This Idiot Still Making Noise?

This pendatang who speaks gibberish that makes him sound like a pendatang should worry about Malay students in government schools who speak and understand little else but Bahasa Malaysia. They are worse off than those in vernacular schools who speak at least two languages (English, Chinese or Tamil) and sometimes, dialects. 

Zam: Chinese in self-isolation mode

Former information minister Zainuddin Maidin said while Chinese Malaysians do not wish to be called ‘pendatang’ (immigrants), they want to hold on to the identity of ‘bahasa pendatang’ (their mother-tongue).

In his latest blog posting, he noted how Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had called on the Chinese community to learn Bahasa Malaysia during the recent MCA annual meet.

If the Chinese are unable to converse and understand proper Bahasa Malaysia even after 57 years of independence, Zainuddin said the situation would not change for another 50 years unless there is a new and genuine realisation.

"I believe Najib made the call after realising that there are still many Chinese, including the younger generation, who can't speak, read or understand Bahasa Malaysia.

"Although they learn Bahasa Malaysia in Chinese schools, the language is taught by Chinese teachers themselves and they study the language just to pass examinations," he added.

Zainuddin said the majority of Chinese in this country do not have a Bahasa Malaysia identity unlike the Indonesian Chinese with Bahasa Indonesia, Thai Chinese with the Thai language, Singaporean and American Chinese with the English language.

"So why do they get angry when they are misunderstood as 'bangsa pendatang' when they themselves do not wish to identified with the national language.

"This is self-imposed isolation from the mainstream," he added.

Zainuddin, who is popularly known as Zam, said even Najib during high-level functions attended by Chinese Malaysians speaks in English even when there are no foreigners present.

Conduct comparative study

The former Utusan Malaysia editor-in-chief also called for an "honest" comparative study to be conducted on employment hurdles.

Zainuddin wanted to know whether Malay graduates faced employment difficulties because of their lack of proficiency in the English language or if Chinese Malaysians from vernacular schools encounter hurdles due to their inability to converse well in both English and Bahasa Malaysia.

"Therefore Chinese firms are forced to give them priority," he added.

Zainuddin also recalled how more than 50 years ago, the nation's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman (right in photo) requested Chinese businessmen to use Bahasa Malaysia in their signboards.

"They protest because they claimed it would affect their business.

"Even now, when there are meetings involving Chinese Malaysians, including MCA, they will place Bahasa Malaysia at the lower end or not use it at all," he added.

Zainuddin’s comments come amid calls from Umno leaders to review the existence of vernacular schools, which are blamed for creating racial divisions.

Malala Yousafzai - Christiane Amanpour Interview

How will mere advocacy convert to reality? More mountains need to be moved before sustained reality is achieved on the ground and success claimed.

Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria - ISIS

Last week I watched a very entertaining movie; "Guardians of The Galaxy". This week Tiger Mike Naser's heads up on ISIS. These people are in their own universe and with heads forever in the clouds in self-proclamation of Universal Protector of Islam! The Malay Mail even reported that our own PM is an ISIS admirer. Or has he again put his foot in his mouth?

Guardians Of The Galaxy

Wonderfully entertaining movie...especially when it has Prince Cheah aka Rocket in it. Go watch it!

Deuteronomy 6:4 O Israel

So much in the news about Israel again recently. Civilians die, crimes against humanity, animals, genocide, and all the usual stuff. 

I have always tried to take an impartial macro view about the situation in the middle east but I dare say, what little I know is definitely more than the average Malaysian joe. 

By the way, Malaysian demographics has the average Malaysian joe being Malay and Muslim. He is brought up on anti-semitic fodder and hates Jews with a kind of passion that makes one wonder what evil the Jews have done to him personally or what Jews have done to their Arab brethren that the Arabs have not done worse to their own kind. It also boggles the mind that the average Malaysian joe has never even met a Jew in person and would not recognize a Jew even if a Jew walked up and kicked him in the ass!

The internet is the great enabler and it is so easy to do a quick study on any topic one fancies. But with socio politics and so much data, information, misinformation, disinformation, interpretations, arguments, propaganda, etc. it is not easy to obtain an impartial view on anything. The trick is to have empathy and recognize preaching to the choir content. 

