Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Bangladesh minister sacked after criticism of Haj
• Telecom minister Abdul Latif Siddique declared an apostate
DHAKA: Bangladesh has sacked a top minister after his criticism of the Muslim pilgrimage of Haj triggered protests by Islamists who declared him an apostate and set a 24-hour deadline to replace him.
Abdul Latif Siddique, the country’s telecommunications minister, who is in New York accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, made the comments which were aired by local television stations.
Siddique said: “I am dead against Haj and Tablig Jamaat. Two million people have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj. Haj is a waste of manpower. Those who perform Haj do not have any productivity. They deduct from the economy, spend a lot of money abroad.”
The comments drew immediate protests from the group Hefajat-e-Islam whose leaders called him “an apostate” and set a 24-hour deadline to the government to sack him from the Cabinet.
A senior official told AFP Siddique would be removed but he did not comment whether it was linked to demand by the Islamists.
“The decision has been taken to remove him from the Cabinet,” the official from the Prime Minister’s Office said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He added the decision would be effective after Hasina returns home.
At a New York rally where Siddique was the lone speaker on Sunday, he was also heard making critical comments about Hasina’s influential son and technology adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. “Who is Joy? Joy is not part of the government.”
He also slammed the non-political Islamic group, Tablig Jamaat, millions of whose followers congregate outside the Bangladeshi capital each year in what authorities called the second largest Muslim gathering after the Haj.
He said the around two million people who gathered “don’t do any work except halting traffic movement throughout the country,” Siddiqui said.
There was no comment from the Tablig Jamaat.
Abdul Latif Siddique, the country’s telecommunications minister, who is in New York accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, made the comments which were aired by local television stations.
Siddique said: “I am dead against Haj and Tablig Jamaat. Two million people have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj. Haj is a waste of manpower. Those who perform Haj do not have any productivity. They deduct from the economy, spend a lot of money abroad.”
The comments drew immediate protests from the group Hefajat-e-Islam whose leaders called him “an apostate” and set a 24-hour deadline to the government to sack him from the Cabinet.
A senior official told AFP Siddique would be removed but he did not comment whether it was linked to demand by the Islamists.
“The decision has been taken to remove him from the Cabinet,” the official from the Prime Minister’s Office said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He added the decision would be effective after Hasina returns home.
At a New York rally where Siddique was the lone speaker on Sunday, he was also heard making critical comments about Hasina’s influential son and technology adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. “Who is Joy? Joy is not part of the government.”
He also slammed the non-political Islamic group, Tablig Jamaat, millions of whose followers congregate outside the Bangladeshi capital each year in what authorities called the second largest Muslim gathering after the Haj.
He said the around two million people who gathered “don’t do any work except halting traffic movement throughout the country,” Siddiqui said.
There was no comment from the Tablig Jamaat.
ISIS Istanbul Consulate Allegedly In The Works
The ISIS spokesman also reportedly stated that the Islamic State hopes that the Istanbul consulate marks the beginning of “bilateral relations” with recently-elected president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ISIS also maintains that the Istanbul consulate will also pay for the medical bills of all wounded Islamic militants who travel to Turkey to get treatment. The Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Turkey issued a release condemning the decision by the Turkish government to permit the Islamic State to create a diplomatic office in Istanbul. The ISIS consulate will reportedly be opened in Cankaya — “an elegant” and central metropolitan district in the city.
CHP Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrikulu had this to say about a massive outdoor prayer event in Turkey, where attendees were allegedly called to participate in jihad.
“What were the Istanbul police and provincial gendarmerie command doing during the hours this IS [ISIS] extension group was calling for jihad in Istanbul? Is it true that while the IS extension group was calling for jihad in Istanbul the provincial police and gendarmerie command were instructed not to intervene? Who gave this instruction?”
During the Eid al-Fitr holiday prayer event, a man in white robes allegedly said this during the sermon.
“Those who believe, those who participate in jihad on the path of Allah with their lives and all their beings will be rewarded generously. They are the ones who will survive. We beg him to compassionately help the mujahideen, those in jihad, to hit their targets accurately.”
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutglu confirmed that government diplomats kidnapped by ISIS when Mosul fell in June were released during a prisoner exchange with the Islamic State. A total of 50 ISIS detainees, including the family of a “prominent warlord,” were freed in the swap. The Turkish nationals were captured when Islamic State fighters seized the consulate in Mosul and kidnapped 49 individuals – including the consul general.
A Turkish government official who gave details about the prisoner swap also said that he was not authorized to either confirm or deny reports about the opening of an ISIS consulate in Istanbul.
What do you think about an< a href="http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/08/cengiz-isis-mosul-iraq-syria-consul-general-kidnappings-akp.html" target="_blank">ISIS Istanbul consulate?
[Image via: US News]
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1507641/isis-istanbul-consulate-allegedly-in-the-works/#iR2Vq9l4tDIRhk0V.99
This Tiny Country Produces Five Times as Many Islamic State Fighters Per Capita as Turkey
The nation of 11 million people has a reputation for being small and peaceful, more likely to be invaded than to do serious fighting (as Dave Barry once put it, Belgium is the “screen door of Europe” that Germany and France always slam on the way to fight one another).
Yet as the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, Belgium is the sixth-largest total European contributor of fighters for the Islamic State, with an estimated 300 Belgians having fought in Syria or Iraq.
But Belgium’s total population is tiny compared to the other big countries on that list, and when the numbers are adjusted for total population size, the difference between Belgium and the rest becomes stark: While roughly five out of every 1 million people in Germany, Turkey and Russia go to fight for jihad abroad — and nearly 10 out of every 1 million for France and the U.K. — a whopping 27 out of every 1 million Belgian citizens is estimated to have fought in Iraq or Syria.
So why is Belgium such a fertile breeding ground of jihad-ready discontent?
For one, it seems that Muslim immigrants in many cases simply are not integrated with the rest of Belgian society.
Some of the blame could lie with native Belgians shunning newcomers — a poll conducted last year by Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen revealed that 60 percent of young Muslims believe Flemish (northern Belgian) society will never accept them
But as the Gatestone Institute, a think tank chaired by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, noted in a recent report about the rise of Islam in Belgium and the Netherlands, the leaders of Muslim immigrant communities in Europe often work to remain separate from the surrounding population, with Muslim politicians in Belgium even “creating isolated communities and parallel societies” in the country.
In a situation of failed integration, whatever the cause, it’s easy to see how jihadist groups like “Sharia4Belgium” could attract hundreds of young men to fight under the banner of Islam.
Read more: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/09/29/this-tiny-country-produces-five-times-as-many-islamic-state-fighters-per-capita-as-turkey/
Isma blames non-Malays for provocation ahead of leader’s sedition trial
As Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman's sedition trial draws near, the Islamic NGO has released a video today defending their Malay-rights ideals and blaming the non-Malays for provoking the community.Set to the tune of traditional Malay music, the YouTube video titled Pewaris Bangsa (Heirs of the Race) features several top Isma leaders declaring the supremacy of their race and religion, and lamenting the "interference" of the non-Malays.
Isma vice-president 2 Abdul Rahman Mt Dali said in the video that the non-Malays had "forgotten their promise" and were intervening in the affairs of Malays and Muslims as well as challenging their positions in the country.
"We have no problem with them, they stay here, we have never disturbed them, but now and lately we see that they are interfering, they have forgotten their old promise," he said in an interview in the video.
Isma vice-president 1 Muhammad Fauzi claimed there were attempts to denigrate the Malays as "pendatang (immigrants), just like the other races".
He said Isma members were simply rising up to defend the "true facts that happened in history".
"We want to affirm that this is a Malay Muslim region where Malays and Islam are the two pillars of the country and this cannot be disputed," said Fauzi in the video.
The group's deputy president, Aminuddin Yahaya, denied that their beliefs were racist and insisted they were merely defending their religion and race.
He added they would support their president even if he were imprisoned for sedition.
"God willing, the strength in our president will continue to ignite all Isma members and we shall not stray even one step away from our battle until the end of our lives," he said.
The video, which is almost five minutes long, ends with shots of Abdullah Zaik praying and a message urging the public to appear at the Kajang Sessions Court on October 13 to support Isma and its president as he attends the hearing.
On June 19, Abdullah Zaik was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 for claiming that the Chinese migrants who had come to Malaya during the British colonial era were "trespassers".
"Who gave them citizenship and wealth to the point that the results of their trespassing has been protected to this day," Abdullah Zaik had said in a statement published on Isma's website on May 6.
He faces a maximum RM5,000 fine or jail up to three years or both for any of the charges laid down in the Act. – September 30, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/isma-blames-non-malays-for-provocation-ahead-of-leaders-sedition-trial#sthash.n5jYbcMl.dpuf
Constitutional expert under probe for sedition
Aziz's statement is to be recorded at the Sabak Bernam police station at 11am tomorrow morning for comments he made in The Malaysian Insider, the news portal reported today.
He will be represented by Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) lawyer Afiq M Noor.
Before this, Universiti Malaya law don Azmi Sharom was investigated and later charged with sedition for comments he made to another portal, Malay Mail Online.
Azmi's comments were deemed by prosecutors to be insulting to the Perak sultan following comparisons he made with the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis, while Aziz is being investigated for sedition for comments made regarding the Selangor sultan.
According to The Malaysian Insider, the police are investigating Aziz over two articles published by the portal on Sept 1 and Sept.More than 100 police reports have been lodged against him for the comments.
One was a Malay article titled "Sultan Selangor terikat deklarasi 1992, perlu lantik Wan Azizah, kata Aziz Bari" (Sultan bound by 1992 declaration, must appoint Wan Azizah), and another article titled "Only God, not Sultan, has absolute powers, says legal expert".
Aziz was investigated under the Sedition Act in 2011 as well, after he said the sultan's decree on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) raid was "uncommon and inconsistent".
Meanwhile, The Malaysian Insider quoted Aziz as stating that he is unfazed by the latest investigation.
"I was asked whether the sultan had absolute powers during the height of the MB crisis, to which I replied 'no'.
"I do not think I was committing a crime. I have not suggested reducing or abolishing the powers of Malay rulers," he added.
Two reporters from The Malaysian Insider had their statements taken over the said articles as well.
No cow slaughtering during school hours
I would like to urge the education department and all other politicians to respect the sanctity of schools and not to turn any school into a slaughter house.
Saravanan (PETA Asia Pasific Network activist)
Muslims are about to celebrate their holy festival on 3rd or 4th October 2014. The festival comes from the story of Nabi Ibrahim and his son Ismael. Instead of sacrificing Ibrahim’s son, Allah instructed him to sacrifice a sheep according to the story. This particular festival will be celebrated as Eid Al-Adha.
Last year, my conversation with SK Puchong school’s headmaster heated up Malaysia with the cow slaughtering issue in the school. I would like to urge the education department and all other politicians to respect the sanctity of schools and not to turn any school into a slaughter house. The incident of Nabi Ibrahim happened on a particular day in an open area and did not take place in any school.
Many UMNO politicians and Netizens commented that this is a Muslim country that they will do what they like. Some said if you don’t like it, go back to India. Papagomo commented he should kill me and many other negative comments.
