Kenyataan Akhramsyah Sanusi, Calon Ketua Pemuda UMNO, Tentang Kontroversi Enchant1MST

Blogger dan Pemuda UMNO ini ingin menggesa kerajaan Malaysia untuk menyiasat dengan seberapa segera pelan membina pusat 1Malaysia Spiritual Tourism di Negeri Pahang oleh kumpulan Enchant (Enchant1MST). Ini kerana usaha tersebut pasti akan mencetuskan kemarahan pelbagai pihak, sekaligus mencemar wadah 1Malaysia yang dibawa oleh kerajaan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, terutama sekali dengan pengakuan pemaju yang projek tersebut telah menerima kelulusan bantuan peruntukan kerajaan Malaysia!

Dalam sejarah Islam, perlumbaan penarikan pelawat ke pusat-pusat keagamaan semata-mata demi menjana ekonomi sesuatu tempat telah terbukti mencetuskan rasa tidak puas hati sehinggalah berlaku peperangan. Menerusi Surah Al-Fil, umat Islam diajar bagaimana Abrahah, seorang pemimpin Habsyah telah menempa kemusnahan apabila beliau menyerang Mekah kerana pusat keagamaan yang dibangunkannya gagal menyaingi Ka'abah di Mekah sebagai daya tarikan para saudagar pada zaman itu.

Ternyata, niat adalah penting dalam pembinaan bangunan-bangunan keagamaan. Ianya haruslah pertamanya berlandaskan niat menunaikan kehendak keagamaan, bukan berdasarkan kehendak perniagaan yang ternyata begitu keduniaan! Sebagai pemimpin beragama Islam, saya bukan sahaja terpanggil untuk mengkritik projek Enchant1MST ini kerana ia tidak sesuai dengan kedudukan Islam sebagai agama rasmi negara, tetapi kerana niat pembinaannya yang melencong jauh dari nilai keagamaan.

Apabila kita melihat penggunaan 1Malaysia serta imej YAB Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak sendiri diputar-belitkan untuk mempromosikan, malah seolah-olah menghalalkan program Enchant1MST ini, yang dirisaukan bakal menempah keaiban, saya terpanggil untuk membuat gesaan ini kepada pihak berkuasa; siasatlah program Enchant1MST dan ambilah tindakan dengan seberapa segera terhadap mana-mana pihak yang didapati bersalah dalam memajukannya.

HIDUP MELAYU!

Calon Anda... Akhramsyah Sanusi

Rujukan: http://enchant1mst.com/index.html

Saya Akan Hadir Di BUM 2010

Saya dijemput berforum di BUM 2010 hari ini, khabarnya sebab sayalah bidan terjun paling sesuai memandangkan calon-calon yang membantah penggunaan meleluasa Kalimah Allah tak dapat hadir. Pada hemah saya, ia juga kerana kebanyakan calon yang tak setuju kurang sesuai, kerana perbincangannya pasti akan mengambil konteks sekular... tak percaya, sila tengok pembicara isu ini pada link ini.

Hai, kita harapkan Pakatan Rakyat menghantar orang yang ahli untuk membicarakan perkara ini, tetapi ini tidak...

Say NO To Nazri's Cop-Out Idea To Appease Allah-Grabbing Catholic Herald! There Are Better Ideas...

I was appalled by the cop-out statement of appeasement by DS Nazri Aziz as published by the NST today. According to DS Nazri, Non-Muslims in three states and the Federal Territories are allowed to use the word 'Allah'! He also said restrictions on the use of 'Allah',"... is under the state law. But in Federal Territories, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, there is no such law to stop them."

What!!!?

So now, instead of having to accept the historical situation in Sabah and Sarawak only, which DS Nazri himself seems to mistakenly limit to,"...Iban and Kadazan families, there are Christians and Muslims in one family...", forgetting that even Melanaus have the same, Malays in the Peninsular have to accept multi-use of the word 'Allah' in Penang and the Malaysian Capital Cities of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya too?!!

Why the cop-out DS Nazri? Afraid of the swing of Catholic votes? Do you think Catholics are as shallow as the leaders of their church? Do you not care about the feelings and sentiments of Malays in Penang and the Federal Territories? Don't you remember that BN lost in 5+1 states at PRU12 in part due to RETURNING MALAY VOTES FROM THE FEDERAL TERRITORIES AND PENANG? have you forgotten that BN LOST MALAY VOTES IN PENANG AND KUALA LUMPUR?

Does DS Nazri not realise the majority of Malays passionately think of this issue as illustrated below?

Some may be appalled that I talking about votes as being DS Nazri's motive. Well, I'm doing so as I cannot fathom why else he would be copping out like this! It cannot be because he is behaving as Malay leader... OK it is consistent with many other weak Malay leadership actions I have seen on this issue, but this is probably the weakest yet! As a Malay leader, he should be adopting the majority view, affirmed by DS Zahid Hamidi in Parliament which is illustrated here:

It can't be as the so-called law minister either, as it is inconsistent with the more proper legal line of awaiting the results of the court of appeal (which is by the way, MAYC's stated stand to date... our pro-tem President's a lawyer after all!). Nazri's stand is hence also inconsistent with the Malaysian Government stand AGAINST Catholic use of the word Allah, as TS Muhyiddin has reaffirmed that the government's appeal against Judge Lau Bee Lan's decision is proceeding.

If DS Nazri really wanted to show himself to be the best among his cabinet colleagues by resolving this issue, there would be more equitable ideas that could be mooted. For instance, SatD's been driving towards this one I believe, one could propose what the Indonesians are REALLY practicing, rather than what many have incorrectly said that Allah is of common use among Muslims and Christians there.

In Indonesia, the Christian 'Allah' is pronounced differently, it is voiced akin to 'Alah' in Malay phonetics. The double-L in the word Allah is actually denoting the phonetics of the double 'Lam' in the arabic spelling of Allah. If the Catholics crave use of the word so much, why not adopt Alah as their word for God? They pronounce it phonetically as Alah anyway as the 'Mat Salleh' Missionaries tend to be unable to pronounce Allah properly. Leave Allah to Malays.