Nevertheless, the internet is a wonderful tool and as far as Israel is concerned more people should do their own research. That the Israeli jews make Arab leaders look bad is a given. What the former has done with arid desert land and harsh natural resource scarcity will benefit the Arabs in a "prosper thy neighbor" concept if only the Arab people can wake up. Here are some interesting videos:



What is the Israel v Palestine Conflict?


Wall Of Lies Or Truth? So easy to determine.


Jimmy Carter On Gaza


Israeli Technological Development


Agricultural Marvel


Israeli Water Tech


An Israeli Speaking For Palestinians


6 Day War; Pre-Emptive Strike


Yom Kippur War 1973 Part I


Yom Kippur War 1973 Part II


Yom Kippur War 1973 Part III

*************************************************************************
A Heads Up From Mike Naser:

Dr.David Liepert Become a fan
Canadian Muslim Leader, Spokesperson, Author and 07/25/2014 9:19 am Educator

When Israel Remembers Their Covenant, They Will Change The World

Up here in Canada, I'm a pretty popular Muslim, even though I've been defending Israel's right to live safely and securely in God's Holy Land for as long as I've been a Muslim. More important than that though -- by far -- is the fact that no Muslim has ever been able to gainsay me even when I've addressed thousands of them at one time, because the Qur'an says (In Al-Maeda 5:20-21)

Remember Moses said to his people; "O my People! Call in remembrance the favor of Allah unto you, when he produced prophets among you, made you great, and gave you what he had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah hath assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown to your own ruin." because the word translated as "assigned" --Katab Allahu-- really means ordained or entrusted.

Because of that, one of the first things Muslims did when we took over the Holy Land in our very beginning was force the Christians to let the Jews back in, and whatever else you say about us, Muslims take our religion seriously. So despite politics, despite recent world history, and despite incurring the anger of much of the Muslim world, according to the Qur'an, governing God's Holy Land is your destiny.

But Israel, I'm afraid you're doing it wrong.

I know you sometimes like to think otherwise, but He didn't give you the land unconditionally. In fact, the conditions have clear from the beginning, literally, because the book they're recorded in in the Torah is titled Bereshit, which means "In The Beginning". (I hope you don't mind a little "in" joke, just to let you know I study the Torah in Hebrew: I think that's important.)

The thing is, even in English God's conditions are clear. He says (in Bereshit 18: 17-19)

Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do, since Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

But here's the thing.

Everything Hashem promised to Abraham is contingent on the actions of his children and his household after him. Read through it carefully and you'll see. He says "to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

So for everything He's said about Abraham to come to pass, you have to step up and do the right thing first. And the "right thing" is clearly linked to the well-being of the Palestinians, because of Deuteronomy 29: 10-11:

All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God -- your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, together with your children and your wives, and the aliens living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water. You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as his people, that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Leviticus 19:33-34:
When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 24:22:
"You are to have the same law for the alien and the native born. I am the Lord your God."

and Ezekiel 47:21-23:
"You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give him his inheritance," declares the Sovereign Lord.

Right now, the world is full of Christians and Muslims who'd like nothing more than to see God's promises come to pass. But honestly? I'm afraid more and more of us are giving up, and starting to wonder if you're really ever going to be the Israel God intends.

Please make no mistake: most of the support that you -- Israel -- are receiving from the U.S. and Canada and the rest of the so-called "Christian" world, much of the support that you could be receiving from the rest of the so-called "Muslim" world and ALL of the support you have been promised from God-Most-High is predicated on your becoming the Israel God meant you to be.

· When you prevent Palestinians from fishing in their own waters, and destroy their boats when they try: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you build your security perimeters on Palestinian land, and prevent Palestinian farmers from growing crops on 35 percent of their small remaining share of our world's arable land -- by shooting them when they try: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you prevent Palestinians from traveling, to study, to see our world's wonders, to visit family, to visit their own spouses: are you the Israel God intends?

· When your internal check-points force pregnant women to deliver babies on the road-side, and cause medically ill Palestinians to die without care: are you the Israel God intends?

