issued Malaysian identity cards via Project IC, whether the issuance was in accordance with the law, whether they had been registered in the Sabah electoral roll and the social implications of these foreigners in Sabah.
Amid all the testimonies heard during the year-long proceedings, which concluded in September last year, the names of former deputy home minister Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad frequently cropped up.
Dr Mahathir, who appeared before the panel last year, denied any knowledge of Project IC.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was Dr Mahathir's deputy until he was sacked in 1998, also testified and said it was impossible for the latter not to know about Project IC as such a large-scale operation could not have been carried out without the approval of the executive, especially since Dr Mahathir was also Home Minister in the late 1980s and throughout most of the 1990s.
Project IC refers to the allegations of systematic granting of citizenship to legal or illegal immigrants by issuing them Malaysian identity cards (IC), which were later renamed "MyKad".
It was reported that by the end of the proceedings, a key point that was clear then was the fact that illegal immigrants in Sabah had been issued Malaysian identity cards indiscriminately.
Witnesses who were asked how the problem could be solved said it would be very difficult as some of the immigrants have lived in Sabah for decades.
After the proceedings, the commissioners worked through the various exhibits and documents tendered during the inquiry, and in May this year the RCI submitted its report on the outcome of the investigations to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. – October 6, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sabah-mp-pleased-with-ministers-statement-on-disclosure-of-rci-report#sthash.xmv15vQO.dpuf
Labels:
Sabah and Sarawak
Bus driver stabbed by commuter on morning rounds, in critical condition
A Rapid Penang bus driver was stabbed while on duty this morning, allegedly by a female passenger.
The 6am incident happened as the victim Aisyamudin Yaacob, 27, was driving along Jalan Paya Terubong towards Balik Pulau, police said.
Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mior Faridalatrash Wahid said the driver was critically wounded by the suspect.
He was given help by another Rapid Penang bus driver, who passed Aisyamudin's bus that was stopped by the road.
The other driver S. Shanker immediately called for an ambulance, he said.
"We still do not know what sparked the incident," Mior said, adding that the suspect has yet to be found.
"The bus has no closed circuit television that caught the incident on video."
It is uncertain whether there were other passengers onboard.
The victim's supervisor V.K. Siva Kumar, 38, lodged a police report at 6.50am after he was notified by staff at the bus company's Sungai Dua depot.
Mior said Siva Kumar told the police that Aisyamudin had described the woman as in her 40s and appeared mentally unsound when he was helped by Shanker before he passed out.
"Shanker found the man very weak after losing a lot of blood. Aisyamudim told him about the woman and said he was attacked with a sharp object," he said.
The victim is now being treated at the Penang Hospital red zone. His current condition is listed as critical.
Mior said the victim lost a lot of blood in his right thigh, as the weapon hit his central nervous system.
"He is still unconscious," he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, which operates Rapid Penang, in a statement said the company will give its full cooperation to the police.
The statement added that the company was also very concerned about the driver, who is still in critical condition.
"The driver is currently undergoing surgery at the Penang General Hospital. In the meantime, we will render every assistance possible to his family.
"We also hope the suspect will be arrested as soon as possible," he added. – October 6, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bus-driver-stabbed-by-commuter-on-morning-rounds#sthash.Y4lElhMO.dpuf
The 6am incident happened as the victim Aisyamudin Yaacob, 27, was driving along Jalan Paya Terubong towards Balik Pulau, police said.
Northeast district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mior Faridalatrash Wahid said the driver was critically wounded by the suspect.
He was given help by another Rapid Penang bus driver, who passed Aisyamudin's bus that was stopped by the road.
The other driver S. Shanker immediately called for an ambulance, he said.
"We still do not know what sparked the incident," Mior said, adding that the suspect has yet to be found.
"The bus has no closed circuit television that caught the incident on video."
It is uncertain whether there were other passengers onboard.
