Our neighbor Singapore earned the esteemed title of being the 4th least corrupt country. What an honor! Congratulations, Singapore!
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_161639.html?vgnmr=1
In the same breath, I have to lower my eyes downward in utter shame as I read the Malaysian papers where "polishing one's hands", "under the table", "duit kopi" is all too common to mean bribery. Bribery is rampant in every industry and nothing gets done without having to "grease" someone's hands and I do not mean that literally. Work gets done if there is a potential exchange of money -- from the office boys all the way to that of the directors. How sad!
Look at this news flash recently from the Star paper. Just to cite a few.
Cop faces three more money laundering charges Supt Azmi Osman, who was charged on Tuesday with three counts of money laundering totalling RM1.3mil, appeared in court again on Wednesday to answer two more counts of a similar charge involving RM2.8mil.
Panel to get appointment letters on Thursday The three-man panel formed to determine the authenticity of a controversial video clip implicating a senior lawyer brokering the appointments of judges will receive their appointment letters on Thursday.
Second syariah court official out on bail A syariah court official in Ipoh who was arrested for allegedly receiving bribes to settle a khalwat (close proximity) case has been released on bail.
Syariah court official remanded A senior official of the Perak syariah court detained for allegedly receiving bribes amounting to about RM4,000 to settle a khalwat (close proximity) case has been remanded for two days.
I highly doubt that Malaysia will ever get there but I guess I can always remember to say "Oh, Malaysia is right next to Singapore!" Maybe, just maybe (please God!) they may just think that we too are an honest nation (at least by association)!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
What next Malaysia???
Okay, now that the Lina Joy case has blown over, the Malaysian government is sneaking up on all the non-Muslims of the country by attempting to bring in Shariah law to govern the entire population. What a great example Shariah law is! Look at all the countries that have shariah laws, they have all gone backwards in time to the "tribal laws of the desert". Wake up Malaysia! Wake up people of Malaysia! Wake all the members of the Opposition Parties such as MCA, MIC and DAP. What are they doing? Wait, I know --- lining their pockets with money, I presume!
For years I grew up knowing that we should not and could not question the government on what it did for the Muslim/Bumi population while disregarding the other ethnic and religious groups that made up of a whopping 42% of the population. There was so much unhappiness within the general population while the governing body went around the world trying to pass the country of as The perfect example of a country with a Muslim majority! What a joke!
We could not question that the Muslim Malays were given lower passing grades to excel and then bypass the smart kids of other religious and ethnic background onwards to the universities of their choice. Someone with a Muslim name and a B/C grade average will be in a good university while the others with straight A's will be heading out for work at a factory (especially ones with no money). Muslims Malays were given government scholarships to head out to other countries to attain their advanced degrees -- and the rest of us could not question that either. There was so much injustice around.
Now we are headed towards more intolerance and prejudice with the attempt of passing an Islamic law on the heads of the non Muslims. Why should the non-Muslims be subjected under a religious law that is not of their faith. A person's religious faith should govern their individual moral compass and then the secular justice system should dictate the rest.
Malaysia is supposed to maintain two parallel justice systems in the country (see: Courts of Malaysia). One is the secular justice system based upon laws gazetted by Parliament. The other is sharia (syariah, Islamic law). Ostensibly syariah courts only have jurisdiction over persons who declare themselves to be Muslims.
Where decisions of the syariah court affect a non-Muslim, he or she can seek recourse in the secular courts who, in theory, overrule the syariah courts as the Syariah courts are limited in their jurisdiction by Article 121 of the Federal constitution. In 2006 a judge ruled that Article 121 limited the federal courts from ruling on matters ruled on by the Syariah court when it touch Islamic matter. This was seen as a misinterpretation of the article by some, and the case is under appeal in the court of appeals.
This was the perfect stucture that took care of the Muslims and protected the non-Muslims. So, why now is the government attempting to screw things up again - for the non-Muslims. What next? The jizyah tax imposed on non-Muslims.
All you non-Muslim people of Malaysia, please wake up, stand up and fight for this injustice. If you do not, trust me things are going to be very different. Look at all the Muslim countries - name one that has a success story! Every Muslim country in the world right now is having problems. Shariah law is tribal law at the very least. We are not living in the desert of Arabia to accomodate this law. We need to SPEAK UP!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
A Malay Child of Merdeka
DR AZLY RAHMAN is a transcultural philosopher rooted in the tradition of Critical and Chaos Theory. Born in Singapore, raised in Johor Baru, he was a child of Malaysia's experiment in humanistic education: Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Kuantan.A member of The International Honor Society in Education, Azly holds a Doctorate in International Education Development from Columbia University,New York City, and Masters in four areas: International Affairs,Education,Communication, and Peace Studies.He has taught in Malaysia and the United States in a multitude of settings and in diverse fields such as Politics/International Relations,
Education,American Studies, Philosophy/ Humanities/Cultural Studies, and History/Foundations of Civilizations.His interest lies in deconstructing 'hegemony and totalitarianism' and to explore the possibilities of creating one's personal republic that willchallenge and transform the postmodern state.