We can even make this consistent across Malaysia! Allah for Muslims, Alah for Christians! Maybe then someone will be inspired to use Elah... etc. Thinking 'global', maybe we can then even advance this Malaysian 'Alah' solution to be adopted by Indonesia and other countries where there is dual-use! Of course, we should do this only if there are similar concerns as in Malaysia, concerns which I understand is arising among our neighbours.

Do I like the idea of the Catholics using Alah instead of Allah? Not particularly, as it feels like another cop-out, but at least it isn't as big a cop-out as DS Nazri's!

Catholic Silence... In Defiance Or Obedience? To Whom?

The last church attack was some days ago. Fortunately it was with paint and seemed more like a prank rather than being stained by the anger of the previous weeks. Perhaps this is a sign of an anger subsiding, or at least reigned in by the monarchs stepping in and with us at last having one senior UMNO man, Tan Sri Muhyiddin, sounding like a Malay leader more than a Malay apologist. More of this later.

The past week we have seen the rise of a more educated Muslim response to the debate on the use of the word Allah by Catholics in Malaysia. The opinions and arguments against the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims range from a basis of history, that of theology and stems from a lifetime of activism through to simple common sense. It is my hope that those non-Malays really interested in the issue have a glance at all these arguments...

I'm about to make another 'inflamatory' statement or observation in the body text (some would have been offended just by the title above!), so I think it worth drawing your attention to the Disclaimer at the bottom of my blog. The Disclaimer clearly states that:

This blog carries the personal views of Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah Sanusi (A M Ubaidah S) and does not represent the views, principles or actions of any other company, organisation, entity or individual owned, employing or that has employed, affiliated or linked to A M Ubaidah S at any time.

Why is it important for me to draw your attention to the Disclaimer? It is because a few days ago, someone lodged a complaint with my company, suggesting that I be sacked! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! How's that for a 'violent' response!? Fortunately, my company treats its employees fairly, so I was informed of the call, assured my position was fine as the firm respects my rights to free speech and concern was expressed over my well-being!

So, if you think my next comment sucks big time, please, read the Disclaimer, and save your energy (and my busy bosses' time) from trying to get me sacked! You have a better chance getting me arrested... actually, hope not!

Anyway, I still would like to hear from the real culprits that have created this whole mess, the Catholic establishment in Malaysia. It appears as if the Catholic leaders have chosen to adopt an 'Elegant Silence' on the issue! So, when are they withdrawing their case from the courts in line with the views of the Rulers? When are they publicly declaring a return to the status-quo? Where is even the apology to all affected by their agenda, whether Muslims or the firebombed churches??

One can argue that the Catholic establishment's continued crass pursuit of spreading a Malay gospel across Peninsular Malaysia despite the disharmony it causes, may just be a reflection of the attitude of their current Pope, Benedict XVI. The same Pope has till now, still not fully addressed the slurs towards Islam when presenting the Regensberg Speech in September 2006. He even cheekily apologised for the a small part of the speech, whilst not withdrawing the slurs!

So, when the Catholic church in Malaysia stays silent following the calls for their case to be dropped, is it in defiance of the Malay Rulers? Worse still, could it even be in obedience to the Pope? So, do they have to defy the Rulers if they are to obey the Pope? What a position to be in! To be instructed by a German sitting in a palace 'in' Rome to pursue something that disrupts the harmony of the multi-religious community in Malaysia as a show of piety must be hard to bear...

... but I really can't have any sympathy for them! Rather than having a youngster charged due to a Facebook posting, the police should really be investigating the Catholic church for evidence of malicious sedition! TS Muhyiddin himself remarked to the press that his Christian friends from East Malaysia expressed regret over the Catholic Herald's poor behaviour in this matter, surely laying responsibility over the whole issue on the shoulders of the Catholic leadership!

But before I go, let me continue with some more finger pointing. Where was the Malay leadership in the midst of this issue boiling over? I am not talking about DS Najib, who very rightly maintained his dignity as the leader of all Malaysians. His intervention is best reserved for a little later. I am also not talking about TS Muhyiddin, who was abroad when the matter exploded in violence and who nevertheless succeeded in providing the first show of strong Malay leadership.

I am talking about the so-called next line of UMNO leaders onwards. Why has the language been more of appeasement and the tone been apologetic? The UMNO Youth Chief for instance was amply silent on Malay sentiments, but was quick to to seek appeasement for the resulting violence and is all too keen on the conviction of a 20+ year old nuisance on some Facebook postings! Is he saying youths on Facebook are more a threat to our nation's peace and harmony?

There has been the odd saving graces of course. For instance, DS Zahid Hamidi's performance in Parliament stands out when voicing Malay concerns in unity with the non-Erdogan PAS MPs like YB Ustaz Taib Azamuddin. On the blogs, we have Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, an UMNO Youth Exco member who stands out for his firm focus against the Catholic pursuit of the use of Allah. Nonetheless, a vacuum persists, made worse by DS Anwar's and the Erdogans' selling-out on the issue!

Whilst I point my finger towards the weakness of Malay leadership on this matter, I nevertheless cannot excuse the Catholic establishment from the 'original sin' here. A reaction from the Malay leadership would not have been necessary if the Catholic Herald had not pursued the matter in the courts. Without that action, there would not have been any sort of reaction at all! As nothing would have been sown to be reaped...

Will The Catholic Church Now Defy The Malay Rulers?

I was elated to see the Malay Rulers intervening on the matter of the use of the word 'Allah' in the Catholic Herald magazine. As I had hoped, the message from the Rulers was that the use of the word 'Allah' should be exclusively for the God as worshiped by Muslims. Interestingly, an enactment from 1988 that forbids the use of the word Allah by other religions has since surfaced, and should assist in bringing the matter to a close.

As I had hoped, the intervention by 2 Rulers (that I am aware of so far), the Agong, His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and the Sultan of Selangor, His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has led to some calm. I have not heard of any further Church attacks in any case since their intervention. One hopes this will be followed up by some consideration by the courts in the next round.