· When your armies destroy Palestinian homes, hospitals, schools, Mosques, farms and fruit-trees in order to maintain "no-go" zones: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you restrict Palestinians to half the electricity, and a quarter of the water that an Israeli receives: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you hold onto all the land you claimed from active warfare since 1967, a crime according to International Law -- the same International Law that made you a State in the first place: are you the Israel God intends?

· When you maintain a belligerent 47-year long occupation, at the cost of tens of thousands of innocent lives lost and millions of lives lived under oppression: are you the Israel God intends?

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is ONE: Please become the Israel God intends. 

Amen
Follow Dr. David Liepert on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDavidLiepert

Like That, So How?

Hypocrisy. Hamas, Boka Haram, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Taliban, what's the difference? Their use of human shields is nothing compared to their false use of Islam as a shield. It is Islam just because they are Muslim?

Watch this joint press conference yesterday by UN SecGen Ban Ki Moon and Netanyahu.

Nice...

"Allah does not burden any soul beyond what it can bear"  Quran 2:286

If such is the philosophy I can definitely buy that of Islam. Totally congruent with my own belief in an immortal soul. Unfortunately, Man makes his own bed and rampant fanaticism gives Islam a bad rap by seemingly indicating there are so many tormented incarnate souls needing to defend an expressedly perfect religion.  

Thanks again Mike Naser Taib for the heads-up of the following must-view expression of beauty:

Post by Issam Bayan.

Durian Durian

Thanks Mike Naser Taib for this heads up. This being durian season and all, here's an education in durian.

Weapons And Conflicts

To state the obvious, Man has been looking for increasingly effective and efficient tools to kill (both for food and in conflicts) since intentionally casting the first stone to hurt. It also stands to logic that weapons were the first things to be mass produced instead of say, farming tools. 

Fast forward to the last 100 years, that encompasses two world wars and a thawed out "cold" war together with an unbroken timeline of smaller conflicts throughout the world, is it surprising that the weapons industry continues to thrive? 

Whether it is private sector or government funding and R&D, we now have more sophisticated tools to kill each other. One thing is certain, there is lots of money for everybody from simple bullets to grenades; from nuclear submarines to aircraft carriers; from vehicle borne missiles to intercontinental nuclear warheads; from fighter jets to unmanned drones. 

Do not be mistaken, we are now at the cusp of another world war and none of us are safe. It is unprecedented that mankind is now equipped to hurt each other not only physically but also economically, psychologically and if it comes to past, totally! 

Our only salvation seems to be a declaration of war against WEAPONS. Non-proliferation and deterrence do not work. Governments must eventually do away with military budgets. 

Unfortunately and indeed paradoxically, there is only one effective weapon against weapons; PEACE! But if all else fails, maybe THIS will work:

Scientists believe that the aliens can make a pre-emptive attack to prevent the spread of the harmful effects of humanity on Earth.

On The Flip Side...

The end has to start somewhere...

One Side Wants The Other Side Dead...As Simple As That

Is there no middle ground from the so-called religion of Peace? The Israeli-Palestinian conflict explained:

More Than Meets The Eye...

Why Palestinians want this video removed from You Tube?

A Lie Told Often Enough...

Must watch: 

 

We Are All, We Are One

Bid to reclaim Malaysia for all launched

Published on Thursday, 10 July 2014 12:02
Written by Mirror On The Wall

In what can be described an historical event, several NGOs and concerned citizens have come together as one nation to launch, what they have described a people's movement, called Negara-Ku, to reclaim the nation.

The movement, which is led by national laureate A Samad Said or better known as Pak Samad and former Bar Council chair, Datuk S Ambiga and former Suhakam commissoner Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, has among other objectives, to reinstall the sense of peace, harmony, goodwill among all communities and understanding that Malaysia was so well known for in the past. 

Zaid Kamaruddin is chairman of the Negara-Ku movement.

Aptly named 'Negara-Ku' or my country, the movement is focused on the formation of Bangsa Malaysia - a move away from the current ethnocentric and race-based politics of of the day.

In charter released today, the movement chastised race-based parties that are bent on perpetuating divisiveness and polarisation by reinforcing "their respective power bases".

Resist, refuse and rebuke

The former Bersih 2.0 co-chair added that ethno-centric and race-based politics as well as communally-minded politicians continue to derail the process of inclusive nation-building and the formation of a Bangsa Malaysia national identity.