He can be reached at: aar26@columbia.edu
Sometime ago in a column I wrote the following:We are in the 21st century. About three years from now, we will arrive at the year 2010. The non-Malays and non-bumiputeras have come a long way into being accepted as full-fledged Malaysians, by virtue of the ethics, rights and responsibilities of citizenship. They ought to be given equal opportunity in the name of social justice, racial tolerance and the alleviation of poverty.Bright and hard-working Malaysians regardless of racial origin who now call themselves Malaysians must be given all the opportunities that have been given to Malays since 40 years back.Islam and other religions require this form of social justice to be applied to the lives of human beings. Islam does not discriminate one on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, creed nor national origin. It is race-based politics, borne out of the elusiveness of nationalism, that creates post-industrial tribalistic leaders; leaders that will design post-industrial tribalistic policies. It is the philosophy of greed, facilitated by free enterprise runamuck that will evolvingly force leaders of each race to threaten each other over the control of the economic pie. This is the ideology of independence we have cultivated. I want to elaborate the point further:
A Malay child of Merdeka
As a child born into a Malay family a few years after the shouts of "Merdeka" filled the nation's stadium, and as a child privileged to be given the opportunities accorded to a "bumiputera," I have a statement of hope to convey to our nation. As an adult growing learning multiple ways of knowing about the world, through people of multiple cultures, I often ask the question of what will happen to the children and grandchildren of Mr Wong, my Jawi teacher in Johor Bahru, Ah Lan the lady who taught my mother how to sew clothes for a living, Dr Das who treated my childhood illness and taught me how to be "patient" about wanting to make changes in the world, Mr PV Kulasingam my fearful headmaster, Miss Chan my favourite Maths teachers who suddenly became angry at me a day after the May 13, 1969 riots, Miss Yap and Mr Ambrose my English teachers who taught me to love the language when I was struggling with other subjects, and countless other "non-Malays non-bumis"
I have come to be indebted to – those who have contributed to the "subjectivity" of what I am as a "cultural being living in an everchanging and evolving world of shifting cultural constructs." In short, I ask the question – what have this nation done to the children and grandchildren of these people through the policies we create to alienate each other?Because in my profession as an educator, questions are more important than the answers, I present them as such below:After this Merdeka, celebrations will we all be called the "new bumiputeras"? Will the false dichotomy of "Malays" versus "non-Malays" and "bumiputeras " versus "non-bumiputeras" be abolished? Will we come together as "true blue Malaysians" that will progress through the guiding national development philosophy crafted by the principles of scientific socialism,> multiculturalism, affirmative action and meritocratic principles in a balance, and the respect, cultivation, and preservation of indigenous cultures that sustain the dignity of each race? Will more financial aid be given to the deserving students of all races?Will more scholarships be given to "non-Malays" or "non-bumiputeras" so that they too will enjoy the fruits of labour of the parents and grandparents who toiled for this nation? Will more deserving "non-Malays" be given the much needed aid to study abroad and to come home and serve, so that they will take pride in building the nation that has been kind to them?
Will this new preferential treatment cure the ill-feeling and silent animosity over the awarding of resources amongst the different races? Will the children and grandchildren of great Malaysians – Soh Chin Aun, V Arumugam, Santokh Singh, (the grand-daddies of the real Beckhams of the Malaysian cultural iconoclasm) and Andre Goh, M. Jegathesan, be given scholarship they deserve? Will preferential treatment be given to those born after the Aug 31, 1957 to their children and grandchildren as well?It will be a shame to the hard work of the "founding fathers" of Merdeka if we do not work towards providing equality, equity, and equal opportunity to the children of all races. It would kill the spirit of Merdeka.Our Merdeka gone astray?This Merdeka, we have gone astray. Race-politics has reached its boiling point. It is predictable as a consequence of the outgrowth of politics in a pluralistic nation. Scholars who write about the difference between nationalism and socialism have predicted the bankruptcy of the former, in an age of globalisation and mass consumption – in an age wherein blind nationalism has become a blinder for the politics of plunder. This Merdeka, let us extend our special rights to all who deserve to live a life of dignity, based on the principles of universal declaration of human rights. In a nation wherein the three major races help build the nation, the nation must now belong to the children of all these races.
It is the logic of the brighter side of Social Darwinism – that all must be made fit to survive, not through natural selection but through an inclusive philosophy of developmentalism. It is an antidote to racial discrimination based on a sound philosophy of peaceful evolution. We cannot continue to alienate each other through arguments on"social contract" that is alien from perhaps what Jean Jacques Rousseau the great wrote about some 300 years ago – a philosophy that inspired the founding of America, a nation of immigrants constantly struggling (albeit imperfectly) to meet the standards requirements of equality, equity, and equal opportunity especially in education. How do we come together as Malaysians, as neo-bumiputeras free from false political-economic and ideological dichotomies of Malays versus non-Malays, "bumi" versus "non-bumis' and craft a better way of looking at our political, economic, social, cultural, and psychological, and spiritual destiny – so that we may continue to survive as a specie of Malaysians the next 50 years?As a privileged Malay and a "bumiputera", I want to see the false dichotomies destroyed and a new sense of social order emerging, based on a more just form of linguistic play designed as a new Merdeka game plan.
Think Malaysian - we do not have anything to lose except our mental chains.There is still a reason to celebrate.
Education,American Studies, Philosophy/ Humanities/Cultural Studies, and History/Foundations of Civilizations.His interest lies in deconstructing 'hegemony and totalitarianism' and to explore the possibilities of creating one's personal republic that willchallenge and transform the postmodern state.