I would like to remind everyone that in our education syllabus, there is no special instruction to slaughter cows or any other animal in schools. It is not a religious issue but all parties should respect the school where we gain education. The law is equal to all citizens according to the Federal Constitution. Hindus cannot celebrate Thaipusam in National schools and Chinese cannot celebrate their ghost festivals in the school. So the Education department and school headmasters should not not create double standards.
I did some research after last year’s issue. Malaysian Muslims didn’t slaughter cows during school hours 15 years back since British colonization. I have collected information from Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, and Qatar, they never slaughter animals in the school during school hours. This shows Malaysia is practicing a different Islam than other Arabic countries.
Qurban festival was celebrated in mosques, suraus, residential halls and other places where it is convenient. We do not oppose that. But as a human rights and animal rights activist I will watch closely what will be your real intention to celebrate this festival by slaughtering cows during school hours.
The cow slaughtering act doesn’t align with the education syllabus or school co-curriculum in any part of the world.
Celebrating cow slaughtering in the school will make kids psychologically traumatized. Even if the teachers and students were asked not to “see” the slaughter, fine, but one can always “hear” the slaughter being carried out.
Any country’s parliament would never approve such an inhumane act of slaughtering animals in the schools. It is a great disgrace for the country. All schools should follow world educational guidelines which is approved by the UN. Definitely animal slaughter will not be part of the system. Malaysian parliament should come to a decision to respect non violence.
Cow slaughtering in schools can cause POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal witnessing a harmful event that happened to animals or humans. War soldiers and victims have faced this syndrome or even people working in slaughter houses.
Muslims are about to celebrate their holy festival on 3rd or 4th October 2014. The festival comes from the story of Nabi Ibrahim and his son Ismael. Instead of sacrificing Ibrahim’s son, Allah instructed him to sacrifice a sheep according to the story. This particular festival will be celebrated as Eid Al-Adha.
Last year, my conversation with SK Puchong school’s headmaster heated up Malaysia with the cow slaughtering issue in the school. I would like to urge the education department and all other politicians to respect the sanctity of schools and not to turn any school into a slaughter house. The incident of Nabi Ibrahim happened on a particular day in an open area and did not take place in any school.
Many UMNO politicians and Netizens commented that this is a Muslim country that they will do what they like. Some said if you don’t like it, go back to India. Papagomo commented he should kill me and many other negative comments.
I would like to remind everyone that in our education syllabus, there is no special instruction to slaughter cows or any other animal in schools. It is not a religious issue but all parties should respect the school where we gain education. The law is equal to all citizens according to the Federal Constitution. Hindus cannot celebrate Thaipusam in National schools and Chinese cannot celebrate their ghost festivals in the school. So the Education department and school headmasters should not not create double standards.
I did some research after last year’s issue. Malaysian Muslims didn’t slaughter cows during school hours 15 years back since British colonization. I have collected information from Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, and Qatar, they never slaughter animals in the school during school hours. This shows Malaysia is practicing a different Islam than other Arabic countries.
Qurban festival was celebrated in mosques, suraus, residential halls and other places where it is convenient. We do not oppose that. But as a human rights and animal rights activist I will watch closely what will be your real intention to celebrate this festival by slaughtering cows during school hours.
The cow slaughtering act doesn’t align with the education syllabus or school co-curriculum in any part of the world.
Celebrating cow slaughtering in the school will make kids psychologically traumatized. Even if the teachers and students were asked not to “see” the slaughter, fine, but one can always “hear” the slaughter being carried out.
Any country’s parliament would never approve such an inhumane act of slaughtering animals in the schools. It is a great disgrace for the country. All schools should follow world educational guidelines which is approved by the UN. Definitely animal slaughter will not be part of the system. Malaysian parliament should come to a decision to respect non violence.
Cow slaughtering in schools can cause POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal witnessing a harmful event that happened to animals or humans. War soldiers and victims have faced this syndrome or even people working in slaughter houses.
For Ambiga, BTN camps are brainwashing hubs
The Kem Biro Tatanegara (BTN) or National Civics Bureau camps are nothing more than brainwashing sessions to turn Malays into racists and bigots, Datuk S. Ambiga Sreenevasan said today.The Negara-Ku patron said parents, whose children had attended the camps, were baffled by the objectives contained within the modules and things that were being taught.
"I have met several Malays who have attended these camps and they come out feeling disgusted and angry."
She was speaking during the “4th National Conference on Non-Discrimination: Unity and Social Cohesion in Malaysia – Making It Possible” in Kuala Lumpur.
"What does that tell you? Malays are being brainwashed into becoming racists and bigots while attending these national camps," Ambiga said.
The National Civics Bureau is under the purview of the Prime Minister's Office and camps are held regularly, especially for civil servants.
"I am disgusted with our leaders, they are not interested in tackling these issues. They are only interested in the politics of the issue.
"I have heard people say that this particular minister issues racist statements simply because he HAS to do it.
"What kind of an explanation is that? The blame lies entirely with our leaders, there are no excuses," Ambiga said.
"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak appears to specialise in making fancy speeches when addressing the international community in the United Nations.
"But when it comes to walking the talk, Putrajaya fails miserably," she said to a loud round of applause from the audience.
"We are interested in national harmony, the rakyat are trying to achieve national harmony, but I am not sure that our leaders are."
She also criticised the police reports lodged against constitutional expert Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, saying Malaysia was the land of police reports.
"Malaysia must be in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest number of useless police reports being lodged," Ambiga said.
"For giving his legal opinion, more than 100 reports are lodged against Aziz. Are you mad? Is this where you want to take the country?"
Ambiga said even the English would be embarrassed at the direction their colonial-era law was being taken to.
She expressed her incredulity when she read about reports that a group of influential Malays approached the Malay rulers to urge them not to repeal the Sedition Act.
"Words could not begin to express my feelings when I read about this meeting," Ambiga said, wondering what was the point of retaining the Act.
"Is it because we cannot detain people without trial any more? If the police force cannot function without these type of legislations, what does that tell you about the police?" – September 30, 2014
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/for-ambiga-btn-camps-are-brainwashing-hubs#sthash.wUoFWQnh.dpuf
More money for vernacular schools
MCA is asking for a bigger allocation for vernacular schools in the 2015 budget.
KUALA LUMPUR: Vernacular schools are now getting more money, according to an MCA minister.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Wee Ka Siong said that when he was the Education Minister, vernacular schools received about RM800 million and it was certainly much more now.
Wee, who is also the MCA deputy president, said each vernacular school had different needs and funds were given accordingly.
“MCA will fight for more allocation for vernacular schools. Even missionary schools in East Malaysia are in need of funds,” Wee said at the ground-breaking ceremony at SRJK(C) Kuen Cheng for a new building here today.
“We are now discussing to have a bigger allocation for vernacular schools in the 2015 budget,” he added.
Wee also said the use of forecast exam results for tertiary institutions should not be discontinued as this practice had been going on for about 30 years.
He said students should not be wasting their time and doing nothing while waiting for the official SPM results.
He added that the practice of using forecast results would not affect the quality of education because there were methods to kick out students who failed in the SPM examination.
“The use of forecast results has been going on for about 30 years and I don’t understand why this has been brought up.
“This practice should not be discontinued unless there is a better system or valid reason to do so,” said Wee.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Wee Ka Siong said that when he was the Education Minister, vernacular schools received about RM800 million and it was certainly much more now.
Wee, who is also the MCA deputy president, said each vernacular school had different needs and funds were given accordingly.
“MCA will fight for more allocation for vernacular schools. Even missionary schools in East Malaysia are in need of funds,” Wee said at the ground-breaking ceremony at SRJK(C) Kuen Cheng for a new building here today.
“We are now discussing to have a bigger allocation for vernacular schools in the 2015 budget,” he added.
Wee also said the use of forecast exam results for tertiary institutions should not be discontinued as this practice had been going on for about 30 years.
He said students should not be wasting their time and doing nothing while waiting for the official SPM results.
He added that the practice of using forecast results would not affect the quality of education because there were methods to kick out students who failed in the SPM examination.
“The use of forecast results has been going on for about 30 years and I don’t understand why this has been brought up.
“This practice should not be discontinued unless there is a better system or valid reason to do so,” said Wee.
Islam hijacked, says Dr M
He criticises religious leaders and scholars for not condemning violent acts by extremist groups.
PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has denounced what he calls the “hijacking” of Islam by forces who have misunderstood the meaning of jihad.
In his latest posting on his blog Chedet.cc, he said these parties had replaced the teachings of Islam with doctrines that are anathema to the religion, posing anxiety and danger to all Muslims and Islam itself.
According to Mahathir, the call to jihad and its promise of martyrdom has a compelling attraction to Muslims who are not well versed in Islamic teachings.
“In truth, Muslims who wage war with other Muslims are committing acts that contradict Islam, which calls for brotherhood among Muslims,” he said.
“Doesn’t God command in the Quran that if two groups of Muslims are in conflict, another party should make peace between them?”
Referring to recent reports of Malaysians joining the war in Syria, he said: “Are they actually waging jihad or doing the work of America and the Jews?
“Malaysians are volunteering to kill other Muslims, justifying their act by claiming that their enemies are the Shias. They think the Shias are not Muslims.”
He lamented that the Shias are being killed mercilessly just for professing a different expression of Islam.
“The same goes for the Shias who kill the Sunnis,” he said.
He criticised religious leaders and scholars in Malaysia for not condemning the violent acts by extremist groups.
“There are some (who are) believed to have blessed these Malaysian militants,” he said.
“Please save the sacred religion of Islam from those who are trying to change its character by replacing its noble teachings with despicable ones.”
In his latest posting on his blog Chedet.cc, he said these parties had replaced the teachings of Islam with doctrines that are anathema to the religion, posing anxiety and danger to all Muslims and Islam itself.
According to Mahathir, the call to jihad and its promise of martyrdom has a compelling attraction to Muslims who are not well versed in Islamic teachings.
“In truth, Muslims who wage war with other Muslims are committing acts that contradict Islam, which calls for brotherhood among Muslims,” he said.
“Doesn’t God command in the Quran that if two groups of Muslims are in conflict, another party should make peace between them?”
Referring to recent reports of Malaysians joining the war in Syria, he said: “Are they actually waging jihad or doing the work of America and the Jews?
“Malaysians are volunteering to kill other Muslims, justifying their act by claiming that their enemies are the Shias. They think the Shias are not Muslims.”
He lamented that the Shias are being killed mercilessly just for professing a different expression of Islam.
“The same goes for the Shias who kill the Sunnis,” he said.
He criticised religious leaders and scholars in Malaysia for not condemning the violent acts by extremist groups.
“There are some (who are) believed to have blessed these Malaysian militants,” he said.
“Please save the sacred religion of Islam from those who are trying to change its character by replacing its noble teachings with despicable ones.”
AG and IGP told to stand up to Umno
Latheefa Koya says the selective manner of the current sedition blitz is Umno’s doing.
PETALING JAYA: PKR central committee member Latheefa Koya has hinted that the Attorney-General and Inspector General of Police was bowing to pressure by Umno to charge MPs, lawyers, professionals and activists with sedition.
Latheefa said, “The investigations and arrests made against these MPs and many others in the last several weeks were in response to police reports made by Umno members and complaints by Umno leaders.”