Of course, a greater hope would be for the Catholic Church to now bow to the will of the Malay Rulers and concede that it was indeed unwise for them to pursue the use of the word Allah. Indeed, if they had remained satisfied with the word Allah's continued use in East Malaysia as it was, we all would have lost much less. Now, it would be more dignified for the Catholic authorities to just withdraw their case from the courts and concede... rather than defy the Malay Rulers...

In the hope that the intervention of the Rulers will bring this sordid episode of provoked violence to a close, I have to thank many here for reading my views on this matter. I also appreciate the comments, however vitriolic, that has given me some interesting insights. I am particular grateful to those who have spread my message out, from Pet, wherever you may be (London? Hahaha!), the Edge, through to KJ's Coffee Boy (still 'unspoilt' I hope!).

I found at least one foreign webservice treating my views a little more kindly. More significantly though, after all my criticism of liberal Malays, I also find it hence of greatest irony (or maybe not) that it's a liberal that got the purpose of my article that caused so much confused anger, and whom I believe understood the gist of what I was trying to convey. Good on you Anas Zubedy!

Finally, one correction worth recording here. I never sent my postings to Malaysia Today or the Malaysian Insider. They were picked up the the respective web-portals/news services themselves. So, if I am so guilty of 'propogating violence', then so must they be. Fortunately, I don't think any of us were doing anything of the sort. We were propogating truth... of a fashion... from a Malay's eyes...

To Which Christian Is 'Allah' A Norm?

I have had a lot of fun raising awareness of the violence being incited by the Catholic establishment through their pursuit of the use of the word Allah in their Malaysia-wide publication, the Herald, over the last couple of days. People need to be made aware that the continued insults and denigration of Malays in Malaysia will have its repercussions, and we are at the moment fortunate that whilst the majority are angry, only a few churches have had to suffer damages.

I suppose now that I am laying blame on the Catholic establishment for inciting this anger, even more people will be angry towards me, but such is the cost of revealing truth. If there is anything I have learnt from the comments to my past 2 postings, it is that too many non-Malays don't even understand the issue as seen through Malay eyes. In fact, confusion is rampant, e.g. many think this is an 'East Malaysia issue', when the Herald, is distributed nationally, with a KL office!

Anyway, I have had to focus on work since yesterday, so I would like to refer Muslims, especially liberal ones who think it is all 'ok' to share 'Allah' with everyone (and that includes you Marina Mahathir) to this timely reminder by the astute JMD. In addition, I also publish here (uneditted other than punctuation and capitalisation) a write-up by a much wiser man that may shed further light on the issue as seen through educated and rational Malay eyes:

Which Norm?

The head of the Catholic church in Malaysia, in an article in the Herald, argued that the Catholic church has a right to use the word Allah as it predates Islam and therefore by implication is not specific to Islam. If this is so why is the name Allah not in the Torah or the Bible? These were the religions that predate Islam. Why was God called Yahweh in the Torah and Deos in the Bible and not Allah? I fail to see the reverend’s evidence for this in the religions that predates the prophet Mohamad (saw)

The reason it (Allah) is not in the Bible or the Torah was that the Torah was revealed to Moses in Hebrew and the Ingil revealed to Isa in the Aramaic and the Aramaic word for God is Elah as the prophet Isa calls him. Allah is in the Koran because it was revealed in Arabic. Is the reverend suggesting that Arabic was widely used before Islam? In my humble knowledge of the middle Eastern history the widely used language then as the equivalent of English today is Greek. That is why the first written Bible was in Greek. The universal name for God before Islam was Theos not Allah.

The word Allah is of Arabic origin. If its use predates the Koran it was confined to the Arabian peninsula, not even Syria or Iraq nor Egypt. Before Arab conquest of these land each had its own language and God is named in their respective languages. Hence it is ridiculous to suggest that Allah was widely used before Islam.

It boggles my mind that the Catholic Church would insist on using the Arabic name for God that was used by the prophet Mohamad (saw) but chooses to ignore the Aramaic name Elah as used by the prophet Isa (puh). Is the Church suggesting that the name Mohamad (saw) used is more important than that used by Isa’s in the hierarchy of God’s name?

This would be my argument to the High court had I been the lawyer that represented the Government.

The reverend further suggests based on his first premise that because the word Allah is part of the Malay language the Church has a constitutional right to use it in a Malay language publication. I would ask the reverend the same question. Was the word Allah part of the Malay language before Islam came to the Malay peninsula. Before that date Malays were either Hindus, Buddhist or just plain Animist. Where is the evidence that shows Allah was the word for God in the writings of the preislamic period in the Malay peninsula.

Allah was introduced to Malays by Arab traders and only became part of the Malay language when Malays adopted Islam as their religion. In the lexicon of Malay words Allah was specific to Islam and refers only to the God of Muslims not the God a Malay prayed to before he become a Muslim. Hence to argue that Allah is a general Malay word take no cognizance of its Arab origin and ignores its Islamic origin in the Malay lexicon. That will be my argument to the appeal court.

I have heard many arguments by both Malays and Christians that in the Arab world Allah is used by Christians as it is in Indonesia. If Arabs and Indonesians don’t object why should Malays. Allah is an Arabic word hence its general use in the Arab speaking world is understandable.

The practice of Islam in the Arab speaking world is not standard. Some are more liberal and others stricter. There are parts of the Arabian peninsula where the presence of a non-Muslim is regarded sacrilegious and a man could loose his head for saying Allah has a son. Why was that not used as a comparison.

It is certainly mischievous or pure ignorance to use the Arab speaking world as a norm. Which country would you choose? Some people accuse Malays of thinking they are more Muslims than the Arabs. Of course we are! We are stricter than the liberal ones like Egypt, and Lebanon and of course more liberal than the very strict one like Saudi.

