MUSLIMS IN THE MEDIA

Bridging the Religious Divide Between Muslims in Indonesia

2012-01-12T00:18:00.000-08:00

Salim Osman - Straits Times Indonesia |

January 12, 2012

An angry mob torched an Islamic boarding school, an adjacent mosque and a row of houses in Sampang, East Java, last Thursday. In February last year, a pesantren, or Islamic boarding school, in Pasuruan, also in East Java, was attacked by a mob for no apparent reason. Four students suffered head injuries.

These incidents were not the first for the two schools. The attacks on these schools, which belong to the minority Shi'ite sect of Islam, raised concern over possible sectarian strife breaking out in Sunni-majority Indonesia, given such conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The attacks placed in a spotlight the Shi'ite minority and its relations with the Sunni majority in Indonesia. Unlike in Malaysia and Singapore, where a Shi'ite minority has always been present, Indonesia's Shi'ites became more prominent only after Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979, when some Sunnis converted to Shi'ism and Indonesian scholars returned from study in Iran. Before the revolution, there were a small number of Shi'ites, mainly Arab descendants who kept a low profile.

But Shi'ism is not a new phenomenon as many Shi'ite elements are found in classical Indonesian literature and even in cultural traditions. One such tradition is commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, Prophet Muhammad's grandson. However, the Shi'ite faith is not embedded in Indonesia's religious beliefs.

The conversion of Sunni activists has raised the Shi'ite community's profile, carving out a space as a well-defined religious group, establishing schools, mosques and civil society organizations, and publishing Shi'ite literature in Bahasa Indonesia.

But with this development comes rising tension with the Sunnis. Since the 1980s, various Sunni groups have been asking the government to ban Shi'ism, but the sect cannot be proscribed because it is still part of Islamic orthodoxy. The sect was formed following a political split after the death of Prophet Muhammad, when the minority who wanted his cousin Ali to succeed him became Shi'ites, while the majority who chose Abu Bakar became Sunnis.

The closest that the Indonesian authorities have come to restricting the sect was a 1984 statement by the Council of Ulama (MUI) that Shi'ism was different from Sunni Islam, and that Sunnis must stay clear of its influence. No fatwa has been issued to declare Shi'ism deviant, unlike the MUI ruling on the Ahmadis as heretic because of their belief in a prophet after Prophet Muhammad. The tension created by the opposition to Shi'ism and the Shi'ites' insistence of their right to their faith resulted in last week's attacks.

What then was the trigger? The two boarding schools are located in Java's conservative heartland, where the Muslim populace is normally loyal to its religious leaders. The schools' presence is resented by Sunni clerics who feared competition. Police said their investigation into the Sampang attacks showed how a private dispute between two brothers who were prominent religious figures from opposing sects grew into a sectarian fight.

Second, the perception of a small minority with its boarding schools and other Muslim services posing as a formidable threat to Sunni orthodoxy could be the spark for animosity towards the sect. Agitation by anti-Shi'ite community leaders such as Habib Achmad Zein Alkaf of the Yayasan Albayyinat, who said 'Shias (Shi'ites) are more dangerous than the Ahmadis', feeds into the average Indonesian's ignorance of Shi'ism.

Weak law enforcement also emboldened perpetrators of sectarian violence to commit the crime again. Human rights activists complained that the police were hard-pressed to stop the mob because they were outnumbered and feared the backlash, allowing many culprits to get away scot-free. Those convicted in court were usually given light sentences that hardly served as deterrents.

Sectarian flare-ups are bound to happen again even if the community in Sampang is relocated, and there is no guarantee it would be accepted at the new site. The authorities have shown indifference to the attacks. Top security minister Djoko Suyanto was nonchalant when he shifted the task of finding a solution to Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, who he said was 'best equipped' to deal with religious conflict. Mr Suryadharma himself reacted only four days after the incident, not saying much beyond condemning the violence and reiterating that the existing religious harmony committees could tackle the problem.

Perhaps what Indonesia needs is a form of 'Islamic ecumenical' movement to bridge the gap between the two sects of Islamic orthodoxy. In an initiative towards rapprochement in May last year, the Indonesian Sunni and Shia Council was formed by the Indonesian Mosque Council, a Sunni body, and the Association of Ahlul Bayt, a Shi'ite organisation, to promote dialogue and understanding between them. Although a commendable move, it will take time for the council to improve harmony between Sunnis and Shi'ites.

Indonesia will have to fall back on its national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, or unity in diversity, to strengthen tolerance and the spirit of coexistence. The motto should not only be acceptance of diverse religions, but also of diversity within one religion.

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/bridging-the-religious-divide-between-muslims-in-indonesia/490756

Malaysian Muslims denounce Christian conversion efforts - World - GMA News Online - Latest Philippine News

2011-10-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

Malaysian Muslims denounce Christian conversion efforts - World - GMA News Online - Latest Philippine News:
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia - About 2,000 slogan-shouting Malaysian Muslims gathered near the capital on Saturday to denounce alleged Christian attempts to convert Muslims, widening a religious rift that could cost Prime Minister Najib Razak minority votes in upcoming polls.

The rally led by non-governmental bodies comes amid an escalating row over accusations of covert conversions among Muslims and a raid on a Methodist church, which has divided Muslims and angered ethnic minorities.

Men, women and families gathered in a stadium in a suburb outside Kuala Lumpur to unite against what they said were attempts to evangelize Muslims, an offence in a country where over half the population follows Islam.

"We have gathered today to save the faith of Muslims due to the threat of apostasy," Yusri Mohamad, chairman of the organising committee, told the crowd.

"Some people say they (non-Muslims) work hard to spread their religion and that there is nothing wrong with apostasy. These are the voices which we want to drown out with our gathering today."

Ethnic Malays, who make up over half of the population, are Muslim by birth and constitutionally forbidden to leave the faith. Non-Muslims are guaranteed freedom of worship.

The protest follows a recent meeting in a church which was raided by Islamic authorities on suspicion of attempts to convert Muslims. The church said it was a charity meeting.

In keeping with Muslim tradition, men wearing skullcaps and women in traditional dress and headscarves sat separately in the stadium on Saturday as clerics delivered fiery speeches and urged followers to remain faithful.

Banners strung across the stadium read "Say no to apostasy, don't challenge the position of Islam" and "Together let's prevent apostasy".

Religious singing groups entertained the crowd, while they chanted "Let's gather to save the faith of Muslims" and "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest).

"This gathering is good so that Muslims can unite because the recent raid on the church has raised fears about apostasy," said Muhammad Basori Hassan, a trader in his 30s, who attended the protest.

The four-hour gathering was peaceful and the turnout was a fraction of the 10,000-strong crowd which took to the streets in July to demand electoral reforms, but analysts said it would have ramifications for Najib in the next general election.

Malaysia's next election is not due until 2013 but many expect Najib to call one early next year before economic growth, projected at 5 percent in 2011, slows amid a possible global downturn.

Khoo Kay Peng, a political analyst, said the protest would only further stoke fears among minorities and would not garner new Malay support for the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

"For people who are already voting for Barisan Nasional, the gathering is preaching to the converted as there will always be fears by some that outspoken Chinese will erode Malay rights," he said.

"Barisan needs instead to move to the centre and bridge the gap."

Analysts say political parties have traditionally used race and religion to sway support in this multi-ethnic Southeast Asian country.

In recent years, ethic strife between Malays, Chinese and Indian minorities has inflamed racial tensions. But the squabble between Muslims and Christians has taken centerstage amid a rash of church bombings, the seizure of Bible shipments and legal action over the Christian use of the word "Allah". — Reuters
'via Blog this'

In good faith

2011-10-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

In good faith

INTER-religious difficulties in the country are being successfully resolved through mediation. According to the chairman of the Committee for the Promotion of Inter-Religious Understanding, Datuk Azman Amin Hassan, who is also the director-general of the Department of National Unity and Integration, out of 320 cases reported to the department, 299 have been solved by mediators trained by the International Islamic University working jointly with the department. Given Malaysia's ethnic and religious plurality, such efforts should be deemed necessary and important because any faith-based differences of opinion can easily be exploited by the ruthless and unscrupulous to foment social unrest. That the inter-faith dialogue comes under the prime minister's portfolio testifies to the emphasis given towards defusing such problems. It is indeed heartening to know that efforts put in place through public policy are actually bearing fruit.

Malaysian politics can all too readily fragment along religious lines and it is common knowledge that religious parochialism can lead zealots astray, and stepping on the toes of the several other communities is only too easy. Unfortunately, while faith itself is meant to bring the best out of humanity, there are aspects of it that when misconstrued can only have negative outcomes. A recent example of inter-ethnic violence poisoned by religious sentiments leading to national disintegration is post-Tito Yugoslavia. Today we speak of the Balkan states of Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia. It is a pity that Yugoslavia had to be relegated to history when as a nation it was an economic exemplar of the countries under Soviet influence. Attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt show that even communities that have coexisted for a long time can break out into conflict.

It is, therefore, unrealistic to be dismissive of niggling problems of religion when these divisions may run deep in history. Hard-won economic prosperity alone may not be enough to cement ethnic and religious ties because affluence can bring its own challenges and contestations. Furthermore, piety is not to be cheated with secularism, as the Yugoslav socialist experiment demonstrated. The angst of centuries of religious misunderstanding, passed down the generations, cannot be swept under the carpet. Rather, there is a need to understand the religious grievances voiced by the different communities so as to encourage better understanding between them. An ongoing and continuous inter-faith dialogue builds the bridges that reinforce acceptance, moderation, compromise and mutual help. More of it should be done to lay the cultural foundations of 1Malaysia, which embraces the nation's diverse sensitivities under the banner of Islam as its official religion.

NST Editorial 11/10/2011
Read more: In good faith http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/16goo/Article/#ixzz1aXXAJ4Va

2011-10-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Sultan amat tersinggung

Oleh AZIAN AZIZ

pengarang@utusan.com.my

SHAH ALAM 10 Okt. – Siasatan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) ke atas majlis Thanksgiving Dinner yang diadakan di Dewan 3, Kompleks Dream Centre di Seksyen 13, Petaling Jaya pada 3 Ogos lalu mendapati berlaku cubaan untuk memesongkan kepercayaan dan akidah umat Islam

Sehubungan itu Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah melahirkan rasa amat tersinggung dengan usaha-usaha pihak tertentu yang cuba melemahkan kepercayaan dan akidah orang Islam di negeri ini.

Berikutan adalah kenyataan penuh Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah:-

Beta selaku Ketua Agama Islam Negeri Selangor amat mengambil berat di atas tindakan yang dilakukan oleh Bahagian Penguatkuasan, Jabatan Agama Islam, Selangor (JAIS) yang telah menjalankan pemeriksaan ke atas majlis 'Thanksgiving Dinner' yang diadakan di Dewan 3, Kompleks Dream Centre, Seksyen 13, Petaling Jaya pada 3 Ogos 2011 yang lalu.

Beta amat berharap agar rakyat Negeri Selangor tanpa mengira bangsa dan agama tidak menyalahanggap dan mempertikaikan tindakan JAIS tersebut sebelum mengetahui dengan jelas fakta sebenar mengenai tindakan yang telah diambil oleh pihak JAIS.

Sebagai sebuah Jabatan Kerajaan Negeri yang bertanggungjawab menguatkuasakan undang-undang Islam dalam Negeri ini, JAIS mempunyai tugas yang berat untuk memastikan Agama Islam dalam Negeri Selangor ini sentiasa dipelihara dan dimartabatkan selaras dengan kedudukan Agama Islam sebagai agama Negeri Selangor di bawah Perkara XLVII Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Selangor, 1959 dan juga agama Persekutuan di bawah Fasal (1) Perkara 3 Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Pihak JAIS telah menyembahkan kepada Beta laporan penuh mengenai pemeriksaan yang telah dijalankan di kompleks Dream Centre, Seksyen 13, Petaling Jaya tersebut dan juga tindakan susulan yang telah diambil oleh JAIS. Beta sendiri telah meneliti laporan tersebut dengan terperinci dan Beta berpuas hati bahawa tindakan JAIS tersebut adalah betul dan tidak menyalahi mana-mana undang-undang yang berkuat kuasa di Negeri Selangor ini.

Tindakan JAIS tersebut adalah selaras dengan bidang kuasa yang diperuntukkan di bawah Enakmen Tatacara Jenayah Syariah (Negeri Selangor) 2003, Enakmen Jenayah Syariah (Negeri Selangor) 1995 dan Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam (Kawalan Perkembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) Negeri Selangor, 1988.

Agama Islam yang diamalkan dalam Negeri Selangor ini adalah sebuah agama yang penuh toleransi. Penganut agama Islam sentiasa dipupuk agar menghormati penganut-penganut agama lain.

Walaupun begitu, mana-mana pihak tidak boleh mengambil kesempatan untuk cuba mengembangkan ajaran agama lain kepada penganut Agama Islam.

Ini adalah selaras dengan Fasal (1) dan (4) Perkara 11 Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam (Kawalan Perkembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) Negeri Selangor, 1988 yang tidak membenarkan pengembangan ajaran agama lain kepada penganut Agama Islam.

Perkara XLVII Undang-Undang Tubuh, Kerajaan Selangor 1959, Fasal (1) Perkara 3 dan Fasal (1) Perkara 11 Perlembagaan Persekutuan telah memberikan hak kebebasan beragama kepada penganut agama lain untuk mengamalkan ajaran agama mereka masing-masing dengan aman dan harmoni.

Hak kebebasan tersebut telah pun berjalan dengan penuh harmoni dalam Negeri ini. Beta amat berharap keharmonian tersebut yang telah wujud sekian lama terus dikekalkan.

Peliharalah hak dan agama masing-masing dan jangan sekali-kali cuba mempengaruhi dan memesongkan fahaman dan kepercayaan orang Islam terhadap agama Islam.

Merujuk kepada siasatan pihak JAIS, terdapat keterangan bahawa ada cubaan untuk memesongkan kepercayaan dan aqidah umat Islam.

Tetapi keterangan yang diperolehi tidak mencukupi untuk tindakan undang-undang diambil.

Oleh itu setelah meneliti dengan secara mendalam laporan oleh pihak JAIS dan setelah mendapat nasihat dari pakar-pakar agama dan undang-undang, Beta bersetuju tiada pendakwaan terhadap mana-mana pihak.

Walau bagaimanapun Beta menitahkan JAIS memberikan kaunseling kepada orang Islam yang terlibat dalam majlis tersebut supaya aqidah dan kepercayaan mereka terhadap Agama Islam dapat dipulihkan.

Beta juga menitahkan JAIS supaya menjalankan aktiviti dakwah terhadap orang Islam dengan lebih kerap dan tersusun supaya akidah dan kepercayaan mereka terhadap Agama Islam dapat dipelihara dan dipertingkatkan.

Beta amat berharap selepas daripada ini, apa-apa kegiatan dan aktiviti yang sedang berjalan atau yang akan berjalan bagi tujuan mengembangkan ajaran agama lain kepada penganut Agama Islam dalam Negeri Selangor ini hendaklah dihentikan segera dan tiada kegiatan dan aktiviti yang serupa dijalankan di masa hadapan.

Sesungguhnya Beta selaku Ketua Agama Islam Negeri Selangor ini amat mengambil berat dan berasa amat tersinggung dengan usaha-usaha pihak tertentu yang cuba untuk melemahkan kepercayaan dan aqidah orang Islam dalam Negeri Selangor ini.

Beta menitahkan Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS) dan JAIS supaya sentiasa mengadakan pemantauan rapi dan mengambil tindakan sewajarnya tanpa perlu teragak-agak lagi selaras dengan bidang kuasa yang diperuntukkan di bawah undang-undang.

Beta juga ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan terima kasih kepada semua pihak yang telah mengambil berat berkaitan isu ini dan yang telah memberikan kerjasama dan sokongan yang tidak berbelah bahagi kepada JAIS.

The real fight for Islam

2011-09-11T00:30:00.000-07:00

By IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF

Authentic orthodox Islam is inclusive, deep, beautiful and wisdom-based, and it’s about time moderate Muslims reclaimed their religion from the extremists whose narrow and violent version has created a mountain of suspicion, fear and hatred.

IN the last half-century, an extremist version of Islam, untrue to Muslim history and profoundly dangerous to Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world, has done its best to hijack the faith of 1.4 billion people, making it seem parochial, judgmental, narrow, self-righteous and violent.

By extremism, I mean militant intolerance of differing points of view, which leads to denying others the right to different opinions, and potentially to their freedom and humanity.

We need to reclaim Islam as a modern, moderate, compassionate, just, open, and tolerant religion that is protective both of individual freedoms and collective human rights. We need to seek to move a mountain of suspicion, myth, fear and hatred – and provide a new vision for Islam in America and the world.

My tradition

Imam Feisal speaking at the Perdana Global Peace Forum in KL on Dec 16, 2005.

Like the great majority of the world’s Muslims, I am an orthodox Muslim: neither an “Islamist” nor a “radical jihadist.” Orthodox and authentic Islam is an inclusive, deep, beautiful and wisdom-based religion.

From the earliest times, Muslims routinely incorporated pre-Islamic institutions, laws and customs into their practice when they did not violate the Quran or the Prophet’s directives. In Malaysia, for example, this was known as adat Melayu, which had the force of law according to the Syariah.

Drawing on the Quran and the Hadith, Muslim historians, theologians and jurists developed an Islamic history and theology drawn partly from Christian and Jewish texts, commentaries, spiritual practice, theology and jurisprudence. The spires of Christian churches calling the pious with ringing bells metamorphosed into tall minarets from which the muezzinwould call the faithful to prayer.

And the distinctive dome of the Byzantine Orthodox Cathedral Hagia Sophia, built more than 30 years before the birth of the Prophet, was adopted by Muslims as a ubiquitous fixture of later mosques.

The past half-century has fostered the myth that all knowledge other than that contained in the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet are “un-Islamic.” But history shows us that it was an enlightened tradition of seeking out, engaging, embracing and absorbing knowledge and wisdom in all fields of human endeavour that is the true Muslim reality.

I am a Kuwaiti-born, Egyptian-American citizen. I grew up in Great Britain, Malaysia and Egypt, and have lived in the US since 1965, when I was 17. I attended Simpang Lima primary school in Klang, and the Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, before studying at Columbia University in New York and graduate school at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey.

I became a naturalised American citizen in 1979. I am an imam and the son of an eminent Egyptian imam and scholar, who was sent by al-Azhar University to be the imam and director of the Islamic Center in New York, and then of the Islamic Center in Washington DC Before that, he was the first principal of the Muslim College Klang, the first Head of the Islamic Studies Department at the University of Malaya, and the first Rector of the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur.

We arrived in New York in December 1965 to a new life in the US, and I have served since 1983 at the Al-Farah Mosque in Tribeca, about a dozen blocks from the former World Trade Center.

Like my father, I have been deeply involved in interfaith work for well over a quarter century now with all faith communities, but mainly with Jews, Christians and Buddhists. In the aftermath of 9/11, as imam of a mosque so near Ground Zero, I was in demand as a speaker on extremists and terrorists, on the relationship between the Muslim world and the West, helping non-Muslim Americans understand the nature of the divide.

When I opened the floor to questions, they invariably fell into three categories: first was the “What is Islam?” class of questions, such as, “What is the difference between Sunni, Shia, and Sufi? What is the role of women in Islam? Does Islam believe in separation of church and state?”

The second category was what I called “The 9/11 questions,” such as “Why is bin Laden popular in the Muslim world?” “Why are Muslims so angry at America?” “Why do political liberation movements in the Muslim world use the language of Islam?” “Is suicide bombing allowed in Islam?”

The third category contained just one question, and while I succeeded in answering the questions very well in the first two categories, my efforts to provide answers to the third left me deeply dissatisfied.

Fighting extremism

This question first cropped up when my friend, Rabbi David Rosen, invited me to address the quarterly Board of Governors meeting of the American Jewish Committee on Dec 10, 2001 – 90 days after 9/11. The audience unanimously agreed with me that the status quo between Jews and Muslims was unacceptable.

But they went further; they pushed me on what we could do together to improve this relationship, and specifically, what we could do to turn around US-Muslim world relations.