Adding that the AG “must act professionally and not succumb to pressure from any quarter,” Latheefa said the worrying part was that the criticisms were “valid” and in relation to “legal opinion”.
“There was no element of violence or public disorder in any of the alleged ‘seditious’ remarks by any of those who have been charged,” she remarked.
Latheefa also alluded to the re-opening of investigations on “old complaints” which she said was due once again to “pressure from Umno leaders”.
Touching on the “selective nature of the sedition blitz”, Latheefa said, “no action was taken against pro-Umno government people who had made far more serious remarks.”
Expressing her dismay that people were being hauled up and investigated for sedition to this day, she added, “All such actions by both the AG and IGP shows complete contradiction to what was repeatedly promised by the Prime Minister i.e. to repeal the Sedition Act.”
Accusing the AG of making “empty promises”, Latheefa said he had done nothing despite saying he would review some of the previous sedition charges.
“We therefore urge the AG to do the right thing and review and drop the sedition charges,” Latheefa stated.
PETALING JAYA: PKR central committee member Latheefa Koya has hinted that the Attorney-General and Inspector General of Police was bowing to pressure by Umno to charge MPs, lawyers, professionals and activists with sedition.Latheefa said, “The investigations and arrests made against these MPs and many others in the last several weeks were in response to police reports made by Umno members and complaints by Umno leaders.”
Adding that the AG “must act professionally and not succumb to pressure from any quarter,” Latheefa said the worrying part was that the criticisms were “valid” and in relation to “legal opinion”.
“There was no element of violence or public disorder in any of the alleged ‘seditious’ remarks by any of those who have been charged,” she remarked.
Latheefa also alluded to the re-opening of investigations on “old complaints” which she said was due once again to “pressure from Umno leaders”.
Touching on the “selective nature of the sedition blitz”, Latheefa said, “no action was taken against pro-Umno government people who had made far more serious remarks.”
Expressing her dismay that people were being hauled up and investigated for sedition to this day, she added, “All such actions by both the AG and IGP shows complete contradiction to what was repeatedly promised by the Prime Minister i.e. to repeal the Sedition Act.”
Accusing the AG of making “empty promises”, Latheefa said he had done nothing despite saying he would review some of the previous sedition charges.
“We therefore urge the AG to do the right thing and review and drop the sedition charges,” Latheefa stated.
‘Secession’ not the issue in Sabah, Sarawak
From the legal perspective, sedition charges are inapplicable in Borneo as the rights movement involves the Malaysia Agreement 1963, an equal partnership between nations.
KUALA LUMPUR: Secession is a misnomer in Sabah and Sarawak, and issuing threats against those who speak up on Borneo rights can be counter-productive since the crux of the matter is the Federal Government’s non-compliance on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Threatening investigations and bringing sedition charges will not dampen discussions in the streets on the Borneo nations exiting from the Federation with the peninsula,” said Bingkor Assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan after attending a public forum, Revisit Malaysia Agreement 1963, in Kuala Lumpur on Mon.
“In fact, strong-arm tactics will have the opposite effect and generate momentum.”
Jeffrey pointed out that the situation in the Borneo nations today was not like that 20 years ago when people lived in fear. Today, they are no longer intimidated by the Sedition Act, he added, nor would they be cowed if the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) was brought back.
“The young people especially are not afraid of being arrested for standing up for their legitimate rights and their place in the sun.”
Its convictions and beliefs that drive them, he stressed, and they are fearless because the truth is with them (berani kerana benar).
He cited, as an example, the on-going signature campaign for the People’s Petition on self-determination to be sent to the United Nations after the target 500,000 endorsements are obtained. Young people everywhere are signing the petition online and getting their elders to do the same, Jeffrey disclosed. “Already, 20,000 signatures have been collected and the process is gathering momentum.”
From the legal perspective, continued Jeffrey, secession is not the issue in Borneo as this involves MA63, an equal partnership between nations. “If we are free to enter a partnership, we are equally free to leave it or even dissolve it,” said Jeffrey. “So, secession is not the right word to use in the case of the Sabah, Sarawak activists and they shouldn’t be threatened with sedition or treason charges.”
He urged Putrajaya to set up a mechanism to address grievances in the Borneo nations and cautioned that history is not on the side of the Federal Government on the matter. Instead, the authorities seem bent on creating a climate of fear to stamp out dissent, he lamented.
“We are not happy over so many socio-economic issues as well but the primary emphasis in this struggle has been on the theme that man does not live by bread alone,” said Jeffrey. “Oil, revenue-sharing, security and land are burning issues.”
“Threatening investigations and bringing sedition charges will not dampen discussions in the streets on the Borneo nations exiting from the Federation with the peninsula,” said Bingkor Assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan after attending a public forum, Revisit Malaysia Agreement 1963, in Kuala Lumpur on Mon.
“In fact, strong-arm tactics will have the opposite effect and generate momentum.”
Jeffrey pointed out that the situation in the Borneo nations today was not like that 20 years ago when people lived in fear. Today, they are no longer intimidated by the Sedition Act, he added, nor would they be cowed if the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) was brought back.
“The young people especially are not afraid of being arrested for standing up for their legitimate rights and their place in the sun.”
Its convictions and beliefs that drive them, he stressed, and they are fearless because the truth is with them (berani kerana benar).
He cited, as an example, the on-going signature campaign for the People’s Petition on self-determination to be sent to the United Nations after the target 500,000 endorsements are obtained. Young people everywhere are signing the petition online and getting their elders to do the same, Jeffrey disclosed. “Already, 20,000 signatures have been collected and the process is gathering momentum.”
From the legal perspective, continued Jeffrey, secession is not the issue in Borneo as this involves MA63, an equal partnership between nations. “If we are free to enter a partnership, we are equally free to leave it or even dissolve it,” said Jeffrey. “So, secession is not the right word to use in the case of the Sabah, Sarawak activists and they shouldn’t be threatened with sedition or treason charges.”
He urged Putrajaya to set up a mechanism to address grievances in the Borneo nations and cautioned that history is not on the side of the Federal Government on the matter. Instead, the authorities seem bent on creating a climate of fear to stamp out dissent, he lamented.
“We are not happy over so many socio-economic issues as well but the primary emphasis in this struggle has been on the theme that man does not live by bread alone,” said Jeffrey. “Oil, revenue-sharing, security and land are burning issues.”
We are the weeds with fire
People who lived through that time are calling this recent spate of arrests and convictions under the Sedition Act ‘Ops Lalang 2'. DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang blogged about a “...climate of fear in the country, as if we are in the midst of a ‘white terror’...” Former Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan declared to rousing applause at a forum: “...We are no ‘lalang’ (weed). We’re going to stand up today.”
Perhaps the confusion and fear in 1987 was the same as ours is now. Maybe parents chided in lowered voices about being careful what you write or say, at least until “this blows over. You never know”.
The same but not the same.
In
1987, we didn’t have the Internet. We didn’t have these amazing magic
machines which let you write, take photos, make music, shoot video and
then connect it instantly to the whole wide world. The same machines
with which you could start a fire, or a spark of hope, and watch it
spread, or flickering, die, only to revive again, like those magic
birthday candles that refuse to go out.My favorite journalist in the West, Quinn Norton, has called the Net the “Promethean substance of this age. It can consume, it can destroy, and it can empower. Like fire, we have to learn to use it and live with it”.
If you’re an artist, or a writer, if you keep a blog, or have a Facebook profile or Twitter account, whether you scribble the workings of your heart, or work all night drawing scary hands (because dammit it is fun), you wield a tiny part of this power. Now is the time to use it.
In contradiction to Ambiga’s words, though not, I believe, their spirit, I say: We ARE the weeds. We are the weeds with fire. We’re sending smoke signals across the net to find each other, and our hands are moving faster than theirs can catch.
SHARON CHIN is an artist living in Malaysia.
Pilgrimage: More Comfortable For Haj Pilgrims Now, Says Muhyiddin
From Hafizah Kamaruddin
MAKKAH, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the development of Makkah city and the Masjidilharam (Grand Mosque) as well as improved haj services provided by Tabung Haji (TH) have provided a lot of comforts to Malaysian pilgrims.
He made this comment when asked by the Malaysian media about the different experience performing his first haj 30 years ago and today, after visiting Malaysian pilgrims receiving treatment at the Aziziah Tabung Haji Treatment Centre here today.
Muhyiddin arrived here on Sunday to perform the haj with his wife, Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman, four children and two other family members.
Muhyiddin, who performed the haj for the first time with Tabung Haji in the 1980s, also said :"Much has changed."
"I feel special (this time) especially seeing the situation in Makkah and Masjidilharam today and 30 years ago... very different," he said.
"When I prayed (at the Masjidilharam), I found the Saudi Arabian government had taken the initiative of expanding space for the pilgrims, and in several levels. I could not pray downstairs, so I had to go upstairs (to pray)," he said.
He said the transport system in Makkah was more organised and less congested compared to the 1980s, and the city was cleaner than before.
"It is good to be performing the haj," he said.
Commenting on TH, he said the accommodation, transportation and other services provided were better than 30 years ago.
In fact, he said, the services provided by TH as a body which managed Malaysian haj pilgrims was acknowledged by the King of Saudi Arabia in every meeting with haj ministers.
Muhyiddin said: "Every year, many countries want to emulate TH. We give guidance and help in haj management (to other countries) so that in the future, the management of the world's pilgrims would improve or be on par (with TH) , and this would be a source of pride for Malaysia."
He added that he hoped all 22,230 Malaysian pilgrims this year could perform their haj as best as possible.
Muhyiddin also congratulated TH senior management and staff who would sacrifice their time each year to be in the Holy Land to provide the haj pilgrims with the best service, which made TH an exemplary institution.
According to the local media, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia recently ordered the newly expanded areas of the Grand Mosque in Makkah open for prayers in order to cater to more than two million haj pilgrims this year.
This means that pilgrims are now able to perform prayers inside the expanded mosque and courtyards on the northern, western, southern and eastern parts of the King Abdullah Haram Expansion Project, which is currently 67 percent completed.
King Abdullah had instructed officials to open the expanded mataf, or circumambulation area, around the Holy Kaabah.
The move has helped to reduce congestion inside the mosque and helped pilgrims perform their religious rituals with ease.
The project will increase the mosque's capacity to cater for two million worshipers, and the mataf from 52,000 pilgrims to 130,000 pilgrims per hour.
MAKKAH, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the development of Makkah city and the Masjidilharam (Grand Mosque) as well as improved haj services provided by Tabung Haji (TH) have provided a lot of comforts to Malaysian pilgrims.
He made this comment when asked by the Malaysian media about the different experience performing his first haj 30 years ago and today, after visiting Malaysian pilgrims receiving treatment at the Aziziah Tabung Haji Treatment Centre here today.
Muhyiddin arrived here on Sunday to perform the haj with his wife, Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman, four children and two other family members.
Muhyiddin, who performed the haj for the first time with Tabung Haji in the 1980s, also said :"Much has changed."
"I feel special (this time) especially seeing the situation in Makkah and Masjidilharam today and 30 years ago... very different," he said.
"When I prayed (at the Masjidilharam), I found the Saudi Arabian government had taken the initiative of expanding space for the pilgrims, and in several levels. I could not pray downstairs, so I had to go upstairs (to pray)," he said.