He can be reached at: aar26@columbia.edu
Sometime ago in a column I wrote the following:We are in the 21st century. About three years from now, we will arrive at the year 2010. The non-Malays and non-bumiputeras have come a long way into being accepted as full-fledged Malaysians, by virtue of the ethics, rights and responsibilities of citizenship. They ought to be given equal opportunity in the name of social justice, racial tolerance and the alleviation of poverty.Bright and hard-working Malaysians regardless of racial origin who now call themselves Malaysians must be given all the opportunities that have been given to Malays since 40 years back.Islam and other religions require this form of social justice to be applied to the lives of human beings. Islam does not discriminate one on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, creed nor national origin. It is race-based politics, borne out of the elusiveness of nationalism, that creates post-industrial tribalistic leaders; leaders that will design post-industrial tribalistic policies. It is the philosophy of greed, facilitated by free enterprise runamuck that will evolvingly force leaders of each race to threaten each other over the control of the economic pie. This is the ideology of independence we have cultivated. I want to elaborate the point further:
A Malay child of Merdeka
As a child born into a Malay family a few years after the shouts of "Merdeka" filled the nation's stadium, and as a child privileged to be given the opportunities accorded to a "bumiputera," I have a statement of hope to convey to our nation. As an adult growing learning multiple ways of knowing about the world, through people of multiple cultures, I often ask the question of what will happen to the children and grandchildren of Mr Wong, my Jawi teacher in Johor Bahru, Ah Lan the lady who taught my mother how to sew clothes for a living, Dr Das who treated my childhood illness and taught me how to be "patient" about wanting to make changes in the world, Mr PV Kulasingam my fearful headmaster, Miss Chan my favourite Maths teachers who suddenly became angry at me a day after the May 13, 1969 riots, Miss Yap and Mr Ambrose my English teachers who taught me to love the language when I was struggling with other subjects, and countless other "non-Malays non-bumis"
I have come to be indebted to – those who have contributed to the "subjectivity" of what I am as a "cultural being living in an everchanging and evolving world of shifting cultural constructs." In short, I ask the question – what have this nation done to the children and grandchildren of these people through the policies we create to alienate each other?Because in my profession as an educator, questions are more important than the answers, I present them as such below:After this Merdeka, celebrations will we all be called the "new bumiputeras"? Will the false dichotomy of "Malays" versus "non-Malays" and "bumiputeras " versus "non-bumiputeras" be abolished? Will we come together as "true blue Malaysians" that will progress through the guiding national development philosophy crafted by the principles of scientific socialism,> multiculturalism, affirmative action and meritocratic principles in a balance, and the respect, cultivation, and preservation of indigenous cultures that sustain the dignity of each race? Will more financial aid be given to the deserving students of all races?Will more scholarships be given to "non-Malays" or "non-bumiputeras" so that they too will enjoy the fruits of labour of the parents and grandparents who toiled for this nation? Will more deserving "non-Malays" be given the much needed aid to study abroad and to come home and serve, so that they will take pride in building the nation that has been kind to them?
Will this new preferential treatment cure the ill-feeling and silent animosity over the awarding of resources amongst the different races? Will the children and grandchildren of great Malaysians – Soh Chin Aun, V Arumugam, Santokh Singh, (the grand-daddies of the real Beckhams of the Malaysian cultural iconoclasm) and Andre Goh, M. Jegathesan, be given scholarship they deserve? Will preferential treatment be given to those born after the Aug 31, 1957 to their children and grandchildren as well?It will be a shame to the hard work of the "founding fathers" of Merdeka if we do not work towards providing equality, equity, and equal opportunity to the children of all races. It would kill the spirit of Merdeka.Our Merdeka gone astray?This Merdeka, we have gone astray. Race-politics has reached its boiling point. It is predictable as a consequence of the outgrowth of politics in a pluralistic nation. Scholars who write about the difference between nationalism and socialism have predicted the bankruptcy of the former, in an age of globalisation and mass consumption – in an age wherein blind nationalism has become a blinder for the politics of plunder. This Merdeka, let us extend our special rights to all who deserve to live a life of dignity, based on the principles of universal declaration of human rights. In a nation wherein the three major races help build the nation, the nation must now belong to the children of all these races.
It is the logic of the brighter side of Social Darwinism – that all must be made fit to survive, not through natural selection but through an inclusive philosophy of developmentalism. It is an antidote to racial discrimination based on a sound philosophy of peaceful evolution. We cannot continue to alienate each other through arguments on"social contract" that is alien from perhaps what Jean Jacques Rousseau the great wrote about some 300 years ago – a philosophy that inspired the founding of America, a nation of immigrants constantly struggling (albeit imperfectly) to meet the standards requirements of equality, equity, and equal opportunity especially in education. How do we come together as Malaysians, as neo-bumiputeras free from false political-economic and ideological dichotomies of Malays versus non-Malays, "bumi" versus "non-bumis' and craft a better way of looking at our political, economic, social, cultural, and psychological, and spiritual destiny – so that we may continue to survive as a specie of Malaysians the next 50 years?As a privileged Malay and a "bumiputera", I want to see the false dichotomies destroyed and a new sense of social order emerging, based on a more just form of linguistic play designed as a new Merdeka game plan.
Think Malaysian - we do not have anything to lose except our mental chains.There is still a reason to celebrate.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Young Muslims begin dangerous fight for the right to abandon faith
David Charter in The Hague
A group of young Muslim apostates launches a campaign today, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, to make it easier to renounce Islam. The provocative move reflects a growing rift between traditionalists and a younger generation raised on a diet of Dutch tolerance. The Committee for Ex-Muslims promises to campaign for freedom of religion but has already upset the Islamic and political Establishments for stirring tensions among the million-strong Muslim community in the Netherlands. Ehsan Jami, the committee’s founder, who rejected Islam after the attack on the twin towers in 2001, has become the most talked-about public figure in the Netherlands. He has been forced into hiding after a series of death threats and a recent attack.
The threats are taken seriously after the murder in 2002 of Pim Fortuyn, an antiimmigration politician, and in 2004 of Theo Van Gogh, an antiIslam film-maker. Speaking to The Times at a secret location before the committee’s launch today, the Labour Party councillor said that the movement would declare war on radical Islam. Similar organisations campaigning for reform of the religion have sprung up across Europe and representatives from Britain and Germany will join the launch in The Hague today. “Sharia schools say that they will kill the ones who leave Islam. In the West people get threatened, thrown out of their family, beaten up,” Mr Jami said. “In Islam you are born Muslim. You do not even choose to be Muslim. We want that to change, so that people are free to choose who they want to be and what they want to believe in.”
Mr Jami, 22, who has abandoned his studies as his political career has taken off, denied that the choice of September 11 was deliberately provocative towards the Islamic Establishment. “We chose the date because we want to make a clear statement that we no longer tolerate the intolerence of Islam, the terrorist attacks,” he said. “In 1965 the Church in Holland made a declaration that freedom of conscience is above hanging on to religion, so you can choose whether you are going to be a Christian or not. What we are seeking is the same thing for Islam.” Mr Jami, who has compared the rise of radical Islam to the threat from Nazism in the 1930s, is receiving only lukewarm support from his party which traditionally relies upon Muslim votes.