I talked generally about mutually educating each other about our religions and cultures. At the same time, I knew cultural and religious appreciation could not by itself transform a relationship that had gone very wrong. Three months later, at the end of a lecture I gave at the Greenwich (Connecticut) Presbyterian Church, an elderly lady stood up and asked me, “What can a good Christian woman like me do to help?”

Here again was the same question, and I could not answer it!

And if I could not, who could? This question, hugely important to answer, stayed with me for months. I knew I had to do some serious study and thinking. I soon realised that to resolve the problems that people referred to as “Muslims versus the West,” or the “US-Muslim divide,” we all needed something concrete that could help bridge the growing polarisation between America and the Muslim world, and between Muslim Americans and their non-Muslim neighbours.

I spent more than a year analysing the problems and figuring out what it would take to bridge this divide.

The result was the Cordoba Initiative in November 2002 which I created with the help of my friend John S. Bennett, the former Vice-President of the Aspen Institute in Colorado.

We named it after the 300-year period (8th–11th centuries) of the Cordoba Caliphate (in what is now Spain) during which Jews, Christians and Muslims lived in the most enlightened, pluralistic and tolerant society on earth.

Cordoba began as a multi-faith initiative designed to bridge West-Muslim world relations by breaking the cycle of mistrust, misunderstanding and irrational fear that exists between Islam and the Western world. It became clear, from invitations to international forums, that it had to be multinational. With the support of then Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, we made Kuala Lumpur our Muslim world headquarters, with New York City our Western world headquarters.

One project of this initiative has been the Shariah Index Project to define the meaning of the term “Islamic State” from an Islamic legal point of view, and then to measure such “Islamicity” meaningfully – including that of non-Muslim-majority nations.

This would help determine the proper balance in the Muslim world (and elsewhere) between institutions of political power and authority, on the one hand, and institutions of religious power and authority, on the other – the Muslim equivalent of the religion-state relationship.

In the US, church-state separation is practically a religious precept; not so in the Muslim world. The work of this group is a powerful antidote to the perversion of Islam that is currently shaping so much of the political-religious discourse in the Muslim world. It is even more relevant now in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring and the concern that many Westerners have about the role of Islamic religious parties, such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

Cordoba House was another of the Initiative’s projects, designed as a community centre and a multi-faith space at 51 Park Place, in the same lower Manhattan neighbourhood of Tribeca, about 10 blocks south of my mosque on West Broadway.

My longer-term interfaith vision, which I had wanted to realise for 20 years, was to establish an Islamic community centre modelled on the Y’s – the YMCA, YWCA, YMHA, YWHA – originally religious institutions serving their own people that have become genuine, whole community institutions in American cities.

The remarkable 92nd Street Y, for instance, on New York’s Upper East Side, now reaches a diverse range of people with a rich variety of programmes, lectures, and concerts, though it was originally intended only for Jews.

I intended Cordoba House to be a “Muslim 92nd Street Y,” with an interfaith board, interfaith worship space, a dedicated Islamic prayer space (a mosque) in a building that would architecturally be thoroughly American – not a transplant from 13th century Cairo.

But Cordoba House, now known indelibly, if inaccurately, worldwide as the Ground Zero Mosque, became a flashpoint in 2010 for all of the unhealed wounds of 9/11, and for opportunistic Islamophobes throughout the US and the world. That this effort aroused such controversy and vitriol demonstrates the size of the task that confronts us if we truly wish to erase our misunderstandings and misconceptions. But it also became a kind of Rorschach test for Americans and people all over the world.

Our office received thousands of letters, e-mails and phone calls of support from all 50 states and around the world, from Indonesia to Israel. Michael Bloomberg, the Jewish Mayor of New York, held a press conference to proclaim the city’s tradition of religious tolerance. New Yorkers held candlelight vigils on our behalf. President Barack Obama defended our constitutional right to build Cordoba House where we wished. These expressions confirmed my deep conviction that the great majority of Americans did not want to be at war with Muslims or the Muslim world.

In his 2011 State of the Union address, Obama uttered a sentence unthinkable for an American president a decade ago: “And as extremists try to inspire acts of violence within our borders, we are responding with the strength of our communities, with respect for the rule of law, and with the conviction that American Muslims are part of our American family.”

The entire Congress – Democrats and Republicans alike – rose in a spontaneous standing ovation.

As I took in Obama’s words and Congress’ applause on my television screen, tears welled up. It was not only the President’s words; it was the immediate, spontaneous bi-partisan response of the Congress – and it took place after the controversy over Cordoba House had exposed many raw emotions on all sides.

I felt a rush of emotion, convinced that I was watching the key turning point for American Muslims, and potentially for the entire complex of relations between the United States and the Muslim world.

Truly, as the proverb has it, the night is darkest just before the dawn. US-Muslim relations had bottomed out: the only direction to go from here was up – which is one reason I am so genuinely hopeful about the future.

The future

My fondest hope is for my Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world to reclaim their fundamentally moderate and merciful religion from the extremist Muslims, and from the extremist non-Muslims who have made a profession out of distorting our religion. And that non-Muslims will understand the values and real traditions of our faith.

The real battleground is not between America and the Muslim world, or between Muslims and Jews, or Christians, or Hindus or atheists; the real conflict is between the moderates of all faith traditions, including moderate atheists, against all the extremists of all faith traditions, and that includes extremist atheists.

Agnostics and atheists can be as ethical or as immoral as any proclaimed Muslim. And it is with a deep sense of gratitude and pride to my Malaysian heritage that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has championed this idea by launching the Global Movement of Moderates to rally all moderates of all religions against all extremists of all religions.

His speech on this at the United Nations last year, and at Oxford University in May, was widely regarded by US and European leaders, who are hoping that the new movements in the Arab world will look to nations like Malaysia as an example of how to build a successful and prosperous Islamic country that is democratic, religiously and ethnically pluralistic and moderate; a nation that confirms the overwhelming majority of the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims’ profound disagreement with the fundamentalist, narrow, parochial interpretations of Islam that have gained force in recent decades.

We are a nation (umma) that sees Orthodox Islam as far more beautiful, wise, truthful, open, and merciful: a tradition and a faith worth rescuing from the extremists.

■ This article is an extract from the introduction in Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s forthcoming new book, Moving The Mountain: Beyond Ground Zero To A New Vision Of Islam In America, which will be released by Free Press in May 2012.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2011/9/11/lifefocus/9363106&sec=lifefocus

National Security Council told ex-Perlis mufti a threat - Malaysiakini

2011-07-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

The National Security Council was today briefed on the dangers that former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin and several other religious figures posed for their links with Wahabism and terrorism.

A source disclosed today that the matter was discussed in a closed briefing attended by state muftis and representatives of Islamic religious departments from all over Malaysia.

Forty young 'Umno ulama' were also alleged to be on a 'watch list' of possible terror suspects, in the council briefing held this morning.

“The Saudi government was alleged to have been behind their activities,” the source told Malaysiakini.

As at press time, however, the claim has remained unsubstantiated as all attempts to reach the council, which comes under the Prime Minister's Department, failed.

According to the source, the governments of Kuwait and Bahrain were also accused of being behind the movement at the meeting which started at about 9.30am.

Among those said to have addressed the council were southern Thailand religious leader Ismail Lutfi and popular religious preacher Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady.

more at: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/170978

Irony of the Iranian Women's Burqa Ban | Religion Dispatches

2011-06-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

The ban on Iranian women’s athletic attire by FIFA, the body that governs international soccer, gave rise to a heartbreaking scene—women streamed onto the field weeping and mourning the loss of their careers as this was an Olympic-qualifying match. No longer internationally competitive, the team will not be funded by the state and will die an unfortunate death—in a field characterized by racial and cultural diversity. Or is international soccer merely a field for Western cultural assimilation, a sphere that rejects cultural diversity?
Muslim women’s head-covers again prove to be the ultimate political and cultural test of pluralism. These women, who set out only to compete in sports, are now the symbols of political tension and cultural warfare. Crush the hijabi and you have dealt another resounding slap to Osama—oh, wait, he’s too dead to feel the slap.
As Every-Muslim-Woman, I’m bored. I am bored to tears of the head-cover or veil being the cynosure of the global gaze. I am embarrassed for the community of nations that, like a broken record or a doddering old fellow, cannot stop droning on and on about “In our day, we never saw such an unseemly piece of fabric on women’s heads/faces/necks/arms/legs; whatever happened to nice girls wearing skirts to work/school/sports?”
But part of me wants to turn around and tell the global-Western, headscarf-obsessed gaze to simply deal with it, as I told the Muslim community to deal with tennis star Sania Mirza’s short skirts.
Then I do a double-take, and ask the global-Western, anti-hijabists to recall their political-cultural identities. Weren’t we Westerners supposed to be privatized individuals? Weren’t we supposed to live and let live? Don’t we laugh up our sleeves at authoritarian states and cultures that arrange marriages, control women’s clothes and sex lives, and generally run other people’s lives? Aren’t we the cool heads who bloody well leave each other alone and mind our own business? If you don’t want them taking away your guns or your porn, you’d better not call them out to take away our hijabs.
There are voices calling for wisdom: leave the hijabis and the burqa-wearers alone; perhaps, in time, they will raise bare-headed daughters. Perhaps they will get tired of being rabble-rousers (because surely, a woman in a burqini is only trying to thumb her nose at us). But, the anti-hijabists respond, what if they don’t? What if they turn into a strong, populous community of veiled women? And what if they walk through the streets, making us look bad?
One might ask, who’s looking? And the response might be: we are; and we don’t like burqas in the street. They gross us out. So let’s bring out the street cleaners/passport-check and throw them out. But who gets to decide what a hypothetical eyesore is? And what do we do once we’ve decided a particular item of clothing is an eyesore? Surely some process of discussion in the democratic community ought to ensue, and if most people agree, well, then it may be possible to create—oh, I don’t know, a little ghetto, with the conservative religious Muslims in it, you know what I mean?—so that they don’t remain an eyesore.
But what if other women start taking up hijabs and burqas? Women’s subjugation could be contagious. Well, then, maybe we could ship them all off to the nearest Muslim country—like Turkey, perhaps. Or then Turkey would vote to keep us out of the EU. A political-cultural observer or historian of Western societies might be permitted to be fearful of the future of liberty and individual freedoms. I just wish they would pick on someone new, merely to spice things up a little, so reading the news wouldn’t be so damned boring. I’m open to suggestions.
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/guest_bloggers/4762/irony_of_the_iranian_women's_burqa_ban_/
- TAGS burqa, fifa, headscarf, olympics, soccer

Najib for dialogue to resolve religious issues

2011-06-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Najib for dialogue to resolve religious issues

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (R) and Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud attending the 54th National Quran Reciters Assembly in Kuching yesterday.Picture: Bernama

KUCHING

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

DIALOGUE is the best way to resolve sensitive racial and religious issues, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday.

He said, however, the dialogues must hinge on sincerity that manifested from maturity to achieve understanding and create harmony among races and religions in the country.

"In the context of relationship among religions, if such dialogues are supported and mediated by respected religious leaders, it will produce multiple positive impacts for the people," he said when opening the 54th National Quran Reciters Assembly here.

Also present was Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Twenty-nine qari (male Quran reciters) and qariah (female Quran reciter) are due to take part in the assembly themed "1Malaysia 1Ummah" at the Dewan Majlis Islam Sarawak. "Suffice to say, the price of peace is very high," said Najib, adding that the government was continuously monitoring religious sensitivities so as to prevent irresponsible quarters from sowing religious discord.

On the theme "1Malaysia 1Ummah", he said it brought a deep wisdom and fulfilled the needs of the people and Muslims.

He said the social contract, historical background and the federal constitution should be capitalised as the framework to guide the people in building a progressive and harmonious 1Malaysia, which culminated in a great 1Ummah.

"Under this scenario, promoting racial tolerance and acceptance among various races, namely the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Melanau, Iban, Kadazan-Dusun, Bidayuh, Bajau, Senoi and more than other 200 ethnic communities should continuously be empowered," said the prime minister. The government would not neglect the Islamic development agenda in its strive to turn Malaysia into a high-income country by 2020, he added.

He said the government acknowledged the role played by the religious community in the march towards Vision 2020, which was proven by raising the allowances of Kafa teachers, takmir teachers and imams to elevate them from the poverty line starting this year.

On the assembly, he said it was a symbol of the government's ongoing commitment to uphold the Al-Quran. "It is such an important annual event, it will definitely bring continuous impact to the 1Ummah strength".Bernama

http://www.bt.com.bn/news-asia/2011/06/14/najib-dialogue-resolve-religious-issues

Public disagree with OWC’s approach on marriage

2011-06-08T23:35:00.000-07:00

Public disagree with OWC’s approach on marriage

KOTA KINABALU: A local lawyer and activist has taken Kuala Lumpur-based Obedient Wives Club (OWC) to task for likening marital sex as ‘first class prostitution’ as it is very degrading to both women and men.

“It is unfortunate that the approach by OWC is to direct the focus of marriage on sex.

“This creates a very negative self-image for both women and men because it assumes that the only way to keep the marriage is to sexualise it and ignore the other important components of a marital partnership such as common goals and hobbies, communication and personal development, respect and love and joint responsibility in child rearing,” said Nilakrisna James.

She was commenting on the recent statement by OWC, providing sex lessons to help wives ‘serve their husbands better than a first-class prostitute’ to help promote harmonious marriages and counter social ills.

Nila reckons that developing a positive self-image and sexual confidence is important for women but this has nothing to do with keeping a man loyal.

She said women should automatically do this for themselves for their own mental and physical well-being and realise that being obedient has nothing to do with being submissive and lascivious in marital sex to the point where they cannot say no.

Nila who is also very active in child and women’s rights movement, stressed women should have the right to say no to sex and not feel pressured by the idea that their husbands would leave them if they do not perform like a whore.

She pointed out women should have sex on their own terms.

“Every couple in a relationship defines their own personal sexual needs and where one man might find a wanton hussy interesting, another might find it totally filthy and unattractive.

“Therefore, women should not delude themselves into thinking that there is a set formula to what turns a man on in bed,” she said.

However, Nila told The Borneo Post that she would give the OWC credit for sensationalizing and opening up the Malaysian people to a debate about sex and if we can openly discuss these matters without shame and embarrassment, then there is hope yet for an open civil society in this country.

“Women, above all else, should be responsible for developing a nation that could learn to respect women the way they are without always sexualising them and demeaning their status,” Nila added.

Ayatollah Khomeini (24 Sept 1902- 3 June 1989)

2011-06-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

Ayatollah Khomeini Biography

Born: September 24, 1902
Khomein, Persia
Died: June 3, 1989
Tehran, Iran
Iranian head of state and religious leader

Ayatollah Khomeini was the founder and supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The only leader in the Muslim world who combined political and religious authority as a head of state, he took office in 1979.

Early life and education

Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was born on September 24, 1902, according to most sources. The title Ayatollah (the Sign of God) reflected his scholarly religious standing in the Shia Islamic tradition. His first name, Ruhollah (the Spirit of God), is a common name in spite of its religious meaning, and his last name is taken from his birthplace, the town of Khomein, which is about 200 miles south of Tehran, Iran's capital city. His father, Mustapha Musavi, was the chief cleric (those with religious authority) of the town and was murdered only five months after the birth of Ruhollah. The child was raised by his mother (Hajar) and aunt (Sahebeh), both of whom died when Ruhollah was about fifteen years old.

Ayatollah Khomeini's life after childhood went through three different phases. The first phase, from 1908 to 1962, was marked mainly by training, teaching, and writing in the field of Islamic studies. At the age of six he began to study the Koran, Islam's holy book, and also elementary Persian, an ancient language of Iran. Later, he completed his studies in Islamic law, ethics, and spiritual philosophy under the supervision of Ayatollah Abdul Karim Haeri-ye Yazdi, in Qom, where he also got married and had two sons and three daughters. Although during this scholarly phase of his life Khomeini was not politically active, the nature of his studies, teachings, and writings revealed that he firmly believed in political activism by clerics (religious leaders).

Preparation for political leadership

The second phase of Khomeini's life, from 1962 to 1979, was marked by political activism which was greatly influenced by his strict, religious interpretation of Shia Islam. He practically launched his fight against the shah's regime (the king's rule) in 1962, which led to the eruption of a religious and political rebellion on June 5, 1963. This date (fifteenth of Khurdad in the Iranian solar calendar) is regarded by the revolutionists as the turning point in the history of the Islamic movement in Iran. The shah's bloody crushing of the uprising was followed by the exile (forced removal) of Khomeini in 1964, first to Iraq then to France.

Khomeini's religious and political ideas became more extreme and his entry into active political opposition reflected a combination of events in his life. First, the deaths of the two leading Iranian religious leaders left leadership open to Khomeini. Second, although ever since the rise of Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944) to power in the 1920s, the clerical class had been on the defensive because of his movements away from certain

Ayatollah Khomeini.
Reproduced by permission of

Getty Images

religious policies. And third, the shah's granting of diplomatic privileges to the American military personnel in 1964 was viewed as insulting to the Iranian sense of national independence.

Founding the Islamic Republic of Iran

The third phase of Khomeini's life began with his return to Iran from exile on February 1, 1979, after Muhammad Reza Shah had been forced to step down two weeks earlier. On February 11 revolutionary forces loyal to Khomeini seized power in Iran, and Khomeini emerged as the founder and the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

From the perspective of Khomeini and his followers, the Iranian Revolution went through several "revolutionary" phases. The first phase began with Khomeini's appointment of Mehdi Bazargan as the head of the "provisional government" on February 5, 1979, and ended with his fall on November 6, two days after the capture of the U.S. embassy (the U.S. headquarters in Iran).

The second revolution was marked by the elimination of mainly nationalist forces, or forces devoted to the interests of a culture. As early as August 20, 1979, twenty-two newspapers that clashed with Khomeini's views were ordered closed. In terms of foreign policy, the landmarks of the second revolution were the destruction of U.S.-Iran relations and the admission of the shah to the United States on October 22, 1979. Two weeks later, Khomeini instructed Iranian students to "expand with all their might their attacks against the United States" in order to force the extradition (legal surrender) of the shah. The seizure of the American embassy on November 4 led to 444 days of agonizing dispute between the United States and Iran until the release of the hostages on January 21, 1981.

The so-called third revolution began with Khomeini's dismissal of President Abul Hassan Bani-Sadr on June 22, 1981. Bani-Sadr's fate was a result of Khomeini's determination to eliminate from power any individual or group that could stand in the way of the ideal Islamic Republic of Iran. This government, however, had yet to be molded thoroughly according to his interpretation of Islam. In terms of foreign policy, the main characteristics of the third revolution were the continuation of the Iraq-Iran war, expanded efforts to export the "Islamic revolution," and increasing relations with the Soviet Union, a once-powerful nation that was made up of Russia and several other smaller nations.

The revolution began going through yet a fourth phase in late 1982. Domestically, the clerical class had combined its control, prevented land distribution, and promoted the role of the private citizens. Internationally, Iran sought a means of ending its status as an outcast and tried to distance itself from terrorist groups. It expanded commercial relations with Western Europe, China, Japan, and Turkey and reduced interaction with the Soviet Union. Iran also claimed that the door was open for re-establishing relations with the United States.

After the revolution

In November of 1986 President Ronald Reagan (1911–) admitted that the United States had secretly supplied some arms to Iran for their war against Iraq. This controversy led to a lengthy governmental investigation to see if federal laws had been violated in what would become known as the Iran-Contra affair.

In 1988 Khomeini and Iran accepted a cease-fire with Iraq after being pressured by the United Nations, a multi-national, peace-keeping organization. On February 14, 1989, Khomeini sentenced writer Salman Rushdie (1947–) to death, without a trial, in a legal ruling called a fatwa. Khomeini deemed Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses" to be blasphemous, or insulting to God, because of its unflattering portrait of Islam.

Before his death from cancer in Iran on June 3, 1989, Khomeini designated President Ali Khamenei to succeed him. Khomeini is still a popular figure to Iranians. Each year on the anniversary of his death, hundreds of thousands of people attend a ceremony at his shrine at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery.

For More Information

Bakhash, Shaul. The Region of the Ayatollahs: Iran and the Islamic Revolution. New York: Basic Books, 1984.

Hiro, Dilip. Iran Under the Ayatollahs. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1985.