The victim's supervisor V.K. Siva Kumar, 38, lodged a police report at 6.50am after he was notified by staff at the bus company's Sungai Dua depot.
Mior said Siva Kumar told the police that Aisyamudin had described the woman as in her 40s and appeared mentally unsound when he was helped by Shanker before he passed out.
"Shanker found the man very weak after losing a lot of blood. Aisyamudim told him about the woman and said he was attacked with a sharp object," he said.
The victim is now being treated at the Penang Hospital red zone. His current condition is listed as critical.
Mior said the victim lost a lot of blood in his right thigh, as the weapon hit his central nervous system.
"He is still unconscious," he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, which operates Rapid Penang, in a statement said the company will give its full cooperation to the police.
The statement added that the company was also very concerned about the driver, who is still in critical condition.
"The driver is currently undergoing surgery at the Penang General Hospital. In the meantime, we will render every assistance possible to his family.
"We also hope the suspect will be arrested as soon as possible," he added. – October 6, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bus-driver-stabbed-by-commuter-on-morning-rounds#sthash.Y4lElhMO.dpuf
PAS president digging own grave, says Zam
Former Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s tahaluf siyasi (political cooperation) with non-Muslim parties and endorsement of Anwar Ibrahim’s supporters, will boot him out of the party.
In
a scathing attack on Hadi, PAS deputy president Muhammad Sabu, DAP and
PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, Zam (as Zainuddin is known) wrote
that Hadi's willingness to work with non-Muslims will lead to the same
fate as his predecessor Asri Muda, who was voted out of PAS for wanting
to work with Umno.
In his recent blog posting, Zam said Hadi’s tahaluf siyasi with the non Muslim parties has dug his own grave.
He also said that Hadi had allowed Anwar supporters such as Mat Sabu to inflitrate the party.
He is now being “drowned” just as former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed would have drowned had he not sacked Anwar from Umno in 1998, wrote Zam.
He is now being “drowned” just as former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed would have drowned had he not sacked Anwar from Umno in 1998, wrote Zam.
He further added that Hadi’s undoing of himself became clear when he
supported Mat Sabu and sidelined (the then deputy president) Nasharuddin
Md Isa at the 2011 PAS annual delegate conference Muktamar.
“One day before PAS booted out progressive ulama such as Nasharuddin and
Astora Jebat, a great religious writer, I bumped into Husam Musa,
Mahfuz Omar and Muhammad Sabu at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
"Knowing that Mat Sabu was a challenger to the deputy president’s post, I suspected a confrontation was happening. I believed that it happened with the blessings of Hadi,” said Zam.
"Knowing that Mat Sabu was a challenger to the deputy president’s post, I suspected a confrontation was happening. I believed that it happened with the blessings of Hadi,” said Zam.
The former minister said that Hadi (right in photo) had “replaced an Islamic intellectual” with “a leader whose strength depends on actions and controversies”.
He said this was also when Hadi “threw away” the idea of an Islamic state in preference of a “welfare state”.
Zam said that Mat Sabu has been given
moral support then by Hadi to challenge Nasharuddin and this annihilated
the party’s image as a religious party.
He said that with such support, it was Hadi himself who had went for the
cooperation of Muslim and non-Muslim parties to build an utopian
country which is clean, just and honest, to replace Umno.
Also while it may appear that tahaluf siyasi may taken PAS
away from the hands of the ulama, Zam believes Hadi’s post is not very
secure now with the party's rocky relationship with Pakatan Rakyat an
indicator.
“Therefore the present PAS ulama leadership will not be thrown away or
sidelined. Hadi will receive the same fate as the religious nationalist
leader Asri,” predicted Zam.
Labels:
PAS
Azmin to meet Selangor Islamic bodies over Bible impasse
Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali is still waiting for the state Islamic authorities to explain the impasse over their seizure of Malay and Iban-language Bibles from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM).