His outspoken attack on radical Islam has led to a prelaunch walk-out from fellow committee founder Loubna Berrada, who herself rejected Islam. She said: “I don’t wish to confront Islam itself. I only want to spread the message that Muslims should be allowed to leave Islam behind without being threatened.” There have been suggestions that Mr Jami might defect to the right-wing Freedom Party, led by Geert Wilders, the most outspoken politician in the Netherlands, who has called for the Koran to be banned. But Mr Jami said: “I have respect for Wilders but we do not have the same ideology. I am for the freedom of religion. “Banning something is not going to help. I am the opposite – everyone should read the Koran.” Mr Jami is being compared to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali refugee who became a prominent Dutch politician campaigning for the reform of Islam but who left eventually for an academic career in the United States.
Jannie Groen, a writer for De Volksrant newspaper, said: “[Among Muslims] he is getting the same reaction as Ayaan Hirsi Ali that he is too confrontational but you are seeing other former Muslims now coming forward. So he has been able to put this issue of apostasy on the agenda, even though they do not want to be in the same room as him and he has had to pay a price.”
— 14 passages in the Koran refer to apostasy
— According to Baidhawi’s commentary, Sura 4: 88-89 reads: “Whosoever turns back from his belief, openly or secretly, take him and kill him wheresoever ye find him, like any other infidel. Separate yourself from him altogether. Do not accept intercession in his regard.”
— The hadith, tradition and legend about Muhammad and his followers used as a basis of Sharia, tells of some atheists who were brought to “’Ali and he burnt them. The news of this reached Ibn Abbas who said: ‘If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Apostate forbade it . . . I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Apostate, ‘Whoever changed his [Islamic] religion, then kill him’.”
— According to hadith, a special reward in Paradise is reserved for the killer of apostates
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2426314.ece
A group of young Muslim apostates launches a campaign today, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, to make it easier to renounce Islam. The provocative move reflects a growing rift between traditionalists and a younger generation raised on a diet of Dutch tolerance. The Committee for Ex-Muslims promises to campaign for freedom of religion but has already upset the Islamic and political Establishments for stirring tensions among the million-strong Muslim community in the Netherlands. Ehsan Jami, the committee’s founder, who rejected Islam after the attack on the twin towers in 2001, has become the most talked-about public figure in the Netherlands. He has been forced into hiding after a series of death threats and a recent attack.
The threats are taken seriously after the murder in 2002 of Pim Fortuyn, an antiimmigration politician, and in 2004 of Theo Van Gogh, an antiIslam film-maker. Speaking to The Times at a secret location before the committee’s launch today, the Labour Party councillor said that the movement would declare war on radical Islam. Similar organisations campaigning for reform of the religion have sprung up across Europe and representatives from Britain and Germany will join the launch in The Hague today. “Sharia schools say that they will kill the ones who leave Islam. In the West people get threatened, thrown out of their family, beaten up,” Mr Jami said. “In Islam you are born Muslim. You do not even choose to be Muslim. We want that to change, so that people are free to choose who they want to be and what they want to believe in.”
Mr Jami, 22, who has abandoned his studies as his political career has taken off, denied that the choice of September 11 was deliberately provocative towards the Islamic Establishment. “We chose the date because we want to make a clear statement that we no longer tolerate the intolerence of Islam, the terrorist attacks,” he said. “In 1965 the Church in Holland made a declaration that freedom of conscience is above hanging on to religion, so you can choose whether you are going to be a Christian or not. What we are seeking is the same thing for Islam.” Mr Jami, who has compared the rise of radical Islam to the threat from Nazism in the 1930s, is receiving only lukewarm support from his party which traditionally relies upon Muslim votes.
His outspoken attack on radical Islam has led to a prelaunch walk-out from fellow committee founder Loubna Berrada, who herself rejected Islam. She said: “I don’t wish to confront Islam itself. I only want to spread the message that Muslims should be allowed to leave Islam behind without being threatened.” There have been suggestions that Mr Jami might defect to the right-wing Freedom Party, led by Geert Wilders, the most outspoken politician in the Netherlands, who has called for the Koran to be banned. But Mr Jami said: “I have respect for Wilders but we do not have the same ideology. I am for the freedom of religion. “Banning something is not going to help. I am the opposite – everyone should read the Koran.” Mr Jami is being compared to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali refugee who became a prominent Dutch politician campaigning for the reform of Islam but who left eventually for an academic career in the United States.
Jannie Groen, a writer for De Volksrant newspaper, said: “[Among Muslims] he is getting the same reaction as Ayaan Hirsi Ali that he is too confrontational but you are seeing other former Muslims now coming forward. So he has been able to put this issue of apostasy on the agenda, even though they do not want to be in the same room as him and he has had to pay a price.”
— 14 passages in the Koran refer to apostasy
— According to Baidhawi’s commentary, Sura 4: 88-89 reads: “Whosoever turns back from his belief, openly or secretly, take him and kill him wheresoever ye find him, like any other infidel. Separate yourself from him altogether. Do not accept intercession in his regard.”
— The hadith, tradition and legend about Muhammad and his followers used as a basis of Sharia, tells of some atheists who were brought to “’Ali and he burnt them. The news of this reached Ibn Abbas who said: ‘If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Apostate forbade it . . . I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Apostate, ‘Whoever changed his [Islamic] religion, then kill him’.”
— According to hadith, a special reward in Paradise is reserved for the killer of apostates
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2426314.ece
What A Joke
I spoke to my sister today and supposedly the Malaysian government has someone running around stating that the Bible has been changed and the Koran is the correct one. What a ludicrous joke! Wait... let me laugh and get that out of the way because I cannot possibly laugh and type at the same time. Thanks Malaysia for being what you are so good at - STUPID!
