Maldives: Islamists Storm National Museum, Destroy Entire Collection of 12th Century Buddhist Statues…

Bamyan styled Islamists effectively erased all evidence of its Buddhist past of pre-Islamic Maldives.
Trouble in paradise: Maldives and Islamic extremismes.

Nobody will be able to see this priceless Buddhist Sculpture anymore

MALE — At the Maldives’ National Museum, smashed Buddhist statues are testament to the rise of Islamic extremism and Taliban-style intolerance in a country famous as a laid-back holiday destination.

On Tuesday, as protesters backed by mutinous police toppled president Mohamed Nasheed, a handful of men stormed the Chinese-built museum and destroyed its display of priceless artefacts from the nation’s pre-Islamic era.

“They have effectively erased all evidence of our Buddhist past,” a senior museum official told AFP at the now shuttered building in the capital Male, asking not to be named out of fear for his own safety.

“We lost all our 12th century statues. They were made of coral stone and limestone. They are very brittle and there is no way we can restore them,” he explained.

“I wept when I heard that the entire display had gone. We are good Muslims and we treated these statues only as part of our heritage. It is not against Islam to display these exhibits,” he said.

Five people have since been arrested after they returned the following day to smash the CCTV cameras, he said.

The authorities have banned photography of the damage, conscious that vandalism of this kind which echoes the 2001 destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban is damaging for the nation’s image.

The gates of the two-storeyed grey building, which opened in 2010, are padlocked and an unarmed guard keeps watch.

The Maldives, a collection of more than 1,100 coral-fringed islands surrounded by turquoise seas, is known as a “paradise” holiday destination that draws hundreds of thousands of travellers and honeymooners each year.

Visitors’ contact with the local population is deliberately kept at bay, however, with most foreigners simply transferring from the main international airport directly to their five-star resorts on outlying islands.

Few have any idea they are visiting a country of 330,000 Muslims with no religious freedom, where women can be flogged for extramarital sex and consuming alcohol is illegal for locals.

Islam is the official religion of the Maldives and open practice of any other religion is forbidden and liable to prosecution.

The religious origins of the Maldivian people are not clearly established, but it is believed that a Buddhist king converted to Islam in the 12th century.

Thereafter, the country practised a mostly liberal form of the religion, but more fundamentalist interpretations have spread with the arrival of money and ultra-conservative Salafist preachers from the Middle East.

In 2007, following a bombing that wounded a dozen foreign tourists, the former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom banned head-to-toe coverings for women as a sign of his intent to battle conservative Islamic thinking.

At the museum, another official said that fundamentalists had threatened to attack the museum on previous occasions unless it withdrew the Buddhist display.

The country’s ultra-conservative Islamic group, the Adhaalath Party, condemned the attack, but said they remained opposed to Nasheed’s decision to accept three monuments from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Islam is the only official religion of the Maldives and open practice of any other religion is strictly forbidden like other Islamic countries in the cresent world. The natural beauty of Maldives could not able to bring any change of the barbaric Islamic Mind.(AFP/File, Ishara S.Kodikara).

“Our constitution does not allow idols and that is why we objected to the monuments,” General Secretary Mohamed Muizzu said, referring to the gifts to mark a South Asian summit held in November in the Maldives.

The monuments, which included one of pillar featuring Buddhist motifs, and which had been on display in the southernmost island of Addu, have all since been vandalised.

The Adhaalath party supports new president Mohamed Waheed, who Nasheed accuses of taking part in a coup, and is due to join the new government.

Waheed called the museum attack “totally unacceptable” and denied there was religious violence in his country.

Former foreign minister Ahmed Naseem disagreed.

He said extremists were thriving in the Maldives and that they were partly responsible for the toppling of Nasheed and the installation of Waheed. “What we had was a military coup backed by religious extremists,” he said.

“There is a strong influence of Islamic fundamentalists in the country and they will get stronger,” Naseem told AFP. “These groups are funded from abroad. “This threat is not only to us, but the rest of the world as well.”

The moderate Nasheed, who was educated in Sri Lanka and Britain, was consistently accused of being under the control of Jews and Christians by religious opposition parties now linked to the government

There were also demonstrations over proposals from the transport ministry to allow direct flights from Israel.

“We strongly condemn the anti-Semitic words and the other commentary recently,” US assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs Robert Blake said during a visit to Male on Saturday.

“Under President Nasheed, the Maldives tried to improve relations with Israel and showed what a progressive country they were and we really commend them for that.”

British Islamist Anjem Choudary Launches 'Shariah for India,' Vows to Demolish Hindu Temples and Bollywood; Muslims Urged to Join In New Delhi March Next Month Marking 88th Anniversary of the End of Islamic Caliphate

By: Tufail Ahmad - Memri

It should be noted that during the British rule, Indian leaders like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Mahatma Gandhi campaigned for the Islamic caliphate led by Turkey – Gandhi doing so perhaps to gain Muslim support against British colonial rule in India.

Shariah for Hind plans to campaign for reestablishing Islamic rule in India with an ideological agenda which outlines a much purer form of Islamic rule for the country than that which existed during various periods of rule by Muslim kings in India both before and during the British era.

According to the ideological agenda stated on the group's website, Islamic Shariah will be enforced in India; temples and statues of Hindu gods and Indian leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi will be demolished; and Bollywood, the world's largest movie industry, will be abolished in order to make way for a monotheistic Islamic rule in the country.


Shariah for Hind – Leaders and Website Details



It appears that preparations for establishing Shariah for Hind began sometime in 2011; its website was launched in January 2012.

The domain for the website was created on January 3, 2012, according to its registration details.[1] The registrant for this website is "Abu Rumaysah c/o Dynadot Privacy, PO Box 701, San Mateo, CA 94401, United States."[2]

The two leaders of this organization are identified as Sheikh Anjem Choudary and Sheikh Omar Muhammad Bakri. On the contact page of the website, these two names are published prominently: Sheikh Anjem Choudary, Judge of the UK Sharia Court, and Sheikh Omar Muhammad Bakri, who is identified as "Expert on Islamic Groups Worldwide." Bakri's phone number is given as 00961 70957759 – 961 being the country code for Lebanon. Choudary's phone number is given as 0044 7956 600 569.

The website of Sharia for Hind gives the name of its chairman as Abu Baraa and his phone contact as +44 7856827605. It also gives another phone contact, +44 7956041034, for Abu Rumaysah – Spokesman, a former Hindu, of Convert 2 Islam.

Shariah for Hind – The Ideology

"There is a Consensus among All Muslim Scholars That It is Not Permitted for Non-Muslims to Have Authority over Muslims; India Needs to Return Back to Her Glorious Islamic Past; India Needs a Muslim Revolution"

In a statement, titled "The Need for Muslim Rule in India," Shariah for Hind notes that Muslims cannot live under non-Muslim rule, stating:[3]

"There is a consensus among all Muslim scholars that it is not permitted for non-Muslims to have authority over Muslims. Allah says in the Quran, 'I have created you (Muslims) a leading Ummah (nation) in order to witness the affairs of mankind.' [EMQ 2:143]

"Islam is the only religion to have maintained its relationship with God, with a miraculous book called the Quran and meticulous sciences that ensure texts recorded during the life of the final Messenger Muhammad can be verified, understood and authenticated. This cannot be said for any of the other world religions, which have literally been lost in translation.

"Fundamentally however, Islam is not a secular religion and, unlike the 'biggest democracy in the world' [i.e. India], always refers its governance back to the supreme commander, Allah (God).

"The Islamic constitution remains intact 1400 years after its inception, and emphatically puts the Indian constitution to shame. Political parties such as the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] and Indian [National] Congress have let India down because just like their British predecessors they were never suited to be rulers and so ruined their country with backward and evil policies."

"India needs to return back to her glorious Islamic past. India needs a Muslim revolution."

"Indian Political Parties Have Preyed on the Muslim Community, As the Wolf Preys a Lamb; They Have Divided Us with Nationalism and Poisoned Us with Democracy"

In a statement, Shariah for Hind identified its political objective as follows:[4]

"As a nation we used to move mountains.

"The Muslim Ummah (nation) is a community unparalleled in history. At its height in power it ruled over three continents. It brought tyrants to justice and liberated the oppressed. History still records their magnificent conquests, which against all odds defeated the mightiest of superpowers.

"But somewhere along the line that bright light waned and in 2012 we (Muslims) find ourselves bizarrely under the thumbs of the very people we were meant to liberate! India is now ruled by the most incompetent, unqualified and wicked individuals who have no clue about their purpose in life, let alone how to rule a nation. The Indian constitution, just like its Pakistani and Bangladeshi counterparts, [is] an appalling attempt at law and order, a stab in the dark, a gross display of trial and error.

"Indian political parties have preyed on the Muslim community, as the wolf preys a lamb; they have divided us with nationalism and poisoned us with democracy but most significantly have made us forget what the final Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent down for i.e. the total domination of the world by Islam.

"And so we lay defenseless, strewn and confused.