He said the transport system in Makkah was more organised and less congested compared to the 1980s, and the city was cleaner than before.
"It is good to be performing the haj," he said.
Commenting on TH, he said the accommodation, transportation and other services provided were better than 30 years ago.
In fact, he said, the services provided by TH as a body which managed Malaysian haj pilgrims was acknowledged by the King of Saudi Arabia in every meeting with haj ministers.
Muhyiddin said: "Every year, many countries want to emulate TH. We give guidance and help in haj management (to other countries) so that in the future, the management of the world's pilgrims would improve or be on par (with TH) , and this would be a source of pride for Malaysia."
He added that he hoped all 22,230 Malaysian pilgrims this year could perform their haj as best as possible.
Muhyiddin also congratulated TH senior management and staff who would sacrifice their time each year to be in the Holy Land to provide the haj pilgrims with the best service, which made TH an exemplary institution.
According to the local media, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia recently ordered the newly expanded areas of the Grand Mosque in Makkah open for prayers in order to cater to more than two million haj pilgrims this year.
This means that pilgrims are now able to perform prayers inside the expanded mosque and courtyards on the northern, western, southern and eastern parts of the King Abdullah Haram Expansion Project, which is currently 67 percent completed.
King Abdullah had instructed officials to open the expanded mataf, or circumambulation area, around the Holy Kaabah.
The move has helped to reduce congestion inside the mosque and helped pilgrims perform their religious rituals with ease.
The project will increase the mosque's capacity to cater for two million worshipers, and the mataf from 52,000 pilgrims to 130,000 pilgrims per hour.
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
New Iraqi comedy show aims to counter Islamic State extremists
By Loveday Morris
BAGHDAD — Reclining on a gold-rimmed purple sofa, the leader of the Islamic State extremist group mulls his social-media strategy as an overaffectionate sword-wielding dwarf looks on.
Here’s the town drunk, who has become a zealous follower of the Islamic State, beating those who consume alcohol — though he still drinks in secret himself.
And there’s the shop owner who is informed that vegetables with names in the Arabic language that are female in gender can’t mix with those of the male gender.
That’s right, a new weapon has been unleashed in this country devastated by Islamist militant violence — comedy.
A new 30-part satirical series, “State of Myths,” which started airing on Iraqi state television Saturday, aims to expose the true nature of the Islamic State extremist organization — through slapstick and puns.
The show demonstrates the extraordinary ability of people in this war-scarred nation to challenge violence with humor. But making light of the group notorious for beheadings and massacres brings serious risks. Some of the cast members have not allowed their names to appear on the show’s credits, while the scriptwriter has insisted on remaining anonymous.
The comedy also shows something else: the jaundiced view that many Iraqis have of the countries that are coming to their government’s defense against the militants. The original trailer for the series played into widely held conspiracy theories alleging that the United States, Qatar and Israel were responsible for the rise of the Islamic State. That idea, however, was scrapped after executives decided that amid a U.S-led bombing campaign, ridiculing their allies had become too sensitive.
The power of laughter
Set in a fictional Iraqi town that is taken over by the extremists, the show now concentrates on poking fun at Islamic State rule instead.
The local drunk takes on the uncompromising passion of a convert — which doesn’t interfere with the hypocrisy of enjoying a few drinks on the side.
Raqi rapes girl to 'exorcise' jinn from her womb
A Saudi Raqi (religious healer) raped a girl who visited him for treatment of a psychological illness after misleading her into believing her womb was haunted by the jinn (spirits), a newspaper reported on Monday.
The Raqi in the capital Riyadh told the girl he has the powers to exorcise jinns in one session if she accepts his recipe at his home.
Once the girl, whose age was not specified, surrendered to the man, he raped her, causing her to lose virginity, 'Arar' Arabic language daily said.
Police arrested the Raqi after the girl realised her mistake and reported him despite his threats to expose her if she resorts to the police.
“He told her that her womb was haunted by the jinn and that he wanted to exorcise them,” the report quoted the police as stating.
The paper said social networks in Saudi Arabia went viral in reaction to the crime and that hundreds of readers slammed both the Raqi and the girl.
“It appears our society is still living in the dark ages…almost every sin and vice are practiced under the cover of religion…we would like to ask the justice and interior ministries: shouldn’t the Raqi considered a sorcerer, who must be punished,” said Souad Al Shammari, a prominent Saudi activist.
But another reader, Sarah Al Waleed, had a completely different opinion. “The woman who simply surrenders herself to a Raqi claiming to have such powers is stupid.”
A reader identified as Dalal agreed by saying:”Why blaming only the Raqi…how could such a stupid girl allow this man to do this to her.”
The Raqi in the capital Riyadh told the girl he has the powers to exorcise jinns in one session if she accepts his recipe at his home.
Once the girl, whose age was not specified, surrendered to the man, he raped her, causing her to lose virginity, 'Arar' Arabic language daily said.
Police arrested the Raqi after the girl realised her mistake and reported him despite his threats to expose her if she resorts to the police.
“He told her that her womb was haunted by the jinn and that he wanted to exorcise them,” the report quoted the police as stating.
The paper said social networks in Saudi Arabia went viral in reaction to the crime and that hundreds of readers slammed both the Raqi and the girl.
“It appears our society is still living in the dark ages…almost every sin and vice are practiced under the cover of religion…we would like to ask the justice and interior ministries: shouldn’t the Raqi considered a sorcerer, who must be punished,” said Souad Al Shammari, a prominent Saudi activist.
But another reader, Sarah Al Waleed, had a completely different opinion. “The woman who simply surrenders herself to a Raqi claiming to have such powers is stupid.”
A reader identified as Dalal agreed by saying:”Why blaming only the Raqi…how could such a stupid girl allow this man to do this to her.”
Isis threat real, is government taking it seriously, asks Dr M
As the threat of the Islamic State (Isis) gets closer, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today asked whether the government was taking the matter seriously.Malaysia's longest serving prime minister wrote in his blog today that the threat was much closer to home than the government was willing to admit as there were now reports of Malaysians joining rebel groups in Syria.
There were also reports that Muslims from the Philippines, Indonesia, and even Singapore were taking part in the rebellion, he said, adding that according to news reports, there were now more than 30,000 Isis jihadists.
"Every day, more and more Muslims, in Europe and Asia, are leaving to join Isis.
"All this is happening in the Middle East, far from our country. (But) are we safe?" he asked.
Based on the current situation, Dr Mahathir said there was a possibility that rebels from neighbouring countries would launch an attack on Malaysia on the pretext of forming an Islamic nation.
"This idea of establishing an Islamic country is interesting, especially in the minds of Muslim youths everywhere as many are disappointed that there is no such establishment around that can be deemed the saviour of the religion, the believers and the country," he said.
Dr Mahathir also reminded Malaysians of the Islamic State’s cruelty in targeting not only its enemy, the Shias, but also fellow Sunnis whom they considered less Islamic or who were against their beliefs.
“This Isis group is so violent that they have no qualms of shooting captured Iraqi soldiers who are Muslims in the back, as seen in videos,” he said.
“In their own video, one of their followers also beheaded an American journalist and these people were claimed to be Muslims from Britain.”
Closer to home, Dr Mahathir said the Sabah intrusion last year and al-Maunah siege in 2000 were grim reminders that security threats to the country were real and present.
"Remember, Sabah happened. Here in the peninsula, we have the al-Maunah," he said.
He said it would not be hard for such groups to turn violent again if there were calls to form their version of an Islamic country here.
"The government, until now, doesn't seem to be taking the past intrusions seriously. Kidnappings are still happening. Now, there are calls for Sabah to leave Malaysia.
"If for instance, this call is equated with the idea of forming an Islamic nation, more youngsters will be easily influenced," he said.
"But the government seems to be unaware of this. No action is being taken... and the Internal Security Act [is] gone.
"Remember, no one expected militants would strike Sabah, but it happened!" he said. – September 29, 2014.
Youth NGO wants PAS to stop causing trouble in Pakatan
Fed up with PAS’s insistence on prolonging the Selangor Menteri Besar (MB) issue, a group of youths led by recently-convicted social activist Safwan Anang will hand over a letter to Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang tomorrow demanding that the party toe the line in Pakatan Rakyat (PR).Safwan, who was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for sedition on September 5, said his group, Lensa Anak Muda Malaysia (Lensa) had concluded that PAS had caused the Selangor MB crisis that saw PR on the brink of splitting up.
“Over the past few months, Lensa asked politicians, academics, what went wrong with PR and they all pointed to PAS and its flip-flop stance on the MB issue,” said Safwan, who founded Lensa in June and is the group’s executive director.
“The crisis should have ended by now, as the new MB has been sworn in already, but suddenly Selangor PAS is complaining that it never asked for its number of executive councillors to be reduced from four to three. This must stop.”
Safwan said he and about five other Lensa members would turn up at PAS’s headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut at 10am tomorrow to submit the letter to the party president titled “PAS must stop triggering tension”.
When asked why he was fighting this battle, Safwan said Lensa represented the voice of young voters in Malaysia who were banking on PR to take over Putrajaya and steer the country to a better direction.
“We are considered pro-PR because we know BN has no future, so why hope on BN any further? We want PR to provide new politics for Malaysians, otherwise there is no hope left at all for us,” said Safwan.
But he said youths were growing sick of PR, as reflected in its recent loss in Pengkalan Kubor, and that Lensa believed the sickness began with PAS.
Safwan said he had formed Lensa in June after leaving Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM), a group comprising students across Malaysia.
“Our objective is to evaluate the performance of both the government and the opposition after the general election and to create a new generation that is aware of democracy in Malaysia, and how they can play a part in it,” he said.
Safwan added that the recent sedition conviction against him had not deterred him from continuing his social activism, particularly his fight against the Sedition Act 1948.
“If I don’t fight, then it ends there. So I’ve made the decision to take up the fight and educate the youths on their rights,” he said.
The Sessions Court sentenced Safwan to 10 months’ jail on September 5 after it found him guilty of sedition.
Safwan was said to have uttered seditious statements to incite the public to remove the government by extra-legal means during a speech last year at a May 13 forum. – September 29, 2014.
Mahathir: Umno lacks guts to criticise its leaders
At present, the former Umno president claimed that the party's culture is to support its leaders without question.
"Yes, because the leader must be told about other views. A leader cannot just do whatever he likes," he told reporters in Putrajaya.
Mahathir said this when asked to comment on former New Straiuts Times (NST) group editor-in-chief A Kadir Jasin's statement that Umno is too weak to oust its current president Najib Abdul Razak.Mahathir also confirmed earlier reports that he had written a letter to Najib criticising him and saying that he is withdrawing support for Najib. However he was later asked by an intermediary to retract it.
“I just said I would withdraw. I didn’t receive any reason (for the request), since he asked me to withdraw.
“Later on, I decided that the letter has got no effect on him, so that is when I put it on my blog. I said that leaders must accept criticism,” he said.
According to an Asia Sentinel report, the intermediary was Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and purportedly contained seven demands.
However, Tengku Adnan had denied the report, saying “There is no such thing”.
IPP purchases 'public money'
When asked what he thinks about Najib’s move to ignore his advice and whether it would be detrimental to the country, Mahathir replied, “I think a leader must listen to everybody, not just somebody around me.”