"I haven't received an explanation from Jais and Mais. This will be the next issue we address as we have been focusing on the water restructuring agreement and other matters last week," Azmin said when met at his Hari Raya Aidiladha open house in Hulu Kelang today.
Meetings with the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and the Selangor Islamic Council (Mais) are in the pipeline, he said, adding that he had to prioritise which of the contentious issues inherited from his predecessor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to deal with first.
Azmin said he would send a formal written request to the federal government to release the Selangor water agreement from the Official Secrets Act. To date, his administration still has not seen a copy of the agreement signed by Khalid and Putrajaya, although they have been briefed on the documents by the state's investment arm, Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB).
Asked whether the Bibles were still in the custody of the religious authorities, Azmin said he did not have that information.
"I have no information at this moment, I will discuss it with Jais," he said.
He also would not commit to whether the Bibles will be returned until having met Jais.
"It depends on the discussion with Jais, it won't be fair of me to make a decision now without getting the latest information," he said.
More than 300 copies of the Bahasa Malaysia Alkitab and the Bub Kudus in the Iban language were seized from the BSM by Jais enforcement officers on January 2 this year.
The Attorney-General has decided not to press charges but the state Islamic authorities have also refused to return the Bibles, leading to the current impasse.
Lawyers have said that BSM can still file a civil action to force Jais and Mais to return the Bibles and could also ask for damages if the Bibles had been destroyed, although this would be awarded at the court's discretion.
BSM has missed the 90-day window to file a judicial review on Mais's June 13 decision not to return the Bibles despite the A-G not pressing charges. – October 6, 2014
"I haven't received an explanation from Jais and Mais. This will be the next issue we address as we have been focusing on the water restructuring agreement and other matters last week," Azmin said when met at his Hari Raya Aidiladha open house in Hulu Kelang today.
Meetings with the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and the Selangor Islamic Council (Mais) are in the pipeline, he said, adding that he had to prioritise which of the contentious issues inherited from his predecessor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to deal with first.
Azmin said he would send a formal written request to the federal government to release the Selangor water agreement from the Official Secrets Act. To date, his administration still has not seen a copy of the agreement signed by Khalid and Putrajaya, although they have been briefed on the documents by the state's investment arm, Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB).
Asked whether the Bibles were still in the custody of the religious authorities, Azmin said he did not have that information.
"I have no information at this moment, I will discuss it with Jais," he said.
He also would not commit to whether the Bibles will be returned until having met Jais.
"It depends on the discussion with Jais, it won't be fair of me to make a decision now without getting the latest information," he said.
More than 300 copies of the Bahasa Malaysia Alkitab and the Bub Kudus in the Iban language were seized from the BSM by Jais enforcement officers on January 2 this year.
The Attorney-General has decided not to press charges but the state Islamic authorities have also refused to return the Bibles, leading to the current impasse.
Lawyers have said that BSM can still file a civil action to force Jais and Mais to return the Bibles and could also ask for damages if the Bibles had been destroyed, although this would be awarded at the court's discretion.
BSM has missed the 90-day window to file a judicial review on Mais's June 13 decision not to return the Bibles despite the A-G not pressing charges. – October 6, 2014
Labels:
Christianity,
Selangor
The right to receive education in one’s mother tongue is a basic human right
Press Statement
SJKCs educate children of all races to be patriotic, peace loving and law abiding Malaysian citizens. To claim that Chinese vernacular schools are sowing racist sentiments to our children is simply nonsensical. It is the racist arguments in the tune of Petaling Jaya Utara UMNO deputy chief Mohamad Azli Mohemed Saad that aggravate racial divide and distrust in the country.
In line with UNESCO’s convention against Discrimination in Education 1960 which prohibits discrimination in education ”based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic condition or birth”, Article 152 of our Federal Constitution provides that the national language shall be the Malay language provided that no person shall be prohibited or prevented from teaching or learning any other language. Such right enshrined in the Constitution must not be disturbed and disputed.