"The Shariah4Hind project has thus been launched to kick start the return of Islam in the Indian subcontinent. Raw, undiluted and without compromise; it is the wild card which will inshaa'allah (God willing) make the Indian government forget about Kashmir. It is a call to unite over half a billion Muslims to retake what is rightfully theirs and galvanize a superpower unmatched in the world.

"3rd March 2012, New Delhi, India. A new spring waits."

The Muslims versus the Non-Muslims


"The Whole of India is in Fact [a] Muslim Land, the Authority Belongs to… [Muslims] and That They Should Take It From the Current Ruling Party to Implement the Shari'ah... Instead [of] Begging for Rights from the Hindus, the Muslims in India Must Govern By the Law of the Creator Allah"

A January 2, 2012 press statement issued by Shariah for Hind urges Muslims to join. Following are excerpts from the statement:

"The elections [for states in January-February 2012] in India are underway and the main parties have not hidden their eagerness to garner the Muslim vote. From the Samajwadi Party (SP) promising job reservations to Deobandis [scholars of Darul Uloom Deoband seminary], the Congress party talking to Barelvis [clerics of Barelvi schools of thought based in the town of Bareilly], Rahul Ghandi [of Congress party] meeting the head of Nadwa[tul Ulema seminary in the town of Lucknow] to discuss minority welfare and the ruling [Bahujan Samaj Party] BSP's Muslim face being in touch with several Muslim clerics, the race is on to bolster their respective vote bank and to win the elections. [Note: All seminaries cited here are in Muslim-heavy Uttar Pradesh state.]

"What is on offer for Muslims in the battle for their votes is supposedly community empowerment, quality education, protection and sensitivity in one form or other. Even the Peace Party and Ulema Council [political parties led by Muslims] have emerged to claim their stake.

"Sadly, the true rights of Muslims … [are] nowhere to be seen and no Islamic Scholar has had the courage to demand it. This is that the whole of India is in fact [a] Muslim land, the authority belongs to them and that they should take it from the current ruling party to implement the Shariah. Instead [of] begging for rights from the Hindus, the Muslims in India must govern by the law of the creator Allah (SWT). In fact it is an act of shirk (polytheism) to [be] rule[d] by other than what Allah has revealed or to ask another to do so (i.e. by voting for them).

"There is no Islamic justification for the Deobandis or Barelvis to participate in the kufr (non-Islamic) electoral system to elect someone who will violate the sanctity of Allah (SWT) by ruling according to man-made law. This is an act of apostasy from any Muslim which must be condemned."

"We Therefore Call Upon All Muslims to Rise on the 3rd of March 2012 (the 88th Anniversary of the Destruction of the Last Islamic State) in New Dehli in a Public Demonstration and Demand… to Establish the Khilafah [Islamic Rule]"

"We therefore call upon all Muslims to rise on the 3rd of March 2012 (the 88th anniversary of the destruction of the last Islamic State) in New Dehli [Urdu for Delhi] in a public demonstration and demand what is rightfully theirs i.e. the authority, to establish the Khilafah and rule by the laws of God alone. To raise awareness about this obligation and to call for it and to work to establish it is an obligation upon Muslims wherever they are and to accept anything less is an act of war against Allah and his Messenger Muhammad (saw).

"Once established, the Islamic State will guarantee the rights of all citizens, Muslim and non-Muslim. It will be the job of the Khalifah [Islamic caliph] to ensure that food, clothing and shelter are afforded to all citizens and that they have a good Islamic education. The Khalifah will also be responsible to remove all public idols and ban alcohol and free-mixing between the genders in the public arena. Moreover institutions such as Bollywood and the caste system will be eradicated.

"The non-Muslims, whether Hindu or Sikh will have certain rights and responsibilities as set out by the divine law, in summary the privileges that they will have are:

"1. In return for paying the Jizya [Islamic poll tax on non-Muslims], their life and property will have sanctity. The Imam (khalifah) will have a duty to protect the non-Muslim citizens from the Muslims and the non-Muslims because they are living under his authority. Moreover they will benefit from the same welfare as all other citizens except what Shari'ah specifies for them and as long as they commit to abide by the law of Islam in the public arena. They will live among the Muslims and take Daw'ah i.e. be propagated to by the Muslims to embrace Islam.

"2. The non-Muslims will be allowed to live in the Muslim land (India and other territories which will be annexed to it in due course) i.e. they can go everywhere except where Allah (SWT) or the Khalifah prohibits, such as the haram [the Holy Mosque] in Mecca or to live in the Arab peninsula, although they can go to trade there.

"3. Muslims will be obliged to protect the non-Muslims because they are part of the Islamic State.

"4. Muslims will never attack their own temples and not take their pigs or alcohol unless they demonstrate them publicly.

"5. The non-Muslims also have the right to access the welfare system. The Jizya is only taken from able-bodied mature men, not women or children or priest or majnoon (mentally ill) or those incapable or disabled."

"The Hindus or Sikhs or Other Non-Muslims… Must Not Build Any New Temples Nor Start to Sell Them and Buy New Ones, as Islam Forbids Us to Cooperate in the Bad Deeds; They Will Not Do Any Public Gathering of Their False Religion – Like Celebrating Christmas or Halloween or Diwali"

"In return, the Hindus or Sikhs or other non-Muslims will have certain duties, in summary:

"1. They must pay the Jizya depending on what the Khalifah adopts as the amount, for example a minimum of 1 Dinar a year or a maximum of 4 Dinar if rich.

"2. They must receive Muslims as guests if they are travelling. This applies to Muslims and non-Muslims if Muslims pass by.

"3. They must not build any new Temples nor start to sell them and buy new ones, as Islam forbids us to cooperate on the bad deeds.

"4. They must not show their symbols publicly or what is in their religion, like the pigs or alcohol or crosses or idols.

"5. They will not do any public gathering of their false religion – like celebrating Christmas or Halloween or Diwali or Guy Faulks night etc…

"6. Moreover they must be distinguished by their clothes so that we know who they are.

"7. They cannot raise their houses above ours.

"8. They must not harm Muslims in any way, not to insult Allah and his messenger or insult the book of Allah

"9. They will have the same liability in relation to the society i.e. the public law like in relation to adultery and stealing etc…"

The Cultural and Religious Agenda


"The Reconquest of India by Muslims Would See the Complete Demolition of Bollywood; Polytheism, Interfaith and Promiscuity and All of the Other Various Ills of the Bollywood Industry would Be Replaced with Islamic Monotheism"



A copy of Filmfare magazine that will be published under the Islamic Rule in India

The Shariah for Hind declares that the 2012 will mark the beginning of the end of Bollywood. Its statement on this subject declares:[5]

"The Indian cinema industry, commonly referred to as Bollywood, has a huge impact around the world. Bollywood produces some 1,000 films every year and sells over three billion cinema tickets in the same period. It is one of the most recognized symbols of India commanding a hypnotic influence over its followers.

"The impact of Bollywood in India and around the world should be a cause for great concern. The industry is luridly marred with corruption that has become progressively worse over the years. Notable examples include:

"Polytheism (glorifying the worship of idols, false gods, actors, actresses etc.)

"The promotion of interfaith (making Hindus and Muslims equal)

"Anti-Muslim propaganda

"Acting

"Nudity

"Free-mixing

"Promiscuity and fornication

"The exploitation of women

"Music

"The reconquest of India by Muslims would see the complete demolition of Bollywood and the Indian cinema industry. Its presence would be deemed as wholly unacceptable and in total opposition to the ethos of Islam. Ultimately, significant steps would be taken in order to see its complete destruction.

"With all remnants of the Bollywood industry thrown into the dustbins of history, possible uses of confiscated resources under Islamic rule include 'Da'wah' (the propagation of Islam) and Islamic education.

"In conclusion, polytheism, interfaith and promiscuity and all of the other various ills of the Bollywood industry would be replaced with Islamic monotheism (Tawheed) and righteousness, providing a healthy environment for Muslims and non-Muslims to live under."

"Associating Partners or Equals to Allah (God) is Seen as the Biggest Crime in Islam; The Establishment of the Shariah in India will Ultimately See an End to All Public Idols and Statues; We Envisage the Construction of Masjids (Mosques), Symbolizing the Transformation from Polytheism to Monotheism"


The head of Hindu god Lord Shiva is cut off in an image on the Shariah for Hind website

Shariah for Hind declares that statues of Hindu gods and of Indian leaders such Mahatma Gandhi will be demolished, as outlined in this statement:[6]

"India is one of the few countries in the world where explicit idolatry is openly celebrated. Public displays of paganism are common with idols present in nearly every town and city. Famous public idols include the Murudeshwara or Shiva statue in Karnataka, which stands at over 35 metres tall. Census reports show that over 800 million Hindus currently reside in India, with idols playing a big role in ritual practises.

"Statues of public figures are also a common feature of the Indian landscape. The Indian state of Gujarat announced in 2011 a project to build the world's tallest statue paying 'tribute' to one of the foremost protagonists of Indian independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a close companion of the tyrant Mohandas Gandhi.