To a question about Kadir’s blog post that Mahathir is "curious" about 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) acquisition of independent power producers (IPPs), Mahathir said he raised the question because the public has the right to know.
“This
is public money. Although it is borrowed money, it belongs to the
government, and government spending must follow certain procedures."You cannot just spend money as you like,” he said, before elaborating on the parliamentary procedures involved.
He clarified that he was not speculating on any ulterior motive behind the deals.
In his blog, Kadir claimed that Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) could acquire the IPPs for a token sum of money if its power purchasing agreement in not renewed.
The agreements last 21 years for gas-fired plants and 25 years for coal-fired plants, he said, and some of these that have been purchased have less than seven years left on the agreement and have long recovered their costs and substantial profits.
“Dr Mahathir was curious why 1MDB bought the ageing IPPs when the government could wait a few more years and get them for 'free'. Something is amiss,” he had written.
We will hunt you down every ‘wormhole’, IGP tells fugitive sex blogger
Khalid reminded Tan, who is now reportedly seeking asylum in the United States to escape Umno, that “every country has its own rules”.
“We will hunt him (Tan) even down the ‘lubang cacing’ (wormhole),” Khalid was quoted saying in Malay daily Utusan Malaysia today.
“He (Tan) thinks he can run. However every country has its rule and we will even track him down every wormhole.
“There is no forgiveness for those who use the social media to insult and incite,” the IGP added.
Tan, the fugitive Malaysian blogger slapped with multiple charges over his now-defunct sex blog and controversial Hari Raya greeting involving pork dish “bak kut teh”, resurfaced in the cyberspace recently, saying that he is now seeking political asylum in the US.
Singapore media agency Channel News Asia (CNA) reported Tan as saying he is fleeing from Umno — the mainstay party of Malaysia’s ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN), and had applied for asylum in the US in May.
“I’m busy starting a new life here (in the US), apart from awaiting my final asylum hearing. I’m here to seek political refuge from the tyranny of Umno — simple as that,” the 26-year-old was quoted telling the Singaporean broadcaster in an interview through his personal Facebook account.
Tan said he is optimistic of his chances of being granted asylum from the US government, citing the US Department of State’s 2013 Human Rights Report on Malaysia, which he said “explicitly cites my case as a repression of internet speech rights”.
“If all else fails, I can easily publish more ‘seditious’ materials on my Facebook to taunt the authorities and get them to be hot on the pursuit of me again, therefore creating an even more well-founded fear of political persecution to bolster my asylum claim,” he was quoted saying.
Tan and his ex-girlfriend Vivian Lee May Ling, 25, were hauled to court last July 18 and slapped with three charges, but the couple known as “Alvivi” managed to get the court to struck off a charge under Section 298A of the Penal Code.
Tan and Lee still face a charge under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act for publishing a seditious photograph and the words “Selamat Berbuka Puasa” (dengan Bak Kut Teh…wangi, enak, menyelerakan!) [Happy breaking fast with bak kut teh...fragrant, delicious, appetising]” on their Facebook page last July 11 that also showed a halal logo.
They are also being tried for a second remaining charge under subsection 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 for displaying pornographic images on their blog, alviviswingers.tumblr.com, between July 6 and July 7 last year.
The court had previously ordered the duo to surrender their passports and allowed them to be released on bail, but allowed them to temporarily take back their travel documents on May 18 this year to travel to Singapore to shoot a documentary.
Only Lee returned the passport on June 3, while Tan failed to show up on the scheduled date and went missing, leading the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to issue an arrest warrant and forfeit his RM20,000 bail.
Sex blogger insults Malaysian leaders in another Facebook post
BY ELIZABETH ZACHARIAHSex blogger Alvin Tan has landed himself in hot water again following yet another sedition probe against him for postings on his Facebook page where he had also superimposed pig snouts on the faces of several Malaysian leaders, including the prime minister.
Astro Awani reported that police have launched an investigation against Tan, who had skipped bail and fled to the United States to seek asylum.
Tan had previously been charged along with his former partner Vivian Lee under the same Act for an offensive and controversial Ramadan greeting the couple had put up on Facebook in July last year.
“Members of the public have lodged reports against Alvin Tan. Upon this, we initiated an investigation under the Sedition Act," deputy federal CID chief Datuk Amar Singh was quoted as saying.
In a Facebook posting on September 26, Tan had slammed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, calling the latter a "coward" for the recent sedition dragnet which he called an effort to "cling on to the top post".
He had also superimposed pig snouts on the images of Najib, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.
In a show of defiance, Tan also tagged the five, telling their supporters to not bother alerting them of the "sedition" nature of the posting.
"Come jail me, please!!! Don't bother tagging your leaders here just to alert them of "sedition" happening over here. I've done it beforehand to save you the hassle," the posting read.
He had also likened Khalid, the nation's top cop to Germany's SS chief Heinrich Himmler, who was responsible for building Nazi concentration camps and had directed the killing of some millions of Jews during the Second World War.
"Yes, Khalid Abu Bakar, you're like the Nazi SS Commander Heinrich Himmler, no less, and let me tell you why: because you abused your power just because someone called you names you didn't like. You're a bully, a coward."
"Zahid Hamidi, you're the closest thing to true evil, and your day will come. I promise. There will be no mercy (tip: google 'Qaddafi')," he said.
Khalid had earlier vowed to go all out to look for Alvin despite the fact that he was in the US, promising to search every "worm hole" for the 26-year-old fugitive.
Tan, the IGP said, was rude and could not be forgiven because he had shamed some Malaysian leaders with his offensive pictures and status posts on his Facebook account.
"He thinks he can run. But every country has its own regulations and we will not give up looking for him," Khalid was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.
The former law student at the National University of Singapore, and his then partner Vivian Lee, first came under the spotlight after uploading raunchy sex postings on their blog in 2012.
But it was their bak kut teh posting during Ramadan last year that landed them in hot water, and even in jail briefly – after they were charged under the Sedition Act and the Film Censorship Act.
Tan violated his bail conditions while on a supposed working trip to Singapore and is now on Interpol's wanted list.
After lying low for a while, he recently emerged on social media to make known his plans for asylum in the US and is believed to be in Los Angeles, California.
Tan told The Malaysian Insider recently that his decision to flee his homeland was to escape the government's "tyranny" as well as the "ignorance" of ordinary Malaysians. – September 29, 2014
Woman jailed for hitting kids, returns
Shalwati Norshal’s eldest daughter says she is excited and cannot wait to see her mother again.
KOTA BAHARU: “I am excited and cannot wait to meet my mother,” said Aishah Azizul Raheem, the eldest child of Shalwati Norshal who was sentenced to jail by the Solna District Court in Stockholm, Sweden for hitting her children.
Aishah, 14, said she was grateful and happy when told her mother would be released from prison today.
“What is even better is that we will get to celebrate Aidiladha with mother,” she told reporters at Kampung Wakaf Tok Wali, Melor yesterday.
She said she and her brothers, Ammar, 13, Adam, 12, and Ariff, 8, would make a special card to welcome their mother’s return and give her a bouquet of flowers.
Shalwati’s father, Norshal Nordin, 70, said he was thankful that his daughter would be coming home soon.
“At least, my daughter will be back with the family and I hope she can have a better life after this,” he said.
Shalwati was freed after serving a prison sentence in Sweden and was expected to return to Malaysia this Wednesday.
On March 29, Azizul Raheem, a Tourism Malaysia officer and his wife, Shalwati, were sentenced to imprisonment for hitting their four children.
Azizul Raheem, was released on July 9 after a three-month jail sentence in Sweden.
Shalwati, a teacher on unpaid leave, was sentenced to 14 months’ jail.
However, the sentences were reduced and both only needed to serve one-third of their jail term. – BERNAMA
Aishah, 14, said she was grateful and happy when told her mother would be released from prison today.
“What is even better is that we will get to celebrate Aidiladha with mother,” she told reporters at Kampung Wakaf Tok Wali, Melor yesterday.
She said she and her brothers, Ammar, 13, Adam, 12, and Ariff, 8, would make a special card to welcome their mother’s return and give her a bouquet of flowers.
Shalwati’s father, Norshal Nordin, 70, said he was thankful that his daughter would be coming home soon.
“At least, my daughter will be back with the family and I hope she can have a better life after this,” he said.
Shalwati was freed after serving a prison sentence in Sweden and was expected to return to Malaysia this Wednesday.
On March 29, Azizul Raheem, a Tourism Malaysia officer and his wife, Shalwati, were sentenced to imprisonment for hitting their four children.
Azizul Raheem, was released on July 9 after a three-month jail sentence in Sweden.
Shalwati, a teacher on unpaid leave, was sentenced to 14 months’ jail.
However, the sentences were reduced and both only needed to serve one-third of their jail term. – BERNAMA
Bila sistem pendidikan Malaysia kucar kacir…
…hancur musnahlah harapan Melayu.
Pendidikan tonggak harapan Melayu
Harapan bangsa Melayu hanya satu. Bermula daripada pendidikan seterusnya mendapatkan pekerjaan dan akhirnya meningkatkan taraf ekonomi mereka.
Tiga prinsip mudah itulah yang menjadi pegangan dan kepercayaan bangsa Melayu untuk mengubah hidup mereka sejak dari zaman penjajah lagi.
Pihak kerajaan di bawah pimpinan Umno dan Barisan Nasional sedar akan perkara itu dan sejak merdeka lagi, pelbagai usaha telah dilakukan bagi meningkatkan kualiti hidup bangsa Melayu dengan penekanan diberikan kepada usaha meningkatkan tahap pendidikan.
Hanya pendidikan sahaja yang dapat membantu bangsa Melayu.
Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM), Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP), Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), dan pelbagai institusi berkaitan serta usaha telah dilakukan bagi membantu bangsa Melayu untuk memperolehi kehidupan yang lebih baik di masa akan datang.
Tidak terhenti di situ, di peringkat pendidikan tinggi, universiti seperti Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) telah dibina khusus untuk membantu bangsa Melayu supaya dapat ‘bangun’ demi mendapat pekerjaan yang akan meningkatkan tahap ekonomi mereka.
Bahkan, semua Institut Pengajian Tinggi Awam (IPTA) di negara ini telah menyediakan kuota khas supaya bangsa Melayu berjaya menempatkan diri ke universiti.
Ijazah tidak laku
Namun demikian, sikap kerajaan yang membantu pelajar Melayu dengan memanjakan mereka akhirnya memakan diri apabila kualiti pelajar yang dihasilkan oleh universiti saban tahun semakin buruk.
Kini, ratusan, malah ribuan graduan Melayu menggangur walaupun sudah menggenggam ijazah.
Namun, bila segulung ijazah yang digenggam tidak punya kualiti, siapa yang mahu mengambil graduan seperti ini bekerja. Dewasa ini, kebanyakkan ijazah yang diterima tidak ‘laku’ dipasaran apatah lagi bila bersaing dengan graduan bangsa lain dari institusi luar.
Soalnya, bagaimana anak muda Melayu mahu mengubah nasib jika tiada majikan yang mahu menggaji mereka walau masing-masing berbekal bergulung-gulung ijazah? Apatah lagi bila kebanyakkan graduan Melayu ini gagal melengkapkan diri mereka dengan tahap keperluan industri yang tinggi.