Samad also said that religion was increasingly being used as a main marker of identity, and as a boundary maintenance mechanism to polarise the people.

Also present was activist Haris Ibrahim, who reminded the people of an epsisode in 1947 when the British attempted to divide the people of Malaya. He said that attempt failed.

"On October that year, the people, Malays, Chinese and Indians downed tools and brought the administration to a halt."

The new movement launched today he said, was to return Malaysia to te unity and harmony experienced in the past.

"Resist, refuse and rebuke the effort to divide us," Haris said.

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

The Negara-Ku movement slammed what it described as "the manipulation of race, ethnicity and religion that has resulted in increasing intolerance, bigotry and extremism," in a once prosperous and united nation.

The charter further says that the state apparatus has abdicated its traditional role of being honest and fair "brokers" in conflict management in society.

This, it said, has resulted in an "emerging sub-culture of political violence that are symptomatic of dangerous under-currents in society."

The charter, which touches on a wide range of socio-ethnic issues, says that the proponents strongly believe that "the majority of the People want to end this brand of divisive ethno-religious politics."

The movement emphatically states that it wants to "take ownership, fully cognisant, that Malaysia is a nation where her people are inextricably bound by a shared history, commonweal, and destiny."

Among the stated objectives of the Negara-Ku charter are:

1. To resist all forms of intolerance, bigotry, hatred, extremism, and violence;
2. To oppose all forms of discrimination, oppression, persecution and injustice;
3. To oppose all forms of discrimination, oppression, persecution and injustice;
4. To strive for a socially inclusive society;
5. To exhort the State and its Institutions to respect, adhere and uphold the Rule of Law;
6. To demand adherence to the principles of stewardship, integrity, accountability and transparency in all aspects of governance.

The ultimate aim of the Negara-Ku charter is the healing of the nation, so ravaged recently by incendiary statements, and to restore hope to land that was once the envy of our neighbours.

Ray Hagins - Idiotic Concepts in Religion

Break free from Mental Bondage towards Spiritual Freedom.

End Of Religion? Ray Hagins: God is not the author of confusion....Religion is

Can we have an Islamic cleric come out and talk like this? The closest we have in Malaysia is Dr MAZA.

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah

We live in a country where the law has it that an accused is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. What more if the accused has been labelled the accused just because investigators are grasping at straws trying to justify their own inabilities and failings in a case that is classified a crime merely because there seems to be no other conclusion...or is there? Is the real truth being concealed by parties yet unknown and unseen?

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was the man at the helm of MH370 when the plane disappeared without a trace. To many at the time, it was so easy to be smug and insensitive to point to pilot suicide or complicity. All others in the plane by default became victims. My own tongue in cheek postulation was that in an absence of a wreckage, extra-terrestrials took them. Indeed, this may well be the only chance all on board could still be alive as opposed to the conspiracy theories that surfaced; dead man tells no tales! Then again, UFO!?!

It was so easy to overlook the fact that the man was living a life; as a father, a son, a husband, an uncle, an in-law, a colleague and likely, an endearing friend to many who continue to miss him. The following is a poignant video compiled by such Friends of Captain Zaharie MH370 that puts matters in perspective. Please watch and share.

Teluk Intan Parliamentary By-Election

This Malaysian Malay woman... 

...must beat this Malaysian Chinese man 

...for the sake of a Malaysian Malaysia!

Liverpool FC: All 101 Goals 2013/14 Premier League Season

Post by LIVERPOOL FAN CLUB MALAYSIA.

Those Were The Days........

From Colonel Mike Naser Taib:

Those were the days, my friends ....
Wong Peng Soon was our favuorite badminton player



Ghani Minat was our favourite soccer hero, and

Rose Chan was our favourite entertainer.

You are not cool if you do not have a long side burn, greasy hair (held together by Brylcream) with a floppy "bun" in front. Then you are either an Elvis fan or a Cliff (Richard) fan. You cannot be neutral.

Films by P Ramlee always enjoyed by all Malaysians. How can we forget classics like Do-Re-Mi and Bujang Lapok, and seeing P Ramlee dueting with Saloma on "Gelora", aaaaah ... that was something else.

Because we reared Siamese fighting fishes, the seller was our idol.