"Associating partners or equals to Allah (God) is seen as the biggest crime in Islam. Allah says in the Quran, '…Indeed, associating partners with Allah is a great injustice.' [EMQ 31:13]

"Islam also prohibits the construction of statues of living beings, men or women, righteous or wicked. Allah (God) relates to mankind (in the Quran) about the downfall of the people of 'Ad, who erected large statues in commemoration of pious men. They were destroyed by a terrible storm.

"The establishment of the Shariah in India will ultimately see an end to all public idols and statues. Although non-Muslims (Hindus, Buddhists etc.) will not be prohibited from practising their religion privately, construction of idols and statues (in the public arena) will. Large scale projects outlining the destruction of public idols and statues will most likely be enforced, returning India back to her glorious Islamic past.

"As a possible replacement to India's (public) idols and statues, we envisage the construction of Masjids (mosques), symbolizing the transformation from polytheism to monotheism, from darkness to light."

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of the MEMRI South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

Najib says new security laws will demand higher burden of proof

The repeal of the ISA is part of the reforms announced by Najib during his Malaysia Day address in September. — File pic

PETALING JAYA, Feb 13 — Replacement security laws for the Internal Security Act (ISA) will demand a higher burden of proof before arrests can be made, Datuk Seri Najib Razak indicated today. The prime minister told hundreds of senior police officers here that it will be “more demanding to enforce” the new laws once “the much-maligned ISA is consigned to the history books.” The ISA allows for detention without trial.
“We cannot be in the state of mind of just arresting anyone but must ask if the evidence can stand in the court of law,” he said at the International Conference on Principled Policing here.
Najib acknowledged criticisms that the ISA is “archaic and draconian” and called on the force to transform itself to “a higher level of professionalism” especially in the collection of evidence, in which there “cannot be compromise.”
The Barisan Nasional (BN) chief had announced the repeal of the ISA in a raft of reforms during his Malaysia Day address last September but later said it would only be done in March after two new replacement laws are drafted.
But police have continued to use the ISA, most notably in a sweep of 13 suspected Islamic militants in Sabah last November.

Hishammuddin maintains the ISA replacements will still allow for arbitrary arrests.

Just days after Najib’s announcement, resistance began to surface, with political hardliners like Perkasa’s Datuk Ibrahim Ali calling on the prime minister to preserve the spirit of the ISA in the two new laws. Opposition lawmakers and civil society groups such as the Bar Council have remained sceptical of the reform, expressing fears that the enactment of two new laws meant the ISA was merely being repackaged.
De facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had said days after Najib’s announcement that the new laws, focusing on terrorism and race and religious issues respectively, would not be as repressive as the controversial law being repealed. The new laws are to be tabled at next month’s parliamentary sitting.
The minister in the prime minister’s department then said “no one can be arrested on the basis of differences in political ideologies and extended detention can only be approve through the courts.”
But Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein insisted in November the ISA substitutes will continue to provide for preventive detention as practised in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia to fight against terrorism.
Najib had kicked off his reform package in October after tabling the repeal of the Restricted Residence Act and the Banishment Act.
These reforms appear to be key concessions by Najib to win back middle Malaysia before a general election expected this year.
His administration had come under heavy fire for its clampdown on the July 9, 2011 Bersih rally for free and fair elections.
Police had fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators in chaotic scenes, which resulted in nearly 1,700 arrested, scores injured and the death of an ex-soldier.

Hisham defends Saudi deportation amid protests

The minister also denied receiving any court order to stop the deportation of the 23-year-old.

UPDATED

SUNWAY: Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today stuck by Putrajaya’s controversial decision to deport Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari amid protests and concerns that he may be executed.
The minister also denied receiving any court order to stop the deportation of the 23-year-old.
Hishammuddin said the decision was made to protect Malaysia’s reputation, adding that he does not want the country to be a safe haven “for terrorists and those who are wanted by their countries of origin, and also be seen as a transit country”.
Saudi Arabia’s English daily Arab News cited today informed sources as saying Hamza, who fled to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, will face charges of blasphemy for allegedly mocking the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in his twitter postings,
Blasphemy is a crime punishable by death under Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Islamic syariah law. It is not a capital crime in Malaysia.
He was deported from Malaysia yesterday, just hours before his Malaysian lawyers managed to obtain a court order to stop him from being send back to Saudi Arabia.
However, Hishammuddin dismissed concerns that Hamza may be executed as ridiculous, and defended the Saudi authorities.
“Allegations that he would be executed, abused, do not make sense. The country being accused is a dignified country. These are serious allegations against Saudi Arabia,” he told a press conference here.
Malaysia deported Kashgari on Sunday despite fears voiced by human rights groups that he could face execution in his home country over his Twitter comments that were deemed insulting to the Muslim prophet.
He caused an uproar in the oil-rich kingdom with comments posted on the Prophet’s birthday a week ago, prompting some Islamic clerics to call for him to face the death penalty.
No injunction

Kashgari fled the country, but was arrested by the police here on Thursday as he transitted through Kuala Lumpur International Airport. He was on his way to New Zealand.
Facing pressure over its actions, the Malaysian police had said that any charges brought against Kashgari by Saudi Arabia are internal.
Malaysia shares close relations with many Middle Eastern nations through their shared religion but is seen as a leading global voice for moderate Islam although observers say this latest controversy, on top of rising domestic Islamisation, is slowly erasing that image.
Kashgari’s lawyer in Malaysia, Mohammad Noor, told Reuters yesterday that a court order had been obtained to prevent the deportation but he was not allowed to see his client.
But Hishammuddin claimed the court issued no such injunction and said they were only rumours spread on the internet.
“Maybe in the Internet there was a court order (but) there was no injunction. No court order was given to prevent us from returning him to Saudi.
“If there was a court order, we would abide by it, but there wasn’t, so don’t make up stories,” he said.
The home minister added that Kashgari should be aware of the repercussions of insulting Islam and he would’ve been charged locally even if he was not deported.

Ramasamy sues Star, journalist for RM10 million

Ramasamy's lawyer says that the suit is vital as the daily did not apologise after publishing defamatory articles.

KUALA LUMPUR: Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy today filed a defamation suit for RM5 million each against English daily, The Star and its journalist Ian McIntyre.

He is also seeking an interim injunction against the daily and McIntyre to stop them from publishing articles defaming him.

The suit was filed in Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Ramasamy was accompanied by his lawyers A Sivanesan who is also Sungkai state assemblyman, A Magesan, R Kenghadharan and R Prabhakaran.

Speaking to journalists at the court lobby, Sivanesan said: “My client had to file a suit because The Star did not heed Ramasamy’s demand for an apology on Dec 28 last year.

“The second article implied that my client is a hypocrite, has no moral standing, dishonest, untrustworthy, illegal leader, without calibre and does not deserve to hold his positions,” said Sivanesan.

On Dec 23 last year, The Star published an article entitled “Distress in DAP continues” by McIntyre.

The article quoted Ramasamy as saying that there was a plot to oust him because he turned down requests for projects and favours from grassroot members.

Ramasamy accused The Star of publishing a baseless report and denied the allegations on Dec 26.

The Star then published the allegations again on Dec 27 in an article entitled “What Ramasamy said in the interview with The Star”.

This article alleged that Ramasamy is having an extra-marital affair.

Sivanesan also said that the two articles has damaged Ramasamy’s position as a leader and hurt his character and reputation.

The suit also alleged that McIntyre had published the articles to paint the DAP in a bad picture.

Kashgari’s deportation a black day

Malaysia has little regard for human rights, says DAP, and reports in Saudi Arabia say that Kashgari has been detained on arrival in Riyadh.

GEORGE TOWN: The deportation of Hamza Kashgari, a 23-year-old Saudi Arabian jounalist, clearly showed that the government has scant regard for human rights, rule of law and justice.

DAP international bureau secretary Liew Chin Tong said it was often cynically observed that foreign policy was merely an extension of domestic politics.

“In the case of Malaysia, it is unfortunately true.

“It was a black day for Malaysia’s international image,” the Bukit Bendera MP said in his e-statement here today.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s government detained and deported the young Saudi at Kuala Lumpur International Airport following an Interpol request.

Kashgari was en route to New Zealand to seek asylum.

The journalist had fled his country after his twitter comments about Prophet Muhammad triggered calls for his execution.

The Arabian columnist was detained by Malaysian authorities despite fears voiced by human rights groups that he could face execution in his home country.

He was deported despite his lawyers obtaining a Malaysian court order to prevent it.

Liew noted that Malaysia was now also the butt of international jokes as a result of the BBC’s global apology over the FBC Media scandal.

The Malaysian government paid public relation company FBC Media to make a series of eight documentaries for the BBC about Malaysia, while failing to declare it was paid 17 million pound by the Malaysian government for “global strategic communications”.

Investigations into the scandal uncovered 15 breaches of editorial guidelines of which eight were related to FBC’s programmes on Malaysia.