Moin, Baqer. Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2000.

Rajaee, Farhang. Islamic Values and World View: Khomeyni on Man, the State and International Politics. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1983.

Utusan Malaysia: Behind the print | Free Malaysia Today

2011-05-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

Utusan Malaysia: Behind the print | Free Malaysia Today

Utusan Malaysia: Behind the print

Stephanie Sta Maria

| May 11, 2011

Utusan Malaysia's former senior journalist explains why the paper will never be investigated and why Malaysians should take it seriously.

KUALA LUMPUR: Many uncomplimentary descriptions have been accorded to Utusan Malaysia. The more common of those include “irresponsible”, “mischievous ” and “dangerous”. Of that trio, Utusan Malaysia’s former senior journalist, Hata Wahari, says that the third is dead-on.

The mainstream media, for as long as they pander to the government, enjoy immunity from public prosecution. But Utusan Malaysia has earned a special place within this untouchable clique simply by the virtue of being owned by Umno.

This privilege has spawned relentless attacks on the opposition and increasingly frequent inflammatory reports on race and religion. But while most urbanites can see right through Utusan Malaysia’s thinly-veiled propaganda, its rural readership remains staunch believers. For this reason alone, Hata warned that giving Utusan Malaysia the brush-off would be a very bad idea.

“People should worry about the slander it publishes because it is taking root in the rural areas,” he told FMT. “KL and Selangor are multi-cultural and able to discuss Utusan’s reports among themselves to seek clarification.”

“But the rural community is predominantly Malay-Muslim. Who are they going to cross-check their facts with? Neither is there another Malay-language paper to counter Utusan’s reports. The only media they are exposed to is government-owned media.”

“The racial flames are being stoked there and one day it will explode. I’m very afraid of that. If anything were to happen, it will begin in the rural areas. I have said before that another May 13 is likely if Utusan is allowed to continue playing up rubbish issues.”

Hata, who is the president of the National Union of Journalists, was given the boot from Utusan Malaysia on April 21 for allegedly tarnishing the paper’s image with such statements. But the termination came as a relief as he could no longer stomach the editorial content that almost flaunted the paper’s role as an Umno tool. Yet he said it wasn’t always this way.

“When I joined in 1995, Utusan was a paper that focused on Malay grassroots issues more than political ones,” he recalled. “The then editor-in-chief, Khalid Mohammad, had more control over the editorial content and the then prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was more open to editorial-related discussions.”

“The Awang Selamat column was used to put forth suggestions on how Umno could address the issues affecting the Malay community. It wasn’t meant to attack people or parties. And even then the column was pulled after two months because of poor response.”

Awang Selamat has since been resurrected and according to Hata, the current column for Mingguan Malaysia is written by the editor-in-chief while the senior editors take turns penning the column in Utusan Malaysia.

Editorial agenda set by Umno

The swing in Utusan Malaysia’s stance came shortly after the 2008 election when Khalid was replaced by Aziz Ishak. According to Hata, the latter does not question the editorial directives set by the Umno political bureau which reportedly sits every Monday night to discuss the paper’s agenda for the week.

Those present are the president Najib Tun Razak, deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, the three vice-presidents – Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishamuddin Hussein and Safie Apdal – secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and information chief Ahmad Maslan.

The agenda is then communicated to Utusan Malaysia’s editor-in-chief via the prime minister’s office. The paper will run an issue for three days before dropping it completely unless it receives strong public support from top BN ministers.

It’s a clever strategy because by the third day the other media would have snapped it up to continue milking it, which would leave Utusan Malaysia free to start the ball rolling on another issue.

But this strategy has come at a price. Utusan Malaysia’s circulation figures are steadily declining and the paper has reportedly been suffering losses of up to RM20 million since 2009. Figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation showed that paper’s daily sales have shrank 20% between June 2006 and June 2010.

“Some 50% of Utusan’s sales are government-sponsored,” Hata said. “Thirty-six government ministries subscribe to Utusan and the government spends up to RM50 million annually on advertisements. These are Utusan’s only profits because most organisations are reluctant to advertise.”

As of June 2010, Utusan Malaysia recorded an average sale of 170,558 copies, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Of the number, between 70,000 and 80,000 copies are distributed to newspaper vendors daily, but Hata claimed that nearly half of these are returned at the end of the day.

The highest number of unsold copies are in Kuala Lumpur.

Hata said that many vendors are also uncomfortable with Utusan Malaysia’s front page stories and either conceal the paper behind other publications or hide it under their tables.

“I live in Puchong and of the 15 newspapers vendors, only one carries Utusan,” Hata said. “Most non-Muslim vendors are more comfortable displaying Berita Harian which carries Utusan’s main story on later pages and on a smaller scale.”

“Even some Umno division leaders have admitted their discomfort with Utusan’s extremist stand because they have to answer to their multi-racial constituents. But the political bureau is unconcerned. All it wants is for Utusan to retain the support of the rural Malay loyalists which it is doing very well.”

Harping on Religious sensitivities

2011-05-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

The cause: Front Page of Utusan Malaysia with a very provocative title: Christianity is the official religion?

The effect: Demonstration by Muslims in Terengganu.

Shia despair in Bahrain

2011-04-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

Shia despair in Bahrain

Pig's head found on Belgian Mosque site

2011-04-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

A pig's head buried under a Christian cross along with several offensive inscriptions have been found at the future site of a mosque in southern Belgium.

The inscription “Muhammad lies here” was among the Islamophobia-fueling slogans found at the French-speaking Charleroi city, AFP reported.

According to a statement released by Xavier Godefroid from the mayor's office on Tuesday, the opponents of the construction of the mosque have left many “unacceptable, intolerable and disrespectful” messages at the site.

Godefroid added that the city's police have begun an investigation into the case.

The rise in anti-Islamic and racist behavior in European nations such as France has attracted worldwide attention.

In a debate about the role of Islam in the French society, Interior Minister Claude Gueant referred to the number of Muslims in France as "a problem."

Paris had earlier declared that any woman -- French or foreigner -- who wears a niqab or burqa (an Islamic headdress) in public will be fined 150 euros, and those that force women to wear such covers will face a much larger fine and a prison sentence of up to two years.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175847.html

Bahrain - The Silent Genocide - Maryam Al Khawaja (Part 1/8)

2011-04-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

Maryam Alkhawaja speaks to Secretary Clinton at the US Islamic World Forum

2011-04-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Bahrain's uprising is about power not religion-Adrian Hamilton

2011-03-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 17 March 2011

International Studies

Sunni. Shia. Every time the protests in Bahrain are mentioned, they are made into a battle between these two branches of Islam, as if this was a war of religions.

It's not about religion, it's about power and the desire for political change. Of course, in terms of power, it matters that 65 per cent of the population of Bahrain is Shia but 95 per cent of authority and most of the wealth belongs to the Sunni royal family and its close circle.But to put it in terms of a religious division is not only misleading, it also plays into the hands of those in Washington, as in Riyadh, who want to see everything through the prism of the confrontation with Iran and the fear of a so-called "Shia arc" emerging through the Gulf.

It's grossly exaggerated. The Iranians, ethnically Indo-European, have always had problems of influence among the Arab Shia of the region. So far Iran seems to have played virtually no part in this uprising.

To put the Bahraini demonstrations in Muslim terms is simply a diversion from the real problem, which is that a major part of the population has had it up to the neck with a corrupt and self-serving regime which has garnered the wealth of the island to a small group of royal rich and left the majority excluded. As Ibrahim Shareef, leader of the largest non-religious party in the country, the opposition Waad, put it succinctly this week: "This is not about the Shia versus Sunni; it is about conserving the status quo."

It is the same as in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, the difference being that Bahrain – or rather the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa, the King's uncle – is beholden to neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has its own problems with minorities and has every fear of the same thing happening there.

The decision to send in Saudi troops, together with police from the United Arab Emirates, makes it depressingly clear where we now stand in the Gulf region so far as protests are concerned. The royalist regimes are not going to tolerate them. There's now a state of emergency in Bahrain, demonstrations have been banned in Saudi Arabia, there's a violent crackdown (also encouraged b y the Saudis) in the Yemen.

Talk of moderate reform, of keeping King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Bahrain but firing his wealthy, long-serving prime minister, is now being swept aside. Sheikh Khalifa will survive (which in itself is an interesting comment on the relative power of uncle and nephew), as may the Yemeni president.

That is not entirely good news for the Obama administration, which had urged the idea of compromise, partly to make its support for the Gulf regimes more acceptable back home and partly to forestall total revolution in the future.

As in Libya, it's also deeply dispiriting for those outside, as within, who looked for peaceful change in the Arab world. Yet the latest events in Bahrain should not be the cause for total pessimism. Even if protest is suppressed for the moment, it has happened and has been seen around the world to have happened. That must aggravate the feeling of anger among a resentful people within the country, for whom violent oppression has given added grievance.

It must also affect confidence among investors abroad, who must now put a question mark over the future stability and security of these royalist regimes. That applies to western governments as well, particularly the US for whom the base in Bahrain and the oil in Saudi Arabia is of crucial importance. Alternative strategies for security and for energy are bound now to be considered.

That may not be of enormous comfort to the protesters brutally ejected from Pearl Square, or the doctors and nurses desperately trying to care for the sick and the wounded in the hospital surrounded by security forces firing tear gas into the building.

But the story isn't over. Far from it. The genie is now out of the bottle and a thousand Saudi soldiers are not going to be enough to put it back in.

The real nuclear fears in Japan

The Japanese response to the threat of a nuclear explosion has been fundamentally shaped, commentators keep saying, by the experience of the atomic bombs. Of course it has, but not really as far as civil nuclear power is concerned. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were taken as images of monstrous attack by foreign powers. They have had the effect of turning the Japanese towards pacifism, total destruction being seen as the product of war. Less constructively they have also allowed the Japanese to see themselves as victims as much as perpetrators of violence in the last war, in a way the Germans could not (although recent books on the atrocities in Germany committed by the invading Russians are being used to open up thoughts of victimhood).

Nuclear power, on the other hand was viewed as a Japanese technical response to the outside threat from dependency on oil imports. Traditional attitudes towards man and nature have, it is true, given the country a strong Green movement of its own. But in this case the real damage from threatened nuclear meltdown is confidence in the government and the companies. To have to bring the emperor onto the airwaves showed just how seriously the authorities are now taking the incident and the concern over possible public panic. That may be the real legacy of this crisis, not confidence in nuclear power as such (the Japanese still feel the danger from reliance on imports for their energy) or some intrinsic sense of atomic terror.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/adrian-hamilton/adrian-hamilton-bahrains-uprising-is-about-power-not-religion-2243894.html

Of course, it's about oil

2011-03-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

March 28, 2011

I WAS astonished that the Globe took Representative Ed Markey to task for saying that we’re “in Libya because of oil’’ (“Good Ed, bad Ed,’’ Editorial, March 24).

Our whole foreign policy in the Middle East is skewed by our need for oil. We rarely criticize Saudi Arabia, for example, because, after all, they have a lot of oil. And so we haven’t complained that Saudi Arabia is supporting the Sunni leaders of Bahrain against the uprising of its majority Shi’ite population.

Moammar Khadafy’s power is highly dependent on his oil wealth. Indeed, The New York Times on Thursday reported that in 2009, Khadafy demanded that “global energy companies operating in Libya’s oil fields’’ pay his $1.5 billion bill for the downing of Pan Am Flight 103. Some companies balked and others, including US companies, complied. That wasn’t about oil?

And, contrary to your suggestion, Markey did not say that we’ve intervened in Libya to keep oil prices low. No need to put words in his mouth.

Colleen Clark
Cambridge

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2011/03/28/of_course_its_about_oil/

Bahrain

2011-03-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Chua must apologise, say Muslim lawyers NGO

2011-01-23T01:23:00.000-08:00

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek must apologise for his condescending remarks against Islam, said president of the Muslim lawyers association Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar.

“The MCA president has been trying to portray adherents to Islam as anti-social and unable to serve the community,” said Zainul Rijal in a statement today.

Berita Harian Online | Pukul badan guna rantai sucikan dosa

2010-12-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

Pukul badan guna rantai sucikan dosa
Oleh Norhashimah Mohd Radzali, Suhana Roslan dan Nor Hatina Shuib

2010/12/17

ANGGOTA JAIS cuba menenangkan seorang pemuda yang bertindak agresif ketika serbuan ke atas sebuah premis yang dijadikan markas ajaran sesat di Taman Sri Gombak, semalam.

200 pengikut ajaran sesat Hauzah Ar Ridha ditahan

GOMBAK: Memukul badan sendiri menggunakan rantai sehingga berdarah sebagai tanda menyucikan dosa pada setiap 10 Muharam adalah antara 23 penyelewengan agama diamalkan kumpulan ajaran sesat dikenali Hauzah Ar Ridha yang diserbu Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) di Taman Sri Gombak di sini, malam kelmarin.

Dalam serbuan jam 10.50 malam kelmarin hingga 3 pagi semalam itu, kira-kira 200 orang, termasuk kakitangan awam, pensyarah dan pelajar di institusi pengajian tinggi awam (IPTA) dan swasta (IPTS) ditahan.

Turut ditahan wanita dan kanak-kanak ketika masing-masing sedang mendengar ceramah disampaikan seorang lelaki warga Iran yang dipercayai ketua fahaman berkenaan.

Bagaimanapun, berpuluh lagi melarikan diri dengan memanjat bumbung bangunan empat tingkat itu sambil melaungkan takbir sebaik menyedari markas itu diserbu 80 pegawai dan anggota JAIS.

Difahamkan, setiap ahli kumpulan dibekalkan tiga batu sebesar kurma yang diletakkan di depan sejadah dan ketika sujud dahi jemaah perlu menyentuh batu itu.

Penyelewengan lain dilakukan kumpulan ajaran sesat itu ialah menziarahi kubur Saidina Husain sebagai ganjaran ke syurga, menghina isteri-isteri Nabi SAW serta mengharuskan sembahyang jamak pada bila-bila masa.

Petang semalam, lelaki warga Iran berusia 48 tahun dan seorang lelaki tempatan berumur 44 tahun dibawa ke Mahkamah Rendah Syariah Gombak Barat, Kuang dekat sini, bagi perintah jaminan sementara pendakwa syarie menyiapkan kertas siasatan.
Hakim Syarie, Saiful Azli Jamaludin membenarkan mereka dijamin RM2,000 seorang dengan dua penjamin dan memerintahkan lelaki Iran menyerahkan pasportnya kepada mahkamah serta tidak dibenarkan ke luar negeri sehingga tarikh sebutan akan datang.

Saiful kemudian menetapkan 20 Januari depan untuk sebutan kes.

Kes itu disiasat mengikut Seksyen 12 (c) Enakmen Jenayah Syariah Selangor 1995 iaitu menghina, mengingkari, mempertikaikan arahan pihak berkuasa agama yang dinyatakan dan diberikan melalui fatwa.

Sementara itu, Ketua Pengarah JAIS, Datuk Muhammad Khusrin Munawi, berkata ciri-ciri kesalahan kumpulan itu termasuk Imam adalah maksum, kemunculan Imam Mahadi bersama orang mati untuk memberi keadilan, menyanjung Saidina Ali secara keterlaluan dengan menambah dalam Syahadah serta menghalalkan dan mengamalkan nikah mutaah (perkahwinan kontrak).

Katanya, kumpulan itu dikenal pasti dua tahun lalu dan dikategorikan sebagai serius kerana mereka menyebarkan fahaman Syiah secara sembunyi dan menggunakan pelajar Malaysia yang belajar di republik itu dengan menawarkan biasiswa serta memberi hadiah berupa buku.

“Malah, apabila ada pembesar Iran melawat negara ini, mereka mengadakan kempen dan penerangan berhubung fahaman itu sebelum membuat lawatan ke pusat pengajian tinggi tempatan untuk menyebarkan fahaman mereka,” katanya di sini, semalam.

Beliau menyifatkan tangkapan kelmarin adalah yang terbesar dalam sejarah JAIS dan tidak menolak kemungkinan orang ramai berminat menyertai ajaran itu kerana membenarkan perkahwinan mutaah yang menjurus kepada perkhidmatan seks.

Muhammad Khusrin berkata, daripada 200 yang ditahan, 128 masih berada dalam tahanan, manakala selebihnya kanak-kanak dan remaja dibebaskan. Berita Harian Online | Pukul badan guna rantai sucikan dosa

Utusan Malaysia Online - Berita Utama

2010-12-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

Utusan Malaysia Online - Berita Utama

200 pengikut Syiah ditahan

Oleh ANGELINA SINYANG
pengarang@utusan.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR 16 Dis. - Kegiatan satu ajaran Syiah tegar yang dikhuatiri boleh mengancam keselamatan negara dikesan bergerak aktif di negara ini berikutan penahanan 200 pengikut dan dua ketua kumpulannya, malam semalam.

Dua ketua kumpulan itu termasuk seorang warga Iran telah dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Rendah Syariah Gombak Barat, Kuang, hari ini dan dibebaskan dengan jaminan.

Para pengikut lain juga telah dibebaskan dengan jaminan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) dan akan dipanggil untuk diambil keterangan dalam masa terdekat.

Kumpulan yang ditahan di sebuah rumah kedai di Taman Sri Gombak, Batu Caves, dekat sini itu dikatakan berbahaya kerana menganggap penganut Islam mazhab lain sebagai kafir dan halal dibunuh.

Mereka yang menggunakan nama Hauzah Ar Ridha Alaihissalam itu dikesan sudah dua tahun menjalankan kegiatan mereka di tingkat empat rumah kedai berkenaan.

Dalam serbuan sepasukan penguat kuasa JAIS pada pukul 10.15 malam itu, seramai 200 pengikut terdiri daripada lelaki dan perempuan termasuk kanak-kanak sedang khusyuk berselawat dan mendengar khutbah daripada seorang lelaki warga Iran.

Sebahagian pengikutnya yang ditahan merupakan pensyarah dan pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT), peguam dan kakitangan kerajaan.

Pengikutnya terdiri daripada 75 lelaki dan 35 wanita tempatan, enam wanita dan tiga lelaki warga Indonesia, dua wanita Myanmar serta masing-masing seorang lelaki Pakistan, Myanmar dan Iran, manakala selebihnya kanak-kanak.

Ia merupakan penahanan terbesar melibatkan pengikut ajaran yang didakwa sesat dicatatkan di Selangor setakat ini dan JAIS percaya ajaran tersebut turut tersebar di negeri-negeri lain.

Pengarahnya, Datuk Muhammed Khusrin Munawi berkata, pihaknya telah mengikuti pergerakan kumpulan terbabit sejak dua tahun lalu dan setelah memperoleh cukup bukti mengaitkan mereka sebagai pengikut ajaran Syiah yang tegar, barulah markas itu diserbu.

Beliau berkata, ajaran Syiah jika dibiarkan berkembang boleh mengancam keselamatan negara kerana pengikut yang fanatik menganggap umat Islam mazhab lain sebagai kafir.

"Bagi mereka, darah pengikut fahaman lain adalah halal dan ia bermakna penganut Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah boleh dibunuh.

"Ajaran Syiah lebih bahaya berbanding ajaran sesat seperti Al Arqam. Pengikut Syiah di Iran dan India misalnya bergaduh sesama Islam semata-mata berbeza fahaman.

"Inilah yang ingin dielakkan berlaku di negara ini dan tujuan ia disekat," katanya kepada pemberita ketika ditemui di lokasi serbuan di sini hari ini.

Muhammed Khusrin berkata, mengikut Enakmen Pentadbiran Perundangan Islam 1989, fahaman dan ajaran Syiah adalah menyeleweng daripada pegangan Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah kerana wujud beberapa percanggahan dari sudut akidah dan syariah.

Katanya, antaranya adalah menyanjung sahabat Rasulullah, Saidina Ali secara keterlaluan, menghalalkan nikah mutaah, menolak hadis yang diriwayatkan oleh Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah sekalipun hadis Mutawir dan mengkafirkan para sahabat Rasulullah.

"Penyelewengan dari sudut syariah pula adalah menolak ijmak ulama, qias dan mengamalkan nikah mutaah. Pengikut Syiah juga terlibat pelbagai penyelewengan umum seperti percaya ganjaran syurga jika menziarahi kubur Saidina Husin.