The Arab norm used by Malays from the beginning was the practice of the Arabian peninsula where the first Muslim missionaries came from, not the larger Arab speaking world. For quite sometime in Malay history an Al Azhar graduates was not acceptable as religious teacher only a Madina or Meccan graduate would appointed for such post because of the conservative norms of the latter.

Like wise what the Indonesian norm is, is their choice to make. It is certainly not the norm used by Malays. Because the word Allah is allowable for non muslim religious service there, does not mean it should also be practiced in the Malay peninsula. If we Malays accept that argument than the next Indonesian practice that will be demanded will be of Christians marrying Muslim without converting as a constitutional right. I also have Indonesian acquitances who eat pork when they are abroad, something a malay would not do.

Should that also be the standard for Malays. If an Indonesian norm is to be compared to Malays it would be closer to Aceh than Java. Ultimately Malays have their own standards for Islamic practice and the Indonesian have theirs so let that be. Lakum dinnukum waliyadin. To you your religion to me mine.

Half A Million Ringgit Of Misplaced Generosity...

I was shocked to hear DS Najib's government saw it as appropriate to donate RM500k to the Metro Tabernacle church at Desa Melawati due to the damage it suffered through arson a few days ago. It was said that this was due to the extent of the damage the church suffered. I think this is a load of nonsense and that DS Najib was just poorly advised as to the most appropriate course of action. Giving away half a million ringgit to the church is certainly unwise as:

1. The government was not responsible for the arson attack. Of course, one could claim the government is ultimately responsible, but that is like saying the government of Kelantan should be blamed for flooding in the state!


2. On the above, paying the RM500k gives the impression that the government is taking ultimate responsibility for the arson attack!
   


3. If the government wanted to do something for the church to ease their suffering, they needn't have bothered with the RM500k as to churches in Malaysia, permits to locate churches are more valuable than money, and the Metro Tabernacle has been applying to relocate. Just expedite it for them!
   


4. The church premises would have been insured. So, what with the intentions to relocate and everything, this arson attack may have been a boon for the church insurance wise! What is then the need for the government to shore up the church's finances with public money?
   


5. The Metro Tabernacle could have just made a claim to the largest landowner on Earth for damages, the largest landowner being the Roman Catholic Church! What with the church attack being due to the Catholic Herald magazine's court case in the first place, I think they have a case!

But all the above is not as big a deal as the precedent the government pay-out to the Metro Tabernacle creates and its potential impact:

1. Does this imply that the government will pay out to all churches or other related institutions (schools, seminaries, etc) that suffer significant damage from protests over the Herald's case?


2. Does this give the Hindus the right to now claim compensation for the various temples demolished by state agencies, even if they were inappropriately sited? Again, the issue here could be resolved just by sorting out the permits for specific locations.


3. Does this not encourage arson for the sake of gaining state funds for rebuilding? Even the publicity, getting a whole bunch of ministers to suddenly appear in churches and other places of worship they would not have been to otherwise! Some would say even this has value...


4. The trend of giving assistance to the affected churches will emerge among corporate entities, and it is regrettable it began with one from a GLC being run by the PM's brother! This will further enhance the possibility of increased arson for profit of one form or another.

But going back to the source of this violence, escalating Malay anger over the robbing of the right to use of the word Allah, this act by the government:

1. Will again be seen as the government being apologetic rather than addressing issues distressing Malays.


2. Will open the door to accusations that the government is now bringing the state's treatment of other religions on par with Islam which is the only religion acknowledged by the constitution. This is extremely dangerous.


3. TS Koh Tsu Koon's idea of now having an 'interfaith dialogue', whilst sounding nice to liberal sensibilities, will just inflame matters. Malays will see no reason to dialogue as they see themselves as having given up enough already and suspicions will arise that TS Koh is reviving the IFC idea. This WILL NOT STOP THE VIOLENCE! In fact, it may make it worse!

How then could this violence cease:

1. The PM should invite the Rulers to intervene to bring the matter out of the court. The Rulers can then constitutionally put a halt to the Herald's case. This will appease Malays across many fronts, not just by dismissing the issue but also by demonstrating the presence of Malay power to address their concerns still.


2. The Herald could simply withdraw the case from the courts in the interest of the peace between all Malaysians. This would present the church not just with immediate security, but also a moral victory... whilst Malay leaders could go around placating the more dangerous elements and allowing the police to do their job catching the perpetrators without being encumbered by the risk of further attacks.

The above are options to immediately stop the escalation of violence, but it will not address other concerns that have brought Malays too close to the Tipping Point towards it. These concerns need to be addressed by the government to bring us well away from the brink. Waving a finger and crying out "1Malaysia" is not enough. Remedial action is needed to undo 5+ years of continuous damage to the Malays' sense of pride.

I also hope that the absence or reduction of violence from Monday does not give everyone a false sense of security. The violence is probably reduced as people are at work...

Torched Churches... Reaping What Is Sown

Churches are now being torched, four at last count. I believe more churches will be torched, stoned, graffitied, sullied, picketed, etc, for as long as the use of the word 'Allah' by the Catholic church issue is not resolved to the satisfaction of Muslims in this country. Note that Muslims, in Malaysia include not just Malays, but also non-Malay Muslims, Indonesian, Bangladeshi and other foreign workers as well as an increasingly large overseas student population.

The description of Malays being comprised of all these groups in Malaysia is not a cop-out, but helps me with emphasis, as quite contrary to the view of Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, who DOES NOT understand NOR represent the majority of Malays (we don't understand or represent her either), THE MAJORITY OF MALAYS ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE MISUSE OF THE WORD ALLAH BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!

Unlike Datin Paduka Marina, I'm not claiming to represent the majority of Malays, but am conveying their "whispered screaming", via gossip at kenduris, from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi through to the organising of protests by Malay and Muslim NGOs that do formally represent the majority Malay view. As pro-tem VP of the Malaysian Association of Youth Clubs (MAYC), I have also been approached by other organisations to join them in protest. (We've declined... for now...)