Kegagalan PPSMI
Pada tahun 2003, isu Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) memperlihatkan permainan ‘gila’ yang di eksperimen oleh pihak kerajaan dan akhirnya pada tahun 2012, dasar tersebut telah dimansuhkan.
Akhirnya, yang menjadi mangsa, pelajar-pelajar sendiri.
Kajian sebelum ini telah menunjukkan PPSMI memberi kesan buruk kepada pelajar di luar bandar.
Laporan Trends in Mathematics and Science Study 2007 menyatakan kedudukan pelajar Malaysia dalam subjek Sains merosot ke tangga 21 daripada tangga ke-20 pada 2003, sementara mata pelajaran Matematik pula daripada tangga ke-10 pada 2003 ke tangga ke-20 pada 2007.
Bahkan, kajian sebuah universiti tempatan pula menyatakan murid senang mempelajari sesuatu subjek dalam bahasa yang mudah difahami, iaitu bahasa Melayu di sekolah kebangsaan dan bahasa ibunda di SJK Cina dan Tamil.
Bayangkan betapa silapnya dasar yang diperkenalkan sebelum ini dan PPSMI wajar dijadikan sejarah hitam sistem pendidikan negara.
Skandal UPSR
Tidak terhenti di situ, baru-baru ini negara dikejutkan dengan isu kegagalan dan ketidaktelusan kertas Ujian Peperiksaan Sekolah Rendah (UPSR). Perkara ini turut diakui oleh Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin yang juga Menteri Pendidikan turut meminta maaf di atas insiden tersebut.
Kementerian tidak lagi akui peperiksaan percubaan SPM?
Tidak sampai sebulan, sekali lagi, pihak kerajaan sendiri secara tidak langsung telah mengaku bahawa mereka gagal membela nasib pendidikan di Malaysia apabila pihak Kementerian Pendidikan telah mengeluarkan notis pekeliling kepada Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta (IPTS).
Pihak Kementerian Pendidikan telah memaklumkan bahawa kelayakan kemasukan pelajar lepasan sekolah ke program asasi atau pra universiti menggunakan keputusan peperiksaan percubaan SPM tidak lagi diterima bermula Januari.
Bagaimanakah pihak kerajaan yakin bahawa keputusan peperiksaan percubaan dan peperiksaan SPM itu memberikan perbezaan dalam penentuan tahap akademik pelajar?
Jika pelajar tersebut cemerlang di dalam peperiksaan percubaan, pastinya juga akan cemerlang di dalam peperiksaan sebenar. Namun dengan pemansuhan penggunaan peperiksaan percubaan SPM sebagai kelayakan kemasukan pelajar lepasan sekolah ke program asasi atau pra universiti, menunjukkan bahawa peperiksaan sebenar juga gagal membuktikan kecemerlangan pelajar.
Dengan sikap dan tindakan serta dasar-dasar yang diperkenalkan oleh pihak kerajaan jelas membuktikan bahawa kerajaan kini kelam kabut, kucar kacir, tidak menentu. Pastinya harapan Melayu untuk bangun berdiri sama tinggi dengan bangsa lain melalui pendidikan akan berkubur.
Pihak kerajaan harus mengimplementasikan satu sistem pendidikan yang lebih tinggi kualitinya daripada yang ada kini, supaya kualiti pendidikan terutamanya pendidikan untuk bangsa Melayu menjadi lebih tinggi untuk menjamin masa depan bangsa Melayu.
Pendidikan tonggak harapan Melayu
Harapan bangsa Melayu hanya satu. Bermula daripada pendidikan seterusnya mendapatkan pekerjaan dan akhirnya meningkatkan taraf ekonomi mereka.
Tiga prinsip mudah itulah yang menjadi pegangan dan kepercayaan bangsa Melayu untuk mengubah hidup mereka sejak dari zaman penjajah lagi.
Pihak kerajaan di bawah pimpinan Umno dan Barisan Nasional sedar akan perkara itu dan sejak merdeka lagi, pelbagai usaha telah dilakukan bagi meningkatkan kualiti hidup bangsa Melayu dengan penekanan diberikan kepada usaha meningkatkan tahap pendidikan.
Hanya pendidikan sahaja yang dapat membantu bangsa Melayu.
Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM), Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP), Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), dan pelbagai institusi berkaitan serta usaha telah dilakukan bagi membantu bangsa Melayu untuk memperolehi kehidupan yang lebih baik di masa akan datang.
Tidak terhenti di situ, di peringkat pendidikan tinggi, universiti seperti Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) telah dibina khusus untuk membantu bangsa Melayu supaya dapat ‘bangun’ demi mendapat pekerjaan yang akan meningkatkan tahap ekonomi mereka.
Bahkan, semua Institut Pengajian Tinggi Awam (IPTA) di negara ini telah menyediakan kuota khas supaya bangsa Melayu berjaya menempatkan diri ke universiti.
Ijazah tidak laku
Namun demikian, sikap kerajaan yang membantu pelajar Melayu dengan memanjakan mereka akhirnya memakan diri apabila kualiti pelajar yang dihasilkan oleh universiti saban tahun semakin buruk.
Kini, ratusan, malah ribuan graduan Melayu menggangur walaupun sudah menggenggam ijazah.
Namun, bila segulung ijazah yang digenggam tidak punya kualiti, siapa yang mahu mengambil graduan seperti ini bekerja. Dewasa ini, kebanyakkan ijazah yang diterima tidak ‘laku’ dipasaran apatah lagi bila bersaing dengan graduan bangsa lain dari institusi luar.
Soalnya, bagaimana anak muda Melayu mahu mengubah nasib jika tiada majikan yang mahu menggaji mereka walau masing-masing berbekal bergulung-gulung ijazah? Apatah lagi bila kebanyakkan graduan Melayu ini gagal melengkapkan diri mereka dengan tahap keperluan industri yang tinggi.
Kegagalan PPSMI
Pada tahun 2003, isu Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) memperlihatkan permainan ‘gila’ yang di eksperimen oleh pihak kerajaan dan akhirnya pada tahun 2012, dasar tersebut telah dimansuhkan.
Akhirnya, yang menjadi mangsa, pelajar-pelajar sendiri.
Kajian sebelum ini telah menunjukkan PPSMI memberi kesan buruk kepada pelajar di luar bandar.
Laporan Trends in Mathematics and Science Study 2007 menyatakan kedudukan pelajar Malaysia dalam subjek Sains merosot ke tangga 21 daripada tangga ke-20 pada 2003, sementara mata pelajaran Matematik pula daripada tangga ke-10 pada 2003 ke tangga ke-20 pada 2007.
Bahkan, kajian sebuah universiti tempatan pula menyatakan murid senang mempelajari sesuatu subjek dalam bahasa yang mudah difahami, iaitu bahasa Melayu di sekolah kebangsaan dan bahasa ibunda di SJK Cina dan Tamil.
Bayangkan betapa silapnya dasar yang diperkenalkan sebelum ini dan PPSMI wajar dijadikan sejarah hitam sistem pendidikan negara.
Skandal UPSR
Tidak terhenti di situ, baru-baru ini negara dikejutkan dengan isu kegagalan dan ketidaktelusan kertas Ujian Peperiksaan Sekolah Rendah (UPSR). Perkara ini turut diakui oleh Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin yang juga Menteri Pendidikan turut meminta maaf di atas insiden tersebut.
Kementerian tidak lagi akui peperiksaan percubaan SPM?
Tidak sampai sebulan, sekali lagi, pihak kerajaan sendiri secara tidak langsung telah mengaku bahawa mereka gagal membela nasib pendidikan di Malaysia apabila pihak Kementerian Pendidikan telah mengeluarkan notis pekeliling kepada Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta (IPTS).
Pihak Kementerian Pendidikan telah memaklumkan bahawa kelayakan kemasukan pelajar lepasan sekolah ke program asasi atau pra universiti menggunakan keputusan peperiksaan percubaan SPM tidak lagi diterima bermula Januari.
Bagaimanakah pihak kerajaan yakin bahawa keputusan peperiksaan percubaan dan peperiksaan SPM itu memberikan perbezaan dalam penentuan tahap akademik pelajar?
Jika pelajar tersebut cemerlang di dalam peperiksaan percubaan, pastinya juga akan cemerlang di dalam peperiksaan sebenar. Namun dengan pemansuhan penggunaan peperiksaan percubaan SPM sebagai kelayakan kemasukan pelajar lepasan sekolah ke program asasi atau pra universiti, menunjukkan bahawa peperiksaan sebenar juga gagal membuktikan kecemerlangan pelajar.
Dengan sikap dan tindakan serta dasar-dasar yang diperkenalkan oleh pihak kerajaan jelas membuktikan bahawa kerajaan kini kelam kabut, kucar kacir, tidak menentu. Pastinya harapan Melayu untuk bangun berdiri sama tinggi dengan bangsa lain melalui pendidikan akan berkubur.
Pihak kerajaan harus mengimplementasikan satu sistem pendidikan yang lebih tinggi kualitinya daripada yang ada kini, supaya kualiti pendidikan terutamanya pendidikan untuk bangsa Melayu menjadi lebih tinggi untuk menjamin masa depan bangsa Melayu.
US admits there is a much scarier terrorist group than ISIS
RT
New intelligence has emerged warning Washington that its upcoming confrontation with the Islamic State may leave it blind to a more sinister and direct threat from a much lesser known terrorist group that has arisen from the ashes of the Syrian war.
Very little information is being released at the moment by anyone within American intelligence circles, but the group calling itself Khorasan is said by officials to have concrete plans for striking targets in the United States and Europe as a chosen modus operandi – more so than the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIS.
The first ever mention of the group occurred on Thursday at an intelligence gathering in Washington DC, when National Intelligence Director James Clapper admitted that “in terms of threat to the homeland, Khorasan may pose as much of a danger as the Islamic State.”
According to the New York Times, some US officials have gone as far as saying that, while the Islamic State is undoubtedly more prominent in its show of force in the Middle East, it is Khorasan who’s intent on oversees campaigns in a way Al Qaeda usually is.
In this sense, the US air strike campaign and the coming actions by the anti-IS coalition might just be what coaxes the IS into larger-scale attacks on American and European soil – what Khorasan is essentially all about.
This brings up another issue seen in the current Western stance on terrorism: it is so focused on the terror spread by the IS that it’s beginning to forget that the destruction and mayhem of civil war across the Middle East is spawning a number of hard-to-track terrorist factions with distinct missions.
“What you have is a growing body of extremists from around the world who are coming in and taking advantage of the ungoverned areas and creating informal ad hoc groups that are not directly aligned with ISIS or Nusra,” a senior law enforcement official told the NY Times on condition of anonymity.
The CIA and the White House declined to give comment.
According to government sources, the Al-Qaeda offshoot group is led by a former senior operative – 33-year-old Muhsin al-Fadhli, reportedly so close to Bin Laden’s inner circle he was one of the few who knew of the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks in advance.
He had reportedly fled to Iran during the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Al Qaeda’s story goes hazy after the campaign: many operatives are said to have traveled to Pakistan, Syria, Iran and other countries, forming splinter groups.