"Selain itu menyiksa diri dengan memukul badan menggunakan rantai sehingga berdarah sempena 10 Muharam, mengharuskan jamak sembahyang dalam semua keadaan dan tidak mewajibkan haji," katanya.

Menurut Muhammed Khusrin, pihaknya percaya ajaran Syiah yang memudahkan ibadat dan menghalalkan nikah mutaah menjadi punca tarikan umat Islam di negara ini untuk menjadi pengikutnya.

Beliau berkata, kumpulan ajaran sesat terbabit mempunyai dana sendiri bagi membiayai aktiviti dan menyewa bangunan untuk dijadikan markas operasi, manakala penyebarannya pula dibuat secara tertutup melalui penganjuran majlis-majlis tertentu.

Katanya, semua yang ditangkap akan didakwa di bawah Seksyen 12(c) Enakmen Jenayah Syariah Selangor 1995 iaitu menghina, mengingkari, melanggar atau mempertikaikan arahan-arahan yang dinyatakan dan diberikan fatwa oleh pihak berkuasa agama.

Permohonan Shamala rujuk isu perlembagaan diketepi

2010-11-13T17:58:00.000-08:00

PUTRAJAYA 12 Nov. - Seorang wanita Hindu gagal meneruskan permohonan untuk merujuk isu perlembagaan bagi mencabar undang-undang syariah dan sivil dalam kes perebutan hak penjagaan dua anaknya hasil perkahwinan dengan bekas suami yang kini beragama Islam.

Ia berikutan keputusan penting Mahkamah Persekutuan hari ini membenarkan bantahan awal Dr. Muhammad Ridzwan Mogarajah, 42, yang mempertikaikan kewajaran tindakan S. Shamala, 38, sedangkan ketiga-tiganya dipercayai berada di Australia.

Mualaf itu turut membantah permohonan tersebut kerana bekas isterinya yang diberikan hak penjagaan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur, menghadapi tindakan menghina mahkamah kerana enggan membenarkannya melawat kedua-dua anaknya sejak enam tahun lalu.

Berikutan keputusan itu, Shamala terlepas peluang untuk mendapat penjelasan berhubung percanggahan undang-undang Islam dan sivil melibatkan pertukaran agama dan hak penjagaan anak, setelah permohonan rujukannya itu ditolak dengan kos.

Isu perlembagaan itu antara lain berkaitan kesahihan pertukaran agama kanak-kanak daripada satu perkahwinan sivil kepada agama Islam oleh bapa atau ibu tanpa persetujuan dan pengetahuan pihak yang tidak menukar agama.

Ia merupakan isu kepentingan awam melibatkan hak penjagaan anak bagi ibu bapa yang bercerai dalam keadaan seorang daripada mereka bertukar agama.

Keputusan itu dicapai oleh panel lima hakim diketuai Ketua Hakim Negara, Tun Zaki Tun Azmi yang bersidang bersama Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan, Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd. Sheriff; Hakim Besar Malaya, Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria; Hakim Besar Sabah dan Sarawak, Tan Sri Richard Malanjum; dan Hakim Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin.

Bagaimanapun, panel bersidang mencapai pendapat majoriti 4-1 setelah tidak bersetuju dengan Hakim Malanjum yang lebih cenderung memerintahkan Shamala dan dua anaknya hadir ke mahkamah bagi mendengar prosiding itu.

Hakim Malanjum menyatakan, jika ketiga-tiganya gagal hadir dalam tempoh tiga bulan, permohonan tersebut akan ditolak dengan kos.

Ketua Hakim Negara sebaliknya mengembalikan rayuan kedua-dua pihak yang tidak berpuas hati dengan keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi berhubung pertikaian mengenai hak penjagaan anak, ke Mahkamah Rayuan.

Hakim Zaki berpendapat, Shamala tidak harus diberi masa kerana dia ternyata mengelak untuk menghadapi tindakan menghina mahkamah yang dikeluarkan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi pada 6 Mei 2004 akibat melanggar perintah sementara agar Muhammad Ridzwan diberi hak melawat anak-anaknya.

Pada hemat beliau, Shamala mendapat hak penjagaan secara tidak sah selama enam tahun setelah melarikan anak-anaknya sejak 2004 manakala kedua-dua kanak-kanak itu, J. Saktiwaran dan adiknya, Theiviswaran jika ditanya sekalipun, kemungkinan memilih tinggal bersama ibu mereka.

Hakim Zaki memberitahu, Shamala turut gagal mematuhi perintah mahkamah agar menyerahkan dokumen perjalanan anak-anaknya, sekali gus menunjukkan dia memperoleh kelebihan daripada suaminya secara tidak adil.

''Tindakan memberi masa untuk mendengar permohonan itu akan memberi manfaat kepada Shamala tanpa perlu baginya menunaikan tanggungjawab sedangkan dia boleh dikenakan tindakan menghina mahkamah.

''Dengan memberinya peluang sedemikian akan menggalakkan lebih ramai pihak melakukan kesilapan yang membawa kepada tindakan menghina mahkamah, dengan harapan mereka dapat membetulkan kesalahan yang dilakukan,'' ujar Hakim Zaki.

Sementara itu, Hakim Arifin turut sependapat dengan Ketua Hakim Negara atas alasan panel itu tidak akan berlaku adil kepada Muhammad Ridzwan jika permohonan Shamala dibenarkan sedangkan wanita itu jelas enggan mematuhi perintah mahkamah.

Beliau menyatakan, banyak masa berlalu sedangkan Shamala berada di luar bidang kuasa mahkamah menyebabkan tindakan menghina mahkamah tidak dapat dilaksanakan ke atasnya.

''Mahkamah tidak harus dipergunakan oleh Shamala untuk kepentingannya semata-mata. Dengan membenarkannya meneruskan permohonan itu, akan menjadikan hak suaminya di sisi undang-undang hanya bayangan semata-mata, tidak kira siapa yang akan menang,'' ujar beliau.

Sementara Hakim Malanjum dalam penghakimannya menyatakan, isu utama kes itu adalah berkaitan hak penjagaan anak dan ia perlu dipertimbang dengan mengambil kira kebajikan kanak-kanak tersebut.

Menurut beliau, tindakan melarikan dua beradik itu ke luar negara adalah serius dan bukan sahaja menunjukkan Shamala gagal mematuhi perintah mahkamah, malah menidakkan hak bekas suami terhadap anak mereka.

Shamala diwakili oleh peguam Datuk Dr. Cyrus V. Dass manakala Muhammad Ridzwan diwakili peguam Muralee Menon.

Shamala berkahwin dengan Jeyaganesh C. Mogarajah mengikut undang-undang perkahwinan sivil pada 1998 tetapi empat tahun kemudian, Jeyaganesh memeluk agama Islam dengan nama Muhammad Ridzwan Mogarajah.

Muhammad Ridzwan turut menukar agama kedua-dua anak lelaki mereka yang ketika itu berumur tiga dan dua tahun kepada agama Islam tanpa pengetahuan dan persetujuan Shamala.

Shamala yang tidak berpuas hati dengan tindakan itu kemudian ke Mahkamah Tinggi dan memperoleh hak penjagaan sementara menyebabkan bekas suaminya memfailkan pula permohonan hak penjagaan (Hadanah) di Mahkamah Syariah.

Muhammad Ridzwan berjaya dalam permohonan itu menyebabkan Shamala dikenakan waran tangkap di bawah undang-undang Islam kerana gagal hadir dan mengemukakan kedua-dua kanak-kanak tersebut.

Pada Julai 2004, Shamala memperoleh hak penjagaan penuh terhadap dua anak lelakinya itu dan diperintah untuk tidak mengajar agama kepercayaannya kepada kedua-dua anaknya itu atau memberi mereka makan babi.

http://utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1113&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Mahkamah&pg=ma_02.htm

MCA man says God commands Christians to fight Islamic state

2010-11-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8: Former Subang Jaya state assemblyman, MCA's Lee Hwa Beng (pic), has appealed to Christian sentiments when he suggested on Twitter yesterday that a state based on Islam would ban all other religions.

"As Christians, we should fear Islamic theocracy nation [sic] more than anything. Why is DAP helping PAS to achieve it?” questioned Lee in a response to DAP supporters on the micro-blogging site.

Saying religions other than Islam would not be tolerated under what he coined "Islamic Theocracy State" [sic] and that Islamic laws would be imposed on non-Muslims, Lee even went on to claim that it was "God's command" to fight an "Islamic Theocracy State".

"One of God's command is to fight against Islamic Theocracy State," he said.

He added that UMNO, unlike PAS, did not want to establish an "Islamic Theocracy State".

Lee however was quick to add a 'disclaimer' stating that his remarks were his personal opinion.

“I never say I am against Islam but cannot accept PAS objective of Islamic Theocracy State. In fact I accept Islam as the official religion.

"Sorry I bring this theocracy topic up. Getting out of hand. I am quitting."

The latest remarks by Lee followed similar comments by MCA president Chua Soi Lek in August, in which he suggested Muslim-majority nations were naturally corrupt in an attempt to urge Malaysians to shun PAS.

Chua also claimed that it was UMNO's competing with PAS over Islam which had caused the country to be trapped as a “middle income” nation for more than 10 years.

The comments drew strong reactions from both sides of the political divide, and had left the one-time Health minister blaming online portals Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider for 'misquoting' him.

http://en.harakah.net.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1734:mca-man-says-god-commands-christians-to-fight-islamic-state&catid=36:headline&Itemid=70

MCA's comeback kid gets a dressing-down over remarks on Islam

2010-11-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7: MCA president Chua Soi Lek (pic), whose statement warning UMNO not to be Islamic like PAS, and claiming that the most corrupt countries were Muslim-majority ones and therefore PAS should not be given a chance to come to power, has earned him a place among Islamophobic leaders with condemnations pouring in from both sides of the divide.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim attributed what he called Chua's 'ignorance' to his interaction with UMNO, which did not appear to have taught him about the religion.

“His (Chua's) interaction with UMNO does not seem to have made him better understand or appreciative of Muslim concerns,” said Anwar, and said this contrasted with the ties between PAS and DAP, which among others have encouraged both sides to appreciate each other's stand, with DAP leaders quoting verses from the Qur'an in their speeches.

Expressing his disappointment over what he described as UMNO's increasing tendency to be Islamic to compete with PAS, Chua said this had among others caused the country to be trapped as a “middle income” nation for more than 10 years.

Selangor opposition leader and former Menteri Besar Mohamad Khir Toyo hinted that Chua's remarks bordered on religious hatred.

“Dr Chua needs to stop doing this. He is shifting racial politics into religious politics. This is very dangerous. People might start blaming Islam because of what he said," he was quoted as saying by online portal Malaysian Insider.

"They might blame Islam and say that corruption in the country is rampant because of the religion. We do not want to start blaming each other, pointing fingers… this leads into religious arguments. This is dangerous,” he warned.

Meanwhile, speaking at a conference on integrity, Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng gave him a brief lesson on Islamic civilisation, and advised the MCA comeback kid to read more on Muslim history which he said was not only about empires, "but also about their achievements in education, algebra, astronomy and the arts".

Lim said the reason Muslim countries were corrupt was not because their majority population were Muslims, but as a result of being under imperialist leaders.

“Muslim countries are suffering from the same problems suffered by India and China previously. Muslim nations could recapture their past glories like India and China, if they were allowed to be similarly unshackled like the two countries,” he was quoted as saying at the Caliph Umar Abdul Aziz International Integrity Conference in Penang.

Nasrudin Hasan Tantawi, the PAS Youth head, echoed Anwar's observation, saying Chua's perception about Islam and Muslims had been coloured by its long alliance with UMNO and its corrupt ways.

“Chua Soi Lek has failed to differentiate the Islam advocated by PAS, from that of UMNO which only knows how to claim to be Islamic yet Islamic principles were never applied in their administration,” said Nasrudin, adding that as an example, the two-decades of Islamic rule in Kelantan under PAS ensured that the state and its leadership were free from corruption.

'No moral right'

Former Perak Menteri Besar and Bukit Gantang member of parliament Nizar Jamaluddin said Chua had no moral right to criticise Islamic principles.

“[Chua] has no moral right to criticise the Islamic principles upon which PAS has existed over 50 years and which have guarded the party against all vices,” he said in a Twitter posting.

Chua was the Minister of Health and MCA vice president before he was forced to quit all his government and party posts after video recordings of him indulging in sex with a "female companion" in a hotel room appeared in public.

He is widely regarded as MCA's comeback kid following the party's poor performance in the 2008 general election, forcing the resignation of party president Ong Ka Ting. Chua contested against Ong Tee Keat and won in March 2010 amid intense infightings in the Chinese-based party.

http://en.harakah.net.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1140:mcas-comeback-kid-gets-a-dressing-down-over-remarks-on-islam&catid=34:primary&Itemid=56

Islam, Kristian setuju reda ketegangan

2010-11-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

PARIS 5 Nov. - Pemimpin-pemimpin Islam dan Kristian semalam bersetuju menubuhkan satu pasukan untuk cuba meredakan ketegangan antara kedua-dua agama terbesar ini, ketika penganut Islam dan Kristian terjebak dalam konflik senjata di Nigeria, Iraq, Mesir dan Filipina.

Pada mesyuarat di Geneva minggu ini, mereka bersetuju mengambil langkah penting bagi memelihara keamanan antara kedua-dua agama ini, daripada membiarkannya terjerumus dalam konflik yang disebabkan oleh persaingan politik, penindasan atau ketidakadilan.

Antara pertubuhan yang menyokong rancangan itu ialah World Council of Churches (WCC) yang dianggotai 349 gereja berlainan di seluruh dunia dan World Islamic Call Society (WICS), rangkaian yang dianggotai kira-kira 600 badan Islam.

Mereka akan menghantar pakar-pakar Islam dan Kristian untuk campur tangan dalam konflik agama bagi meredakan ketegangan dan menyelesaikan salah faham dan pertikaian tentang kepercayaan.

"Kami menubuhkan satu kerjasama kumpulan ini bagi membolehkan kami bersiap sedia berhadapan dengan sebarang krisis yang semakin meningkat berkaitan Islam dan Kristian.

"Kami perlu mencari penyelesaian untuk meredakan krisis agama dan memperbaiki hubungan antara kedua-dua agama ini melalui resolusi konflik dan keadilan," kata pemimpin-pemimpin Kristian dan Islam dalam satu kenyataan selepas mengadakan mesyuarat selama empat hari.

Institut Diraja Aal al-Bayt Jordan dan cendekiawan kumpulan Common Word Islam yang mempromosi dialog antara agama turut menyokong penubuhan pasukan ini, yang telah dibincangkan dengan beberapa gereja sejak dua tahun lalu.

Aref yang menyertai mesyuarat itu berkata, pakar-pakar Islam dan Kristian akan dipilih untuk membentuk pasukan kecil ini dan akan dihantar ke wilayah tercetusnya konflik. - Reuters

http://utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1106&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Luar_Negara&pg=lu_01.htm

Tony Blair's sister-in-law converts to Islam

2010-10-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Iran trip prompted journalist Lauren Booth to become a Muslim and wear a hijab

Helen Carter
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 24 October 2010 14.25 BST
Article history

Lauren Booth speaks on Press TV, an Iranian associated TV news channel

Tony Blair's sister-in-law has converted to Islam after having what she describes as a "holy experience" during a visit to Iran.

Journalist and broadcaster Lauren Booth, 43 – Cherie Blair's sister – now wears a hijab whenever she leaves her home, prays five times a day and visits her local mosque whenever she can.

She decided to become a Muslim six weeks ago after visiting the shrine of Fatima al-Masumeh in the city of Qom.

"It was a Tuesday evening and I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy," she said in an interview today.

When she returned to Britain, she decided to convert immediately.

Booth – who works for Press TV, the English-language Iranian news channel – has stopped eating pork and reads the Qur'an every day. She is currently on page 60.

Booth has stopped drinking alcohol and says she has not wanted to drink since converting.

Before her spiritual awakening in Iran, she had been "sympathetic" to Islam and has spent considerable time working in Palestine, she said, adding that she hoped her conversion would help Blair change his presumptions about Islam.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/24/lauren-booth-converts-to-islam

Govt keeping tabs on Internet users

2010-09-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday September 23, 2010

By LESTER KONG
lester@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The Government is monitoring the way Malaysians use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, says Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong.

He said there were cause for concern as there was a growing trend of using such sites irresponsibly.

“This growing trend of racial and religious insensitivity has created feelings of anxiety, anger and hatred in the country,” he said after witnessing a donation of a motorised wheelchair to a disabled businessman last night.

Lee said the Government was reviewing relevant laws relating to the responsible use of social networking sites, but declined to specify the laws.

He said a committee chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz involving the Prime Minister’s Department, Home Ministry, Information, Communications and Culture Ministry, and the Attorney-General’s Chambers was set up two months ago to check on the networking sites.

He said some politicians also used them to gain political mileage at the expense of racial and religious harmony.

“Some have gone overboard and crossed the borders of the laws. There is a growing trend of utterance or irresponsible statements that may be seditious. Racial and religious sensitivities have been trampled on,” he said.

Lee said Facebook and Twitter should instead be used to promote the merits of the newly unveiled Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

“With understanding, dedications, commitment and with the people’s cooperation, the objective of the ETP will be achieved,” he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/23/nation/7087861&sec=nation

Sebutan permohonan 2 lelaki ingin murtad - 19 Dis

2010-09-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Sep 22, 10 5:21pm

Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Kuala Terengganu hari ini menetapkan 19 Dis ini sebagai tarikh sebutan semula permohonan dua lelaki untuk keluar daripada agama Islam.

Hakim Syarie Rosdi Harun menetapkan sebutan semula permohonan Mohd Rajiman Chin Abdullah, 48, dan Mohd Ramzan Maniarasan, 38, akan dibuat secara bersama pada tarikh tersebut.

Beliau menetapkan tarikh itu selepas Peguam Syarie, Syed Ahmad Shabuddin Syed Nong yang mewakili Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Melayu Terengganu (Maidam) sebagai responden kes itu memaklumkan mahkamah Pegawai Penasihat Undang-undang Syariah yang mewakili Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Terengganu (Jheait) sedang cuti bersalin.

Beliau meminta mahkamah menetapkan tarikh sebutan semula yang baru untuk kedua-dua permohonan itu iaitu selepas pegawai wanita itu kembali bertugas pada Disember ini.

Rosdi berkata beliau berharap tempoh yang panjang sehingga tarikh sebutan semula itu digunakan sebaik-baiknya oleh kedua-dua pihak untuk membuat persediaan memandangkan kes itu serius dan tidak boleh dipandang ringan kerana ia melibatkan akidah.

Katanya beliau mahu memberi peluang kepada dua agensi yang menjaga kepentingan orang Islam di Terengganu itu bersedia dengan dokumen lengkap untuk berhadapan dengan tuntutan itu.

"Untuk pemohon pula, kalau betul-betul mahu teruskan hasrat ini boleh lantik peguam. Memohon untuk keluar Islam bukan satu perkara yang ringan. Kalau orang Islam yang murtad, boleh dibunuh, itu hukum Islam," katanya.

Ketika mengulas permohonan Mohd Rajiman supaya kes beliau diselesaikan dengan segera, Rosdi berkata mahkamah mempunyai prosedur khusus yang perlu dipatuhi.

Mohd Ramzan pula berkata beliau terpaksa membawa permohonannya itu sendiri ke mahkamah kerana tidak ada peguam syarie yang mahu mewakilinya, ketika ditanya sama ada akan melantik peguam untuk mewakilinya.

- Bernama

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/143320

The 2nd International SEARCH Conference 2011

2010-09-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

The South East Asia Research Centre for Communication and Humanities is pleased to
be organising The 2nd International SEARCH Conference 2011 (SEARCH Conference 2011) on
the 28th and 29th of May 2011.

SEARCH Conference 2011

This is multidisciplinary conference aimed at bringing together researchers and practitioners interested in the field of Communication and the Humanities to introduce and discuss perspectives and directions in the area of New Media Effects.

We welcome contributors from all disciplines, field and themes that pertain to the study of Communication and the Humanities to submit papers on one of the topics indicated below, describing original work and/or survey papers.