If the Koran is so accurate, then why did Mohammad keep correcting himself. When he was in Mecca (and a lowly man since he was not that popular even among his own tribes, he preached about living in peace with people of the book, had just one wife and could be found meditating (or so he thought) in the caves(?). When people chased him out of Mecca, he escaped to Medina, got together an army and then came back (not in peace) but solely to kill, plunder, rape and acquire more and more wives.
He broke every of the 10 commandments. He lied, stole, killed, raped, lusted after his own adopted son's wife (eventually marrying her). How can a man so perfect be terribly un-perfect. How can God constantly give him conflicting messages. His God must have Alzheimers! Because my God is ever so constant. His God also conveniently gave him revelations to get him out of difficult situations like the time he got caught by his wife having sex with Mary the Copt who was his slave. First he promised to stay away from Mary and begged his wife not to tell anyone. When his wife told on him to his favorite wife Aisha (the one he married when she was 6), he said that God told him to go ahead and break his promise so that he can continue to have sex with the slave.
Boy! now I know why God sometimes does not have time to answer my prayers. He is constantly busy worrying about Mo's sex life.
If the Koran is so accurate, then why did Mohammad keep correcting himself. When he was in Mecca (and a lowly man since he was not that popular even among his own tribes, he preached about living in peace with people of the book, had just one wife and could be found meditating (or so he thought) in the caves(?). When people chased him out of Mecca, he escaped to Medina, got together an army and then came back (not in peace) but solely to kill, plunder, rape and acquire more and more wives.
He broke every of the 10 commandments. He lied, stole, killed, raped, lusted after his own adopted son's wife (eventually marrying her). How can a man so perfect be terribly un-perfect. How can God constantly give him conflicting messages. His God must have Alzheimers! Because my God is ever so constant. His God also conveniently gave him revelations to get him out of difficult situations like the time he got caught by his wife having sex with Mary the Copt who was his slave. First he promised to stay away from Mary and begged his wife not to tell anyone. When his wife told on him to his favorite wife Aisha (the one he married when she was 6), he said that God told him to go ahead and break his promise so that he can continue to have sex with the slave.
Boy! now I know why God sometimes does not have time to answer my prayers. He is constantly busy worrying about Mo's sex life.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Ex-Muslims who found the Light of Jesus
Summary and Direct Links to So-far Posted "High-Profile Converts to Christianity from Islam"
1. Dr Mustafa( Now Mark Gabriel) Former Muslim Cleric, Ex-Professor in Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt(Most prestigious Islamic school of theology )
2. Dr. Muhammed Rahoumy(now Dr. Samuel Paul) - former Dean in Al Azhar Islamic University in Cairo Egypt.
3. Rev KK Alavi - Son of a staunch Islamic cleric, India - The preacher Muslim extremists love to hate, one of the bravest Christians in India
4. Walid Shoebat - A Former PLO Islamic Terrorist
5. Reverend Khalid Soomro - Pakistani ex-Muslim
6. Reza F.Safa - Iranian Ex-Muslims, Now Christian Evangelist (Post was removed because of Copyright issue)
7. Rev. Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo - Pakistani, International Director of UK-based Barnabas Fund.
8. El-Faqi, an ex-Imam and lawyer
9. Taysir Abu Saada "Tass" - Islamic Fatah fighter trained to kill Jews.
10. Hajji Husman Mohamed - a former ethiopian Muslim Imam
11. Dr. Ergun Mehmet Caner - Turkish ex-Muslim, Now Dean of Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Va
12. Zachariah Anani - Lebanese Islamic Ex-Militant
13. Hamran Ambrie - Indonesian Ex-Muslim Priest
14. Mohammed Amin - Former Ethiopian Islamic Cleric
15. El-Akkad - Former Muslim Preacher, Egypt
16. Mohammed Altaf( Now Simon Altaf) - Pakistani ex-Muslim - Abrahamic Faith Ministries
17.Reverend Donald Fareed - Iranian Ex-Muslim
18. Ibrahim Abdullah - former PLO Terrorist
19. Bilquis Sheikh - former wife of a Minister of the Interior, in Pakistan
20. Ak-Beket - former Imam, Kazakhstan
21. Mullah Assad Ullah - Former mullah, Afganistan
22.Indonesian Imam Left Islam, He also led 3000 Moslems to Christ
23. Mullah finds Jesus in Afghanistan
24.Mullah's supernatural conversion - becomes church planter
25.Sudan: Moslem Imam converts to Christianity
26.Kosovo - Converted Muslim leads Mullah to Christ
27.Imam decides to follow Christ after seeing Jesus film
28. Former Mosque Teacher Launches Christian Radio Ministry
29.Salah - Ex-Muslim Palestinian, Now Gospel Musician
30. Rev. Mawlawi Dr. Imad ud-Din Lahiz - Prolific Islamic Writer, Preacher, Quranic Translator
31. Khalif Majid Hassan - Former Islamic Preacher, Minister in the Nation of Islam
32. Jeremiah Fard Muhammad - Muslim minister, now Christian evangelist
33. Dr. Abraham Sarker - Former Muslim, Bangladesh - Now christian Evengelist, Founder of "Gospel for Muslims" Ministries.
34. Rev. Hamid Pourmand - Former Iranian army colonel
35. Pastor Hormoz Shariat Ph.D(in Computers) - Iranian Ex-Muslim, Former Research Scientist in Artificial Intelligence, Now Tele-Evangelist, Bringing the Gospel to Iran.