Now, there has been calls for calm from the Malay 'leadership'. Unfortunately, Malays may choose not to listen to the same leadership that has continuously failed to defend their rights or to correct past wrongs against them. Whilst non-Malays leaders who insult Malays, calling us 'Pendatang' say, are allowed to remain in power, Malays are expected to weather escalating insults, with one mainstream newspaper recently happily questioning our very existence!

Now we see even the opposition so-called 'Islamic' party, PAS, dithering, projecting confused statements in a pathetic attempt to gain political mileage out of the issue! What Malays want is LEADERSHIP in addressing this issue, not posturing for votes! To also then have so called Malay 'thought leaders' like Marina persist with liberal drivel when the matter has past the point of her comprehension of the Malay mind and sociological history adds insult to injury.

Malay history is punctuated by incidents of violence, with the common theme leading up to such being the continued denigration of the race simply due to our good nature. No majority ruling race has happily allowed for the culture of other races to bloom other than this country ruled by Malays. Also, in no other country has everything been shared so equitably, as even in the USA, for all the hype over Obama, the political and economic leadership is still overwhelmingly white.

As any mention of past Malay physical violence in the face of our continued denigration will be labelled 'racist', let us look at recent 'non-violent' history:

When Malays exercised electoral 'violence' against their UMNO leaders during PRU-12, throwing BN leadership out of 4 states and severely weakening it in 1 other, the message sms-ed by the DAP leadership,"... don't provoke the Malays...", worked well to halt the momentum towards Malay physical violence. However, the denigration of Malays has neither ceased nor been reversed, and if anything, has continued to escalate as many began to forget...

E.g., Malays are still dissatisfied with their reduced quotas at local universities, whilst non-Malays in their quest for 'equality' remain uninterested in the reasons why Malays need them. MOST MALAY STUDENTS HAVE NO-WHERE ELSE TO GO OTHER THAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES WHILST NON-MALAYS CAN GO PRIVATE! The result is, now, many otherwise university-bound Malays are on the streets, hungry, angry and with the intelligence to organise...

And for the Catholic Church to then venture down the silly path of robbing Malays of the exclusive use of the word Allah... Malays may be lobbing molotov cocktails at all churches indiscriminately, but this is only fair. It is not just the Catholic church that is responsible for this Malay anger, but also the Protestant and Evangelical (that have no use for Allah, to them, a pagan moon-god) for not joining ranks with Malays against the Catholic stand...

Soon...

• Malays will figure out that it is not just the fault of the churches, or the Christian heirarchy for robbing us of Allah, but the fault of all Christian congregations for letting their religious leaders continue to insult us.


• Malays will figure out that now that they're in for a penny, might as well go for the pound by attacking Hindu temples for their original insults towards Malay communities by claiming the 'historical right' to build anywhere.


• Malays will believe since many non-Malays were sitting idle by the side allowing Malays to be insulted, maybe they should be reminded to that they are condoning these insults.


• Malays in organised mobs will turn on our leaders for being so limp in their defence of our rights.


• By then it would be too late, as even intelligent Malays will figure out that as we're being accused of being racists anyway by the ungrateful children of 'Pendatang' in this country, might as be racists... the worst kind of racists...

Am I advocating violence? No I am not. I am saying that Malay violence is inevitable, at least if the current trend of apologising for Malay anger rather than addressing it continues. And in this case, Christian dogma does ring true, one reaps what is sown. The seeds of discord had been sown in this country for far too long in the guise of quest for 'equality'. And so it comes to pass that the road to hell is lined with 'good' intentions, or rather, pretentious excuses.

As for me, a rational educated Malay that Marina Mahathir assumes to know all about, there is little to do but sit back and protect what I can from the violence that will come... and pray... to Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta'ala... the correct, singular and unique one...

Krisis Terbesar Era Najib: Perampasan Kalimah Allah

Isu keputusan mahkamah membenarkan penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh warkah Kristian semakin hangat diperkatakan. Jurublog ini berasa kecewa akan tabiat terlalu ramai berhujah, tanpa mengira perasaan dan isi hati golongan yang paling terguris tentang isu ini, yakni 'pemilik' atau pengguna asal kalimah tersebut. Dalam melontarkan hujah, tak kiralah baik-buruk niatnya, ia tidak bermula dengan renungan akan kesan ke atas perasaan majoriti umat Islam di Malaysia.

Semua hujah-hujah berikut langsung lari dari isu pokok, yakni sama ada majoriti umat Islam boleh menerima perkongsian kalimah Allah:

1. Ini isu Sabah dan Sarawak - pemikiran kenegerian yang sempit dalam era GLOBALISASI sekaligus tidak menghormati usaha majoriti masyarakat Malaysia untuk sehati-sejiwa tak kira negeri, bangsa, agama dan sebagainya.


2. Variasinya, di Sabah dan Sarawak OK sahaja kongsi kalimah tersebut - pemikiran yang mencari alasan, tanpa mengambil kira sejarah dan perbezaan budaya penganutan agama antara Semenanjung dengan Sabah dan tambah lagi Sarawak.


3. Islam tidak melarangkannya - sejak bila Islam membenarkan kecelaruan maksud dalam akidah? Kalau Islam Hadhari sebagai istilah pun salah menurut ramai ulama, apatah lagi penggunaan sewenang-wenangnya kalimah Allah? Bila masa isu ini dibincangkan oleh majlis ulama, baik pada peringkat negeri mahupun negara, sehingga ada orang Islam sendiri yang pandai-pandai mendalilkan halalnya?


4. Penganut agama lain tidak memandang berat isu ini - ye lah, memanglah, ini bukan kalimah milik agama lain! Ini kalimah Allah yang khusus diguna-pakai orang Islam sebelumnya! Cuba kalau mahkamah meluluskan perkataan Buddha digunakan untuk memaksudkan Jesus, atau Jesus diterima-pakai sebagai nama alternatif hero Ramayana, yakni Hanuman, putera monyet!