The right to receive education in one’s mother tongue, especially at the early stage in education, is a basic human right recognised world wide.
Diversity in race and culture has always been a unique strength for Malaysia to compete in this highly globalised economy.
With the influence of the British for more than a century, and the fact that our society are formed by the local Malays, indigenous people together with descendants of the migrants from China, India as well as the Malay archipelago, Malaysians have the best of both the East and West. By and large, we are multi-lingual and we understand the different cultures practiced by the world citizens. We should recognise and capitalise our strengths to put Malaysia in the world map instead of entangling ourselves with self-serving and narrow minded view of closing down vernacular schools in Malaysia. To do so is to take a big step backwards!
It is ignorant to say that Malaysia is the only country in the world that practises the dual-stream education system. There is nothing wrong in providing alternatives to enhance competitiveness. In fact, in many federated nations, education comes under state’s jurisdiction, education systems thus vary from state to state.
Chinese vernacular schools are not only for Malaysian Chinese. In almost all SJKCs in the suburban and rural areas in Sabah, more than 50% are bumiputera, some more than 70%. It is also common for SJKCs in the urban areas to have up to 30% bumiputera students. With such student compositions, the schools are actually melting pots that enhance national integration. I wonder how one can claim that these schools breed racism.
Datuk Teo Chee Kang JP
President
Liberal Democratic Party
SJKCs educate children of all races to be patriotic, peace loving and law abiding Malaysian citizens. To claim that Chinese vernacular schools are sowing racist sentiments to our children is simply nonsensical. It is the racist arguments in the tune of Petaling Jaya Utara UMNO deputy chief Mohamad Azli Mohemed Saad that aggravate racial divide and distrust in the country.
In line with UNESCO’s convention against Discrimination in Education 1960 which prohibits discrimination in education ”based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic condition or birth”, Article 152 of our Federal Constitution provides that the national language shall be the Malay language provided that no person shall be prohibited or prevented from teaching or learning any other language. Such right enshrined in the Constitution must not be disturbed and disputed.
The right to receive education in one’s mother tongue, especially at the early stage in education, is a basic human right recognised world wide.
Diversity in race and culture has always been a unique strength for Malaysia to compete in this highly globalised economy.
With the influence of the British for more than a century, and the fact that our society are formed by the local Malays, indigenous people together with descendants of the migrants from China, India as well as the Malay archipelago, Malaysians have the best of both the East and West. By and large, we are multi-lingual and we understand the different cultures practiced by the world citizens. We should recognise and capitalise our strengths to put Malaysia in the world map instead of entangling ourselves with self-serving and narrow minded view of closing down vernacular schools in Malaysia. To do so is to take a big step backwards!
It is ignorant to say that Malaysia is the only country in the world that practises the dual-stream education system. There is nothing wrong in providing alternatives to enhance competitiveness. In fact, in many federated nations, education comes under state’s jurisdiction, education systems thus vary from state to state.
Chinese vernacular schools are not only for Malaysian Chinese. In almost all SJKCs in the suburban and rural areas in Sabah, more than 50% are bumiputera, some more than 70%. It is also common for SJKCs in the urban areas to have up to 30% bumiputera students. With such student compositions, the schools are actually melting pots that enhance national integration. I wonder how one can claim that these schools breed racism.
Datuk Teo Chee Kang JP
President
Liberal Democratic Party
Labels:
Education,
Malaysian Chinese
Kit Siang: Is Pakatan still relevant?
The DAP leader calls for an urgent meeting of the PR Leadership Council to find out whether the coalition is at its end game.
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang has called for an “urgent meeting” of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Leadership Council to find out whether the alliance “is still relevant to the hopes and expectations of Malaysians”.
In his latest blog posting, he suggested that the members of the Council take the opportunity to meet during breaks in the Parliament session that begins tomorrow.