But, Liew said the millions that the Najib administration spent on public relations companies were meaningless if the government cannot uphold basic human rights principles in the case of Kashgari and uphold integrity in the BBC-FBC case.

“Malaysia is not a backwater banana republic.

“We used to pride ourselves as an important and supposedly principled player in the international arena.

“The deportation was a black day for Malaysia in the eyes of the world,” Liew added.

Arrested in Riyadh

Meanwhile Saudi newspaper Arab News says Kashgari has been detained on arrival in Riyadh after being deported from Malaysia.

Kashgari caused an outcry among devout Saudis earlier this month, when he used his Twitter account to post thoughts about the Prophet Muhammad they deemed insulting to Islam.

The comments by the 23-year-old columnist for Jeddah-based newspaper al-Bilad triggered tens of thousands of Twitter responses, many from enraged Saudis calling for his death.

Kashgari quickly apologized and deleted his Twitter account, but fled the country last Tuesday as the outrage grew.

A day later, a committee of senior Saudi clerics appointed by the king declared Kashgari to be an apostate – a crime punishable by death – and called for him to be put on trial.

Christoph Wilcke, a senior researcher with New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch, told Voice of America that Kashgari is “very unlikely” to get a fair trial in which the offending remarks can be explained.

Wilcke said the senior Saudi clerics who called for Kashgari to face trial also have predetermined its outcome by declaring him an apostate. He said one cleric even called for the blogger to be executed.

But, Wilcke said there is a chance that Kashgari could appeal to Saudi King Abdullah for leniency and avoid execution. He noted the case of Hadi al Mutif, a member of the minority Ismaili sect whom the government pardoned last week after arresting him for apostasy in 1993 and later sentencing him to death.

Problem parenting

Parents seem to think that parenting is pampering with strings attached, strings that end on the report card, strings that can sometimes sink into a bloody mess.

COMMENT

When a 15-year-old schoolboy murders a 40-year-old female teacher in a classroom, the writing on the wall conveys all too clearly that there is something grossly wrong with the society in question.

We have seen that happen in the West. We are now seeing that happen in India, in Chennai which fancies itself as a citadel of religion, tradition and culture!

Last week, Uma Maheswari teaching in a north Chennai school was in her class waiting for students to get in before she could begin her Hindi lesson of the day when the teenager rushed in with a knife, slashed her throat and stabbed her repeatedly on her chest.

Maheswari died on the way to the second hospital, the first one having been ill-equipped to handle such a serious injury.

The boy did not flee, and was taken in by the police.

Later, he said (or bragged) that he was inspired by the latest Hindi film, Agneepath, to commit the crime. In the Bollywood movie, Hrithik Roshan’s character lets the fire of revenge simmer in him for years before he brutally kills all those who had murdered his schoolteacher father.

The Chennai boy had been livid with his teacher because of her comments in his dairy on his poor performance in class.

The teenager was reportedly a pampered child, one who got Rs 100 every day as pocket money, and which he used this time to buy the killer weapon. He had been carrying it on him for three days before he spotted Maheswari alone in the classroom.

The act was not pre-meditated, not one carried out on the spur of an angry moment.

It is true that the present education system in India places a terrible burden on the child. A five-year old has to pass a test before it is admitted into the kindergarten class. Then begins the daily grind to school, its back bent with the weight of books it has to carry.

Later, the boy or the girl is pressured into being a performing puppet: he or she has to score marks as close as possible to the full 100. If it is 99, it is great, still better if it is 100. Figures like 98 or 97 are okay, but anything below this is frowned upon by the school, which is obsessed with its reputation and record, and, of course, by parents.

Money spinning professions

Fathers and mothers want their children to get into money spinning professions like medicine or engineering, maybe information technology. And for a seat in a medical or engineering college, they are prepared to pay huge bribes (call them capitation fees) that run into tens of lakhs of rupees.

It hardly ever matters if the child learns anything. Real education is not something that anybody is bothered about in today’s India. What matters are the numbers in one’s report card.

I personally believe that parents are to be blamed – at least to a very large degree, to the kind of growing violence in the community.

To begin with, in the country where consumerism is king, parents spoil their children by bribing them with goodies in exchange for those magical figures on their test papers.

In the early years of a child’s life, a father or mother wracked by guilt for spending too much of time at work shower sons and daughters with expensive toys.

Later, gifts could be expensive holidays, cars, cameras, mobile phones and what have you, and these merely disturb the sense of balance in a teenager. He/she grows up in a kind of valueless vacuum, believing that money can buy just about everything, even lives.

Drunken driving of some of India’s celebrity sons is a case in point. So what if men are killed on the streets.

A rich friend of mine gifted an awfully expensive car to his son when he turned 18. The boy could have well done with a modest vehicle. He drives to college in that every day, probably fuelling discontent and jealousy among his poorer peers.

A relative of mine sends her college-going daughter only by plane, because the girl does not want to travel by train. And mind you, the relative can ill-afford such lavishness.

Pampering with strings attached

In Chennai, parents routinely bring their below-18 children for movies with gory adult content. Agneepath was not meant for the 15-year-old schoolboy.

Theatre managements faced with dwindling revenues look the other way when children troop into such adult screenings.

Sadly, parents seem to think that parenting is pampering with strings attached, strings that end on the report card, strings that can sometimes sink into a bloody mess.

That 15-year-old boy will serve three years in a correction home, where the chances are that he would not be corrected. For, reformatory centres in India hardly reform the young, often turning them into real criminals.

Nothing, as we all know, can serve a child better than a family. But in India today, this core unit itself is in need of reformation.

Gautaman Bhaskaran is a Chennai-India based author, columnist and film critic, and can be contacted at gautamab@hotmail.com . He is an FMT columnist.

Syariah-based hire-purchase Act to be introduced

The Star

BERA: A new hire-purchase Act in accordance with Islamic principles will be introduced, said Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said a study of the draft Act was being discussed with a panel comprising Islamic economists and Muslim consumer associations, and it was being finalised.

The draft would also look into examples of Islamic legislation used in other countries.

Ismail Sabri said the new Act, called the Islamic Hire-Purchase Act, seeks to settle issues and financing problems usually found in common hire-purchase legislation, such as the Hire Purchase Act 1964 and Pawnbrokers Act 1972.

“The new Act will give protection not only to Muslim consumers but all consumers as well.

“This will be an alternative legislation for those who wish to buy vehicles or pawn their valuables.

“With the new Act, consumers will not have to lose their new vehicles or be penalised with higher financing rates after they have paid, for example, 75% of their loans.

“The mechanism of the loan payments under the new Act is still being studied. We have formed a panel to study the Islamic and commercial legislation concerning the proposed Act,” he said after meeting haj pilgrims at Bera mosque here yesterday.

Ismail Sabri said at present, consumers could still have the option of using the Islamic banking system for their hire-purchase and pawning needs, such as the Ar-Rahnu (for pawning) or Al-Hijrah Tuma Al Bait (hire purchase) syariah-based systems.

Polis serbu rumah Ketua AMK Rembau dan rampas komputer

Kenyataan Ketua AMK Rembau

Pada 13 Febuari 2012 kira - kira jam 9.00 pagi saya mendapat panggilan telefon dari Pegawai Polis yang dikenali sebagai ASP Wisma dari IPD Ampang. Beliau memaklumkan saya perlu berada pada jam 11.30 pagi di Balai Polis S2 untuk dirakam kenyataan.

Sampai di balai polis dia memaklumkan perlu ke rumah saya dan pejabat saya kerana polis hendak membuat rampasan komputer. Saya bersama dengan polis telah menuju ke kediaman saya di Senawang. Dalam perjalanan saya telah menghubungi che'GuBard, Ketua Cabang Rembau memaklumkan perkara ini. Arahan che'GuBard ialah jangan benarkan polis masuk selagi peguam tidak sampai.

Setelah menunggu 15 minit dikawasan rumah saya, akhirnya peguam Jason dan beberapa wartawan sampai. Juga tiba YB Ravi (ADUN PD Bandar) dan YB. P.Gunasekaran (ADUN Senawang). Sekumpulan polis masuk ke rumah saya dengan berpakaian seragam, isteri saya yang sedang cuti sakit terkejut, anak-anak tentu keliru dan jiran - jiran pasti bercakap. Mereka membawa keluar komputer kami sekeluarga yang isteri saya sering buat kerja pejabat yang tak selesai dan anak - anak sering gunakan juga untuk urusan kerja sekolah mereka.

Kes ini bersangkutan dengan kes akaun twitter palsu / menyamar yang mulanya menggunakan twitt handle @AMK_Rembau. Twitt ini wujud ketika pemilihan parti dan digunakan sebagai strategi memburukkan nama Ketua Cabang Rembau yang pada ketika itu menawar diri bertanding Ketua AMK Pusat. Strategi ini memang berluasa tanpa dikawal ketika itu penggunaan akaun laamn sosial palsu meruapakn antara strategi utama politik jahat menjatuhkan che'GuBard ketika itu.