36. Saleh Hussaini - Former Nigerian Muslim Cleric
37. Sam Solomon - a former Muslim scholar
38. Yusuf Roni - Former Islamic Dawah Missionary, Islamic Youth Organization Chairman, Indonesia - Now Christian Preacher
39. Emir Caner - Turkish Ex-Muslim. (Brother of Dr.Ergun Mehmet) Dean of The College at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
40. Jamal Zarka - Former Muslim Imam, Now Evangelist
41. Bishop John Subhan - Former Sufi Muslim
42. Abdul Saleeb - Former Sufi Muslim from Middle East, Now Christian Missionary to Muslims.
43. A Kurdish leader, writer, historian finds God through Bible translation
44. Gulshan Esther - Pakistan Ex-Muslim, Smitten with typhoid - then crippled by polio as a teenager , Healed by Lord Jesus Miraculously, Became Christian Preacher
45. Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo - a former Muslim, Now leads the largest and Fastest growing church in England.
46. Abdullahi Jibril - Former Muslim Extremist Now Faces Persecution in Nigeria
47. Francisco Castro - Former Islamic Terrorist, Philippines
48. Dr. Nasir K. Siddiki - successful Muslim businessman, Now Christian Preacher
49. Sheikh Mohamed Mansour - Prominent Egyptian Muslim Sheikh and Islamic Scholar
50. Hamza - former Islamic scholar
51. Rev. Majed El Shafie
52. Timothy Abraham - Former Muslim preacher, Fundamentalist. Now Christian Preacher
NB : Here, "High-Profile" refers to former muslims who are now prominent Christians(at the level of Pastors, leading evangelists, reverends etc), former muslims such as Mullahs, Imams, Scholars, Islamic Terrorists, Extremists who were once strong in Islamic faith later converted to Christianity.
1. Dr Mustafa( Now Mark Gabriel) Former Muslim Cleric, Ex-Professor in Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt(Most prestigious Islamic school of theology )
2. Dr. Muhammed Rahoumy(now Dr. Samuel Paul) - former Dean in Al Azhar Islamic University in Cairo Egypt.
3. Rev KK Alavi - Son of a staunch Islamic cleric, India - The preacher Muslim extremists love to hate, one of the bravest Christians in India
4. Walid Shoebat - A Former PLO Islamic Terrorist
5. Reverend Khalid Soomro - Pakistani ex-Muslim
6. Reza F.Safa - Iranian Ex-Muslims, Now Christian Evangelist (Post was removed because of Copyright issue)
7. Rev. Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo - Pakistani, International Director of UK-based Barnabas Fund.
8. El-Faqi, an ex-Imam and lawyer
9. Taysir Abu Saada "Tass" - Islamic Fatah fighter trained to kill Jews.
10. Hajji Husman Mohamed - a former ethiopian Muslim Imam
11. Dr. Ergun Mehmet Caner - Turkish ex-Muslim, Now Dean of Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Va
12. Zachariah Anani - Lebanese Islamic Ex-Militant
13. Hamran Ambrie - Indonesian Ex-Muslim Priest
14. Mohammed Amin - Former Ethiopian Islamic Cleric
15. El-Akkad - Former Muslim Preacher, Egypt
16. Mohammed Altaf( Now Simon Altaf) - Pakistani ex-Muslim - Abrahamic Faith Ministries
17.Reverend Donald Fareed - Iranian Ex-Muslim
18. Ibrahim Abdullah - former PLO Terrorist
19. Bilquis Sheikh - former wife of a Minister of the Interior, in Pakistan
20. Ak-Beket - former Imam, Kazakhstan
21. Mullah Assad Ullah - Former mullah, Afganistan
22.Indonesian Imam Left Islam, He also led 3000 Moslems to Christ
23. Mullah finds Jesus in Afghanistan
24.Mullah's supernatural conversion - becomes church planter
25.Sudan: Moslem Imam converts to Christianity
26.Kosovo - Converted Muslim leads Mullah to Christ
27.Imam decides to follow Christ after seeing Jesus film
28. Former Mosque Teacher Launches Christian Radio Ministry
29.Salah - Ex-Muslim Palestinian, Now Gospel Musician
30. Rev. Mawlawi Dr. Imad ud-Din Lahiz - Prolific Islamic Writer, Preacher, Quranic Translator
31. Khalif Majid Hassan - Former Islamic Preacher, Minister in the Nation of Islam
32. Jeremiah Fard Muhammad - Muslim minister, now Christian evangelist
33. Dr. Abraham Sarker - Former Muslim, Bangladesh - Now christian Evengelist, Founder of "Gospel for Muslims" Ministries.
34. Rev. Hamid Pourmand - Former Iranian army colonel
35. Pastor Hormoz Shariat Ph.D(in Computers) - Iranian Ex-Muslim, Former Research Scientist in Artificial Intelligence, Now Tele-Evangelist, Bringing the Gospel to Iran.
36. Saleh Hussaini - Former Nigerian Muslim Cleric
37. Sam Solomon - a former Muslim scholar
38. Yusuf Roni - Former Islamic Dawah Missionary, Islamic Youth Organization Chairman, Indonesia - Now Christian Preacher
39. Emir Caner - Turkish Ex-Muslim. (Brother of Dr.Ergun Mehmet) Dean of The College at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
40. Jamal Zarka - Former Muslim Imam, Now Evangelist
41. Bishop John Subhan - Former Sufi Muslim
42. Abdul Saleeb - Former Sufi Muslim from Middle East, Now Christian Missionary to Muslims.
43. A Kurdish leader, writer, historian finds God through Bible translation
44. Gulshan Esther - Pakistan Ex-Muslim, Smitten with typhoid - then crippled by polio as a teenager , Healed by Lord Jesus Miraculously, Became Christian Preacher
45. Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo - a former Muslim, Now leads the largest and Fastest growing church in England.