Conference Theme

New Media Culture and Challenges

Sub-themes

· New Media Governance and Politics
· Ethical issues and New Media
· Identity formation and Reality television
· Creative Industries and Knowledge Economy
· Cyberculture
· Gaming Culture
· Pop Culture
· Marketing Communication in New Media
· e-Governance and Democracy

We also encourage other varieties related to New Media and its effects or on any sector in the humanities.

For more information on Registration, Fees, Abstracts Submission and other Conference details, please click HERE.

Papal visit: Pope Benedict in London

2010-09-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

17 September 2010 Last updated at 17:11 GMT

Click to play

The Pope says that religion is 'marginalised' during his speech in Westminster Hall

The Pope has warned that religion - and Christianity in particular - is "being marginalised" around the world.

His comments came in his keynote speech to UK MPs, senior members of British society, and religious leaders at Westminster Hall in central London.

Pope Benedict XVI warned that there were some people who wanted to see "the voice of religion be silenced".

He called on those in attendance to seek ways to promote faith "at every level of national life".

BBC correspondent Peter Hunt described the speech as "a rallying call, and a plea - for religion not to be squeezed out by secular society".

The Pope was speaking as a sixth man was arrested as counter-terrorism detectives investigate an alleged threat to Pope Benedict XVI's visit.

In his speech, the Pope said: "I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalisation of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance.

"There are those who would advocate that the voice of religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private sphere.

"There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none."

The Pope then visited Westminster Abbey for a celebration of evening prayer.

'Deep friendship'

Earlier, he met the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at Lambeth Palace.

Analysis

David WilleyBBC News, London

Pope Benedict concentrated on what unites Anglicans and Catholics, not what still separates them.

He spoke of the deepening friendship at a personal level between these two very eminent professional theologians who find much in common to talk about at their periodic meetings.

The Pope also paid tribute to the 19th Century former Anglican priest Cardinal John Henry Newman - who perfectly shared both church cultures.

This is an important ecumenical gathering taking place more than 40 years after official talks began about possible reunification of the two churches five centuries after Rome refused to recognise King Henry VIII's divorce.

Lambeth and the Vatican have had a bumpy relationship in recent years as the Anglican Church first ordained women priests and is now considering ordaining women bishops, but both sides are still keen to go on talking.

It comes at a time when Anglican moves towards appointing women bishops have unsettled relations with Rome.

But the Pope said he wanted to focus on the "deep friendship" between the two churches rather than their differences.

The Lambeth Palace meeting marked the first time a Pope has met the Archbishop at his official residence.

It was viewed as an important event more than 40 years after official talks began about possible reunification of the two churches.

Divisions remain over Roman Catholic opposition to the ordination of women priests. Meanwhile the Church of England's General Synod left the way open for appointing women bishops at its meeting in July.

The Vatican angered many supporters of women's ordination by describing it as a "grave crime" to be dealt with in the same process as sex abuse, though it denied it was equating the two.

Dr Williams said in his opening remarks that the Pope was "most welcome" at Lambeth Palace.

He then praised the pontiff's "consistent and penetrating analysis of the state of European society".

As the Pope left Lambeth Palace to travel the short distance to Westminster Hall in his Popemobile, thousands of people lined the streets.

At one point he stopped the vehicle to bless a baby that was handed up to him.

True happiness

Earlier, the Pope led an assembly of 4,000 Catholic school children in west London.

He used his address at St Mary's University College in Twickenham, to say that the safety of children was vital in all schools, an apparent reference to the Church's child abuse scandal.

Pope's visit

17 September: Meets Archbishop of Canterbury; Address at Westminster Hall; Service at Westminster Abbey
18 September: Mass at Westminster Cathedral; Open-air vigil in Hyde Park
19 September: Beatification Mass at Cofton Park Birmingham; Meets bishops of England, Scotland and Wales; Leaves for Rome.

He also warned against the limitations of celebrity and science.

The pontiff told the crowd young people were often encouraged to model themselves on celebrities.

He said: "My question for you is this: What are the qualities you see in others that you would most like to have yourselves? What kind of person would you really like to be?'

"I'm asking you not to be content with second-best."

He went on to say having money or a successful career was not enough to make people happy, but true happiness could be found in God.

Tight security surrounded the event, called The Big Assembly, and monks and nuns who had waited in long queues were frisked by police.

Around 100 protesters against the Vatican's record on gay rights, equality and birth control had gathered ahead of his arrival, amid tight security.

The Church saw it as an opportunity to celebrate the work of more than 2,000 Catholic schools across the UK, in partnership with the state.

But critics said it could fuel hostility to faith schools and serve as a painful reminder of the child abuse scandal within the Catholic Church.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11347073

2010-09-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Utusan Malaysia Online - Berita Utama

2010-09-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

Utusan Malaysia Online - Berita Utama

Muhyiddin beri amaran individu persenda agama

KUALA LUMPUR 4 Sept. - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin hari ini memberi amaran bahawa individu yang terbukti mempermainkan agama Islam atau agama lain serta perkara yang termaktub di dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan tidak akan terlepas daripada tindakan undang-undang.

Tegas Timbalan Perdana Menteri, kerajaan tidak pernah bertolak ansur terhadap perbuatan tidak bertanggungjawab itu yang boleh membangkitkan kemarahan rakyat, mengeruhkan hubungan antara kaum dan sekali gus menjejaskan keselamatan negara.

Sehubungan itu katanya, kerajaan telah mengarahkan polis serta agensi penguat kuasa lain supaya bertindak segera dan tegas terhadap mereka yang terbukti melakukan perbuatan itu mengikut peruntukan undang-undang negara.

"Dalam apa jua keadaan sekalipun kita tidak boleh membiarkan sesiapa sahaja baik orang Islam atau bukan Islam mempermainkan-mainkan soal agama kerana ia boleh memberi padah kepada negara.

"Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak sendiri telah memberi amaran bahawa perbuatan-perbuatan yang boleh menimbulkan masalah dalam soal keselamatan dan hubungan antara kaum hendaklah dielakkan,'' katanya.

Beliau bercakap kepada pemberita selepas menyempurnakan Majlis Pelancaran Operasi Bersepadu Keselamatan Jalan Raya Sempena Musim Perayaan Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2010 di Stesen Sentral di sini hari ini.

Beliau mengulas tindakan beberapa individu yang menggunakan saluran Internet seperti Youtube dan laman sosial Facebook untuk menghina Islam, orang Melayu serta Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

"Tindakan tegas dan keras perlu diambil kerana kita tidak mahu ia berlarutan sehingga mendatangkan masalah besar kepada negara.

"Saya juga percaya penganut agama lain seperti Sikh, Hindu atau Buddha pasti tidak mahu ada tindak balas daripada orang Islam seperti mewujudkan satu lagi laman Facebook yang menyentuh sensitiviti agama mereka,'' katanya.

Dalam perkembangan sama beliau yakin dengan kepakaran siber pihak berkuasa untuk membuktikan dalam konteks undang-undang mengenai kesahihan individu yang terlibat sama ada menerusi media alternatif atau laman sosial seperti Facebook.

"Kita serahkan kepada pihak berkuasa dan yang paling penting hal sebegini sepatutnya tidak timbul. Kita telah sekian lama duduk di sebuah negara yang aman dan tenteram kerana kita saling menghormati antara agama.

"Mengapa satu agama lain harus mencemarkan agama yang lain. Banyak peristiwa yang berlaku di beberapa negara lain, apabila berhadapan dengan konflik antara agama, padahnya amat besar,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata, kerajaan tidak mahu Malaysia menjadi kancah krisis yang bertembung atas soal agama kerana kesannya amat berbahaya.

"Negara kita adalah negara pelbagai agama dan pelbagai latar belakang serta budaya dan pertembungan ini mesti dielakkan,'' katanya lagi.

Kata beliau, pihaknya menyerahkan kepada pihak berkuasa menangani kes dua pengetua yang didakwa mengeluarkan kenyataan berbaur perkauman.

Terbaru, Gerakan Pemuda Prihatin Putrajaya (Gempur) membuat laporan polis berhubung satu akaun laman sosial Facebook yang dikesan menghina Islam dan Allah menggunakan kata-kata kesat.

Presidennya, Mohd. Hisamudin Yahya menggesa polis menjalankan siasatan segera ke atas akaun Facebook yang didaftarkan dengan nama Katy Lim Li Lian kerana pemilik akaun itu telah memaparkan komen yang menimbulkan kemarahan umat Islam.

Sebelum ini Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) Selangor membuat satu laporan polis pada 1 September lalu berhubung kewujudan satu akaun Facebook menggunakan nama 'Melayu Babi'.

Baru-baru ini pula, seorang pemuda dari Muar, Wee Meng Chee atau dikenali sebagai Namewee sekali lagi mencetuskan kontroversi apabila menghasilkan klip video berbaur perkauman.

Identity Crisis

2010-08-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

Identity Crisis

Paint splashed on surau

2010-08-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

The Star, Tuesday August 24, 2010

By JOSHUA FOONG
joshuafoong@thestar.com.my

SEREMBAN: Splashes of red paint and broken pieces of liquor bottles at a surau have shocked residents of a housing estate nearby Sikamat.

“I am sad that this has happened as it smeared a place of worship and the sanctity of Ramadan,” said Taman Pulai Impian surau committee chairman Mohd Hasbi Ismail.

Irresponsible act: Men removing the red paint from the surau’s wall and glass doors at Taman Pulai Impian, Sikamat yesterday. Broken pieces of liquor bottles were also found in front of the vandalised place of worship. — Bernama

He said the right portion of the front wall as well as the floor and glass doors of the surau were splashed with red paint while broken pieces of four liquor bottles were found in front of the surau.

The incident was discovered by Muslim residents who arrived there to perform their subuh (dawn) prayers.

“I believe the incident could have occurred between 3.30am and 4am,” Mohd Hasbi told Bernama, adding that he had lodged a police report on the matter.

“I hope the police will nab those responsible and find out the motive of the attack,” he said.

The new surau was opened on July 24.

As news of the vandalism act spread, political leaders came out to condemn the culprits.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said a strong message must be sent out to prevent such acts from being repeated.

“This is an action that must not be condoned, particularly at places of worship,” he said.

Dr Chua also called on the police to take the case seriously and reprimand those responsible.

MCA Youth chief Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong tweeted that the wing was saddened by the incident and condemned the culprits.

He urged that stern action be taken by the police against those responsible.

MIC Youth chief T. Mohan described the attack as “an act against the practices of Malaysians.”

“This is not our culture.

“MIC Youth condemns such vandalism,” he said.

DAP leader Lim Kit Siang also joined the foray by calling all Malaysians to protest the red paint vandalism on the surau.

Rasah MP Loke Siew Fook said such an irresponsible act of attacking places of worship, especially a surau in the holy month of Ramadan, ought to be condemned.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/24/nation/6906224&sec=nation

Shaykh Seyyed Fadlallah’s death a great loss to the Ummah

2010-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

By Yusuf Dhia-Allah

The death of Shaykh Seyyed Hussain Fadlallah, a leading Islamic scholar of the Muslim world, in Beirut on July 4 has created a huge vacuum not only in Lebanon but also in the wider Muslim world. The 75-year-old alim and a leading ayatullah who was a strong supporter of Muslim unity and equally staunch opponent of US imperialism and Zionist colonialism, died of internal bleeding, according to his doctor Hashem Noureddine. He was in poor health and had been in the hospital for two weeks.

In announcing Shaykh Fadlallah’s death at a Beirut news conference, Bahraini scholar Abdullah al-Ghuraifi, described him as a “father, religious authority and spiritual leader to all Islamic movements in the Arab and Islamic world.” No doubt, Shaykh al-Ghuraifi was speaking for most scholars and activists in the Islamic movement. Black banners were hung in a sign of mourning outside the hospital and at the Al-Hassanayn mosque in Beirut’s suburb of Haret Hreik, where Shaykh Fadlallah gave religion lessons and delivered khutbahs before leading Jumu‘ah Salah. Tens of thousands of his supporters including women, wept openly. Al-Bashaer radio station that was run by his organization and, Hizbullah’s Al-Manar TV, broadcast Qur’anic verses. Not surprisingly, his funeral procession attracted more than a million people on July 6.

Shaykh Fadlallah’s death also evoked bizarre reaction in the West. When Octavia Nasr, a 20-year CNN veteran based in Atlanta, wrote on Twitter: “Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah … One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot,” she was fired from her job. Israel-firsters pressured CNN to fire Nasr. Parisa Khosravi, senior vice president for CNN International Newsgathering, was quoted as saying in an internal memorandum that she “had a conversation” with Nasr and that “we have decided that she will be leaving the company.”

It was also Zionist pressure that forced Frances Guy, Britain’s ambassador to Lebanon, to remove her blog posting in which she called Shaykh Fadlallah “a true man of religion.” The bizarre reaction of CNN and British Foreign Office has not only exposed the myth of media freedom in the West yet again but also the myth of independence of the British government and the limits imposed on freedom of thought of its ambassadors. Robert Fisk, the veteran British journalist who has reported from the Middle East for more than three decades, could not resist taking on CNN. In a report published in the British daily, The Independent on July 10 under the headline: “CNN was wrong about Ayatollah Fadlallah,” Fisk wrote: “CNN has fired one of its senior Middle East editors, Octavia Nasr, for publishing a twitter — or twatter in this case, I suppose — extolling Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah of Lebanon, calling him ‘one of Hizbollah’s giants whom I respect a lot’. Well, he wasn’t Hizbollah’s man, but no matter. He was definitely a giant. A man of immense learning and jurisprudence, a believer in women’s rights, a hater of ‘honour crimes’….” Given his stature, Fisk does not risk losing his job but he has shed light on the cowardly CNN and the British government’s craven attitude to Israel over its own ambassador Frances Guy. He wrote: “But Ms Guy has incurred the anger of the Israeli foreign ministry, whose spokesman says it would be ‘interesting’ to know what the British Foreign Office thinks of her remarks. Personally, I would be far more ‘interested’ in what the Israeli foreign ministry knows of the British passports its government forged in order to murder a man in Dubai not many months ago. But it just goes to show that Fadlallah — who was also a poet — can get people’s backs up, even in death.”

While not directly involved in day-to-day politics, he was a towering personality dominating the religious scene in Lebanon for decades. Author of numerous scholarly works, his multi-volume tafsir, Min Wahy al-Qur’an (From the Revelation of the Qur’an), ranks among one of best tafsirs produced in contemporary times. He was a brilliant scholar and applied his vast talents to addressing some of the burning issues of the day. He was also a staunch defender of women’s rights and in one of his famous fatwas, had declared that wives had the right to hit back if their husbands hit them. In another fatwa, he banned smoking.

He had followers in many parts of the world including Lebanon, Iraq, the Persian Gulf region, and Central Asia. He established a number of institutions such as orphanages and hospitals for children and the poor and oppressed people of Lebanon. A grandfatherly figure, Shaykh Seyyed Fadlallah’s guidance at the spiritual as well as political levels will be sorely missed in Lebanon. It will be difficult for any single person to live up to his towering personality in Lebanon.

Seyyed Fadlallah was born in Iraq in 1935 and lived in the holy city of Najaf, where he studied and was considered one of the leading scholars even at the relatively young age of 30. He was one of the first backers of the Iraqi Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He moved to Lebanon in 1966 and began lecturing in the southern Lebanese village of Ainata, where his family hailed from. Soon his scholarship and charisma attracted a very large following.

He was instrumental in mobilizing Lebanon’s Shi‘i community that constitutes the country’s majority, to struggle for their socio-political and economic rights. Because of the confessional nature of Lebanese politics based on a French-imposed constitution that continues to sour relations between different groups, the Muslims were divided into Shi‘is and Sunnis. Major levers of power, such as the presidency and head of the army, were handed over to the Maronite Christians who despite being a minority were granted equal powers with Muslims. The Shi‘i community began to get organized and under the guidance of charismatic and muttaqi leadership provided by Shaykh Seyyed Fadlallah, the martyr Shaykh Ragheb Harb (martyred February 1984) as well as the martyr Shaykh Seyyed Mussawi (martyred February 1992), they began to assert themselves to demand their rights.

It was the Zionist invasion of Lebanon in June 1982 that proved a catalyst for change. The Zionist military machine armed to the teeth with lethal weapons by the Americans as well as their blessings invaded Lebanon to crush fighters of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Zionists were led by General Arial Sharon, who rightly earned the title of the Butcher of Beirut for the massacres he perpetrated there. The Zionist army went all the way to Beirut and the Americans then forced the PLO to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. The US gave assurances that Palestinian families left behind in Lebanon would be protected from Zionist and indeed the Phalange militia attacks. The Phalangists are a fascist outfit that model their operations on Hitler and Mussolini’s ideology. No sooner had the PLO fighters sailed out of Beirut to Nicosia on their way to Tunisia, that the Phalangists backed by the Israelis perpetrated the Sabra and Shatilla massacres. Estimates about the number of unarmed Palestinian civilians — women, old men and children — butchered by the Phalangists vary between 3,000 and 10,000. What is indisputable is that the Zionists facilitated this genocide of unarmed innocent Palestinian civilians over a three-day period in September 1982. Sharon blessed this act of butchery.

As if this was not enough, the Zionists started to terrorize Lebanese civilians, especially in the south where the population is predominantly Shi‘i. In one particularly gruesome episode on October 16, 1983 in the town of Nabatiyah, the Zionists attacked an ‘Ashura’ procession killing two persons and injuring scores of others. This acted as a powder keg that sparked the uprising against the Zionist occupiers. In their customary brutality, the Zionists drew an Iron Curtain around the south in hopes of terrorizing the population into submission. While the total closure of the Southern Lebanon imposed great hardships on people — their vegetables and fruits on which they depended rotted in the burning Sun unable to transport them out of the area, and grain was deliberately contaminated by the Zionists with mud and filth making it unfit for consumption — they did not lose faith. Their leadership provided spiritual as well as political guidance in those very challenging and difficult times. Hizbullah gradually emerged on the scenes although it did not officially declare its formation until 1985 when it announced the establishment of al-Muqawwammah al-Islamiyyah (The Islamic Resistance) to confront the Zionist occupiers. It was in such trying times that the charismatic leadership of Shaykh Seyyed Fadlallah proved instrumental although he was not directly involved in the day-to-day operations of Hizbullah. It was his spiritual guidance and enormous prestige that enabled people to withstand Zionist brutalities that were fully underwritten by the US.

The Americans understood the important role Shaykh Fadlallah played in Lebanese society. They, therefore, plotted to assassinate him using their close links with Saudi intelligence. CIA director Bill Casey approached Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador in Washington, to become a partner in crime. Bandar, ever a stooge of the Americans, eagerly agreed and joined the criminal plot. Bandar put up the $3 million to hire the assassins led by a former British SS man. In March 1985, a car rigged with massive amounts of explosives blew up outside an apartment building near the Hasanayn Mosque soon after Seyyed Fadlallah completed Jumu‘ah Salah. This was the time when maximum number of worshippers were present, including late comers for salah. Miraculously, Shaykh Fadlallah survived the assassination attempt jointly planned and carried out by the American CIA and Bandar.

More than 80 civilians were killed and another 200 were badly injured. Shaykh Fadlallah survived the assassination attempt because he had left the Jumu‘ah Salah (Friday congregational prayers) a little earlier than usual to attend a meeting in another part of the city. Had he followed his usual schedule of staying back to meet people and answer their questions, he would surely have been assassinated by that massive explosion. The Lebanese immediately accused CIA of the dastardly crime, hanging a huge banner outside the damaged apartment building that read: “Made in America.” The Americans denied involvement but few people anywhere took such denials seriously.

In his book, The Veil (1987), Bob Woodward writes that when Bandar heard the news on television that Shaykh Fadlallah had survived the assassination attempt, he panicked and sent word through intermediaries that he would be willing to pay compensation to the victims. Seyyed Fadlallah, a big hearted person, forgave this heinous crime and asked instead that Bandar pay compensation to the victims’ families that amounted to a mere couple of million dollars. Bandar and then CIA-director, Bill Casey, should have been arrested and tried for mass murder. Casey died of brain haemorrhage in 1987 but Bandar is alive and believed to be under house arrest for plotting to overthrow King Abdullah’s government in 2009 in Saudi Arabia. It would be a good opportunity to deal with this pesky son of a concubine of Prince Sultan by putting him on trial for murder.