Namun semuanya tidak berhenti selepas pemilihan selesai. Akaun palsu yang menggunakan identiti AMK Rembau ini terus digunakan dengan menggunakan ayat-ayat lucah, kasar dan ada kalanya melampau seperti menghina raja. Saya yakin ini semua untuk memburukkan che'GuBard.

Pada 5 Julai, saya selaku Ketua AMK Rembau telah mengeluarkan kenyataan rasmi mengenai kewujudan twitter AMK Rembau ini. klik sini untuk baca.

Namun pada 27 Disember lepas, ASP Wiswar telah 'menahan' che'GuBard dan merampas telefon 'Blackberry' miliknya kononya kerana ada laporan oleh Umno ke atas twitter 'AMK Rembau' yang menghina raja. klik sini untuk baca lanjur

Serentak dengan itu saya juga ada dihubungi oleh ASP Wismar. Kemudian saya sendiri dua kali menghubungi pegawai polis tersebut untuk bertanya apa yang saya perlu bantu atau adakah saya perlu hadir ke balai. Malangnya dia cuma kata tak apa nanti akan hubungi semula.

Sehingalah pagi semalam datang dan terus mendesak. Saya terangkan mengenai twitter tersebut dan sedia tunjukkan beberapa bukti yang kaitkan beberapa suspek, malangnya ASP tersebut seperti tidak tahu lansung bagaimana twitter beroperasi dan hanya ikut arahan iaitu 'bosnya' suruh rampas komputer dan bawa balik.

Saya cuma mahu tegaskan di sini hari ini keluarga saya terganggu, isteri saya dan anak saya. Saya beri masa tiga hari kepada manusia yang menyamar disebalik twitter AMK Rembau yang selepas dari siasatan polis bermula dengan menahan che'GuBard menjelang tahun 2012 lepas telah beberapa kali menukar twitt handle nya agar tampil segera.

Boleh hubungi saya melalui email atau telefon. Jika tidak saya 'terpaksa' menyerahkan semua bukti dan maklumat berkaitan kamu kepada polis dengan membuat laporan polis 'semula' mengenai kes ini. Ternyata akaun twitter tersebut berbalas twitt dengan beberapa mereka yang kononya bertaraf pemimpin pusat. Termasuk berbincang hadir dalam program dan belanja makan.

Ketika kita perlu fokus berdepan Umno Bn dalam PRU yang semakin dekat kenapa perlu ada perangai busuk seperti ini ? Kamu yang konon berwajah suci depan tetapi sebenarnya berhati busuk suka membunuh sesama jemaah dan umpama gunting dalam lipatan.

Sani Md Shah

Ketua AMK Rembau

14 Febuari 2012

Whitney Houston's storied career: A regal rise, a tragic fall

(CNN) -- The news broke on the eve of Grammy Awards, the music industry's biggest night: The woman with the pitch-perfect voice who once reigned as the queen of pop at the awards show had died.

Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday by her bodyguard on the fourth floor of an upscale Beverly Hills hotel where only hours later she was to attend a pre-Grammy bash hosted by her longtime mentor, Clive Davis.

Her death, at age 48, was the final chapter of a storied career that began with the nurturing by superstar cousin Dionne Warwick, soared in the 1980s and 1990s with one record-setting achievement after another, stalled as her drug use and marriage to Bobby Brown made for tabloid fodder and was on the rebound with a highly anticipated star turn.

"You're going to remember where you were when you heard the news. It's that significant. She was undoubtedly one of the greatest superstars of all time," music producer Simon Cowell said.

"One of the greatest voices in our lifetime we're likely ever to hear. And to hear this news, it really, really, really upset me."

Houston's voice, once described by The New York Times as "peerless," influenced and inspired a new generation of singers, from Mariah Carey to Christina Aguilera, and garnered a legion of fans.

"Her notes soared to places most singers dream of reaching," Aguilera said.

Houston seemed destined for stardom almost from the very beginning.

Born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, to gospel great Cissy Houston, cousin to both Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick and goddaughter to Aretha Franklin, Houston's upbringing was the embodiment of musical greatness.

Grief flows at hotel where Houston died

She honed her vocal skills from a young age, singing in the church choir and taking the stage occasionally with her mother. As a teenager, she sang backup for Chaka Khan on "I'm Every Woman," a song Houston would re-record in 1992 and that would go on to become one of her biggest hits.

As the story goes, Clive Davis spotted Houston in 1983 in a New York nightclub performing and signed her on the spot.

Houston released her debut album, "Whitney Houston," in February 1985 to wide acclaim. Rolling Stone magazine called her "one of the most exciting new voices in years."

With the release of the album, her commanding voice combined with a natural beauty and a clean-cut image made her an instant star.

Fans: Whitney Houston's music spanned an era

A generation danced their way through the 1980s to a string of her hits, including the poppy "How Will I Know," "Saving All My Love For You," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "The Greatest Love Of All."

But it was in the 1990s that she shot into the superstar stratosphere with two songs that showcased her stunning octave range and her maturity.

On January 27, 1991, while the United States was at war in the Persian Gulf, Houston performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV to a record 79 million viewers.

During a time when the country seemed divided by the war, her searing, heartfelt performance seemed to unite a nation at least for a few minutes. Her rendition -- the gold standard by which all performances of the national anthem are judged -- was released as a single and reached the Top 20 on the U.S. Hot 100 Billboard.

Houston's version was re-released in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks, and proceeds from the sales were donated to charity.

That was followed up by her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" recorded for the movie "The Bodyguard," in which she also made her acting debut.

Stunned celebrities mourn Whitney Houston

While the movie received mostly poor reviews, the song went onto to sell 10 million singles, winning Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal. The soundtrack was named album of the year.

"I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed,'" Parton said.

But by the time the movie opened, Houston's clean-cut pop image had begun to tarnish with her marriage to R&B bad boy Bobby Brown. The two met in 1989 and married three years later.

HLNtv.com: What about Bobbi Kristina Brown?

Their relationship became tabloid fodder, with every misstep chronicled and the couple's relationship a subject of constant speculation. Brown's notorious hard-partying led him to several run-ins with the law and stints in jail.

While Houston managed to maintain a successful music and movie career through the end of the 1990s, starring in "The Preacher's Wife" and "Waiting To Exhale," her behavior turned increasingly erratic amid reports of heavy drug use.

By the 2000s, her career was in free fall as her album sales dropped off and her voice began to show signs of wear.

The rumors were further fueled by her gaunt appearance and crass behavior on the 2001 short-lived Bravo reality show "Being Bobby Brown," which she later said in an interview she only did to try to save her marriage. The couple, who had a daughter together, divorced in 2007.

Brown performed at a "New Edition" concert Saturday night in South Haven, Mississippi.

"The atmosphere felt bittersweet," said iReporter Moshiu Knox, who attended the concert with his wife. "Bobby was crying during his performance and at one point had to walk off stage. ... The crowd was emotional and tears were flowing all over the arena."

Video of the concert shows Brown asking the audience to pray for the couple's daughter. "If you find the time, can you say a prayer for me because I'm going to need it," he says.

In an infamous interview in 2002 with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Houston admitted to using drugs but denied the use of crack.

"Crack is wack," she said, quoting a line taken from Keith Haring mural painted in 1986.

It was during the same interview, she told Sawyer: "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy."

Houston bounced in and out of drug rehab twice, declaring herself drug-free during a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, though an Australian tour that same year was fraught with reviews that she sounded "croaky" and, at times, appeared disoriented.

Recently, Houston was working to turn around her career -- and image -- with a star turn in the upcoming movie "Sparkle,'' the remake of a 1976 film that is said to be loosely inspired by the Supremes.

The night Houston died she was to be a guest of honor at Davis' annual pre-Grammy bash.

"She loved music and she loved this night that celebrated music," Davis told party-goers.

"Her family asked that we carry on."

She would have loved that, too.

Bangladesh: JeI activists vandalise Hindu temples

New Delhi: Fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami activists vandalised several Hindu temples in the Hathazari area of Chittagong in Bangladesh on Thursday and Friday, forcing the law enforcement authorities to impose Section 144 of the Bangladesh Penal Code that bans public gatherings in the affected area.

According to the website bdnews.com, Muslims, allegedly instigated by the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, first damaged a temple in the compound of the Loknath Sebasram at Nandirhat on Thursday evening and blocked the Chittagong-Rangamati Road on Friday morning in retaliation to a mosque being damaged by people coming out of the Loknath Sebasram.

The website report further said that at least three other Hindu temples were attacked by the Islamic activists.

It said that damage was inflicted on the Sri Sri Jagadeshwari Ma Temple, the Jagannath Bigroho Temple at Nandirhat and the Kalibari Temple in Sadar Upazila. The Sri Sri Jagadeshwari Ma Temple was also burnt, it added.

The Primary and Mass Education Minister of Bangladesh, Afsar-ul-Ameen, has visited the area and instructed local authorities to take steps to normalise the situation.

Local administration officials blamed the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, the Islami Chhatra Shibir, for the incidents.

Reacting to the incident, liberal and secular minded people in Bangladesh said such events could pose a threat to the country’s secular fabric.