46. Abdullahi Jibril - Former Muslim Extremist Now Faces Persecution in Nigeria
47. Francisco Castro - Former Islamic Terrorist, Philippines
48. Dr. Nasir K. Siddiki - successful Muslim businessman, Now Christian Preacher
49. Sheikh Mohamed Mansour - Prominent Egyptian Muslim Sheikh and Islamic Scholar
50. Hamza - former Islamic scholar
51. Rev. Majed El Shafie
52. Timothy Abraham - Former Muslim preacher, Fundamentalist. Now Christian Preacher
NB : Here, "High-Profile" refers to former muslims who are now prominent Christians(at the level of Pastors, leading evangelists, reverends etc), former muslims such as Mullahs, Imams, Scholars, Islamic Terrorists, Extremists who were once strong in Islamic faith later converted to Christianity.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Friday August 10, 2007
MALAYSIA: UPROAR OVER ‘ISLAMIC STATE’ CLAIM IS SILENCED
Government gags media discussion of minister’s claim.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, August 10 (Compass Direct News) – A government halt to media discussion of whether Malaysia is an “Islamic state” last month was one indicator of how close to the surface strong religious feelings are raging.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak drew such protest and counter-protest from religious groups for claiming that Malaysia is an “Islamic state” that the Internal Security Ministry felt compelled to issue a gag order on media coverage of the issue.
At the International Conference on the Role of Islamic States in a Globalized World, organized by the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia, Najib said on July 17 that Malaysia was an Islamic state and had never been a “secular nation” according to Western definition, since governance has “always been driven by our adherence to the fundamentals of Islam.”
He qualified his remarks, however, by saying that the Federal Constitution guarantees religious freedom to non-Muslim minorities, who make up about 40 percent of the population.
The deputy prime minister’s claim drew immediate protests from religious, political and civil society groups who fear restrictions on religious freedom, especially in the wake of a recent Federal Court decision unfavorable to Lina Joy, a Christian convert who tried unsuccessfully to remove “Islam” from her identification card.
Bishop Dr. Paul Tan, chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia, responded to the comments by issuing a press statement voicing his concerns and appealing to the deputy prime minister to retract his remarks. He claimed that use of the term “Islamic state” is unacceptable to Malaysians of other faiths on three grounds: The term is not used in the Federal Constitution; the founding fathers of the country’s independence never intended for Malaysia to be an Islamic state; and non-Muslim coalition parties that make up the ruling government never consented to, nor officially endorsed, the term “Islamic state” to describe the country.
Ong Ka Chuan, general secretary of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a political party that is part of the ruling coalition government, noted documents prepared by British authorities before granting independence to Malaysia in 1957 clearly stating that “members of the Alliance delegation … had no intention of creating a Muslim theocracy” and affirming that Malaysia “would be a secular state.”
Fearing that continued discussion on the matter would cause tension between different religious communities in the country, three days after Najib’s remarks the Internal Security Ministry issued a gag order to all mainstream media prohibiting them from publishing on the matter. Interestingly, the gag order did not apply to statements coming from Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi or Najib himself.
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, a former prime minister, expressed support for Najib’s declaration via a web-based news agency, Malaysiakini, on July 24. In September 2001, Mahathir had made a similar declaration that was hotly debated, though discussion on it fizzled out over the years.
In an attempt to quell non-Muslim concerns on religious freedom in the country, Prime Minister Abdullah said on Sunday (August 5) that Malaysia is neither a secular state nor a theocratic state. He said Malaysia practices parliamentary democracy, and that the government gives due attention to all races who enjoy religious freedom as provided for in the constitution.
Religious Freedom Concerns
To many, the prime minister’s statement is insufficient to address mounting concerns many have about religious freedom in the country.
In May, the highest court in the land delivered its judgment against Joy, the Muslim convert to Christianity who sought to have the word “Islam” deleted from her identity card. In a 2-1 majority decision, the court ruled that the National Registration Department was right in requiring her to obtain an exit certificate from the sharia court before it could do so.
Joy did not regard turning to the sharia court as an option, since she is no longer a Muslim and the sharia court has no jurisdiction over non-Muslims.
Earlier in January, Revathi Masoosai – an ethnic Indian born to Muslim-convert parents but raised by her Hindu grandmother – was sent to an Islamic rehabilitation camp for six months when she applied to change her name and religion at the sharia court.
Revathi had married a Hindu, Suresh Veerapan, according to Hindu rites in 2004, and they now have an 18-month-old daughter. While she was in detention, Islamic authorities seized her daughter and handed the child to her mother to be raised as a Muslim.
Released from detention, Revathi maintains that she is a Hindu. She is not allowed to live with
her husband since she is legally still a Muslim while he is not. In Malaysia, Muslims can marry only Muslims.
Over the last two years, some grieving families have had to fight legal battles with Islamic authorities over burial rites for their loved ones following claims that the deceased family members had converted to Islam. Also, some women have had to turn to the courts for custody of their children when their husbands converted to Islam. In at least one case, a non-Muslim wife was told she had to seek redress from the sharia court.
Jurisdictional Conflict
Jurisdictional conflicts have arisen due to Malaysia’s dual legal system, whereby civil courts apply to all, while sharia courts are binding on Muslims in certain family and personal matters.
These conflicts are complicated further by the constitution’s Article 121(1A), which states that “the [civil] courts … shall have no jurisdiction of any matter within the jurisdiction of the sharia courts.”
In a July 25 Federal Court judgment involving a dispute over monies between the deceased’s third wife, Latifah Mat Zin, and the daughters of his second wife, Rosmawati and Roslinawati Sharibun, Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamed said that issues of jurisdictional conflict must be resolved by Parliamentary amendments to existing laws or the making of new laws. The justice thus affirmed that the role of the courts is only to apply the law.
He clarified that if one of the parties is a non-Muslim, the sharia court has no jurisdiction over a case even if the subject matter falls within its jurisdiction. Likewise, he said just because one of the parties is a non-Muslim does not mean that the civil court will have jurisdiction over the case if the subject matter does not fall within its jurisdiction. To determine jurisdiction, he said, both courts must look to the statutes.