Driving license renewal was by pasting an additional slip at the back of a small red booklet

Susu lembu was house delivered by our big friendly and strong Bahiii ............. on his bicycle in a stainless steel container. The container cap served as a funnel.



Kacang puteh man came a-peddling, walking and balancing on his head 6 compartments of different type of murukus ...and we barter our old exercise books for a paper cone of kacang putih.



We can enjoy monthly credit "facilities" from our friendly neighbourhood sundry shop by using the little "555" book. This was the "credit card" of the day.



F&N orange was served in wooden crates and displayed on the table in the homes during Chinese New Year.



M&M 's was called Treets ..



Eating chicken was a treat that happened only once on Chinese New Year and once on "Chap Goh Meh", Deepavali, Christmas or Hari Raya.



We always carried in our pocket a packet of fire crackers during the Chinese New Year.



We always carry a one ringgit note at night in case we are stopped by a mata-mata (policeman) for not having tail lights on our bicycles.



One noodle 'chow kway teow' cost 30 sen and we bring our own egg.



One 'roti canai' cost 15 sen and one banana for 5 sen.



We bought bangkali bread from the Indian roti man who paddled his bicycle around the neighbourhood with the familiar ringing sound from his bicycle.



Sometimes we bought cold storage bread wrapped in wax paper. Spread the bread with butter and kaya wrap with the wax paper and take to school.



Crop crew cut by the travelling Indian or Hockchew barber; 30 sen a haircut, all the way to the top. Reason?.. easy to dry when curi swimming.



During weekends, went swimming in the river, no swimming trunks, only birthday suits. No one laugh at you whether your "kuku bird" is small, crooked, etc.



On Sunday morning, listened to Kee Huat Radio's "Fantastic Facts and Fancies", andSaturday, "Top of the Pops", both hosted by DJ Patrick Teoh who always ended his show with, "Here's wishing you blue skies."



Saturday morning, go for cheap matinee shows at the Cathay Cinema, usually cowboy shows or Greek mythology like "Jason and the Golden Fleece".



The Cathay Cinema at Jalan Bukit Bintang [opposite the Federal Hotel]. First opened in 1959 with the film, "Campbell's Kingdom".

Father gave 70 sen for cheap matinee shows which normally started at 10.30 am on Saturdays and Sundays - 50 sen for the ticket and 20 sen for return bus fare, makan not included. Nobody paid 1 ringgit for the 'Reserved' seat.



Believe it or not, we had double-decker buses owned by the Toong Foong Omnibus Company. Whenever we boarded the bus, we would run to the upper deck to get a view of the journey.



The familiar double-decker Toong Foong bus

5 sen for kacang putih and 10 sen for ice "ang tau". Sometimes, ice ball only 5 sen "pau ang tau" and half red sugar, and the other half black sugar or sarsi.



Never, never, never talked or mixed with girls until Form 5. Learned the Waltz, Cha Cha, Rhumba, Foxtrot and Offbeat Cha Cha from a classmate's sister. First time dancing with a girl, nearly froze and the heart went "botobom, botobom ..."



Standard cure for headache, take Aspro. We took a lot of sweet stuff like candy floss, fizzy drinks, shaved ice with syrups .... and diabetes was rare. Salt added to Pepsi or Coke was a remedy for fever. Tonic water always taken at the first hint of Malaria.



First time used a modern toilet, I squatted on it as I was used to using the "bucket system" toilet. Our children will not know the danger of visiting the outdoor toilet at night, nor jumping in fright when the man collect the bucket while you are doing your business.

Toilet paper is torn up newspaper on a hook which you have to crumple first before applying. White toilet paper was an unknown luxury until I left home.

With mere 5 pebbles (stones), we could turn it into an endless game. With a ball (tennis ball best), we boys would run like crazy for hours.



We caught guppies in drains/canals and when it rained, we swam there.




We ate salty, very sweet and oily food, candies, bread and real butter, and drank condensed milk in coffee/tea, iced kacang, but we weren't overweight because we ran, cycled or climbed trees all day. We fell from the trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and still we continued the stunts.



We never had birthday parties until we were 21.



We never heard of "bumiputra" and neither "1Malaysia", because we were already one Malaysian.