5. Kenapakah umat Islam tidak boleh bersabar - sabar? Nak sabar macam mana bila orang tak pedulikan isi hati kita! Dulunya, umat Islam Melayu dihinanya 'pendatang' kononnya, Melayu bersabar lebih lagi dari orang yang betul-betul kaum pendatang asal-usulnya apabila digelar yang sama! Apa, kalimah Allah nak dirompaknya pun nak kena sabar juga kah?


6. ... & ...


7. ... & ...


8. BAAANYAAAAAAAK LAGI OI!

Isu ini kian merebak seolah api dalam sekam di kalangan masyarakat Islam. Protes-protes ringan yang sudah pun dibuat oleh gabungan NGO mewakili majoriti umat Islam masih sedang berlangsung. Jumaat ini, api ini akan mula bersemarak secara terbuka, dengan tidak kurang dari 7 masjid menjadi pusat pengumpulan penunjuk perasaan... dan semuanya atas usaha penganut Islam sukarela dan pemimpin-pemimpin masyarakat.

Sejarah Islam mengajar umat Muhammad yang penyelewengan walau satu Rukun Islam oleh penganut Islam yang lain pun cukup untuk menjadi modal sebab peperangan. Apatah lagi penyelewengan Rukun Islam dan Iman yang pertama oleh orang bukan Islam! Hati Melayu pula telah terbukti lembut pada lazimnya sepanjang zaman, namun mampu mengeras sewaja besi kiranya terguris. Dan guris paling dalam pada hati Melayu terlaku apabila akidah Islam tergugat.

Sekiranya DS Najib tidak menunjukkan kepimpinannya pada saat ini, alamat meletuplah isu ini, dengan ledakan yang bakal tak terkawal jangkauannya. Wallahualam...

A Catholic Crisis Of Faith?

When I read this piece of news, about how the case where the Catholic weekly, Herald is still pursuing the right to call their God Allah, I had a sort of Tangents-esque epiphany... Could the people at the Catholic Herald magazine be having a CRISIS OF FAITH?

I mean, seriously, what's up with wanting to call their God Allah too? This seems to be in complete reverse to past attempts by some different Catholics and members of other Christian denominations of variously declaring Allah to be a 'Moon God', a God of Violence, a 'Pagan' God and many other such hurtful things (to Muslims). Now, suddenly, these Catholics want to call their God Allah?

Side-stepping all the religious and unavoidable politically charged debate about this, one should perhaps ask whether this is actually a cry for help from the people running the Herald! Could it just be that this is just their way of coping with a realisation that they now believe Allah is God?! Could it also be then that they'd rather not leave the Herald, but rather convert the magazine to propogate Allah's religion, Islam!

Maybe rather than chastising and opposing them, we should instead be asking the people at the Herald:

• Is it true? Do you believe in Allah now?
• If it is true, don't you think there is a better way to fully embrace Islam?
• If it is true, do you realise your efforts to turn Herald into an Islamic magazine is disrupting the peace, which in turn is against Islam's teachings?
• Rather than doing this, shouldn't you just convert to Islam? Then you can refer to God as Allah all the time, and no one will be upset!
• If it is the money you're concerned about, don't worry, Muslim magazines need writers and editors too!

And I'm only half joking here. If the people in the Herald are having a crisis of faith, they really should just come to the mosque and convert properly. It's easy. And we're ever-ready to welcome new Muslim brothers and sisters, even if they were previously from the Herald ...

Isu Perpindahan Kuil Ke Seksyen 23 Berkait Rasuah?

Sementara kerajaan negara terus ditohmah kononnya tidak berlaku adil terhadap agama minoriti, termasuk melalui media elektronik Wikipedia yang hanya memburukkan tanpa menampilkan jasa parti komponen MIC menegakkan maruah agama Hindu misalnya dengan mendirikan patung Lord Murugan di Batu Caves, jurublog ini ingin mempersoalkan, bermula di muka Facebook saya:

Perpindahan kuil ke Seksyen 23 dah ditunda.

Pakatan diajar yg mesra Rakyat bukan sekadar propaganda atau pura-pura.

Jangan diingat isu ini sudah mati kerana penyelesaiannya belum jelas pada sesiapa.

Cuma... kalau betul kuil ini 150 tahun umurnya,

maka seharusnya bertaraf khazanah budaya negara,

kenapa ada niat untuk memindahnya dari Seksyen 19 pula?

Apakah niat kerajaan Selangor sebenarnya?

Haruskah MACC bertanya?

Rata-rata akhbar melaporkan bagaimana kuil Hindu Sri Maha Mariamman yang kini di Seksyen 19 tersebut sebuah kuil lama berumur 150 tahun. Malah, fakulti seni bina Universiti Malaya dikatakan pernah melakukan lukisan berukur atau 'measured drawing' bangunan kuil tersebut, termasuklah perhiasan dan pahatan yang dikatakan indah, halus serta unik berbanding dengan kebanyakan kuil-kuil baru.

Berdasarkan maklumat umur dan keunikan kuil tersebut, seharusnya kuil tersebut didaftar sebagai sebuah 'Heritage Building' atau khazanah budaya penganut agama Hindu di Malaysia. Atas dasar tersebut, kuil Sri Maha Mariamman ini tidak seharusnya dipindahkan kerana perpindahannya membawa risiko kerosakkan dan hakisan nilai sejarah budayanya.

Sesungguhnya, kalaupun BN Selangor dahulu tidak dapat memutuskan perkara ini, kerajaan Pakatan Selangor baru, yang kononnya ber-'ketuanan rakyat', semestinya membiarkan sahaja kuil tersebut di lokasi sedia ada. Tetapi ini tidak, gatal juga nak memindahkan kuil tersebut! Persoalannya adalah, kenapa? Mungkinkah ada sesiapa yang mendapat untung dari perpindahan tersebut? Perlukah Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah Malaysia SPRM/MACC menyiasat?

Atau mungkinkah memang betul... kerajaan Pakatan Selangor ini agak kureng dan lembap pula kebolehannya...?! ...selain dari aksi sarkasnyalah...

