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Monday, November 30, 2009

Rights watchdog hints Swiss minaret ban could go

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

Sunday, November 29, 2009

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

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/

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Muslim leader killed in US raid

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

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Solat Jumaat depan Capitol Hill

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.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

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


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.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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

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/

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Pengganas belum ‘berkubur’

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.

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.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Father of 'veil martyr' urges dialogue with Islam

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

Marwa Sherbini and her son
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.”

Top

“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)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

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

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.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Conversion laws face major test

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