BBC News - US anti-Islam filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula jailed

BBC News - US anti-Islam filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula jailed:

US anti-Islam filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula jailed

Nakoula was arrested after going into hiding amid death threats over the film

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Anti-Islam film protests

• Q&A: Anti-Islam film
• Film protests in pictures
• Viewpoints
• Protests explained

A US man behind an anti-Muslim film that led to mass protests in the Middle East has been sentenced to a year in jail for probation violations.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was sentenced by a judge in California after admitting four violations which stem from a 2010 conviction for fraud.

None of the charges was connected with the content of the controversial film, Innocence of Muslims.

Dozens of people died in the Middle East in protests over the film.

US District Judge Christina Snyder said Nakoula, 55, must spend 12 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release.

Prosecutors had been seeking a two-year sentence.

Internet ban

After the 2010 conviction, Nakoula had served most of a 21-month jail sentence for using more than a dozen aliases and opening about 60 bank accounts to conduct a cheque fraud scheme, prosecutors said.

The Los Angeles Times said that it was while he was in prison that he read the Koran, looking for ways to criticise Islam.

On his release he was barred from using computers or the internet for five years without approval from his probation officer.

Nakoula, who was arrested in September, also goes by the name of Sam Bacile, Nicola Bacily and Mark Basseley Yousseff and is believed to be an Egyptian-American Coptic Christian.

US authorities have said they believe Nakoula was the person behind the controversial film, but have not said whether he was the person who posted it on the internet.

Muslims around the world took to the streets in protest, outraged by the film's portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad.

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Rohingya Concerns Extend Beyond Myanmar - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ

Rohingya Concerns Extend Beyond Myanmar - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ:

A recent protest by 2,000 Rohingya Muslims in Kuala Lumpur illustrates how the stateless ethnic group’s plight has become a regional problem rather than just a bilateral issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Tensions between the Rohingyas and the Buddhists in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State erupted in recent weeks after a local woman was raped and murdered on May 28th, allegedly by three Rohingya Muslim men. Subsequent fighting left at least 50 people dead and more than 2,000 homes and buildings destroyed. As tensions flared, Bangladeshi officials refused to accept boatloads of Rohingya refugees who tried to flee the area. Myanmar security forces have appeared to tamp down the violence in recent days, though emotions remain raw and many residents fear further outbreaks of trouble.

Whatever happens, anger over the situation is appearing far away from the central fighting zone. At the protest held Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Rohingyas marched from a mosque after prayers shouting  “Allahu Akhbar” or “God is great” en route to the Myanmar embassy to hand over a protest note. Some held  placards that read “stop the genocide” and “stop the religious violence.” The demonstration lasted for about an hour before the protestors were told to disperse by the police.

Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM) President Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani told Southeast Asia Real Time that the protesters were not able to meet with any oficials from the Myanmar embassy because “no one wanted to come out and see us.” Efforts to reach Myanmar officials at the embassy for comment were unsuccessful. Mr. Zafar said the group handed a copy of its protest statement to security guards at the U.S. embassy instead.

According to Mr. Zafar, there are about 30,000 Rohingyas spread throughout Malaysia.

The presence of so many Rohingyas in Malaysia helps underscore how they continue to look for a permanent home across Asia after years of persecution along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Myanmar officials regard the Rohingyas in Rakhine State to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship. Bangladesh, meanwhile, says Rohingyas have settled in Myanmar for centuries and argues that it has too few resources to offer refuge to any of the estimated 800,000 Rohingyas living in Myanmar in abject poverty.

Left without passports, many of the Rohingyas have fled Myanmar in rickety boats, hoping to land in Malaysia or other countries where they can find a new life. Many are lost at sea. Some find land, only to be towed out by local authorities and set adrift once more, as happened in Thailand in 2009.

Others have actually made it to other countries such as Malaysia, where they are increasingly pressing for recognition.

Mr. Zafar, who is 42, hails from the township of Buthidaung in Myanmar. After a student uprising in Myanmar in 1988, he fled to Malaysia, where he has lived the past 22 years, marrying a local woman.

“The media in Burma is not giving the correct report,” said Mr. Zafar, using Myanmar’s colonial name of Burma. Although the government says the situation is okay now, “I am receiving news daily that the violence is continuing.”

Myanmar officials have said they are working hard to control the situation but have also warned that if the violence continues, it could set back reforms aimed at creating more political and economic freedoms in the country over the past year.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs likewise has expressed concern over the sectarian violence, saying in a statement that it welcomed a Myanmar government effort to establish an investigation committee to probe the conflict. “Malaysia is also ready to extend humanitarian assistance deemed necessary by the government of Myanmar for the people affected by this conflict,” it added.

Of course, there’s another concern for Southeast Asian governments: The possibility that more boats filled with Rohingya refugees could start flowing their way if the conflict intensifies and Bangladeshi authorities refuse to take them in.

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Author accused of insulting Islam

Author accused of insulting Islam:

KUALA LUMPUR: Liberal activist Irshad Manji has found herself in a spot following strong protests against her presence here to promote the Malay version of her controversial book, Allah, Liberty and Love.

Political parties and non-governmental organisations have opposed her visit to Malaysia, claiming that the writer reported to have openly admitted to being a lesbian has insulted Islam with her writings and attitude.

They have demanded that the authorities ban her work and not allow her to set foot in the country again.

Her views on Islam such as her opinion that a non-Muslim need not convert to be married to a Muslim have gained the Ugandan-born Canadian author infamy.

The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha will review her book, Allah. Kebebasan dan Cinta,saying that although there were complaints that Irshads work was insulting to Islam, the department needed to go through the book first.

We will be getting copies of the book soon. Once we have gone through and discover reasons that it should be banned, we will propose it to the Home Ministry, he said.

Despite protests, the Malay version of Irshads book was launched before a small group at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall yesterday.

Apart from the book launch, the 44-year-old activists visit to Malaysia also included several speaking engagements but her programmes have been cancelled.

Irshad had earlier tweeted that the Borders bookstore had scrapped her event, citing security concerns while Monash University claimed it was pressured by the Selangor Islamic Affairs department. Allah, Kebebasan dan Cinta is published by ZI Publications.

The writers first book, The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslims Call for Reform in Her Faith has been banned in Malaysia.

PAS Youth chief Nasruddin Hassan has urged the Government to act fast, adding that while the movement supported freedom of expression, creative or literary works should not be used to promote ideas that were against religion and human nature.

We cannot support something that goes against normal human values, let alone religious teachings, he said.

Umno Youth exco member Hishamudin Yahya said the movement also called on the book to be banned, adding that Irshad should not be allowed to come to Malaysia again.

Irshad, who left for New York last night, said in her tweet after the event: Fantastic event in KL! Great energy except for cops who told latecomers that event is banned. Didnt stop us. Congrats to all.

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Bridging the Religious Divide Between Muslims in Indonesia

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

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
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In good faith

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

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.