Haroon Habib, a 1971 war veteran and a senior journalist, told ANI in a telephonic interview that: “These are very tragic events. Bangladeshis were never communal even under military rule. People must see a definite political motive behind these events.”

He added: "There is a definite extremist political agenda behind these attacks. There are elements who want to destabilise the incumbent Hasina Government.”

Haroon also blamed the local administration for not acting tough against fundamentalist elements in the area.

Allegations have it that houses belonging to Hindus in the area were also vandalised. Leaders of the minority Hindu community have blamed the ''indifference'' of the administration for the prevailing situation.

Rejecting suggestions of fundamentalism being on the rise in Bangladesh, Haroon said there was no existential threat to the current regime, but he cautioned the Sheikh Hasina government not to be complacent.

He also opined that there were many elements in Bangladesh who were unhappy with Sheikh Hasina’s close ties to New Delhi, as also her move to make the Constitution of the country more secular.

Recently, the Bangladesh Army had foiled a coup attempt by retired and serving Army officers who had fundamentalist leanings.

India has said that it is keeping a close watch on emerging developments in both Bangladesh and Maldives.

ANI

Trouble in paradise: Maldives and Islamic extremism

MALE — At the Maldives' National Museum, smashed Buddhist statues are testament to the rise of Islamic extremism and Taliban-style intolerance in a country famous as a laid-back holiday destination.

On Tuesday, as protesters backed by mutinous police toppled president Mohamed Nasheed, a handful of men stormed the Chinese-built museum and destroyed its display of priceless artefacts from the nation's pre-Islamic era.

"They have effectively erased all evidence of our Buddhist past," a senior museum official told AFP at the now shuttered building in the capital Male, asking not to be named out of fear for his own safety.

"We lost all our 12th century statues. They were made of coral stone and limestone. They are very brittle and there is no way we can restore them," he explained.

"I wept when I heard that the entire display had gone. We are good Muslims and we treated these statues only as part of our heritage. It is not against Islam to display these exhibits," he said.

Five people have since been arrested after they returned the following day to smash the CCTV cameras, he said.

The authorities have banned photography of the damage, conscious that vandalism of this kind which echoes the 2001 destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban is damaging for the nation's image.

The gates of the two-storeyed grey building, which opened in 2010, are padlocked and an unarmed guard keeps watch.

The Maldives, a collection of more than 1,100 coral-fringed islands surrounded by turquoise seas, is known as a "paradise" holiday destination that draws hundreds of thousands of travellers and honeymooners each year.

Visitors' contact with the local population is deliberately kept at bay, however, with most foreigners simply transferring from the main international airport directly to their five-star resorts on outlying islands.

Few have any idea they are visiting a country of 330,000 Muslims with no religious freedom, where women can be flogged for extramarital sex and consuming alcohol is illegal for locals.

Islam is the official religion of the Maldives and open practice of any other religion is forbidden and liable to prosecution.

The religious origins of the Maldivian people are not clearly established, but it is believed that a Buddhist king converted to Islam in the 12th century.

Thereafter, the country practised a mostly liberal form of the religion, but more fundamentalist interpretations have spread with the arrival of money and ultra-conservative Salafist preachers from the Middle East.

In 2007, following a bombing that wounded a dozen foreign tourists, the former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom banned head-to-toe coverings for women as a sign of his intent to battle conservative Islamic thinking.

At the museum, another official said that fundamentalists had threatened to attack the museum on previous occasions unless it withdrew the Buddhist display.

The country's ultra-conservative Islamic group, the Adhaalath Party, condemned the attack, but said they remained opposed to Nasheed's decision to accept three monuments from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"Our constitution does not allow idols and that is why we objected to the monuments," General Secretary Mohamed Muizzu said, referring to the gifts to mark a South Asian summit held in November in the Maldives.

The monuments, which included one of pillar featuring Buddhist motifs, and which had been on display in the southernmost island of Addu, have all since been vandalised.

The Adhaalath party supports new president Mohamed Waheed, who Nasheed accuses of taking part in a coup, and is due to join the new government.

Waheed called the museum attack "totally unacceptable" and denied there was religious violence in his country.

Former foreign minister Ahmed Naseem disagreed.

He said extremists were thriving in the Maldives and that they were partly responsible for the toppling of Nasheed and the installation of Waheed. "What we had was a military coup backed by religious extremists," he said.

"There is a strong influence of Islamic fundamentalists in the country and they will get stronger," Naseem told AFP. "These groups are funded from abroad. "This threat is not only to us, but the rest of the world as well."

The moderate Nasheed, who was educated in Sri Lanka and Britain, was consistently accused of being under the control of Jews and Christians by religious opposition parties now linked to the government

There were also demonstrations over proposals from the transport ministry to allow direct flights from Israel.

"We strongly condemn the anti-Semitic words and the other commentary recently," US assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs Robert Blake said during a visit to Male on Saturday.

"Under President Nasheed, the Maldives tried to improve relations with Israel and showed what a progressive country they were and we really commend them for that."

Shame covers sleaze

Many connected with the university admit that "seedy affairs had been going on in the holy precincts" for some time. – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Sex scandals have rocked the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) in recent months, with several faculty and staff members accused of preying upon the vulnerable female students or juniors.
Many connected with the university admit that “seedy affairs had been going on in the holy precincts” for some time. But they did not speak on record.
Acting president Sahabzada Sajidur Rehman of the university, however, confirmed that recently a professor and a librarian left the university after allegations of rape emerged against them.
“We did not approach the police to investigate the allegations as it would have brought bad name to the university and set parents of the 9,500 girls studying here worrying,” he told Dawn on Thursday.
Sources in the university claimed that the professor of economics department used to offer his victims “good marks” in examinations in return for sex. He would even force himself upon the unwilling with threats of failing her.
It was shocking to hear the president of the University Staff Welfare Association, Chaudhry Mohammad Nazir, say “the situation is far worse than what you know”.
IIUI sources said the professor’s escapades came to an end after he landed his last victim on January 20, a Friday. The university asked the victim to file a formal complaint for initiating action against the accused but her family refused.
However, the students union took up her case and threatened the university administration it would go public with the evidence, the sources said.
It was claimed to be the same kind of evidence that had gone viral on the internet and forced the university’s old librarian to resign a few months earlier.
That was despite the university administration’s alleged attempt to make his victim – a female assistant – to resign on the charge that she was a willing partner. But she firmly refused and went on leave.
On her return, the administration assigned her to a new department, according to her colleagues.
It is not that families of the victims of coercive sex took their sufferings lying down. One father reported a senior faculty member to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat which instructed the Islamabad police to investigate.
When the investigators arrived to probe, however, the university officials pleaded with them to hush up the matter as “the accused has already been punished” and a probe would only tarnish the image of the university and scare the parents.
It is a different matter that for the librarian the punishment meant retiring six months before it was due, and for the professor resigning on his own and securing a new job in the National Agriculture Research Centre, allegedly with the help of friends in the bureaucracy.
khawar.ghumman@gmail.com

Another ceramah aborted after 'gangsters' strike

A ceramah on academic freedom was aborted last night after a rowdy group of youths wrecked and blockaded the intended venue at Kampung Idaman, Klang.

When contacted, Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) president Ahmad Syukri Ab Razab said the "gangsters" had broken chairs and strewn them in the multipurpose hall before the ceramah began.

"They also surrounded the venue and we were forced to take refuge at a nearby food stall while waiting for the situation to calm down," he said.

However, the group of some 70 people, Ahmad Syukri said, refused to budge, prompting the students numbering, about 15, to lodge a police report at Pandamaran police station.

"We arrived at Pandamaran police station at about 10.30pm, the gangsters followed us and started to gather there on their motorcycles."

The incident was the second time a ceramah was disrupted in Klang, the first being a ceramah by Anything But Umno (ABU) where rowdy youths on motorcycles stormed the venue at Jalan Kebun and reportedly beat up a youth.

‘Hit by stones and sticks'

He said that due to the tense situation, local police decided to escort the students to the Klang district police headquarters for the report.

"Three police cars escorted us in a convoy of five but when we came out they threw stones and hit our cars with sticks.

Thankfully the windows did not shatter but (Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen deputy president) Khalid Mohd Ismath's (left) car was badly dented, but there was nothing the police could do," he said.

The gangsters again followed the students to Klang district police station headquarters and their numbers swelled to over 100, claimed Ahmad Syukri.

"After making the police report, we were advised not to leave the police station for our safety.

"Even at 4am, the gangsters were still outside, we had to escape through another door with the help of local residents," he said.
The students managed to leave without incident and no one was injured that night, said Ahmad Syukri.

The ceramah last night was part of the students' nationwide road show for academic freedom. However this was the first time it has been disrupted.

Despite virtual death sentence, Malaysia sends Saudi blogger home

Kashgari is alleged to have posted blasphemous comments on his Twitter account. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — Malaysia deported a Saudi Arabian blogger today, police said, despite fears voiced by human rights groups that he could face execution in his home country over Twitter comments he made that were deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammad.