In Shaykh Fadlallah’s death, Lebanon has lost the spiritual as well as political guidance of an intellectual giant. It will be difficult for any single person to replace his towering personality.

http://www.crescent-online.net/special-reports/1888-august-2010/2877-shaykh-seyyed-fadlallahs-death-a-great-loss-to-the-ummah.html

Two Muslim women thrown out of pool for wearing 'burkinis'

2010-07-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

Two Muslim women were ordered to leave a swimming pool in a French holiday village on the southwest coast for wearing body-covering "burkinis".

Henry Samuel in Paris
Published: 2:57PM BST 22 Jul 2010

Burkini: It has been less than two weeks after French MPs voted to ban body and face-covering garments in public places Photo: REX FEATURES

The women had plunged into the pool at le Port Leucate wearing full body swimsuits, including a head-covering hijab veil, but were immediately told to get out of the water.

The incident occurred less than two weeks after French MPs voted to ban body and face-covering garments, including the full Islamic veil, from public places including the street.

Under the new law, due to come into force early next year, women face a fine or community service for hiding their faces in public and those forcing women to wear the full veil risk prison.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has described the garment as "not welcome" in the staunchly secular French republic.

In this case, the women at the Rives des Corbieres holiday camp were told to leave as they had breached the camp's rules allowing only conventional bikinis or one-piece swimsuits "for hygiene reasons".

Police received conflicting accounts of what happened next.

The pool's lifeguard filed a complaint saying the husband of one of the women threatened him with a bowling ball.

The husband filed a complaint claiming security personnel beat him up.

Marie-Paule Bardeche, a regional government official said: "This is above all an issue stemming from the holiday centre's internal regulations, in place for hygiene and sanitary reasons.

"Access to the swimming pool is reserved for ordinary swimsuit wearers. Even long shorts are forbidden." Last year a Muslim woman was banned from wearing a "burkini" at a public pool in a Paris suburb, also for hygiene reasons.

She later tried and failed to sue the council for discrimination.

Police have this year also stopped and fined two women for wearing a burka while driving, saying it contravened road rules as it impaired their field of vision.

The holiday camp where the burkini incident took place is run by a staunchly secular organisation called the "Aude federation of secular works".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7904645/Two-Muslim-women-thrown-out-of-pool-for-wearing-burkinis.html

Kisah Ulama dan Tukang Perahu - Jalaludin Rumi

2010-05-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

Seorang ulama yang angkuh berlayar dengan perahu.

"Pernahkah engkau mengkaji kitab-kitab, saudaraku?"
Dia bertanya kepada tukang perahu.

"Tidak."
Muncul jawapan yang agak memalukan.

"Kalau begitu hidupmu sampai sekarang telah sia-sia."
Kata sang ulama itu.

Tiba-tiba, pusaran air menarik perahu itu ke dalam arusnya.

"Pernahkah Anda belajar berenang Tuan?"
Tanya tukang perahu.

"Tidak. Aku tidak ada masa untuk senang-senang sebegitu."
Jawab ulama itu.

"Kalau begitu, hidup Anda sejak sekarang telah pun sia-sia, kerana kita akan tenggelam."

Buka hijab, pakai topi

2010-05-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

DUBAI: Persekutuan Bola Sepak Antarabangsa (Fifa) berkata mereka akan membenarkan pasukan bola sepak wanita Iran untuk bertanding di Sukan Olimpik Remaja jika mematuhi arahan membuka hijab dan menggantikannya dengan topi bagi menutup rambut (aurat).

Tindakan kompromi itu hadir selepas Fifa pada bulan lalu menghalang pasukan itu daripada mengambil bahagian kerana memakai hijab. Fifa mengharamkan pemakaian hijab - pakaian bagi orang Islam yang diwajibkan ke atas wanita - bermula pada 2007 atas alasan keselamatan untuk membendung sebarang kenyataan berbaur politik dan keagamaan di atas padang.

Iran akan bersaing dalam kejohanan membabitkan enam negara itu dalam kategori wanita yang akan berlangsung pada 12-25 Ogos di Singapura. Hampir 3,600 atlit sekitar usia 14-18 tahun akan bersaing dalam 26 acara sukan musim panas itu. -AP

http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Bukahijab_pakaitopi/Article

Iran’s football girls back in Youth Olympics

2010-05-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

DUBAI: FIFA say they will allow the Iranian girls football team to compete at the Youth Olympics as long as their players swap their traditional head scarves for a cap that covers their hair.

The compromise comes after FIFA initially barred the team from participating last month over their insistence on wearing head scarves.

FIFA barred hijab scarves – which protect the modesty of Islamic girls and women – in 2007 for safety reasons and to prevent political or religious statements on the field.

Iran will compete in a six-nation tournament for girls at the Games being held on Aug 12-25 in Singapore.

Around 3,600 athletes aged between 14 and 18 will compete in 26 sports at the inaugural Youth Summer Games. — AP

http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2010/5/4/sports/6183450&sec=sports

Lawyer: Malaysia commutes woman's caning sentence

2010-04-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

By Saeed Ahmed, CNN

April 1, 2010 2:33 a.m. EDT

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced to perform community service for publicly drinking beer in 2007.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Sultan commutes woman's caning sentence, lawyer says
Islamic law dictates caning Muslims seen drinking alcohol
In Malaysia, Islamic courts operate alongside civil ones

RELATED TOPICS

(CNN) -- A Malaysian model who was sentenced last year to six strokes of a cane for drinking beer in public has had her sentence commuted, her lawyer said Thursday.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno will now instead be required to perform three weeks of community service -- beginning Friday.

The sentencing drew headlines worldwide at the time and caused an uproar, with many citing it as an example of growing fundamentalism in the multiracial country

An Islamic court in the eastern state of Pahang fined Kartika $1,400 (5,000 Malaysian ringgit) and ordered that she be stroked with a rattan cane for drinking beer at a hotel bar in 2007.

The sentence was to have been carried out Thursday.

However on Wednesday night, the sultan of Pahang sent a letter where he commuted the woman's sentence, said Kartika's lawyer Adham Jamalullail Ibrahim.

Each state in Malaysia is ruled by a sultan who, in effect, is the guardian of Islamic matters in that state. He can overrule the decision of an Islamic court -- and Sultan Ahmad Shah did so in this case.

Kartika, a mother of two, was visiting Malaysia from Singapore when her troubles began.

She said she lost her job as a nurse in Singapore and took up part-time modeling to support her husband in raising their two children. Her son has cerebral palsy; her daughter a heart condition.

She pleaded guilty, paid the fine, and wanted her caning to be carried out in public.

"I want to move on. This case has been hanging over me for a long time," she said in August.

The case drew widespread attention and condemnation, in and outside Malaysia.

The moderate Muslim country has a dual-track justice system, in which Islamic courts operate alongside civil courts.

Muslims -- who make up about 60 percent of the 28 million who populate the country -- are forbidden from consuming alcohol. Other religious groups are exempt.

Though caning is used as a supplementary punishment in Malaysia for at least 40 crimes, such as rape or immigration violations, it is not meted out by Malaysia's civil court for alcohol consumption.

But the country's civil system also cannot overrule a sharia court sentence.

International Conference on Multiculturalism and Global Community 24-27 JulyTehran, Iran 2010,

2010-03-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

Culture: Diversity or Integrity

1. Multiculturalism and Global Peace
2. Asia: Diversity or Unity in Cultures
3. Intercultural Dialogue: Approaches and Outcomes
4. Media, Communication and Common Good
5. Globalization, Religion and Common Good

Islam: New Challenges, New Perspectives

1. Islam and the Crisis of Modern Man
2. Islam and Other Faiths: Truth or Salvation
3. Islam and Woman: Rights and Commitments
4. Islam: Traditionalism or Modernism
5. Islam and Revivalism: Needs and Necessities
6. Islam: Spirituality, Morality and Jurisprudence

Iran: Realities and Appearances

1. Iran, Religious State and International Challenges
2. Iran and the Middle East
3. Iran and New Generation: Gap or Conflict
4. Iran and International Society: Contraction or
Expansion
5. Cultures and Religions in Iran: Heterogeneous
or Homogeneous Society

The deadline for submission of abstracts is April
10th. Abstracts must be submitted via email to:
conference@mcgc.ir

Enquiries: conference@mcgc.ir
Web address: http://www.mcgc.ir

France to ban veil says Nicolas Sarkozy

2010-03-22T03:05:00.000-07:00

Nicolas Sarkozy has said that France will ban the full Muslim veil.

Published: 7:00AM GMT 25 Mar 2010

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The move would protect the dignity of women, the president added.

“The full veil is contrary to the dignity of women,” he said. “The response is to ban it. The Government will table a draft law prohibiting it.”

The president gave no further details during his address to the nation following a heavy defeat in regional elections for his ruling Union for a Popular Movement party.

Speaking from the Elysee Palace Mr Sarkozy gave no indication as to how an outright ban would be imposed and policed.

France is home to six million Muslims.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7516643/France-to-ban-veil-says-Nicolas-Sarkozy.html

Anti-Islam Leader Does Well In Dutch Vote

2010-03-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

The popularity of Geert Wilders, known for his repeated public statements attacking Muslims, has dented the image of the Netherlands as a country that has often portrayed itself as a bastion of tolerance.

March 04, 2010

(RFE/RL) -- Early returns in Dutch municipal elections showed the party known for its tough stances on immigration and Islam making big gains in a result seen as a possible foreshadowing of upcoming national elections.

Preliminary results showed that the Party for Freedom (PVV) of Geert Wilders came first in Almere, east of the capital, Amsterdam, and second in The Hague behind the Labor Party (PvdA).

Speaking to supporters today, Wilders said, "What is possible in The Hague and Almere is possible all over the country." He added that, in the national vote, "we will become the biggest party in the Netherlands."

Full results won't be certified until March 5.

Political Gridlock

Wilders' party, set up in 2006 to "stop the Islamization of the Netherlands," contested only those two cities in its first municipal election on March 3, three months ahead of early general elections on June 9.

The center-left national government collapsed last month, when the PvdA withdrew from the ruling coalition in a spat with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) over extending the Dutch military mission in Afghanistan.

Outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has said the 1,600 Dutch troops serving with the NATO-led force in the province of Oruzgan were now likely to withdraw in August as planned.

The PvdA appeared to have benefited from its stance over Afghanistan. Its leader, former Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos, told supporters, "We were declared dead and buried, but with our struggle, humility and ideals we have come back."

"The Labor Party today is without any doubt the leading progressive party in the Netherlands," Bos added. "It gives us hope and confidence for June 9."

An opinion poll showed that the PVV would win the most seats -- 27 in the 150-member Dutch parliament -- in the June 9 election. But most left-leaning parties have already said they would not work with Wilders.

Political observers say that, with the country's two main parties, the CDA and PvdA, at odds, and other parties split equally between left and right, it may prove very difficult for either side to build a workable coalition.

Wilders' party came in second in the European elections of June 2009 with 16.7 percent of the vote behind the CDA.

Enemy Of Islam

The popularity of Wilders, known for his repeated public statements attacking Muslims, has dented the image of the Netherlands as a country that has often portrayed itself as a bastion of tolerance.

Muslims make up about 6 percent of the population, and Wilders says their presence threatens the Dutch way of life.

Wilders' 17-minute film stigmatizing Islam, "Fitna," received worldwide attention in 2008 when its release on the Internet sparked condemnation by authorities in Afghanistan, Iran, Indonesia and Pakistan.

The film, whose title means "strife" in Arabic, juxtaposes verses from the Koran with images of beheadings, attacks by Islamic terrorists, and clerics calling for jihad.

A year ago Wilders was turned back at London's Heathrow Airport because, authorities feared his visit would incite violence. He was allowed into Britain several months later after a court overturned the ban.

Wilders is awaiting trial in the Netherlands for allegedly inciting racial hatred with remarks that include equating the Koran and Islam with the ideology of Nazism and Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf." Wilders has claimed he was the victim of "an attack on freedom of expression."
http://www.rferl.org/content/AntiIslam_Leader_Does_Well_In_Dutch_Vote/1974315.html

Kartika disebat atau diampun?

2010-03-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

Utusan Malaysia 4 Mac 2010 / 18 Rabiul Awal 1431

Kartika Sari Dewi (kiri) gembira ketika keluar dari bangunan MUIP setelah mengadakan pertemuan tertutup dengan Tengku Mahkota Pahang di Pekan, semalam. - utusan/Mahathir Ali

PEKAN 3 Mac - Teruskan hukuman sebat atau diberi pengampunan oleh Sultan Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Itu nasib yang mungkin bakal dilalui bekas model sambilan, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor, 33, yang dijatuhi hukuman sebat oleh Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Kuantan kerana meminum arak tahun lalu.

Tengku Mahkota Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah bertitah, walaupun telah dijatuhi hukuman, Kartika Sari Dewi masih berpeluang mengemukakan rayuan kepada Sultan Pahang selaku ketua agama Islam negeri ini untuk mendapatkan pengampunan.

Baginda bertitah, di bawah Seksyen 133, Enakmen Tatacara Jenayah Syariah Negeri Pahang 2002, Sultan Pahang, atas nasihat mufti boleh meringan atau memberi pengampunan kepada mana-mana pesalah syariah tanpa persetujuan orang yang telah dihukum.

Sehubungan itu, titah baginda, pihaknya akan menunggu terlebih dahulu keputusan Sultan Ahmad Shah dan juga Kartika Sari Dewi sendiri sama ada mahu menggunakan peluang yang ada bagi mengemukakan rayuan untuk mendapatkan pengampunan.

"Kita akan menunggu dalam masa terdekat, kalau tidak ada rayuan daripada pihak Kartika, kita akan meneruskan (pelaksanaan hukuman) dan juga saya akan persembahkan kepada Sultan minit mesyuarat (hasil pertemuan) hari ini dalam masa sehari dua ini dan daripada situ, tindakan akan diteruskan," titah baginda.

Baginda bertitah demikian kepada pemberita selepas menerima menghadap Kartika Sari Dewi yang ditemani bapanya, Shukarnor Abdul Mutalib di pejabat Majlis Ugama Islam dan Adat Resam Melayu Pahang (MUIP) di sini hari ini.

Dalam pertemuan selama kira-kira sejam itu, Tengku Abdullah yang juga Yang Dipertua MUIP bertitah, baginda telah mendengar isi hati Kartika Sari Dewi dan bersimpati dengan tekanan yang dihadapinya.

Justeru titah baginda, tindakan seterusnya akan diambil bagi menyelesaikan masalah tersebut secepat mungkin.

"Kita tidak mahu berlarutan dan saya simpati dengan pihak Kartika dengan tekanan yang dihadapi. Ini adalah satu kes yang boleh kita perhalusi dari segi kelemahan yang terdapat dalam pelaksanaan hukuman ini," titah baginda.

Dalam pada itu, Tengku Abdullah bertitah, MUIP akan mengkaji semula pelaksanaan undang-undang syariah yang telah termaktub begitu lama di negeri ini berikutan masih terdapat beberapa kelemahan.

"Kita akan kaji semula supaya kita nampak juga hukuman syariah ini ada sifat-sifat perikemanusiaan, tidak semestinya (hukuman dijatuhkan) mandatori.

"Kita akan kaji tahap kesalahan supaya hukuman syariah ini lebih mulia, lebih murni bukan sekadar menangkap dan hukum.

"Kita juga ada proses, mungkin kaunseling dan pendidikan supaya kita dapat mendidik," titah baginda.

Mengenai kesan hukuman sebat itu ke atas industri pelancongan Pahang, Tengku Abdullah bertitah, baginda sememangnya memandang serius perkara tersebut.

Baginda bertitah, tetapi pada masa sama Sultan Pahang mengingatkan pihak-pihak tertentu supaya tidak mengambil kesempatan atas keterbukaan yang ada dengan mengadakan pesta atau aktiviti sewenang-wenangnya tanpa memahami budaya tempatan.

Baginda turut mengingatkan pegawai penguat kuasa agama tidak menyalahgunakan kuasa apabila sewenang-wenangnya menangkap orang sehingga boleh mengaibkan mereka.

"Saya bukan hendak menyokong pihak-pihak yang hendak promosikan pelancongan di sini tetapi biarlah ada batasan sedikit.

"Dalam hubungan ini, saya akan berbincang dengan pihak kerajaan dalam masa terdekat," titah baginda.

Dalam pada itu, usaha mendapatkan reaksi daripada Kartika Sari Dewi yang menginap di Inderapura Lake Resort dekat sini, gagal apabila difahamkan beliau dinasihati tidak dibenar memberi sebarang kenyataan kepada media pada masa ini.

Prayers and Criticism in Wake of Detroit Imam’s Killing by F.B.I.

2010-02-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Fabrizio Costantini for The New York Times

Omar Regan, a comedian and son of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah of Detroit, led prayers Friday at a makeshift mosque after his father died in an F.B.I. raid.

SUSAN SAULNY

Published: October 30, 2009

DETROIT — Friday prayers were intoned on schedule at the red brick two-story house on the west side that is a makeshift home for the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque.

Fabrizio Costantini for The New York Times

A home in Detroit was one of several locations raided by the F.B.I. on Wednesday.

Muslim Alliance of North America

The F.B.I. says Mr. Abdullah was a separatist Muslim intent on overthrowing the United States government.

But leading the prayers was a son of the mosque’s imam, Luqman Ameen Abdullah, who was killed by federal agents in a raid on Wednesday. The son, Omar Regan, 36, a comedian and motivational speaker, flew from Los Angeles to mourn and defend his father, who was described in federal court papers as a separatist Muslim intent on overthrowing the United States government.

“My father was a sharp-tongued individual,” Mr. Regan said. “He would talk about his dislike of the government, about how law enforcement wasn’t protecting and serving the people. But speaking his emotions and acting on his emotions are two different things.”

Mr. Regan’s sentiments were echoed by many Muslims here and across the country on Thursday and Friday, as some leaders portrayed the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s counterterrorism squad of using heavy-handed tactics against Mr. Abdullah, who was not accused of terrorism.

Asked why Mr. Abdullah had not been charged with terrorism, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Terrence Berg, said, “The charges speak for themselves.”

Mr. Abdullah, 53, died in a shootout in the raid of a warehouse just outside the city, in Dearborn, where he stored goods. The raid was one of three in which federal agents said were intended to arrest Mr. Abdullah and 10 other men on charges that included conspiracy to sell stolen goods, mail fraud and illegal possession of firearms. But the authorities said Mr. Abdullah, who had a lengthy criminal record and was forbidden to have a firearm, opened fire on the agents.

He died of multiple gunshot wounds, said a spokesman for the Wayne County coroner.

“I’m comfortable with what our agents did,” said Andrew G. Arena, special agent in charge of the Detroit division of the F.B.I. “They did what they had to do to protect themselves.”

Two of the 11 defendants remain at large; one, Mujahid Carswell, 30, another son of Mr. Abdullah, was arrested Thursday in Canada. (Law enforcement officials said Mr. Abdullah’s shots killed an F.B.I. dog, Freddy, who is to be honored for dying in the line of duty, officials said.)

A 43-page criminal complaint described Mr. Abdullah as the belligerent leader of a faction of a group called the Ummah, meaning “the Brotherhood,” which advocates the establishment of a separate nation governed by Islamic laws within the United States. The authorities had been monitoring him for years.

In January, city officials evicted Mr. Abdullah’s mosque, which counts about 25 families as members, from its original location for failure to pay property taxes. He relocated to the two-story home on the west side. During the eviction, the police said, officers found two guns and about 40 other weapons in Mr. Abdullah’s apartment.

Law enforcement officials said they were concerned about retaliation in the wake of Mr. Abdullah’s death.

But the federal complaint on which Wednesday’s raid was based also shows how much trouble Mr. Abdullah and his associates had in executing even basic criminal schemes, like switching the vehicle identification numbers on a stolen truck, or selling stolen laptops. While full of bravado, they are characterized in the complaint as being a far cry from masterminds, a notion that some of Mr. Abdullah’s acquaintances supported.

“They knew a long time ago that this was a penny ante operation, and they could have stopped it,” Abdullah El-Amin, an imam at the Muslim Center, Detroit’s largest black mosque, said of federal authorities. “It didn’t have to get to this point, people getting killed.”