When parents found out we were caned in school, it's certain we would get another round at home. Parents always sided with the teachers.




We fly kites with string coated with pounded glass powder and horse glue, and we cut our hand on the string. Happiness is winning a kite with a local samseng. I forgot, we also have to make our own kites to suit our "fighting styles".



We are the last generation to know how to use logarithm tables and slide rulers.



We had telephones which were really, really heavy weights.



And I believe, this generation produces the best parents because we remember the hard times.

Silent No More? Is Iskandar Fareez Part Of The Minority Or Majority?

Found this in the Malaysian Insider:


The Malay phobia: Isma fearing its own shadows – Iskandar Fareez

MAY 17, 2014

I grew up listening to various Malay folklore and legends. Among them were the stories of Si Tanggang and Hang Jebat. Si Tanggang was a poor boy who grew up and ventured out to be the captain of his own ship and married a princess. As the legend goes, when Si Tanggang returned to his home village, he was ashamed of his humble origins and refused to recognise his elderly mother. Then, he was cursed by his mother to turn into stone.

Hang Jebat was the closest companion of the legendary Malaccan hero Hang Tuah. Hang Jebat turned against the Sultan of Malacca when he believed that Hang Tuah had been executed by the ruler. After learning that Hang Tuah was still alive, the Sultan ordered him to kill Hang Jebat. Hang Tuah managed to stab Hang Jebat after a long and challenging battle. Until today, the death of Hang Jebat is often cited as an example of the price one pays for disobeying a ruler.

Listening to these stories in school, we were made to study the lessons that we can learn from them. I realised that these folklore are merely stories passed down from one generation to the next and interpreted in a way to instil fear in the hearts of listeners so they will be in good behaviour.

They do not teach us to love our mothers. They teach us to fear the consequences of defying her. They do not teach us to respect our leaders. They teach us to fear the consequences of going against them. In the end, being conditioned from the beginning, fear motivates every single one of our thoughts. Fear becomes the guiding inspiration for every single one of our actions.

I believe it is this fear or phobia that motivated the president of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), Ustaz Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman, to label the Chinese as trespassers brought in by the British to Tanah Melayu to oppress and bully the Malays. He also went on to suggest that these “proxies to the Jewish Zionist evangelists” are seeking to dissolve Malays' racial construct and bury Islam as the national identity.

Abdullah Zaik is not alone in his quest. Recently, Abdul Rahman Mat Dali, vice president of Isma, questioned the loyalty of non-Malays and suggested that when they came to Tanah Melayu, they could not even speak a word of Bahasa Malaysia.

These statements show that Isma suffers from a major issue of inferiority complex. This issue evolved into a severe case of xenophobia, "an irrational or unreasoned fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange". Unfortunately, this not only true for Isma but permeates within the majority of the Malay Muslim community in Malaysia.

Extreme paranoia has led us to believe that everything in the world is against us. All things foreign or different are considered as a conspiracy agenda of the Illuminati, Freemasons, Jewish Zionist Evangelist, Shiites, Wahhabi, communist, socialist, capitalist and Red Bean Army. It is more worrying when we start to justify these phobias along religious lines.

Indeed, this is the danger when we mix religion with race. In Malaysia, a Malay person must be Muslim but a Muslim may not be Malay. In Isma’s struggle to defend Malay supremacy, they have overlooked this reality. They have portrayed a version of Islam that is racist and unjust. By taking the extremists' view, they may be isolating those who want to learn more about Islam. How then can Islam thrive if we take this extreme approach?

Despite Isma’s claim that Islam is under threat by foreign elements, it seems that it is Muslims themselves who are taking this narrow and extremist approach that are threatening the religion. It is unfortunate that those who are as well educated as Isma, most of which are who Muslim professionals who pursued their studies abroad using taxpayers' money mostly contributed by non-Muslims or non-Malays, are very regressive in their thinking.

Phobias like this motivate us to act reactively to issues that arise without discussing the crux of the matter. This approach causes us to resort to extreme measures such as the banning of Faisal Tehrani’s novels and Darwin’s translated works, out of fear that these materials will corrupt the mind of the community.