Ambiga Sreenevasan, chairperson of the Bar Council, commended the high court for clarifying issues that have long plagued Muslims and non-Muslims and for emphasizing the importance of conforming to the constitution.
She noted, however, that the judgment highlighted that there could be situations where there is no remedy in either court – something that must be “comprehensively addressed.
http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=long&idelement=4983
MALAYSIA: UPROAR OVER ‘ISLAMIC STATE’ CLAIM IS SILENCED
Government gags media discussion of minister’s claim.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, August 10 (Compass Direct News) – A government halt to media discussion of whether Malaysia is an “Islamic state” last month was one indicator of how close to the surface strong religious feelings are raging.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak drew such protest and counter-protest from religious groups for claiming that Malaysia is an “Islamic state” that the Internal Security Ministry felt compelled to issue a gag order on media coverage of the issue.
At the International Conference on the Role of Islamic States in a Globalized World, organized by the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia, Najib said on July 17 that Malaysia was an Islamic state and had never been a “secular nation” according to Western definition, since governance has “always been driven by our adherence to the fundamentals of Islam.”
He qualified his remarks, however, by saying that the Federal Constitution guarantees religious freedom to non-Muslim minorities, who make up about 40 percent of the population.
The deputy prime minister’s claim drew immediate protests from religious, political and civil society groups who fear restrictions on religious freedom, especially in the wake of a recent Federal Court decision unfavorable to Lina Joy, a Christian convert who tried unsuccessfully to remove “Islam” from her identification card.
Bishop Dr. Paul Tan, chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia, responded to the comments by issuing a press statement voicing his concerns and appealing to the deputy prime minister to retract his remarks. He claimed that use of the term “Islamic state” is unacceptable to Malaysians of other faiths on three grounds: The term is not used in the Federal Constitution; the founding fathers of the country’s independence never intended for Malaysia to be an Islamic state; and non-Muslim coalition parties that make up the ruling government never consented to, nor officially endorsed, the term “Islamic state” to describe the country.
Ong Ka Chuan, general secretary of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a political party that is part of the ruling coalition government, noted documents prepared by British authorities before granting independence to Malaysia in 1957 clearly stating that “members of the Alliance delegation … had no intention of creating a Muslim theocracy” and affirming that Malaysia “would be a secular state.”
Fearing that continued discussion on the matter would cause tension between different religious communities in the country, three days after Najib’s remarks the Internal Security Ministry issued a gag order to all mainstream media prohibiting them from publishing on the matter. Interestingly, the gag order did not apply to statements coming from Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi or Najib himself.
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, a former prime minister, expressed support for Najib’s declaration via a web-based news agency, Malaysiakini, on July 24. In September 2001, Mahathir had made a similar declaration that was hotly debated, though discussion on it fizzled out over the years.
In an attempt to quell non-Muslim concerns on religious freedom in the country, Prime Minister Abdullah said on Sunday (August 5) that Malaysia is neither a secular state nor a theocratic state. He said Malaysia practices parliamentary democracy, and that the government gives due attention to all races who enjoy religious freedom as provided for in the constitution.
Religious Freedom Concerns
To many, the prime minister’s statement is insufficient to address mounting concerns many have about religious freedom in the country.
In May, the highest court in the land delivered its judgment against Joy, the Muslim convert to Christianity who sought to have the word “Islam” deleted from her identity card. In a 2-1 majority decision, the court ruled that the National Registration Department was right in requiring her to obtain an exit certificate from the sharia court before it could do so.
Joy did not regard turning to the sharia court as an option, since she is no longer a Muslim and the sharia court has no jurisdiction over non-Muslims.
Earlier in January, Revathi Masoosai – an ethnic Indian born to Muslim-convert parents but raised by her Hindu grandmother – was sent to an Islamic rehabilitation camp for six months when she applied to change her name and religion at the sharia court.
Revathi had married a Hindu, Suresh Veerapan, according to Hindu rites in 2004, and they now have an 18-month-old daughter. While she was in detention, Islamic authorities seized her daughter and handed the child to her mother to be raised as a Muslim.
Released from detention, Revathi maintains that she is a Hindu. She is not allowed to live with
her husband since she is legally still a Muslim while he is not. In Malaysia, Muslims can marry only Muslims.
Over the last two years, some grieving families have had to fight legal battles with Islamic authorities over burial rites for their loved ones following claims that the deceased family members had converted to Islam. Also, some women have had to turn to the courts for custody of their children when their husbands converted to Islam. In at least one case, a non-Muslim wife was told she had to seek redress from the sharia court.
Jurisdictional Conflict
Jurisdictional conflicts have arisen due to Malaysia’s dual legal system, whereby civil courts apply to all, while sharia courts are binding on Muslims in certain family and personal matters.
These conflicts are complicated further by the constitution’s Article 121(1A), which states that “the [civil] courts … shall have no jurisdiction of any matter within the jurisdiction of the sharia courts.”
In a July 25 Federal Court judgment involving a dispute over monies between the deceased’s third wife, Latifah Mat Zin, and the daughters of his second wife, Rosmawati and Roslinawati Sharibun, Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamed said that issues of jurisdictional conflict must be resolved by Parliamentary amendments to existing laws or the making of new laws. The justice thus affirmed that the role of the courts is only to apply the law.
He clarified that if one of the parties is a non-Muslim, the sharia court has no jurisdiction over a case even if the subject matter falls within its jurisdiction. Likewise, he said just because one of the parties is a non-Muslim does not mean that the civil court will have jurisdiction over the case if the subject matter does not fall within its jurisdiction. To determine jurisdiction, he said, both courts must look to the statutes.
Ambiga Sreenevasan, chairperson of the Bar Council, commended the high court for clarifying issues that have long plagued Muslims and non-Muslims and for emphasizing the importance of conforming to the constitution.
She noted, however, that the judgment highlighted that there could be situations where there is no remedy in either court – something that must be “comprehensively addressed.
http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=long&idelement=4983
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