He said there was no denying that the Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) controversy had caused the alliance to suffer its worst crisis and most serious loss of public confidence since its formation six years ago.
“The jury is still out whether PR can recover” before the 14th general election, he added.
He said PR was lucky that Selangor Barisan Nasional was too weak to exploit the situation. “But the next time,” he warned, “PR is not going to be so lucky.”
He said DAP, PKR and PAS must address the “critical” question of whether PR “is capable of closing ranks or is at the stage of its end game.”
He said the PR leadership council was “virtually crippled” during the MB crisis by the breakdown of its consensus principle.
He said the proposed meeting should reaffirm the component parties’ “commitment and adherence to the PR’s two founding principles – upholding the PR common policy framework and abiding by the PR operational principle of consensus.”
“A working committee with three or four representatives from each PR component party should be entrusted with the urgent responsibility to formulate recommendations as to how PR could learn from the recent crisis,” he said.
“A repeat of such a crisis would spell the end and demise of the PR coalition.”
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang has called for an “urgent meeting” of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Leadership Council to find out whether the alliance “is still relevant to the hopes and expectations of Malaysians”.
In his latest blog posting, he suggested that the members of the Council take the opportunity to meet during breaks in the Parliament session that begins tomorrow.
He said there was no denying that the Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) controversy had caused the alliance to suffer its worst crisis and most serious loss of public confidence since its formation six years ago.
“The jury is still out whether PR can recover” before the 14th general election, he added.
He said PR was lucky that Selangor Barisan Nasional was too weak to exploit the situation. “But the next time,” he warned, “PR is not going to be so lucky.”
He said DAP, PKR and PAS must address the “critical” question of whether PR “is capable of closing ranks or is at the stage of its end game.”
He said the PR leadership council was “virtually crippled” during the MB crisis by the breakdown of its consensus principle.
He said the proposed meeting should reaffirm the component parties’ “commitment and adherence to the PR’s two founding principles – upholding the PR common policy framework and abiding by the PR operational principle of consensus.”
“A working committee with three or four representatives from each PR component party should be entrusted with the urgent responsibility to formulate recommendations as to how PR could learn from the recent crisis,” he said.
“A repeat of such a crisis would spell the end and demise of the PR coalition.”
Labels:
PR
Wishes that bring nightmares
Be careful what you wish for, says Zaid Ibrahim.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians should be careful when they wish for something because getting our heart’s desire could cost us our peace, security and even our lives, says former law minister Zaid Ibrahim in his latest blog posting.
Referring to BR1M as the realisation of a Malaysian dream for “an advanced economy and cash handouts”, he says this comes at the cost of having to pay more for goods and services.
“As we draw closer to the year 2020, when we target to finally wearing our ‘developed nation’ crown, we will continue to have to endure a high cost of living with desperately low wages,” he says. “The people will have to pay more for tolls, for insurance and transport, for medical fees as well as for housing.
“Theoretically, wages should rise in developed economies, but for some reason ours do not.”
Referring to the formation of Malaysia, he says, “Fifty years ago, we had our wish for Sabah and Sarawak to become part of the Malay Empire.
“Now that Sabah is under Umno and has more Muslims than Christians, we have got our wish. But for this, too, we have to pay the price.
“Project IC has seen Filipinos make up 800,000 or 25 per cent of Sabah’s population. Many more millions of Filipinos living in Mindanao harbour hopes of joining them. Their kin and friends are already in Sabah, both legally and illegally.
“Our security is now breached regularly, and the last incident in Kudat and Sampoerna cost us more than RM200 million and many lives. We should be careful what we wish for.’’
He says, “Umno Malays had this wish that they wanted to rule the country without much fuss from the Chinese and Indian parties. Umno became the only party that counted in the Barisan Nasional (BN) structure, and this gave rise to Ketuanan Melayu and Ketuanan Islam.”
He attributes the raft of sedition charges to the consequences of this wish – non-Malays withdrawing their support for BN and having their loyalty questioned.