We are reduced to becoming a superficial society where we judge one another by how Islamic they portray themselves to be. Muslims nowadays are satisfied to practise only the ritualistic part of the religion while abandoning the essence of Islam that preaches peace and acceptance.

As much as I disagree with Isma’s statement, I do not wish for them to be charged under any laws of the country. In a democratic society that aspires to practise freedom of speech, any idea, no matter how racist or idiotic, has to be given space. It is then up to us to provide constructive counter arguments so that a healthy discourse can flourish. We have to speak up and voice our concerns. If our voices are not heard, extremists like Isma and Perkasa will continue to speak on our behalf.

The western civilization achieved progress because they embraced knowledge. Knowledge is like a beacon of light that brought the western civilization out of the midst of the dark ages. When we choose to remain ignorant, we will forever dwell in the shadows of fear, suspicion and doubt. If Malay Muslims want to progress, we have to stop blaming others. Embrace knowledge and learn, as it will be a guiding light for a brighter future.

"I went to the West and saw Islam, but no Muslims; I got back to the East and saw Muslims, but not Islam." - Muhammad Abduh. – May 17, 2014.

* Iskandar Fareez reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

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Watch This:

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Dr Asri Zainul Abidin weighs in:

Ex-mufti slams extremist Islamist groups, says Christianity and Islam closely related

BY HASBULLAH AWANG CHIK
MAY 17, 2014

Islam is not under attack in Malaysia, and extremist Islamist groups that constantly warn of alleged Christianisation are only shaming their own religion, says prominent Islamic scholar Dr Asri Zainul Abidin (pic).

The former mufti of Perlis said efforts by any religious community to spread their teaching was a natural phenomenon in all countries, and it did not merit knee-jerk reactions from Muslims in Malaysia‎.

"I want to remind Muslims not to be shocked if there are people who invite them to join Christianity. Of course religious leaders will feel that theirs' is the true religion, and would want to invite others to join them.


"Some Muslims are so shocked by this, as if it's the end of the world... (but) Muslims in the UK, the US and Europe also campaign for Christians to join Islam.

"So the same is being done here. It is a normal phenomenon that does not require us to react in such a chaotic manner, as if our country is in a state of emergency," Asri told The Malaysian Insider.

"The closest people to the Muslims are Christians. The Quran‎ says you will find that the people who love Muslims the most are Christians."

Asri was responding to the controversial seminar on Christology and the use of the word Allah, held‎ last week at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Several speakers had warned Muslims against the threat of Christianisation and belittled the Bible as containing "tales‎", while copies of a book titled "Exposing the Christian agenda" were distributed among the students.

The recent events had strained ties between the two biggest religious communities in Malaysia, which were already in conflict over the decades-long tussle over the use of the word Allah.

Christians make up 2.9 million of Malaysia's 30 million population, with two-thirds of the adherents residing in Sabah and Sarawak.

Asri reminded Muslims in Malaysia that they had no reason to be worried about the fate of their religion, as no attack had been launched against Islam.

The Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) had fanned the flames of religious intolerance when it called Chinese migrants brought to Malaya as "trespassers", and warned of "foreign races" and Jewish Zionist evangelists who were intent on burying Islam.

The groups' remarks have triggered outcry among Malaysians‎, but Putrajaya ‎has remained silent over Isma's statements.

Asri said extremist Islamist non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were tarnishing the image of Islam and spreading confusion among Muslims over the true teaching of the faith.

"We must not be so extreme. There are NGOs‎ which want to promote themselves, but are over the top in doing so," said Asri.

"They make Islam look as if it is so weak. Islam has strong arguments that proves it is the true religion. ‎(The NGOs) should not be so worried. We are worried because we are not doing our work properly," he said, although he did not mention the name of such groups.

Asri added that while Islam does not stop its adherents from criticising other religions, it should be done academically and not be based on emotions or simplistic arguments.

"If we spark enmity in a peaceful environment, eventually people will fight one another, despite the fact that they were originally living in harmony.

"This is not allowed in any religion, unless someone has initiated a war," said the scholar.‎ – May 17, 2014.

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This Malay girl must beat the Chinese man in Teluk Intan! The country needs her to win.

UPDATE 18th May 2014:
Shahrizat an example of how UMNO has failed women, says Dyana Sofya