Hamza Kashgari, a 23-year-old columnist, sparked outrage in the oil-rich kingdom with comments posted on the Prophet’s birthday a week ago that led some Islamic clerics to call for him to face the death penalty.

Kashgari fled the country, but was arrested by police in majority-Muslim Malaysia on Thursday as he transited through Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“The Saudi writer was repatriated to his home country this Sunday morning,” a police spokesman told Reuters. “This is an internal Saudi matter that we cannot comment on.”

Malaysia has a close affinity with many Middle Eastern nations through their shared religion. But it is also a US ally and a leading global voice for moderate Islam, meaning that the decision to extradite Kashgari is certain to be controversial.

“Saudi clerics have already made up their mind that Kashgari is an apostate who must face punishment,” Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Friday.

“The Malaysian government should not be complicit in sealing Kashgari’s fate by sending him back.”

Kashgari’s lawyer in Malaysia, Mohammad Noor, told Reuters by telephone that he had obtained a court order to prevent the deportation, but had not been allowed to see his client.

“If the government of Malaysia deports him to Saudi Arabia, disrespecting the court order, this is clearly contempt of court, unlawful and unacceptable,” he said.

The Star newspaper quoted Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as saying that Kashgari had been repatriated and that the charges against him would be decided by Saudi authorities.

“Malaysia has a longstanding arrangement by which individuals wanted by one country are extradited when detained by the other,” he was quoted as saying.

Blasphemy is a crime punishable by execution under Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Islamic syariah law. It is not a capital crime in Malaysia.

Reuters could not verify Kashgari’s comments because he later deleted them, but media reported that one of them reflected his contradictory views of the Prophet — that he both loved and hated him.

Kashgari later said in an interview that he was being made a “scapegoat for a larger conflict” over his comments. — Reuters

Kashgari deportation unlawful and cruel, says PKR veep

Surendran accused the authorities of rushing the blogger’s deportation in order to circumvent the legal process. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — PKR vice president N. Surendran denounced the federal government for sending Saudi Arabian Hamza Kashgari home today, where he will likely be executed for alleged blasphemy.

“The deportation was unlawful, unconstitutional and a cruel act. The deportation was carried out in an unholy haste in order to defeat the legal process in Malaysia,” he said in a statement.

Surendran pointed out that a High Court had convened unusually on a Sunday to issue an interim order barring the deportation.

“The issuance of the order meant that the High Court judge had found basis in Hamza’s complaint that he was being illegally held by Malaysian authorities and that his deportation would be unlawful,” he said.

The human rights lawyer said there was no basis for the Malaysian government to deport Hamza as there is no extradition treaty between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

Surendran added that the offence the blogger is accused of does not attract capital punishment in Malaysia.

He said the deportation was in breach of Malaysia’s legal norms and constitutional principles. It also violated international law and human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, continued Surendran.

“Prime Minister Najib Razak must be held accountable for this unlawful and arbitrary action by his government and must answer for the black mark upon Malaysia’s international reputation,” he demanded.

Faith is not a bottle of vodka martini

Najib's Islamic faith can neither be shaken nor stirred.
COMMENT

Faith is a belief system that comes from within. It is not something that can be, to paraphrase Britain’s fictitious spy, James Bond’s famous line, “shaken not stirred”.

In short, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s faith in Islam is not a bottle of vodka martini.

Yes I am writing this in response to Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria’s remarks over Najib’s visit to Batu Caves in conjunction with Thaipusam.

An online media report quoted Harussani as saying: “Najib’s visit is blasphemous. I have been telling this to him for years.”

It also quoted Harussani as saying that Najib “sacrificed his faith” and that it was an “idolatrous act” on Najib’s part when he attended the Thapusam festival on Tuesday.

Najib has been visiting Batu Caves for the past three years.

How can Najib’s Islamic faith be shaken and stirred when his motive of being there is purely political, not religious?

He was there to announce about the funds for the temple and additional Tamil schools, hence Harussani’s contention that Najib joined Thaipusam celebration does not hold water.

From a political perspective, one can decipher Najib’s “nambikei” (trust) speech as a bait for election.

At the end of the day, Najib & Co must obtain the people’s trust to form the next government at the 13th general election.

Harussani does not need to do so since his appointment as mufti, by convention, is done by the sultan.

It is also vital for Najib to be present in Batu Caves, Selangor, since 52% of the voters in Selangor are non-Malays.

My second point would look at the issue from the Islamic perspective.

Islam is a religion of reason

The Islamic civilisation had world reknowned scholars such as Avicenna because arguments are based on facts and Muslim scholars then were able to reason.

Unfortunately, Harussani has not given any reasoning in lashing out at Najib.

Based on the news report, Harussani also did not present his argument by using the four sources of Islamic as his basis for argument. The four are Al- Quran, As-Sunnah, Ijma and Qiyas.

The Sunnah are actions and quotations of Prophet Muhammad that is recorded in the Hadith.

Ijma is the general consensus among Muslim jurists (ulama) on a particular issue whereas qiyas refers to process of legal deduction where jurists are allowed to argue by using the Quran and Sunnah.

As a mufti which is equivalent to the top most religious official, Harussani’s statement is detrimental to Malaysian Muslims as it gives the impression that the faith of the Muslims can be shaken and stirred.

It also serves to belittle Islam to the Western world that has not wholly come out of Islamophobia since the 9/11 incident in 2011 where Muslim terrorists crashed two airlines onto the World Trade Center in America.

Saudi journalist deported; court order comes too late

Injunction order obtained by Malaysian lawyers acting for Kashgari's family came too late to stop the deportation.
FULL REPORT

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia today deported a young Saudi journalist wanted in his home country over a Twitter post about the Prophet Mohammed, defying pleas from human rights group who said he faced execution.

Hamza Kashgari, who was detained in Malaysia on Thursday after fleeing Saudi Arabia, has now left the country, national police spokesman Ramli Yoosuf said.

“He was deported to Saudi Arabia,” Ramli told AFP. A government offical said Kashgari was escorted back to his home country by Saudi officials.

“He has been deported. He was picked up by Saudi officials at the airport,” said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kashgari fled to Malaysia after making comments on the microblogging site deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed, which triggered outrage and death threats.

Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is a crime punishable by execution in Saudi Arabia.

Kashgari’s detention sparked outrage from human rights groups, with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urging Malaysia not to send him back to face severe punishment and possibly a death sentence.

Malaysian rights activist Fadiah Nadwa Fikri condemned the move, saying that a court order to prevent Kashgari’s deportation was secured Sunday but that immigration authorities advised he had already been deported.

“It is a blatant violation of the law and human rights,” she said.

Fadiah said Kashgari’s mother and brother had arrived in Malaysia to seek his release and were distraught at the news of his repatriation.

“They are very distressed. They broke down in tears. They fear for his safety,” she said, adding that they will also return to Saudi Arabia Sunday.

Fadiah said Kashgari had been intending to travel to New Zealand where he planned to seek asylum. He flew to Malaysia via Jordan and was in transit when he was detained.

“He flew to Malaysia because there was no visa requirement,” she said.

Malaysia and Saudi Arabia do not have a formal extradition treaty but have close ties as fellow Muslim countries.

Long-standing arrangement

The home ministry defended its stance earlier Sunday.

“Malaysia has a long-standing arrangement by which individuals wanted by one country are extradited when detained by the other, and (Kashgari) will be repatriated under this arrangement,” it said in a statement.

“The nature of the charges against the individual in this case are a matter for the Saudi Arabian authorities.”

Human Rights Watch senior Middle East researcher Christoph Wilcke had said Saturday that Malaysia should not be “complicit in sealing Kashgari’s fate by sending him back”, where he would be unlikely to face a fair trial.

Kashgari’s controversial tweet sparked tens of thousands of responses, according to an online service that tracks Twitter postings in the Arab world.

He tweeted: “I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don’t understand about you.

“I will not pray for you.”

Kashgari apologised but a committee of top clerics branded him “an “infidel” and demanded he be tried in an Islamic court, while a Saudi Facebook page calling for his execution has attracted thousands of followers.

- AFP

‘Najib guilty of blatant abuse of power’

DAP veteran Karpal Singh accuses the PM of misusing government facilities to canvass for votes and criticises the AG for keeping silent.

GEORGE TOWN: DAP chairman Karpal Singh has slammed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak of kickstarting his election campaign trail early by misusing government facilities and paraphernalia.

He questioned why the Attorney-General’s Chambers had not pressed any charges against Najib, who is also the Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president, for blatant abuse of power.

He noted that Najib had been using government facilities to canvass votes across the country for BN and Umno.

Karpal rebuked Najib’s use of government transportation, bodyguards, state-sponsored functions and civil servants in his current nationwide ala election tour had infringed the election laws.

“This is blatant abuse of power and violation of election rules. I wonder why the AG has not taken any action. Why is the AG so silent and allows the prime minister to get away with it?” he asked.