Mr. El-Amin said he had known Mr. Abdullah for more than 20 years, although they had never attended the same mosque. Mr. El-Amin said he had heard Mr. Abdullah talk about wanting a separate state, but described it as “sort of like the Pennsylvania Dutch have their own communities and stuff.” Some, but not all, mainstream Muslim leaders agreed that Mr. Abdullah had held that view.

“The very incendiary rhetoric that the F.B.I. alleges, I never heard that from him,” said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “There was nothing extraordinary about him.”

The Muslim Public Affairs Council, a policy and advocacy group based in Los Angeles, is calling for an investigation of Mr. Abdullah’s killing, which it describes as “deeply disturbing.”

But Eide A. Alawan, director of the office of interfaith outreach at the Islamic Center of America, one of the largest Muslim centers in the Midwest, in Dearborn, took a critical view of Mr. Abdullah and his defenders.

“This is not the first time in history that someone has used a religion to do some harm in the name of faith,” Mr. Alawan said. “Now is an opportune time for some to show their militancy. It gets attention. But it’s no different than the Ku Klux Klan in the 40s and 50s using the cross.”

The Muslim Alliance in North America, a national network based in Lexington, Ky., expressed shock at the killing of Mr. Abdullah, who served on its governing body.

“Reference to the Ummah as a ‘nationwide radical fundamentalist Sunni group consisting primarily of African-Americans’ is an offensive mischaracterization,” the group said in a statement.

“To those who have worked with Imam Luqman A. Abdullah,” it continued, “allegations of illegal activity, resisting arrest, and ‘offensive jihad against the American government’ are shocking and inconsistent. In his ministry he consistently advocated for the downtrodden and always spoke about the importance of connecting with the needs of the poor.”

A funeral for Mr. Abdullah is scheduled for Saturday at the Muslim Center in Detroit.

Mary M. Chapman contributed reporting from Detroit, and Emma Graves Fitzsimmons from Chicago.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/us/31dearborn.html

Danish police shoot intruder at cartoonist's home

2010-01-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

Kurt Westergaard has had a price on his head since 2006

Danish police have shot and wounded a man at the home of Kurt Westergaard, whose cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad sparked an international row.

Mr Westergaard was at home in Aarhus when a man broke in and threatened him. He pressed a panic button and police entered the house and shot the man.

Danish officials said the intruder was a 28-year-old Somali linked to the radical Islamist al-Shabab militia.

The cartoon, printed in 2005, prompted violent protests the following year.

ANALYSIS

By Malcolm Brabant, BBC News

This attack will force the Danish secret service Pet to review whether their protection is adequate.

Mr Westergaard's house was supposed to have been turned into a fortress. The windows were supposed to be blast proof, and yet a determined individual came within a whisker of killing a man regarded by Islam as a pariah, but by his supporters, as one of the bravest defenders of free expression.

One of 12 cartoons published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten, it depicted the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban.

In 2006 the paper apologised for the cartoons, but other European media reprinted them.

Danish embassies were then attacked by Muslims around the world and dozens killed in riots.

Mr Westergaard went into hiding amid threats to his life, but emerged last year saying he wanted to live as normal a life as possible.

His house has been heavily fortified and is under close police protection.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8437433.stm

Rights watchdog hints Swiss minaret ban could go

2009-11-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

By FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press Writer Frank Jordans, Associated Press Writer – Mon Nov 30, 4:45 pm ET

GENEVA – A Swiss ban on minarets could violate fundamental liberties, Europe's top human-rights watchdog said Monday in an indication that the heavily criticized vote could be overturned.

The Council of Europe said banning "new minarets in Switzerland raises concerns as to whether fundamental rights of individuals, protected by international treaties, should be subject to popular votes."

The statement by the 47-nation council's secretary-general, Thorbjorn Jagland, suggests a case may be made to seek a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights condemning Switzerland for violating freedom of expression, freedom of religion and prohibition of discrimination.

Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said the ban would come into force immediately, but also indicated that the court could strike down the Sunday vote, which incurred swift condemnation at home and abroad for banning the towers used to put out the Islamic call to prayer.

"The ban contradicts the European Convention on Human Rights," Zurich daily Blick cited Widmer-Schlumpf as saying, referring to the 1950 treaty laying out basic rights that the court in Strasbourg, France, was created to ensure member states abide by.

The referendum backed by nationalist parties was approved by 57.5 percent of the population Sunday, forcing the government to declare illegal the building of any new minarets in Switzerland. It doesn't affect the country's four existing minarets.

France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he was "a bit scandalized" by the vote, which amounts to "oppressing a religion."

"I hope that the Swiss will go back on this decision rather quickly," Kouchner said on France's RTL radio. "It is an expression of intolerance, and I detest intolerance."

The U.N.'s special investigator on religious freedom, Asma Jahangir, said the ban on new minarets constitutes "a clear discrimination against members of the Muslim community in Switzerland."

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, called the ban an "example of growing anti-Islamic incitement in Europe by the extremist, anti-immigrant, xenophobic, racist, scare-mongering ultra-right politicians who reign over common sense, wisdom and universal values."

Wealthy Arab tourists might think twice now about spending their money in Geneva and other Swiss cities popular with visitors from the Gulf, and the neutral country's efforts to mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could also suffer, said Daniel Warner, a Swiss-American political scientist at the Graduate Institute in Geneva.

Arriving at a meeting of European Union justice ministers, Widmer-Schlumpf argued the vote was not "a referendum against Islam ... but a vote directed against fundamentalist developments."

She defended the referendum as being "about minarets and not, of course, about the Islamic community," she said. "We are interested in a multi-religious society in Switzerland."

Supporters of the ban said the number of Muslims in Switzerland had grown sharply from 50,000 in 1980, but it is still only 4 percent of the 7.5 million population, many of whom don't practice. Western Europe has an estimated 14 million Muslims.

Voting figures showed a rural-urban split in the Swiss vote, with only 38.6 percent of people in major cities backing the ban compared with about two-thirds of the population in smaller towns and villages, officials said.

Anne-Marie Birnstiel, in the wealthy Alpine town of Gstaad told AP Television News she was disappointed by the vote and afraid of the consequences for Switzerland.

But, fellow town resident Anton Seil told APTN that "we are in Switzerland, and if I go to another country I also can't build up my church or represent my faith. So, they have to adapt to us in Switzerland too."

Switzerland isn't alone in expressing fears about a growing Muslim population, though it is the only country where voters can easily enact constitutional amendments through referendums.

France, too, has enacted laws that Muslims claim are directed at them, including a ban on the wearing of religious symbols, such as headscarves, in schools.

A leader of Italy's Northern League party, a key ally in Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservative coalition, said: "Unfortunately we are faced with a strong attack on (our Christian) identity by an intolerant religion like Islam is." He said he advocated putting a symbol of a cross on the Italian flag.

The Roman Catholic Church, however, condemned the vote.

Monsignor Antonio Maria Veglio, a Vatican official with the Pontifical Council on Migrants, told the Italian news agency ANSA that he shared the position taken by Swiss bishops who called the vote a "hard blow to religious freedom and immigration."

Overnight, opponents of the minaret ban lit candles in front of the Swiss parliament in Bern and hung up banners saying "This is not my Switzerland."

In Zurich, unknown people smashed a glass door of the offices of the nationalist Swiss People's Party — which had backed the ban — cantonal (state) police said.

____

Associated Press writers Robert Wielaard in Brussels, Rod McGuirk in Jakarta, Ingrid Rousseau in Paris, Maamoun Youssef in Cairo, Zeina Karam in Beirut, Frances D'Emilio in Rome and APTN producer Dorothee Thiesing in Gstaad contributed to this report.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG4p90KYfTQ

Rare rainstorms snarl Islam’s annual hajj, soaking millions of pilgrims

2009-11-29T01:44:00.000-08:00

Rare, heavy rains soak pilgrims at Islam’s hajj

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Rare, heavy rainstorms soaked pilgrims and flooded the road into Mecca, snarling Islam’s annual hajj as millions of Muslims headed for the holy sites. The downpours add an extra hazard on top of intense concerns about the spread of swine flu.

Pilgrims in white robes holding umbrellas, some wearing face masks for fear of the flu, circled the black cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca, the opening rite for the hajj. But the shrine — Islam’s holiest site — and the nearby, rain-soaked streets did not see the usual massive crowds, because many tried to stay inside nearby hotels or were caught up in the traffic jams heading into the city.

The hajj — a lifetime dream for Muslims to cleanse their sins — is always a logistical nightmare, as a population the size of a small city moves between Mecca and holy sites in the nearby desert over the course of four days.

In the past, the rites have been plagued by deadly stampedes caused by congestion as the massive crowds perform the rituals — and Saudi authorities Wednesday were clearly concerned the rains could worsen the potential dangers. Civil authorities urged pilgrims to move cautiously and not to rush.

This year has brought the added worry that the massing of more than 3 million people from around the world could bring a swine flu outbreak. For months ahead of the pilgrimage, the Saudi government has been working with the United States’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention to set up clinics and precautionary measures to stem any outbreak.

So far, four pilgrims have died from the H1N1 virus since arriving in Saudi Arabia in recent days, and 67 pilgrims have been diagnosed with the virus, Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah told the Arab news network Al-Jazeera English.

Shahul Ebrahim, a consultant from the Atlanta, Georgia-based CDC at the hajj, said it was too early to tell if the rains could exacerbate the spread of H1N1, the flu virus.

“Rain can lead to other waterborne diseases … such as the common cold, flu. But we still don’t know how it will effect H1N1. We can’t predict,” he told The Associated Press.

So far, the rain was mainly just causing traffic snarls. Winter is the rainy season in Mecca, and light showers are not uncommon, but such a heavy downpour has not been seen for years during hajj. The pilgrimage takes place according to Islam’s lunar calendar, and so rotates through the year.

Civil Defense spokesman Maj. Abdullah al-Harthi said his organization has plans ready to deal with flooding, including 300 buses to evacuate pilgrims if necessary. He said no casualties have been reported from the rains, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

One lane of the main road into Mecca was closed by flooding, reducing it to one lane, said Amer al-Amer, an Interior Ministry spokesman. “It cannot handle the pressure of all the people coming from outside Mecca,” he said, adding that it would cause delays of several hours for people trying to reach the sites.

The numbers of pilgrims are expected to exceed last year, when some 3 million attended, al-Amer told AP.

Streets were flooded in the Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah, the entry point for many pilgrims. Pilgrims on Wednesday were making their way to Mecca to perform the circling of the Kaaba and to the nearby desert valley of Mina, where a sprawling tent city has been set up for them to live in.

Water covered the floors in many of the tents, said Suleiman Hamad, a 29-year-old pilgrim in Mina. He said the scene was “muddy, but manageable,” with many pilgrims throwing blankets over their heads when they walked outside.

Rain fell sporadically throughout the day, and stopped by late afternoon in many sites — though it continued to fall in Mecca. Al-Amer and other authorities were optimistic that flooded areas would dry by evening.

On Thursday, the mass of pilgrims will flock to Mount Arafat, a plateau outside Mecca where the prophet Muhammad delivered his farewell sermon. They then proceed to Mina, where over the next three days they perform a rite stoning three stone walls in a symbolic rejection of the devil.

http://blog.taragana.com/n/rare-rainstorms-snarl-islams-annual-hajj-soaking-millions-of-pilgrims-235698/

Muslim leader killed in US raid

2009-10-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

The FBI raid against Abdullah and his followers was in response to a series of criminal charges

The leader of a Sunni Muslim group advocating Islamic rule in the US has been shot dead by federal agents during a raid in the city of Detroit, authorities have said.

Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, was killed on Wednesday during a shootout with officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at a warehouse in Dearborn, the US attorney's office said.

The FBI was pursuing Abdullah and 10 followers on charges that include conspiracy to sell stolen goods and the illegal possession and sale of firearms.

A court document said that Abdullah - also known as Christopher Thomas by the authorities - was an imam of a group whose mission is to establish Sharia (Islamic law) within the US.

Exchange of fire

"At one location, four suspects surrendered and were arrested without incident. Luqman Ameen Abdullah did not surrender and fired his weapon. An exchange of gun fire followed and Abdullah was killed," the FBI statement said.

Abdullah regularly preached anti-government rhetoric and some of his supporters had converted to Islam while in prison, the FBI said.

Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Affairs, said that members of the Muslim community were "shocked" at Abdullah's death.

"He was well-known and respected. No-one that I have talked has said that he was linked to any sort of extremist groups, overseas or here at home," he told Al Jazeera.

"I do not have any knowledge as to the veracity of the allegations [against Abduallah and his 10 followers] but if the allegations are true, what does that have to do with Islam or Muslims?

"The charges that have been filed against the 11 suspects have no relation or linkage to their religion - they are gun charges. We resent the fact that the FBI has linked religion to these gun charges."

Source: Al-Jazeera

Solat Jumaat depan Capitol Hill

2009-09-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

Utusan Online 27 September 2009 / 8 Syawal 1430

UMAT Islam Amerika Syarikat bersembahyang fardu Jumaat di hadapan bangunan Capitol Hill, Washington, kelmarin. - AFP

BERIBU-ribu umat Islam Amerika Syarikat mengadakan solat Jumaat di hadapan bangunan Capitol Hill di Washington kelmarin, bertujuan memberi inspirasi kepada penganut Islam dan juga bukan Islam di negara itu.

Penganjur acara itu, Abdul Malik berkata, umat Islam datang dari seluruh AS, malah ada antaranya dari Britain dan Kanada.

Menurutnya, acara itu bukan suatu bentuk protes, sebaliknya hari untuk bersembahyang, mengabdikan diri kepada Tuhan dengan doa supaya semua lapisan rakyat Amerika boleh hidup bersama untuk kemajuan sejagat.

Muslims in the media: Representation of Muslims in a Malaysian English daily after the 7/7 London Bombings

2009-09-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

by Hishamuddin Salim

Presented at the International Conference on the Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Media 2008. (ICORM '08).

ABSTRACT

Muslims have been making the headlines ever since the 70’s mainly due to the Iranian Revolution and of late, the September 11 attack in 2001 on the New York World Trade Centre. After the 9-11 attack (as it is famously known), the number of hate attacks on Muslims have increased worldwide. One of the reasons this happens is due to the negative representation given to the Muslims by the media. This study investigates how the media represents Muslims in a Muslim country like Malaysia. One might presume that Muslims would be represented in a positive manner in a country where they are dominant. However, it should be noted that most of the foreign news in a country like Malaysia is obtained from western-based news agencies. Bearing this in mind, the
researcher employed various instruments under Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) which
goes deeper than the surface level of language use to find out whether this negative representation occurs in the Malaysian media. This study gathered data from the New
Straits Times in a two-week period after the 7/7/2005 London bombings. This comprised
36 news reports, 4 opinion articles, 2 feature articles and one editorial using various theories in Critical Discourse Analysis. The findings showed that while trying to be neutral in its reporting, the newspaper did publish opinion articles which gave negative representation of Muslims. This study also shows that even the print media in a Muslim country might contribute to this negative representation of Muslims. This is due to the fact that the language used in articles carries many underlying meanings which sometimes is overlooked by the untrained eye.

International Seminar on Communication & Culture in South East Asian Region: ‘Evolution, Development, and Challenges’ (ISCCSR)

2009-07-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

The Faculty of Communication & Media Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam, Selangor, will be organizing the International Seminar on Communication & Culture in South East Asian Region: ‘Evolution, Development, and Challenges’ (ISCCSR). This seminar is jointly organized between us and the Faculty of Social & Political Knowledge, Universitas Andalas Padang, Indonesia. The seminar will be held on the 22nd-23rd October 2009, at the Annexe Hall, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. (Shah Alam is located 23km from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia).
The organizing committee cordially invites you to participate in this seminar. Scholarly papers on the following aspects of communication will be presented either by individual or panel sessions are welcome. A 300-word abstract should be sent to the conference secretariat by 3rd August 2009, 2009. An abstract should also include a brief biodata of the presenter.

http://masscomm.uitm.edu.my/

Pengganas belum ‘berkubur’

2009-07-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Oleh Zin Mahmud dan Oleh Zulkiflee Bakar

Utusan Malaysia 19 Julai 2009

Antarabangsa KALI terakhir Indonesia digegarkan dengan serangan bom yang dipercayai dilakukan oleh pengganas ialah pada 1 Oktober 2005, apabila tiga kafe di Bali diletupkan secara serentak. Dalam kejadian itu 23 orang terbunuh manakala 196 cedera.

Selepas itu, negara republik yang mempunyai penduduk lebih 240 juta tersebut seolah-olah tidak lagi diancam oleh serangan bom oleh puak-puak militan terutamanya Jemaah Islamiah (JI). Berikutan situasi berkenaan, Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono mampu mentadbir Indonesia dengan tenang.

Sementara tumpuan memerangi keganasan terus menjadi agenda utama, Susilo juga berjaya mengembalikan keyakinan masyarakat antarabangsa kepada negara tersebut. Indonesia buat seketika tidak lagi dianggap negara yang bahaya dan situasi ekonomi semakin pulih.

Tetapi malangnya, dua serangan bom yang berlaku pada Jumaat lalu di Hotel JW Marriot dan Hotel Ritz Calton, Jakarta telah membuktikan bahawa pengganas tidak pernah berhenti daripada agenda jahat mereka.

Kali ini sembilan nyawa tidak berdosa menjadi korban dan 41 orang cedera. Serangan ini bukan sahaja mengejutkan dunia malah ia memberi amaran yang jelas kepada pemerintah Indonesia bahawa jaringan pengganas masih kukuh di negara tersebut.

Tidak kiralah siapapun yang mereka kaitkan sama ada ia melibatkan Nordin Mat Top atau JI, apa yang pasti Indonesia mempunyai tanggungjawab berat bagi memerangi kelompok tidak berperikemanusiaan itu habis-habisan.

Jika serangan terbaru itu dikaji, adalah jelas puak pengganas membuat perancangan yang cukup rapi, mereka bukan sahaja mampu membolosi kawalan ketat di kedua-dua hotel itu, malah berjaya membuat bom di dalam salah sebuah bilik di situ selama seminggu tanpa dikesan oleh pihak berkuasa.

Sudah pasti pengganas berkenaan tidak turun di hadapan hotel itu untuk daftar masuk dengan menaiki ‘bajaj’ (motosikal ketiga) atau ‘ojek’ (motosikal sewa), paling kurang pun mereka menaiki teksi. Langkah ini sudah pasti mengaburi pihak keselamatan, apatah lagi tidak akan terfikir oleh mereka bahawa pengganas akan bersedia untuk tinggal di hotel mewah berkenaan yang mengikut kadar biasa tidak kurang RM450 semalam.

Malah dalam perkembangan terbaru, dilaporkan, serangan bom di Hotel JW Marriot dilakukan oleh seorang lelaki yang membawa masuk dengan selamba dua buah beg berisi bom manakala di Hotel Ritz Carlton pula, seorang wanita disyaki terlibat apabila dia dikatakan masuk ke hotel berkenaan bersama seorang lelaki dengan membawa beg berisi bom.

Kehadiran mereka bersama-sama dengan bom dan gagal dikesan oleh pihak keselamatan jelas membuktikan kelicikan puak pengganas. Ia juga menunjukkan dengan jelas bahawa dari semasa ke semasa puak tersebut semakin memperkemaskan modus operandi bagi memastikan misi gila mereka berjaya.

Akibat kegagalan mengesan kehadiran pengganas-pengganas berkenaan akhirnya, badan perisikan Indonesia dipersalahkan kerana gagal mengesan kehadiran manusia kejam itu.

Selama seminggu mereka berada di situ tanpa dapat dikesan, malah mereka mungkin keluar masuk di situ tanpa dicurigai dan akhirnya pada Jumaat lalu, mereka ‘menunjukkan’ kehadiran mereka.

Apa pun cabaran besar menanti pemerintahan Susilo yang baru sahaja memenangi pemilihan Presiden dengan cemerlang baru-baru ini. Susilo pasti memahami bahawa pengganas masih bertapak kukuh di Indonesia biarpun sudah banyak jaringan puak itu dapat dilumpuhkan.