In 2012, al-Fadhli was identified by the State Department as leading the Iranian branch of Al-Qaeda, controlling “the movement of funds and operatives” in the region and working closely with wealthy “jihadist donors” in his native Kuwait to raise money for the Syrian terrorist resistance.
Although the first public mention of the group was only this Thursday, American intelligence is said to have been tracking it for over a decade. Former President George W. Bush once mentioned the name of its leader in 2005 in connection with a French oil tanker bombing in 2002 off the coast of Yemen.
Khorasan itself is shrouded in mystery. Little is known publicly apart from its being composed of former Al-Qaeda operatives from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. The group is said to favor concealed explosives as a terror method.
Like many other groups taking up the power vacuum in war-torn Syria, Khorasan has on occasion shifted its alliances.
Fighters of the jihadist group Al-Nusra Front stand on the top of a pick-up mounted with a machine gun during fightings against the regime forces on April 4, 2013 in the Syrian village of Aziza, on the southern outskirts of Aleppo. (AFP Photo)Fighters of the jihadist group Al-Nusra Front stand on the top of a pick-up mounted with a machine gun during fightings against the regime forces on April 4, 2013 in the Syrian village of Aziza, on the southern outskirts of Aleppo. (AFP Photo)
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri at one point ordered the former ISIS to fight only in Iraq, but cut all ties with it when it disobeyed and branched out. The result was that the Nusra Front became Al-Qaeda’s official branch in Syria. It’s said that Khorasan is to Al Nusra Front what the latter was to Al-Qaeda.
When The Daily Signal spoke to James Phillips, a Middle East expert at The Heritage Foundation, he outlined some American intelligence views on the group: they see their mission in “[recruiting] European and American Muslim militants who have traveled to Syria to fight alongside Islamist extremist groups that form part of the rebel coalition fighting Syria’s Assad regime.”
“The Khorasan group hopes to train and deploy these recruits, who hold American and European passports, for attacks against Western targets,” he said.
He believes Khorasan to be Al-Qaeda’s new arm in attacking America, its “far enemy.” While they are Al Nusra’s allies in Syria, their role is believed to be to carry out terrorist attacks outside the country.
The group reportedly uses the services of a very prominent Al-Qaeda bomb maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, whose devices previously ended up on three US-bound planes. He is known to be a true pioneer of hard-to-detect bombs.
Phillips believes that the next step is taking those bombs and pairing them with US-born and other foreign jihadists returning home.
Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria’s northern Raqqa province (Reuters)Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria’s northern Raqqa province (Reuters)
In this respect, Phillips views the Khorasan threat to the US to be much more direct compared to the Islamic State’s more regional ambitions. And since President Obama’s upcoming anti-IS strategy reportedly does not include Al Nusra, this potentially frees Khorasan’s hands.
What sets Al Nusra apart from the many other groups is that it’s now the only faction with active branches throughout Syria.
Syria analyst with the Institute for the Study of War, Jennifer Cafarella, told the NY Times “there is definitely a threat that, if not conducted as a component of a properly tailored strategy within Syria, the American strikes would allow the Nusra Front to fill a vacuum in eastern Syria.”
Because of al-Zawahiri’s current weakened position in terrorist cricles, both Al Nusra and Khorasan by extension are less prominent than the IS. But these things have a way of changing unpredictably, and because the plans of these more traditional terrorist groups in Syria aren’t yet clear, a danger arises.
The volatile conflict zone that is Syria, with its lax borders and an increasing number of distinct, armed Islamist groups, the US may be surprised by how difficult it soon may be to pinpoint the origin of the next threat.
New intelligence has emerged warning Washington that its upcoming confrontation with the Islamic State may leave it blind to a more sinister and direct threat from a much lesser known terrorist group that has arisen from the ashes of the Syrian war.
Very little information is being released at the moment by anyone within American intelligence circles, but the group calling itself Khorasan is said by officials to have concrete plans for striking targets in the United States and Europe as a chosen modus operandi – more so than the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIS.
The first ever mention of the group occurred on Thursday at an intelligence gathering in Washington DC, when National Intelligence Director James Clapper admitted that “in terms of threat to the homeland, Khorasan may pose as much of a danger as the Islamic State.”
According to the New York Times, some US officials have gone as far as saying that, while the Islamic State is undoubtedly more prominent in its show of force in the Middle East, it is Khorasan who’s intent on oversees campaigns in a way Al Qaeda usually is.
In this sense, the US air strike campaign and the coming actions by the anti-IS coalition might just be what coaxes the IS into larger-scale attacks on American and European soil – what Khorasan is essentially all about.
This brings up another issue seen in the current Western stance on terrorism: it is so focused on the terror spread by the IS that it’s beginning to forget that the destruction and mayhem of civil war across the Middle East is spawning a number of hard-to-track terrorist factions with distinct missions.
“What you have is a growing body of extremists from around the world who are coming in and taking advantage of the ungoverned areas and creating informal ad hoc groups that are not directly aligned with ISIS or Nusra,” a senior law enforcement official told the NY Times on condition of anonymity.
The CIA and the White House declined to give comment.
According to government sources, the Al-Qaeda offshoot group is led by a former senior operative – 33-year-old Muhsin al-Fadhli, reportedly so close to Bin Laden’s inner circle he was one of the few who knew of the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks in advance.
He had reportedly fled to Iran during the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Al Qaeda’s story goes hazy after the campaign: many operatives are said to have traveled to Pakistan, Syria, Iran and other countries, forming splinter groups.
In 2012, al-Fadhli was identified by the State Department as leading the Iranian branch of Al-Qaeda, controlling “the movement of funds and operatives” in the region and working closely with wealthy “jihadist donors” in his native Kuwait to raise money for the Syrian terrorist resistance.
Although the first public mention of the group was only this Thursday, American intelligence is said to have been tracking it for over a decade. Former President George W. Bush once mentioned the name of its leader in 2005 in connection with a French oil tanker bombing in 2002 off the coast of Yemen.
Khorasan itself is shrouded in mystery. Little is known publicly apart from its being composed of former Al-Qaeda operatives from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. The group is said to favor concealed explosives as a terror method.
Like many other groups taking up the power vacuum in war-torn Syria, Khorasan has on occasion shifted its alliances.
Fighters of the jihadist group Al-Nusra Front stand on the top of a pick-up mounted with a machine gun during fightings against the regime forces on April 4, 2013 in the Syrian village of Aziza, on the southern outskirts of Aleppo. (AFP Photo)Fighters of the jihadist group Al-Nusra Front stand on the top of a pick-up mounted with a machine gun during fightings against the regime forces on April 4, 2013 in the Syrian village of Aziza, on the southern outskirts of Aleppo. (AFP Photo)
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri at one point ordered the former ISIS to fight only in Iraq, but cut all ties with it when it disobeyed and branched out. The result was that the Nusra Front became Al-Qaeda’s official branch in Syria. It’s said that Khorasan is to Al Nusra Front what the latter was to Al-Qaeda.
When The Daily Signal spoke to James Phillips, a Middle East expert at The Heritage Foundation, he outlined some American intelligence views on the group: they see their mission in “[recruiting] European and American Muslim militants who have traveled to Syria to fight alongside Islamist extremist groups that form part of the rebel coalition fighting Syria’s Assad regime.”
“The Khorasan group hopes to train and deploy these recruits, who hold American and European passports, for attacks against Western targets,” he said.
He believes Khorasan to be Al-Qaeda’s new arm in attacking America, its “far enemy.” While they are Al Nusra’s allies in Syria, their role is believed to be to carry out terrorist attacks outside the country.
The group reportedly uses the services of a very prominent Al-Qaeda bomb maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, whose devices previously ended up on three US-bound planes. He is known to be a true pioneer of hard-to-detect bombs.
Phillips believes that the next step is taking those bombs and pairing them with US-born and other foreign jihadists returning home.
Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria’s northern Raqqa province (Reuters)Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria’s northern Raqqa province (Reuters)
In this respect, Phillips views the Khorasan threat to the US to be much more direct compared to the Islamic State’s more regional ambitions. And since President Obama’s upcoming anti-IS strategy reportedly does not include Al Nusra, this potentially frees Khorasan’s hands.
What sets Al Nusra apart from the many other groups is that it’s now the only faction with active branches throughout Syria.
Syria analyst with the Institute for the Study of War, Jennifer Cafarella, told the NY Times “there is definitely a threat that, if not conducted as a component of a properly tailored strategy within Syria, the American strikes would allow the Nusra Front to fill a vacuum in eastern Syria.”
Because of al-Zawahiri’s current weakened position in terrorist cricles, both Al Nusra and Khorasan by extension are less prominent than the IS. But these things have a way of changing unpredictably, and because the plans of these more traditional terrorist groups in Syria aren’t yet clear, a danger arises.
The volatile conflict zone that is Syria, with its lax borders and an increasing number of distinct, armed Islamist groups, the US may be surprised by how difficult it soon may be to pinpoint the origin of the next threat.
No place for Sedition Act if we are to be a progressive democracy, say lawyers
The Sedition Act must be removed from the statute book as it unfairly punishes individuals whose thoughts are against the views of the establishment, lawyers said.The law is also the anti-thesis of democracy, rule of law, justice and human rights, they said in response to Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir’s statement yesterday that those who were for repeal of the Sedition Act had yet to explain its weaknesses.
The lawyers said freedom of speech and expression was a manifestation of one's thought process and it was irrational to use the sedition law to mete out harsh sentences, like a jail term.
They said the law was used as an instrument of oppression, and is archaic and repressive.
Lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad said the late Karpal Singh was convicted for sedition merely for explaining the law during the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis.
"Karpal only gave his opinion that the ruler can be taken to court because the constitution is supreme. That statement did not incite violence or tension in society and yet he was charged and convicted," Amer said.
Karpal, a respectable constitutional lawyer, had called for a press conference in February 2009 when the Sultan of Perak appointed Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir as menteri besar after the incumbent Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin lost majority support.
In March this year, the High Court fined him RM4,000 after finding him guilty of sedition against the Sultan.
"Karpal ran foul of the law because for sedition the best of good intentions is irrelevant," he said.
Yesterday, Mukhriz, who is also the Kedah Menteri Besar, said it was best for the Sedition Act 1948 to be retained to ensure security, solidarity and racial harmony in the country.
"So far, I have not heard of anyone giving an explanation on the act that is seen as weak, bias and not in line with the current environment... where is the weakness of this Sedition Act?" he said.
Amer said even Universiti Malaya law professor Dr Azmi Sharom was prosecuted under the law for merely applying the law to the facts of the Selangor Menteri Besar impasse.
"There must be exchange of ideas for the country and the people to move forward. Suppression of views will only retard our society," Amer said.
Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen (pic), taking a swipe at Mukhriz, saying the menteri besar was either feigning ignorance or being obtuse."Most democracies, especially in the Commonwealth, have put the law to little use or had abolished them," he said.
He said it was a myth to suggest that the law was justified because it was sensitive to speak or debate issues in order to maintain harmony and unity.
"The law has instead prevented important issues from being properly and genuinely addressed," he added.
Paulsen said there was also a perception that the Sedition Act was used as a political tool or weapon dressed up as legislation to go after opposition leaders and activists who were against the Barisan Nasional government.