PELAJAR UNIKL DIPAKSA MENGIKTIRAF ISRAEL PADA SUATU MAJLIS ANJURAN UNIVERSITI?

Saya lazimnya tidak suka memaparkan penulisan orang lain dalam blog saya, tetapi maklumat yang menyayat hati ini perlu saya kongsi bulat-bulat. Setahu saya, [UniKL di bawah naungan MARA dan - dibetulkan melalui Kemaskini 1 di bawah] negara kita masih tidak mengiktiraf pun kewujudan negara Israel. Jadi, bagaimanakah boleh PELAJAR UNIKL DIPAKSA MENGIKTIRAF ISRAEL PADA SUATU MAJLIS ANJURAN UNIVERSITI? Sejak bilakah pelajar Islam diarah berlakon sebagai sami? Ada kah sebab yang munasabah?:

Pada 22 Mac 2009, satu aktiviti ala perhimpunan PBB telah diadakan UniKl MSI Kulim Kedah. Pelajar telah di arah untuk menggayakan tarian keagamaan 20 negara di bawah naungan PBB. Di antara Negara yang dipilih adalah Amerika syarikat, United Kingdom, Thailand, Cambodia dan ISRAEL.

Selepas dua minggu aktiviti itu berlaku, beberapa pensyarah dan tenaga kerja di dalam universiti telah memanggil pelajar-pelajar yang terlibat serta diberi motivasi dan teguran mengenai aktiviti keagamaan yang telah berlaku.

Rentetan daripada perkara di atas, 7 warga kerja UniKL MSI telah digantung kerja oleh atas arahan General Manager UniKL Pusat kerana dikatakan telah menghasut dan menakut-nakutkan pelajar berkenaan berkuatkuasa 21 April hingga 4 Mei. Mungkin selepas ini ura-ura telah berbunyi tiga orang dari kami dibuang kerja. Disertakan gambar-gambar aktiviti.

ADAKAH AGAMA ISLAM BOLEH DIPERSENDA SEBEGINI RUPA DAN KAMI YANG MEMBELA DIGANTUNG KERJA DI TANAHAIR SENDIRI.

Kesemua pelajar-pelajar di dalam UniKL MSI adalah 99% beragama ISLAM, berbangsa MELAYU terlibat dalam gambar-gambar yang dilampirkan di bawah.

Kemaskini 1: Saya difahamkan bahawa UniKL kini berada di bawah naungan Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi. Tadi siang, para pendesak isu tersebut berjaya mengajukan aduan ke peringkat tertinggi Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi. Kita tunggu dan lihat apakah bakal hasilnya...

This Blog May Be Sued Soon... COOL!

It would seem YB Ms. Teresa Kok is on a suing spree. LOL... COOL! Maybe she'll sue me for this blog posting too. Then I can also be 'glamer'!

Seriously though, Teresa can hardly be considered colour-blind can she... oh well, maybe we'll give her some credit. Maybe she's just 'insensitive' of the feelings of other races and religions. Or maybe she's just insensitive of Malays and Muslims. I mean, how else would you explain why she celebrated BN's loss of 5 States by having her supporters slaughter and roast 5 pigs, each pig representing a state, in March. As a Kedahan, I take exception to Teresa symbolising Kedah as a pig...

Wonder how the Muslims in Perak, Selangor, Penang, KL and indeed Kelantan would feel!

Whoever is advising YB Teresa should probably ask her to calm down in case she either drives herself over the edge or ultimately makes herself, and her party, again unvoteable by Malays. The prolonging of this saga only shines a spotlight on her racism, not healthy for a Malaysian politician. Sure, suing is the way to go in Singapore, which is where the DAP probably got the idea from, elder brother Lee at the PAP, but not here, as their friend Uncle Kali would advise them.

So guys, if you think this posting is not enough for me to get sued, please advise me. I need the hits... LOL

Is Hypocrisy Becoming A 'Liberal' Trait, Or Are Our Opposition Really Not That Liberal?

My fellow bloggers have been joking around that with Pak Lah leaving, there won't be much for us to blog about. However, part of the reason I began blogging, this restlessness, was due to my frustration at the hypocrisy of our leaders being played out in a 'free press' which in reality was a propaganda machine for an increasingly irresponsible regime.

I hence now find little issue really with continuing my blogging as hyprocrisy remains a problem among leaders in Malaysia, and interestingly, most recently showcased quite dramatically by the supposed 'liberal' opposition.

There is a quote of Voltaire's that the so called liberal leaders of DAP would likely swear by, that is,"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Probably on the basis of this quote, the so-called liberals of the party continue to defend the actions of the Sin Chew reporter who was ISA'ed, Raja Petra Kamaruddin who's still in ISA, and the All-Blogs leadership duo Ahiruddin "Rocky" Attan dan YB Jeff Ooi when sued by NSTP.

You saw this behaviour of defending free speech even when the 'speech' became a little unsavoury, such as when Sasterawan Negara Shahnon Ahmad wrote his piece "SHIT" as a critique of the Mahathir leadership of the late 1990's. And of course, I have written before of what Malays, especially those on the web, have had to endure with patience over the years, both in Malay and English... inciteful garbage that of course the 'liberals' at DAP defend.

But it would seem that the Malay nationalist press do not share the protection of these DAP leaders. It would seem that even inciteful garbage against Malays, similar to what Datuk Ahmad Ismail said about the Chinese and so reported by Sin Chew, cannot be criticised by Utusan Malaysia. Neither is Utusan allowed to publish news that portray the possible racism of a non-Malay leader, nor would it be forgiven when errors of such reporting were properly retracted.

Interestingly, it seems to these people, even Rocky shouldn't post anything that is at least concilliatory of Utusan's actions, however fair, or report and publicise acts to defend the rights of Utusan as a part of the press by UMNO.

A kind observer would criticise and part excuse the acts of these DAP leaders in particular as partisanship. I think this is being too kind. I call this hypocrisy, and even dare denounce these sort of selective actions and advocacy as RACISM, RACISM and RACISM, however civilised your packaging. And just because the DAP managed to get some of their Muslim political allies and confused Malays on their side doesn't make it less so.