Serangan terbaru mencalar imej Indonesia dan sekali gus menganggu gugat kelancaran proses pemulihan ekonomi yang sedang dilakukan oleh Susilo. Tetapi itulah sebenarnya niat puak pengganas berkenaan. Mereka selama ini gelisah apabila Susilo berjaya meletakkan negara tersebut dalam keadaan stabil.

Justeru seperti mana yang didedahkan oleh Susilo pada sidang media selepas serangan itu, puak pengganas tidak mahu beliau terus menjadi Presiden.

Apa yang malangnya bagi badan perisikan Indonesia, biarpun mereka sudah mendapat maklumat bahawa ada sekelompok pengganas akan melakukan serangan bagi menggagalkan usaha Susilo terus menjadi Presiden, tetapi mereka tidak tahu di manakah serangan akan dilakukan.

Mereka sekadar memaklumkan kepada Susilo bahawa gambar beliau digunakan sebagai sasaran tembak oleh puak tersebut. Atas faktor keselamatan juga Susilo dinasihatkan tidak melawat tempat kejadian.

Kini sudah pastilah dalam tempoh yang agak panjang, seluruh tenaga keselamatan di Indonesia akan ditumpukan mencari dalang di sebalik serangan maut itu. Indonesia tidak boleh lagi bersikap lewa kerana adalah jelas saki baki pengganas masih ada di negara tersebut.

Imej Indonesia akan tercalar lebih teruk jika serangan dilakukan ketika pasukan bolasepak Manchester United berada di negara republik tersebut bagi mengadakan perlawanan persahabatan dengan pasukan kebangsaannya.

Kesemua pemain pasukan terkenal di dunia itu dijadualkan menginap di Hotel Ritz Carlton yang turut terlibat dalam serangan terbaru. Lawatan itu akhirnya dibatalkan atas sebab keselamatan, biarpun 100,000 tiket sudahpun habis dijual.

Tetapi itu hanyalah persoalan kecil, apa yang lebih utama ialah bagaimanakah Indonesia hendak memulihkan imej sebagai sebuah negara yang tidak lagi menjadi sasaran pengganas.

Pemulihan tersebut hanyalah boleh dilakukan jika Indonesia memperkukuhkan lagi kemampuan badan perisikannya yang kini menjadi mangsa kecaman.

Dalam soal ini, pemerintah Indonesia tidak boleh lagi berlembut atau terlalu takut dituduh melanggar hak asasi manusia, jika terdapat bukti mana-mana juga individu yang dikaitkan dengan pengganas, mereka harus ditangkap dan dibicarakan. Ia bersesuaian dengan amaran Susilo yang menegaskan bahawa, ‘‘Kali ini negara tidak boleh membiarkan mereka menjadi ‘dracula’ dan penyebar maut di negeri kita.’’

Apa pun, Indonesia akan kembali diletakkan dalam keadaan berjaga-jaga, kawalan keselamatan ketat akan kembali mewarnai negara republik berkenaan - satu langkah yang mungkin sebelum ini telah dikendurkan.">

Apa yang berlaku ialah letupan bom itu adalah yang pertama sejak pilihanraya Presiden Indonesia. Itu perkara pertama. Perkara kedua ialah letupan itu adalah pertama sejak Barrack Obama menjadi Presiden Amerika Syarikat.

Baru minggu lepas, banyak harapan diberikan kepada Indonesia apabila Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono mendapat undi majoriti besar dengan menyifatkan bahawa negara itu sedang menuju kepada kebangkitan baru. Malah disebut bahawa Indonesia akan menyertai kumpulan negara-negara besar yang disebut sebagai BRIC, merujuk kepada Brazil, Rusia, India dan China. Jika Indonesia berjaya melakukan lonjakan ini, maka BRIC menjadi BRIIC.

Harapan ini tidak banyak bezanya dengan apa yang diberikan kepada Obama. Dunia termasuk rakyat Amerika Syarikat menuntut harapan baru daripada Obama. Bukan saja mengenai ekonomi tetapi lebih utama ialah berhubung keselamatan dunia daripada keganasan.

Sememangnya perhatian Obama adalah kepada keselamatan di Iraq dengan tentera Amerika mengundurkan diri tetapi pada waktu sama, ancaman keganasan di situ dapat dielakkan. Tetapi bukan saja di Iraq tentunya. Soal keganasan bersifat global sementara Al-Qaeda masih merupakan musuh utama kuasa besar itu. Tidak kira sama ada Obama atau George W. Bush.

Maka Obama tentunya komited juga terhadap menghapuskan keganasan rangkaian Al-Qaeda, yang memaksa beliau memberi perhatian bagi mencari penyelesaian di Afghanistan dan Pakistan.

Cumanya Obama mempunyai pendekatan berbeza daripada Bush. Itu janji pilihan rayanya. Pendekatannya terhadap umat islam juga berbeza. beliau mahu berbaik-baik dengan umat Islam. Bukan bermakna Bush tidak mahu berbuat demikian. Bezanya adalah pendekatan dengan persepsi yang lunak kepada umat Islam. Perkara ini jelas terkandung dalam ucapan penting beliau yang ditujukan kepada umat islam di Kaherah, Mesir tidak lama dahulu.

Maka perbezaan pendekatan, walaupun tidak besar berbanding Bush, tetapi masih bermakna. Ini kerana ia memberikan harapan baru kepada umat islam.

Pendekatan baru ini termasuklah juga isu Palestin, Iran dan penutupan kem tahanan Guantanamo. Sememangnya jika masalah yang dianggap teras ini dapat diselesaikan, maka ancaman daripada apa yang disebut sebagai keganasan akan sekurang-kurangnya dibendung.

Apabila penyelesaian ditemui di Palestin, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan dan Pakistan, maka ancaman keganasan ke atas Indonesia, Filipina dan Thailand dapat dikurangkan walaupun di ketiga-tiga tempat mempunyai isu politik yang perlu diselesaikan sendiri.

Sememangnya ancaman keganasan masih berlaku di Thailand Selatan dan Filipina Selatan, tetapi ia muncul dalam persekitaran tempatan yang memerlukan perhatian nasional masing-masing. Hak rakyat umat islam di Thailand dan Filipina mesti diselesaikan sesempurna mungkin. Maka ancaman keganasan ini dapat dielakkan.

Walaupun Indonesia masih mempunyai masalah ancaman keganasan tetapi dengan suasana politik baru yang segar di bawah bayangan kemenangan Susilo, Obama tentunya mengharapkan negara Islam terbesar di dunia itu dapat keluar daripada masalahnya.

Pastinya kemenangan Susilo itu menggembirakan Obama dan Amerika. Tidak seperti negara-negara Islam di Asia Barat dan Asia Selatan, Indonesia mempunyai tempat yang istimewa bagi Obama. Sekurang-kurangnya itulah yang ada pada kaca mata rakyat Indonesia yang mengharapkan negara mereka menjadi stabil dan berjaya.

Setelah tiga tahun tanpa serangan bom, pastinya Indonesia diharapkan akan keluar daripada ancaman keganasan secara penuhnya apabila Susilo dapat memperbaiki lagi ekonomi negara itu. Tetapi letupan bom yang berlaku hari Khamis itu menghancurkan harapan Susilo dan majoriti rakyat Indonesia yang menyokongnya. Begitu juga, ia dijangka menghancurkan juga harapan Obama dan Amerika.

Ada dua perkara yang perlu diperhatikan oleh Amerika dan negara-negara yang bekerjasama dengannya untuk membanteras keganasan. Pertama, perhatian dalam usaha membanteras keganasan wajar diberikan secara global. Bukan saja perhatian patut diberikan kepada apa yang berlaku di Palestin, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan dan Pakistan. Tetapi perhatian juga wajar diberikan kepada Indonesia, Thailand, Filipina, Malaysia dan Singapura.

Kedua, Indonesia mempunyai masalah dalaman yang tersendiri hingga menghasilkan gerakan keganasan yang unik, berbeza daripada apa yang muncul di Afghanistan dan Pakistan.

Selain daripada soal perisikan dan keupayaan pasukan keselamatan Indonesia untuk mengatasi ancaman ini, perkara penting yang perlu diperhatikan ialah berkaitan politik, sosial dan ekonomi. Di atas segalanya ini ialah kefahaman mengenai Islam itu sendiri.

Indonesia wajar bersatu dalam mengatasi ancaman keganasan ini. Perang pemikiran untuk menumpaskan fahaman serangan bunuh diri yang dianggap sebagai Jihad wajar dilakukan secara bersungguh-sungguh hingga berhasil.

Tentunya penilaian yang sahih perlu dilakukan terhadap ancaman keganasan ini. Walaupun bilangan pelakunya amat kecil tetapi kegiatan mereka sudah cukup menyusahkan seluruh negara, tanpa mengira agama, fahaman dan kedudukan sosioekonomi masyarakat.

Dari segi politik pula, apakah sistem demokrasi Indonesia yang ada hari ini terlalu terbuka hingga membolehkan kemunculan gerakan pengganas seumpama itu. Demokrasi bermaksud kebebasan yang tentunya turut mengandungi unsur kebebasan daripada ancaman keselamatan.

Pada peringkat sosial dan ekonomi pula, penilaian sahih juga perlu dibuat tentang apakah keadaan sosial dan ekonomi Indonesia turut menyumbang kepada kemunculan gerakan ini. Sememangnya diharapkan apabila Indonesia semakin maju, makmur dan membangun, maka kuranglah rakyatnya yang cenderong untuk terlibat dengan kegiatan keganasan ini.

Begitu juga apabila unsur-unsur ketidakadilan dapat diatasi dalam masyarakat, khususnya jurang miskin dan kaya dapat dikurangkan, maka harapan untuk mengelak perkara ini adalah lebih jelas.

Indonesia ingin menjadi seperti Brazil, Rusia, India dan China dalam kemajuan mereka. Baru-baru ini China juga dilanda rusuhan. India juga mengalami serangan keganasan. Sementara jenayah di Rusia dan Brazil masih pada tahap serius.

INDONESIA KALI terakhir Indonesia digegarkan dengan serangan bom yang dipercayai dilakukan oleh pengganas ialah pada 1 Oktober 2005, apabila tiga kafe di Bali diletupkan secara serentak. Dalam kejadian itu 23 orang terbunuh manakala 196 cedera.

Akibat kegagalan mengesan kehadiran pengganas-pengganas berkenaan akhirnya, badan perisikan Indonesia dipersalahkan kerana gagal mengesan kehadiran manusia kejam itu.

Selama seminggu mereka berada di situ tanpa dapat dikesan, malah mereka mungkin keluar masuk di situ tanpa dicurigai dan akhirnya pada Jumaat lalu, mereka ‘menunjukkan’ kehadiran mereka.

Justeru seperti mana yang didedahkan oleh Susilo pada sidang media selepas serangan itu, puak pengganas tidak mahu beliau terus menjadi Presiden.

Mereka sekadar memaklumkan kepada Susilo bahawa gambar beliau digunakan sebagai sasaran tembak oleh puak tersebut. Atas faktor keselamatan juga Susilo dinasihatkan tidak melawat tempat kejadian.

Tetapi itu hanyalah persoalan kecil, apa yang lebih utama ialah bagaimanakah Indonesia hendak memulihkan imej sebagai sebuah negara yang tidak lagi menjadi sasaran pengganas.

Pemulihan tersebut hanyalah boleh dilakukan jika Indonesia memperkukuhkan lagi kemampuan badan perisikannya yang kini menjadi mangsa kecaman.

Father of 'veil martyr' urges dialogue with Islam

2009-07-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

Veiled women in Europe need protection: Marwa Sherbini's father


Marwa Sherbini and her son

CAIRO (Randa Abu Al Azm)

The murder of Marwa Sherbini in a German court last Wednesday must not set in motion a wave of racial violence but rather a cross-religious dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslim countries, the father of Egypt’s “veil martyr” told Al Arabiya Friday.

In an interview with the pan Arab news channel Dr. Ali Sherbini, father of the late Marwa Sherbini, called for dialogue between nations in the wake of his daughter’s death and said Europe must make a sincere effort to understand Islam.

“I call upon Europe and the west to take pause and make the effort to understand Islam,” a tearful Sherbini told Al Arabiya. “Marwa’s death should not be in vain…non-Muslim countries should engage diplomatically and politically with Muslim ones to come to terms with Islam,” he added.

Ali Sherbini refused the intervention of Islamic groups into the murder case of his daughter

The father stressed the importance of cross-religious dialogue as a means to quell Islamophobia in Europe, which many Arab and Muslim intellectuals said has gained ground in the recent decades following the Danish cartoons and recent anti-veil statements that have stigmatized Muslim communities in Europe.

“Europe must understand that hijab is part of Islam…a religious duty women take up out of belief not because of extremity…it is not a political insignia like they [western countries] make it out to be,” Sherbini added, and called for the protection of veiled women in the west, who lately have become the subject of political debate within Europe.

Recently French President Nicola Sarkozy said the burka, or face veil some Muslim women wear was “not welcome” in France because it is not a symbol of religion but a sign of subservience for women.

In 2004 France passed a controversial law forbidding pupils from wearing veils and other religious symbols in state schools as part of the government's drive to defend secularism.

" Marwa’s death should not be in vain. Non Muslim countries should engage diplomatically and politically with Muslim countries to come to terms with Islam "

Dr. Ali Sherbini

Marwa Sherbini was stabbed 18 times inside a full courtroom when she appeared to testify at an appeal hearing against her assailant who was in court to appeal a previous defamation conviction against her.

Twenty-eight-year-old Axel W. managed to leap across the courtroom and stab Sherbini to death and critically injure her husband in front of the judge, lawyers and witnesses. Sherbini’s three-year-old son also witnessed the killing.

Axel was found guilty last November of insulting and abusing Sherbini, calling her a "terrorist" and a "whore" after she asked him to let her son sit on a swing in a playground in Dresden, eastern Germany.

Sherbini the father said he refused calls from lawyers of Islamic groups in Egypt to represent the murder case of his daughter fearing the association with Islamic groups would offer fodder for an “already biased” western media against the “hijab martyr.”

“Outrageous crime”

" What kind of a civilized world is this that would lead to murder in the middle of a courtroom while the German judiciary looked on and the security guard shoots a man simply because he looks non-white "

Dr. Ali Sherbini

Dr. Ali Sherbini was equally critical of what seemed to be Germany’s racism towards its Muslim community to the point of having lax security measures that have led to an “outrageous crime.”

“What kind of a civilized world is this that would lead to murder in the middle of a courtroom while the German judiciary looked on and a security guard shoots a man simply because he looked non-white?” Sherbini told Al Arabiya.

Tarek Sherbini, Marwa’s brother who left to Germany with lawyers to start legal proceedings into the murder said the killing was a microcosm of the racism Muslims face in Germany and Europe in general.

Sherbini the son also condemned Egyptian authorities for not officially condemning the murder while his father said Azhar failed to send representatives to attend the funeral whereas Pope Shenouda III the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria sent two representatives to the funeral.

“Two senior representatives of the Pope came to the funeral and sat through two lengthy Quranic recitations but no one from Azhar came,” Sherbini said.

(Translated from the Arabic with additional reporting by Marwa Awad)

21-22 july 2009 nat'l seminar media and islamic thinking

2009-06-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.usim.edu.my/mist09/index.html

Significant transformations are now occurring in mass media as the consequences of new technology forms of delivery. We are seeing the restructuring of media content and new communication geography, characterized by global networks and an international space of information flow that leads to new cultural identities. With the concept of development fragmented into numerous issues in mass media today based upon ideas like international relation, environmental conflict, gender issues, portrayal of Islam, interfaith, media and Islamic beliefs.

Stereotyping about Islam is not new and negative images are presented in media content. A stereotype common to Western thought, portrays Muslims as fundamentalists or terrorists. Some of these ideas about Islam are due to the mass media content. The media then develops a distorted image of Islam that contemporary culture adopts.

The Communication Program of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia is organizing a Seminar on Media and Islamic Thinking as to identify these stereotypes of media content. We hope to bring scholars to our seminar to discuss the awareness of the truth of misinterpretation of media content on Islam.

ICORM 2008 PWTC

2009-05-26T18:43:00.001-07:00

ICORM08 002
Originally uploaded by kayjaymy

Conversion laws face major test

2009-05-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

NST 2009/05/03

KUALA LUMPUR: The Court of Appeal's decision to refer the case involving the custody and conversion of the sons of S. Shamala and Muhamad Ridzwan (Dr Jeyaganesh C. Mogarajah) to the Federal Court last Tuesday has given rise to some interesting issues.
Chiefly, it is set to be one of the biggest tests for the government and judiciary following the cabinet's decision that children of divorced parents should be raised in the religion at the time of their marriage should one of them later convert to another religion.

The landmark decision two weeks ago, thus, will be tested by the highest court of the land if the current laws and enactments are not amended to provide clear interpretation on matters related to such conversion cases, according to those in the legal circles.

The cabinet's decision is seen by many as a move to alleviate the frustration of certain parents whose children had been converted to another religion without their knowledge, consent or against their will.

It is in line with the spirit of 1Malaysia, a concept espoused by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who has called on Malaysians to refrain from viewing matters from narrow ethnic perspectives.
Malaysia has a dual legal system, with civil and syariah courts operating side by side.

The Court of Appeal has decided to refer five constitutional questions to the apex court before hearing the appeals as it wants the Federal Court to adjudicate on conflicting Islamic and civil laws governing conversion and the freedom of the practice of religion.

For example, there will be the question of whether the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 1993, which gives the right to a converted parent to convert his or her children from a civil marriage without the knowledge and consent of the other parent, is inconsistent with the Guardianship of Infants Act 1961. This is because the amended Guardianship of Infants Act gives equal rights to a mother and father on the upbringing and custody of their children.

Then there will also be the issue of whether the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 1993 (Act 505) is in conflict with the Federal Constitution and a federal law relating to the issue of converting a minor by a parent.

The Federal Court also has to decide whether there is jurisdiction for the civil High Court or syariah court to make conflicting orders, and if there has been conversion of children from a civil marriage into Islam by one parent without the consent of the other parent, where then would the non-Muslim parent seek remedy.

In the Shamala-Ridzwan case, both relied on both sets of laws -- Ridzwan on syariah and Shamala on the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976.

Under the two law systems, both were granted custody of the two sons from their 11- year marriage. Seven years later, they still do not have closure on the case.

The same also happened in the case of Indira Gandhi and K. Patmanathan (Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah), where the syariah court had earlier granted interim custody of their three children to Ridzuan and two weeks later, the Ipoh High Court granted interim custody to Indira.

In layman's terms, it is a matter of concern if the Federal Court has to make an interpretation of whether the civil court has jurisdiction over the syariah court if the marriage was first registered under civil law.

But some quarters are concerned that without any amendments to the existing and related laws, the cabinet's decision may not be helpful.

As pointed out by Malaysian Bar president Ragunath Kesavan, the cabinet directive is a policy statement that requires amendments to existing laws for its full realisation.

"The relevant legislation must be immediately amended in order to fully implement this directive without further delay," he said.

Senator Datuk Gooi Hoe Hin said, in the spirit of 1Malaysia, the government of the day should fast track amendments to various laws to avoid further apprehension that the fundamental rights of non-Muslims enshrined in the Federal Constitution are not violated.

Such amendments will ensure that the basic principles of a socially-just system are further enhanced, thereby enabling the people to have greater confidence in the government, he added.

Some, however, argue that asking for the related changes as soon as possible is easy but the reality is that it will take time to put them into effect.

This is especially so in matters related to amendments in syariah which need the consent of the Malay rulers and Islamic bodies.

Several Muslim organisations have been reported to be against the cabinet directive, posing the question whether such amendments could be carried out.

Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria said the government needs to get the views of the Malaysian Mufti Council, stressing that "in Islam, when the father or mother is a Muslim, the child automatically becomes a Muslim unless the child is above the age of 15 and can choose his or her own religion".

Many syariah lawyers feel that the cabinet decision denies the rights of people who convert to Islam.

Senior lawyer Roger Tan said: "The Federal Court can decide and work both ways. It can depart from normal decisions. Nobody knows for sure."

Whatever the outcome, the government will need the support of the majority in Parliament to make the necessary changes for the benefit of all. -- Bernama

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