Lawyer Jayaseelan Anthony said the sedition law which originated from England in the 12th century was extended to British colonies to quell dissent against the monarch and the colonial government.
"In England, the offender is guilty only if the prosecution proves there was violence and public disorder as a result of uttering or publishing seditious remarks," he said.
However, he said the British and their judicial officers modified the law to make it more oppresive to check their subjects in the colonies.
"They wanted to stay in power and this had to be done through rule by fear," said Anthony who is author of a book "Seditious Tendency?"
In the then Malaya, he said the British who returned after the Japanese Occupation passed three laws in one day - the Sedition, Trade Union and Printing Ordinances in 1948 to control the communist propoganda.
"The then Communist Party of Malaya was making inroads among the masses and workers, and the British needed the legislation to check their influence," he said.
He said the political and social landscape in Malaysia had changed for the better but yet the sedition law was made more repressive following an amendment in 1970.
"This primitive law must go if we are going to join the ranks of other progressive democratic societies," he said. – September 28, 2014.
KL Customs Chief, Seven Senior Officers Face 24 Corruption Charges
SHAH
ALAM, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- Kuala Lumpur Customs Department director,
Datuk Mohd Isa Endot, and seven other Customs officers were today
charged in the Sessions Court, here, with 24 counts of corruption
involving bribes received amounting to RM42,400.The graft offences, allegedly committed between March, 2013 and August, 2014, were in connection with the smuggling of liquor for which duty had not been paid.
The seven other officers charged include Assistant Superintendent Muhamad Helmi Burhanudin from the Operations Branch of the Enforcement Division, Selangor Customs headquarters, Senior Asst. Supt. II Wan Azman Wan Ali from the KL Customs Department and Senior Asst. Supt. II Jamaluddin Zam Zam from the Customs Central Zone's Intelligence Branch, Putrajaya.
The others are Asst. Supt Mohamad Fauzi Kamsar, Supt Shamsul Anwar Mohd Radzi, senior Customs officer Azlee Mohamed Yusof and Senior Asst. Supt Mohamed Rozlan Ibrahim, also from the Kuala Lumpur Customs Department.
Mohd Isa, Muhamad Helmi, Wan Azman, Mohamad Fauzi, Jamaluddin and Mohamed Rozlan were separately charged while Shamsul Anwar and Azlee were jointly charged.
Mohd Isa, 55, pleaded not guilty to four charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM8,000 as monthly payment and protection money to facilitate a company's dealings with Customs.
He is alleged to have committed the offences at his office, Level 5, Block C, Wisma Kastam Kelana Jaya, between May and August, this year.
Muhamad Helmi, 37, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty to seven charges of accepting bribes on a monthly basis amounting to RM14,000 as inducement not to disturb a lorry leaving the Klang Port Free Zone. The lorry belonged to an individual with vested interest.
Muhamad Helmi allegedly committed the offences at the Operations Branch of the Enforcement Division, Selangor Customs Department between February and August, this year.
Wan Azman, 47, pleaded not guilty to five accounts of soliciting for and receiving bribes amounting to RM10,000 from an individual at the Kuala Lumpur Customs Warehousing Branch while being aware that the person had official connection with the Kuala Lumpur Customs director.
The offences were allegedly committed between May and August, 2014 in the Klang Valley.
Mohamad Fauzi, 33, also pleaded not guilty to three charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM4,200 as inducement not to interfere with liquor smuggling activities during the inspection operations, allegedly between last June and August in Kelana Jaya, Selangor.
Shamsul Anwar, 32, and Azlee, 48, jointly face two corruption charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM3,000 from an individual as inducement not to disturb that person's business.
The alleged offences, to which they pleaded not guilty, were committed between July and August, 2014 in Kelana Jaya, Selangor.
Jamaludin, 54, was charged with accepting a bribe of RM1,000 as inducement to provide information on Customs intelligence operations to an individual.
The offence was allegedly committed in March 2013 at an eatery in Subang Jaya.
Mohamed Rozlan, 57, faces two charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM2,200 as inducement not to inspect any business in which an individual had interest. The offences were committed between June 10 and 20, 2014 in Subang Jaya and Kelana Jaya.
All the charges againt the six accused were made under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and Section 165 of the Penal Code.
Judge Datuk Noradidah Ahmad allowed Mohd Isa bail of RM25,000 in one surety, Muhamad Helmi RM20,000, Wan Azman RM15,000, Mohamad Fauzi RM10,000, Shamsul Anwar RM8,000, Mohamed Rozlan $8,000, Jamaludion RM5,000 and Azlee RM3,000, also in one surety each.
The accused were also ordered to surrender their passports to the court and all the cases will be rementioned on Oct 30.
Deputy public prosecutors Umar Saifuddin Jaafar and Mohd Heikal Ismail from the MACC appeared for the prosecution, while the accused were represented by lawyers Gabriel Susayan, Radehayati Johateh, Mona Hazratulaswati Fauzi, V.Kumaresan and Syed Ismat Syed Muhamad, among others.
Monday, 29 September 2014
ISIS's 'emir of suicide bombers' raised $2million for 'military operations' from mystery Qatari donor, say US officials
- Tariq bin al-Tahar al-Harzi, 32, is 'one of ISIS's most senior commanders'
- He raised $2million from mystery Qatari donor, according to U.S. Treasury
- Unnamed donor told him cash must be used for 'military operations' only
- Revelations have sparked calls for the Gulf to prevent its citizens from aiding the flow of funds to Syria-based terror groups, such as the Islamic State
- Despite criticism, Qatar 'working together' with America against militants
- Al-Harzi among number of jihadis named as 'global terrorists' by Treasury
Tunisian-born Tariq bin al-Tahar al-Harzi, 32, one of the terror group's most senior commanders, allegedly arranged to receive the funds from a Gulf-based 'financial facilitator'.
The unnamed donor told him the cash must be used for 'military operations' and also enlisted the terrorist's help with 'fundraising efforts in Qatar', according to the U.S. Treasury.
The revelations have sparked calls for the Gulf state, the richest per capita in the world, to prevent its citizens from aiding the flow of funds to Syria-based terror groups, such as ISIS.
But despite increasing criticism, Qatar, which has an extensive London property portfolio including luxury department store Harrods, is now 'working together' with the U.S. against ISIS.
The Gulf has contributed two Mirage jet fighters to President Barack Obama's air campaign against militants, which are being controlled from a headquarters outside Qatar’s capital, Doha.
Al-Harzi, who is believed to be one of ISIS's first ever terrorists, is among a number of jihadists to be recently added to the Treasury's list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
Other named jihadists include a middleman between al-Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan and Gulf financiers and another ISIS senior commander who is believed to oversee a prison where foreign hostages are held.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2771571/ISIS-s-emir-suicide-bombers-raised-2million-military-operations-mystery-Qatari-donor-say-US-officials.html
OK Beheader’s Imam Defended Muslim Terrorism, Called for Jailing Pamela Geller
by Daniel GreenfieldDaniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam. He is completing a book on the international challenges America faces in the 21st century.
Imam Imad Enchassi, a Lebanese immigrant who claims to be a Palestinian Arab, was the Imam of the Oklahoma beheader’s mosque. While he is running the usual routine about peace and love, a story relayed to Robert Spencer by a former congregant shows a different side of him.
The Imam was Imad Enchassi the last I heard. He was a friend of mine. He is a Lebanese-born Sunni who hates Israel. He once gave a sermon that the Israelis were trying to collapse al-Aqsa mosque by digging tunnels underneath it. They have no issue with Palestinian suicide bombings because, as it was explained to me, that is the only weapon the Palestinians have.
That’s not a surprise, as Imam Imad Enchassi denounced Israel on social media and claimed to have family in Gaza who were killed during conflicts with Israel. Considering that Israel targets Hamas terrorists, that certainly raises some questions.
He also appears to be an officer in the state chapter of CAIR, a front group for the Muslim Brotherhood, and has numerous photos showcasing his involvement with Islamic Relief, an organization whose international chapters have had alleged ties to Hamas.
When terrorist supporter George Galloway was beaten up, Imam Imad Enchassi urged “prayers” for him. And he’s not too fond of critics of Islam in the US.
In response to a story on Pamela Geller’s ad campaign critical of Islamic terrorism, he posted that, “Hate speech and ads that crosses freedom of speech and encouraged violence ought to be illegal.”
Walk the talk, social media users tell Najib over his UN speech
Barely hours after Datuk Seri Najib Razak condemned the Islamic State militants (Isis) and religious extremism at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, social media users were quick to remind the prime minister to practise what he preached at home.Twitter user Nash, using the handle @nash_71, did not mince his words when he posted: "@NajibRazak such a pity your words and deeds dont (sic) match where it matters most... at HOME... Malaysia... cld hv (could have) been known a great statesman."
Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen also hit out at the PM's remarks at the UN assembly, by tweeting: "@NajibRazak says the right thing at UN but fails miserably back in Msia – Umno, Isma, Perkasa, Utusan, Jakim, Jais extremism for all to see."
He further posted: "At UN @NajibRazak calls for peace & moderation but no such consideration in Msia – everything is dealt with by the Sedition Act."
This prompted a response from a follower, Peoples Power, using the handle @peoplespowerr, who posted: "He is jaguh dunia BUT not jaguh kampung."
Another Twitter user, Hafiz Noor Shams, using the handle @__earth, appeared to issue a reminder to the PM's earlier presumed admiration for the terror group: "Najib at the UN: WE'RE ANTI ISIS. Najib in an UMNO pow-wow: We should emulate ISIS's courage."
Najib had in June at a dinner to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Cheras Umno branch, called on party members to emulate the exploits of the group, which was then known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), as its members were able to defeat an Iraqi force despite being outnumbered.
Many criticised him and questioned him for voicing his support for a militant group.
However, the prime minister's office later claimed that his words had been taken out of context and, instead, said that the militants' actions ran counter to the Islamic faith and culture and humanity.
Human rights lawyer Latheefa Koya also took to Twitter today to say: "Najib urges global community to defeat violent extremism & religious intolerance – hello? ada kenal Isma & perkasa? (heard of Isma and Perkasa?)", in reference to the two Muslim and Malay rights groups in Malaysia.
Former BN de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim also tweeted using the handle @zaidibrahim: "PM snazzy dresser; spoke well about dangerous ideas permeating Islamic world in New York. When back home will he repeat them in Pekan?"
Najib had earlier told the UN General Assembly that Isis militants had destroyed lives and communities and destabilised fragile nations and threatened regional security.
“We reject this so-called Islamic State. We reject this state defined by extremism. And we condemn the violence being committed in the name of Islam.
“We know that the threat to world peace and security is not Islam, but extremism: intolerant, violent and militant extremism. The actions of these militants are beyond conscience and belief. They violate the teachings of Islam, the example set by the Prophet Muhammad, and the principles of Islamic law.”
Najib also said in his speech that there were key things that the world must do to defeat violent extremism and religious intolerance in Iraq and Syria.
“First, security and statehood must be returned to the people of Syria and Iraq.
“Secondly, we must pursue a different kind of politics... We must break the cycle where one group gains power only to wield it against the other... So we should commit to more inclusive politics."
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/practise-what-you-preached-at-un-on-religious-extremism-netizens-tell-najib#sthash.q4rt5DHF.dpuf
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)