He says a more recent wish for a “transformational cabinet” has also turned up something undesirable. “None among [the men of integrity and advocates of transparency in the cabinet] dared ask the Prime Minister about the mysterious goings-on at 1Malaysia Development Berhad and the billions of ringgit at stake.”
So Malaysians, says Zaid, be careful what you wish for because “nothing comes free, except wishful thinking.”
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians should be careful when they wish for something because getting our heart’s desire could cost us our peace, security and even our lives, says former law minister Zaid Ibrahim in his latest blog posting.
Referring to BR1M as the realisation of a Malaysian dream for “an advanced economy and cash handouts”, he says this comes at the cost of having to pay more for goods and services.
“As we draw closer to the year 2020, when we target to finally wearing our ‘developed nation’ crown, we will continue to have to endure a high cost of living with desperately low wages,” he says. “The people will have to pay more for tolls, for insurance and transport, for medical fees as well as for housing.
“Theoretically, wages should rise in developed economies, but for some reason ours do not.”
Referring to the formation of Malaysia, he says, “Fifty years ago, we had our wish for Sabah and Sarawak to become part of the Malay Empire.
“Now that Sabah is under Umno and has more Muslims than Christians, we have got our wish. But for this, too, we have to pay the price.
“Project IC has seen Filipinos make up 800,000 or 25 per cent of Sabah’s population. Many more millions of Filipinos living in Mindanao harbour hopes of joining them. Their kin and friends are already in Sabah, both legally and illegally.
“Our security is now breached regularly, and the last incident in Kudat and Sampoerna cost us more than RM200 million and many lives. We should be careful what we wish for.’’
He says, “Umno Malays had this wish that they wanted to rule the country without much fuss from the Chinese and Indian parties. Umno became the only party that counted in the Barisan Nasional (BN) structure, and this gave rise to Ketuanan Melayu and Ketuanan Islam.”
He attributes the raft of sedition charges to the consequences of this wish – non-Malays withdrawing their support for BN and having their loyalty questioned.
He says a more recent wish for a “transformational cabinet” has also turned up something undesirable. “None among [the men of integrity and advocates of transparency in the cabinet] dared ask the Prime Minister about the mysterious goings-on at 1Malaysia Development Berhad and the billions of ringgit at stake.”
So Malaysians, says Zaid, be careful what you wish for because “nothing comes free, except wishful thinking.”
Labels:
Zaid Ibrahim
Malaysia’s Deplorable Sedition Act
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
The Malaysian government has increasingly employed the Sedition Act, a British colonial era law, to intimidate and silence political opponents. The law criminalizes speech uttered “to excite disaffection” against the government and defines sedition so broadly that it is an invitation to authoritarian abuse.
Prime Minister Najib Razak had promised to repeal the act, but, since the general elections in May last year, his government has made full use of the law to hound his critics. While Mr. Najib’s ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, won 60 percent of the parliamentary seats in the election, for the first time since independence in 1957, the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, won a 51 percent majority of the popular vote.
The elections seem to have shaken the government enough for it to arrest and prosecute an array of politicians, journalists, academics, students, religious leaders and civil society activists who did not advocate the overthrow of the government. For example, a senior opposition politician was charged with sedition for criticizing a decision by the appeals court in a statement to the news media. A local state assemblyman was charged for allegedly saying “damn, damn” about the government’s United Malays National Organization to several assemblymen. Since 2013, at least 14 people have been charged. Those found guilty can face up to three years in prison.
Mr. Najib’s crackdown is a deplorable attack on free speech and a serious threat to democracy. He appeared to understand this danger when he promised to repeal the Sedition Act. He should do so immediately.
The Malaysian government has increasingly employed the Sedition Act, a British colonial era law, to intimidate and silence political opponents. The law criminalizes speech uttered “to excite disaffection” against the government and defines sedition so broadly that it is an invitation to authoritarian abuse.