AG quick to act against Pakatan leaders

Comparatively, he said the AG Chambers had been quick in taking action against Pakatan Rakyat leaders, even for merely suggesting that the Sultan of Perak could be sued.

Karpal noted that the Federal Constitution provisions allowed the royalty to be sued in certain issues.

“However, I am being charged with sedition for making a legal suggestion during the height of the Perak constitutional crisis,” he added.

Pointing out that Pakatan was a government in waiting, he cautioned Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to carry out his public duty without fear or favour.

“The AG should be reminded that he is being watched closely,” said Karpal.

The DAP veteran also slammed MCA for making false claims that DAP supported PAS’ Islamic agenda.

MCA, he said, had resorted to the cheap political stunts of 1999 to avoid being completely wiped out in the next general election.

In 1999, he added, MCA deceived the people by ridiculing DAP’s electoral links with PAS.

As a result, he said the party suffered major electoral reverses including his and party adviser Lim Kit Siang’s shock parliamentary defeats.

“DAP has always categorically opposed PAS’ agenda of forming an Islamic state and implementing the hudud laws. MCA should stop the lies,” he added.

Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?

My reasons as to why I wanted a change of government back in 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004 remain the same. That has not changed. I am not prepared to tolerate slight corruption. I am not prepared to tolerate slight racism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight extremism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight intolerance. I am not prepared to tolerate slight Talibanism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight whatever it may be.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
The year was 1976, mid-January to be exact. Tun Razak Hussein (current Prime Minister Najib’s father) had just died and Tun Hussein Dato’ Onn had just taken over as Prime Minister. I had just migrated to Kuala Terengganu barely two years before that in 1974.
There was a raging debate going on as to who will take over as Hussein Onn’s new Deputy. There were many theories and many names. I said: Dr Mahathir Mohamad. There was a minute of silence while everyone pondered on my choice before all shook their heads and said ‘no way’.
Dr Mahathir became Deputy Prime Minister and that launched my new ‘career’ as a political observer, analyst, commenter, and whatnot.
That was 36 years ago. I was only 26 then. Hence for more than half my life I have been doing what some would call ‘shit-stirring’.
It was a couple of years later that I first met Tok Guru Ayah Cik (Hadi Awang) in his house in Rusila. He had just come back from his studies in the Middle East. I liked Tok Guru the instant I met him. From then on I would make many trips to the Rusila mosque to hear Tok Guru’s usrahs (lectures) and kutbahs (sermons) about the struggles and sacrifices of Muslim freedom fighters over more than 1,000 years.
Then, in 1979, the Islamic Revolution of Iran exploded and I became ‘inspired’. I visualised a similar Islamic revolution in Malaysia. When a delegation of the Islamic Revolutionary Council came to Malaysia I attended the gathering and when they told us that the purpose of their trip was to export the Iranian Revolution to Malaysia my hair stood on end. I was practically getting an orgasm.
Well, I was only 29 then and at 29 you are always idealistic and a great romantic, if you know what I mean.
Anwar Ibrahim had been detained under the Internal Security Act in 1974 and was spending his time in Kamunting. On his release 20 months later he took his ABIM, which was formed in 1971, on a road show all over Malaysia.
The last I had seen Anwar was back in 1965 when I was still in school, the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. So it was more than fourteen years since I had last seen him. Now Anwar was visiting Kuala Terengganu and was speaking at a PAS ceramah and I just had to go listen to him.

I was smitten. Anwar moved me to tears. Anwar spoke about an Islamic revolution. Anwar was my hero, my alma mater, my prefect in school, and he was going to lead us on a jihad so that we can fight and die for Islam and get to go straight to heaven where 72 virgins were awaiting us. (Well, I did say I was idealistic and a romantic at that age).
In 1981, Dr Mahathir ousted Hussein Onn and took over as Prime Minister. In 1982, Anwar broke our heart when he joined Umno. This was the same party he had been condemning as ahli neraka (members of hell). Now he was joining these same people we had sworn to defeat even if we have to die doing so.
A couple of months later I went to Mekah with a few PAS leaders. I met up with Mustapha Ali, Fadzil Noor, and a few others and spent a week discussing Malaysian politics and Anwar’s betrayal to the cause. I also joined an anti-Saudi-anti-US demonstration organised by the Iranians.
Man, was it huge. There were easily more than 100,000 people. We practically took over the streets of Mekah. The Saudi army with guns just stood there and did not dare shoot at us. (The following year they did shoot and thousands from both sides died: but I missed that one…sigh….)
Soon after I returned from Mekah the Special Branch called me in. The Director told me that I had been identified as a threat to Umno and was just one step short of detention under the ISA. I was told to report back to the Kuala Terengganu police station the following day at 7.00am.
The following day they brought me to the Menteri Besar’s residence. Wan Mokhtar Ahmad, the MB, told me that they do not want to take action against me because I am the nephew of the Tengku Ampuan of Terengganu. But they warned me that if they were forced to detain me they would do so. Hence, I had better tone down my anti-Umno activities.
A few days later a judge phoned me and asked whether we could have lunch. I did not know this judge but had heard his name mentioned many times (he was a very close friend of a very close friend in ABIM).
We met for lunch at the Primula and the judge told me that the government wanted to detain me under the ISA but he had warned them not to. He said he had told them that since I was the nephew of the Tengku Ampuan that may cause a conflict between Umno and the palace. He suggested they just talk to me.
That explained why I was called in to meet the Director of the Terengganu Special Branch and the following day brought to meet the MB in his house.
I, of course, never did tone down. In fact, I did the opposite. I spoke to Tok Guru Ayah Chik and arranged to bring him to Kuala Lumpur. I told him that PAS should not remain just a kampong party. It needs to penetrate the urban areas and the big city. PAS needs to gain acceptance from the city dwellers and the non-Malays. If not, it will never become a national party and get to form the federal government.
Tok Guru’s first ‘big city’ ceramah was held in Masjid Mujahideen in Damansara Utama in 1983. The crowd was huge. Never before had that mosque seen so many people. From then on it became a monthly affair and PAS was soon on the way to conquering the city. Of course, it took 25 years before that would happen, as the 2008 general election proved. But it did eventually bear fruit. PAS is now a national party.
No doubt I now no longer believe in the Iranian Revolution. I also no longer believe that Malaysia should be turned into ‘The Islamic Republic of Malaysia’. I am now 62, not 32. But I sill believe in PAS as I did 36 years ago in 1976.
And, sure, I am critical of PAS. I whack them when they want to bar Elton John from singing in Genting. I whack them when they confiscate beers in Seven-Elevens. I whack them when they ask the government to ban Valentine’s Day celebrations. And so on and so forth.
And, sure, many of you whack me for whacking the opposition. But who the fuck are you to tell me what to do? I have earned my right to whack the opposition.
Where were you back in the 1970s? Many of you were not even born yet then.
Who were you supporting back in the 1970s? Many of you supported Barisan Nasional and voted for the ruling party in 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004. Only now, in 2008, did you vote for the opposition. And just because you voted opposition in ONE election you feel you have earned the monopoly to talk about the opposition and no one else should talk, especially if it is talk that is critical of the opposition.
Many wakil rakyat (members of parliament and state assemblypersons) who won in 208 were not even in politics yet in the 1970s. Hell, many were not even born yet then. But now that they are the wakil rakyat (because we voted for them, mind you) they feel we have no right to criticise them or chide them.
Let me make one thing very clear. We opposed Barisan Nasional and Umno back when Hussein Onn was the Prime Minister and Dr Mahathir Mohamad the Deputy Prime Minister because they were evil. They were corrupted. They were racists. They did not allow freedom of speech. They violated the Federal Constitution of Malaysia.
Of course, they were not that bad then, back in the 1970s. They were only a shade of what they are today.  But we still opposed them nevertheless. But many of you did not oppose them. In 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004 you voted for them. While we tried to kick them out you voted for them.
My reasons as to why I wanted a change of government back in 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004 remain the same. That has not changed. I am not prepared to tolerate slight corruption. I am not prepared to tolerate slight racism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight extremism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight intolerance. I am not prepared to tolerate slight Talibanism. I am not prepared to tolerate slight whatever it may be.
That was what you all said in 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999 and 2004. You were prepared to tolerate corruption, racism, extremism, intolerance, Talibanism, etc., as long as it is slight. Now that slight has become major. Now it is impossible to eradicate corruption, racism, extremism, intolerance, Talibanism, and more. Now is it almost impossible to kick Barisan Nasional and Umno out. You have allowed them to get a strong grip on the country that it is now almost impossible to kick them out.
I can see that many Chinese are prepared to accept the slight corruption and slight everything else in the interest of kicking out a Malay government. This sounds like this is not about eradicating corruption but about kicking out the Malays. From where I am sitting this sounds like it is about Ketuanan Cina versus Ketuanan Melayu.
Yeah, sure, the Chinese are practical and realistic people, not like the Malays who are emotional. The Chinese can accept slight corruption as long as Umno is kicked out. Just make sure the money is in a red and not white envelope.
Do you know that another word for realism is hypocrisy?