DAP a liberal party? My foot!

Morality Or Dogma: Religious Poli-Posturing Revealed Post DVD Sex-Scandal?

The saga of Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek's DVD Sex Scandal may appear to have come to a satisfying end with his resignation on 2 Jan 2008. However, there now comes an aftermath that is providing us with further insight on how our political leaders seem to be confused between the truth held by all religions on the necessity of the practice of high morals vs. the political need to defend religion.

We begin with Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek's own continuing contribution, encapsulated by his own view that his downfall was not due to unacceptable loose morals, but rather as, "Some Malaysians can be said to be “holier than thou”.Oh, and here I thought Malaysians just had high morals! Isn't that why we are so passionate about religion?

And he continues by inferr his downfall was due to the DVD, urging,"... the Government .. investigate the source and who is behind the tape so that it does not become a practice to cause the downfall of anyone." Sorry la Datuk Seri, I think the loose morals you practice have brought you down, the video recording was just the mechanism.

Still, if you consider that he feels his "...biggest mistake was that (he) stayed in the hotel and in the same room for convenience...", what hope do we have in him understanding that being an adulterer is by far a bigger 'mistake'...

The MCA also seems a little confused. From a party that supposedly represents the religious interest of Malaysian Chinese in cabinet as so recently instructed by Pak Lah to its president, it is, "accepting (Chua Soi Lek's) resignation with regret". Regret! I would have thought with relief! Is the president of MCA saying that the poor morals of any of his party's leaders are acceptable, as long as, "...He is a very effective and hardworking leader"?!?

Ya la, leaders like the good Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek may be hard working, but how can the people TRUST him, if he cheats on his own wife!

The MCA is now condemning the DVD culprits, and unfortunately, the police have responded in a funny way. Muar police chief Asst Comm Mohammad Nasir Ramli has indicated police in Batu Pahat and Muar will launch a massive operation to nab those involved in distribution and in possession of the sex DVDs of Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. They would even go 'door-to-door'.

WHY?? Please tell me it is part of a wider investigation behind potential blackmail or extortion of Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek. If not, what is so special about the DVDs? I know it would probably qualify as a somewhat bizzare form of pornography, but then why not focus on Petaling Street (or the equivalent in Muar and Batu Pahat). Better still, why not focus on catching Nurin's killers or some other criminals first! (Nurin's body was found >100 days ago by the way...)

The opposition is of course now commenting on this issue with some glee, but they seem to have a similarly bizzare take. PAS' Information Chief, Mahfuz Omar, in what I assume is a formal view, has urged the police to investigate and charge Chua Soi Lek and his 'personal friend' for Oral Sex!

Oral Sex? How does the police investigating an unknown young lady and a disgraced former federal minister for Oral Sex fit in PAS' nation-building agenda?

Besides, Oral Sex is not forbidden in Islam. In one aspect, it is frowned upon (makruh), but it isn't haram. So, why is PAS, a party that is espousing a move to Syariah Law asking for non-Muslims to be charged according to 'secular' laws for a private act not forbidden by Islam? Isn't that... hypocracy? What... PAS' information chief being hypocritical!? But his is a religion based party! Morals...

I suppose PAS is acting a little better than the DAP, which had earlier dismissed the issue as a 'private matter'. Such conclusions sort of explain the rut they've politically been in for decades...

It is both disconcerting and a relief hence to find Pak Lah getting it right this time when he advised,"The rakyat not only want us to carry out our responsibilities well and with honesty, they also want their leaders to be individuals of good moral standing".

Actually, the 2 wants are indivisible, but at last... some good sense! Now Pak Lah has shown he does have an inkling of what the rakyat wants, maybe he can also address some confusion in the UMNO ranks, beginning with the local UMNO leader who earlier endorsed the acceptance of Chua Soi Lek's apology without resignation!

Well my fellow 'hollier than thou' Malaysians... lets hope we remain moral and have such morals inherited by subsequent generations... for with leaders like these...

Morality Or Dogma: A Test Case Of What Religion Means To Our Leaders

The start of the year presents me with a wonderful issue to resume my writing on, which presents a test-case for the government. I am referring to of course the DVD-Sex Scandal featuring the current MCA VP and Health minister Dato' Dr Chua Soi Lek:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/2/nation/19897364&sec=nation&focus=1

Whilst there have been quite a few views being shared of how this was a 'private matter', by no lesser critic than the opposition DAP, and the family has 'forgiven' Dato' Dr Chua, this remains an interesting and critical case for the government especially due to the various regligious issues plaguing the Lah-ist Hadharite administration.

The question in my mind is, does the government care about personal morals, that is the shared core of all religious beliefs in Malaysia, or does it only play lip service to religion for the sake of politics. The former would and should result in the immediate dismissal of Dato' Dr Chua, not just as he has strayed, but more due to the Health Minister's apparent view that infidelity, a key moral transgression, is a minor problem and not worthy enough reason for him to tender his resignation.

That Dato' Dr Chua was also one of the non-Muslim cabinet ministers that last year stood up for the rights of minority religions in Malaysia stands proof positive of his hypocracy, as how can one defend religion publicly whilst privately practice loose morals!

For the Pak Lah to retain Dato' Dr Chua in his cabonet would result in a further erossion of its authority to administer and address issues related to religion, which is being particularly challenged at this point in time.

The first line in the tenets of this country, the Rukunegara, is "Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan" or "Belief In God". It is incumbent on this government to ACT on this of all Rukunegara.

By the way, I wrote ACT with emphasis with the hopethat any 4th floor boys reading this don't think Pak Lah can get away with lame spins like:

• We leave it to the leadership of the component party... or
• It is a private matter... or
• We have discussed with yadda yadda and will come to a conclusion soon... or
• We leave it to the wisdom of the grassroots...

Pak Lah, we are still waiting for you to lead. If you can't show leadership on this issue, an issue of morals and religion, for which you have even have a university degree on(!), then...