Prime Minister Najib Razak had promised to repeal the act, but, since the general elections in May last year, his government has made full use of the law to hound his critics. While Mr. Najib’s ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, won 60 percent of the parliamentary seats in the election, for the first time since independence in 1957, the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, won a 51 percent majority of the popular vote.
The elections seem to have shaken the government enough for it to arrest and prosecute an array of politicians, journalists, academics, students, religious leaders and civil society activists who did not advocate the overthrow of the government. For example, a senior opposition politician was charged with sedition for criticizing a decision by the appeals court in a statement to the news media. A local state assemblyman was charged for allegedly saying “damn, damn” about the government’s United Malays National Organization to several assemblymen. Since 2013, at least 14 people have been charged. Those found guilty can face up to three years in prison.
Mr. Najib’s crackdown is a deplorable attack on free speech and a serious threat to democracy. He appeared to understand this danger when he promised to repeal the Sedition Act. He should do so immediately.
Labels:
Seditious
Lawyers to march against Sedition Act on October 16
Malay Mail
by BOO SU-LYN
by BOO SU-LYN
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 2 — The Malaysian Bar is set to rally against the Sedition
Act 1948 on October 16 in the city centre here after passing resolutions
at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) demanding a repeal of the
law.
The
Bar Council’s National Young Lawyers Committee chair Syahredzan Johan
said the circular on the protest scheduled at the Padang Merbok car
park, called “Walk for Peace and Freedom”, was issued to Malaysian Bar
members this afternoon.
“The Bar before this has only walked three times,” Syahredzan told Malay Mail Online today.
“This
will be the fourth time. Each time the Bar has walked, it’s a serious
issue. This shows how serious the Malaysian Bar sees the Sedition Act
and the current abuse of the Act,” the lawyer added.
Syahredzan
said the Malaysian Bar previously demonstrated against the Peaceful
Assembly Act in 2011, corruption in the judiciary in 2007 and attempted
amendments to the Societies Act in the 1980s.
In
the circular posted on the Malaysian Bar website, its president
Christopher Leong said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had pledged
in 2012 to abolish the Sedition Act and that the replacement law would
“strengthen national cohesion by protecting national unity and nurturing
religious harmony”.
“The
Sedition Act 1948 is antithetical and counter-productive to these
values, and to our aspirations for a better Malaysia,” said Leong.
“I
call on all members and pupils in chambers to please attend the Walk
and express your aspirations and support for a better Malaysia premised
on peace, harmony, unity, understanding and freedom from fear,
intimidation, exploitation, oppression and extremism,” he added.
The
Malaysian Bar voted at its September 19 EGM to hold a peaceful protest
against the Sedition Act, amid a government crackdown under the
colonial-era law against lawyers, opposition lawmakers and academics,
among others.
The
legal profession body also passed resolutions calling for the abolition
of the Sedition Act, the withdrawal of all charges that are pending, a
suspension of the use of the law and for the Act not to be recast into a
new law.
At
least 20 people have been investigated or charged under the Sedition
Act in the space of one month recently, sparking criticisms that the
government was abusing the law to quell dissent.
With
growing pressure from conservatives within his own party, Umno, Najib
said recently that the government may not repeal the Sedition Act after
all if replacement laws were inferior.
Labels:
BAR council
RMN's Missing CB204 Found, Seven Crew Safe - RMN Chief
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN)'s
combat boat CB90 which went missing off Pulau Mengalum in Sabah
yesterday has been found and all its seven crew members are reported
safe, said RMN chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar.
Abdul Aziz, who dislosed the development in his Twitter account, confirmed that the boat commander Lieutenant Azri Bakar had made a call via radio to inform that all the crew members were safe.
"Boat CB204: Lt Azri, boat commander informs KD Ganas via Ch16, boat and all crew members are safe but hungry. Alhamdulillah," he said in his Twitter account at 6.10pm Monday.
In a statement Sunday night, Abdul Aziz said the combat boat had left the navy base in Kota Kinabalu at 5am on Sunday before losing radio communication contact with another vessel at 11.15 am.
The combat boat lost contact with KD Paus while they were heading to RMN's 'Station Lima' at Terumbu Layang-Layang, Sabah.
Meanwhile, in Kota Kinabalu, a spokesman from the RMN base in Sepanggar said the seven on board the vessel - Lt Azri Bakar, BK PAP Charles Cristopher Muni, BM TMK Ince Ewin, BM TMK Steven Hudson Miso, BM JTP Nor Azuan Ariffin, LK KOM Sulhajji Daah and LK I PAP Azhry Maani - are all safe.
The spokesman added that the vessel which encountered mechanical problem (steering) was found about 30 nautical miles off Pulau Layang Layang after establishing contact with its crew at 4.15pm.
"A RMN vessel, KD Ganas is on its way to tow CB90 to the nearest station in Gugusan Semarang, Pulau Layang Layang," he said.
Abdul Aziz, who dislosed the development in his Twitter account, confirmed that the boat commander Lieutenant Azri Bakar had made a call via radio to inform that all the crew members were safe.
"Boat CB204: Lt Azri, boat commander informs KD Ganas via Ch16, boat and all crew members are safe but hungry. Alhamdulillah," he said in his Twitter account at 6.10pm Monday.
In a statement Sunday night, Abdul Aziz said the combat boat had left the navy base in Kota Kinabalu at 5am on Sunday before losing radio communication contact with another vessel at 11.15 am.
The combat boat lost contact with KD Paus while they were heading to RMN's 'Station Lima' at Terumbu Layang-Layang, Sabah.
Meanwhile, in Kota Kinabalu, a spokesman from the RMN base in Sepanggar said the seven on board the vessel - Lt Azri Bakar, BK PAP Charles Cristopher Muni, BM TMK Ince Ewin, BM TMK Steven Hudson Miso, BM JTP Nor Azuan Ariffin, LK KOM Sulhajji Daah and LK I PAP Azhry Maani - are all safe.
The spokesman added that the vessel which encountered mechanical problem (steering) was found about 30 nautical miles off Pulau Layang Layang after establishing contact with its crew at 4.15pm.
"A RMN vessel, KD Ganas is on its way to tow CB90 to the nearest station in Gugusan Semarang, Pulau Layang Layang," he said.
Labels:
Army
Radical Muslim Caught on Tape Threatening American Citizen… in Atlanta, Georgia
If you don’t think that radical Islam is already here in the US, think again.
A man was quietly filming a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protest in Atlanta, Georgia, not bothering anyone, when a Middle-Eastern man with an Arabic accent walked up to him and started directing profanities at him and at Israel.
The pro-Palestinian protester told the man behind the camera to stop filming and leave or “I’ll break your head and your phone.”
The Southern “good ol’ boy” who was filming wasn’t happy. “This is America. Get your finger out of my face, homey.”
The protester told him to “respect yourself” before “you get stepped on,” to which he replied, “I’m respecting you enough not to beat your a**.” If only he had done it.
This is a perfect example of the violent mentality of the anti-Israel movement. An innocent bystander who was bothering no one by merely filming a protest in a public street was threatened by a pro-Palestinian (probably Muslim) radical. What did the protester not want to be captured on camera? Is it the fact that these protesters aren’t often just anti-Israel, but pro-Hamas? Is it the fact that the anti-Israel movement is often inextricably linked to anti-Semitism?
Whatever the reason, seeing radical Islam on display in America, boldly threatening our citizens in the open streets, is horrifying. We’ve been complacent for too long… it’s time to identify this threat and stamp it out, lest scenes like this become even more common on US soil.
http://conservativetribune.com/radical-muslim-threatens-american/
Labels:
Islam
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