Wake Up and Go Berserk

Apostasy and Islam

2008-09-07T14:43:00.005+08:00

I rarely talk about religion not because I think it is thorny issue in Malaysia but I predict it will attract more baseless destructive comments rather than fair intellectual discussion.

I took several articles by Lucius Maximus on apostasy and edited it into this piece below.

I am a Muslim by birth, just like most Malaysians. I am still a Muslim, not a good one but the same goes to other born Muslims, just the level of how far we have sins, differs.

I still try to remain a Muslim for the rest of my life because as my brain works it out, I am convinced Islam is the truth. That is how I think of it. It doesn’t matter what you think.

The Article 11 has been a sensitive issue in Malaysia and has become a thorn in racial unity of this country (since race and religion are very much related). To most Muslims, especially in the peninsular, if one denounces Islam, it means that the status of Islam as the official religion has been challenged, something that to most Muslims, are completely unacceptable.

It makes me wonder, what good can we have if we force someone to remain a Muslim, which is against his or her will? If his or her appeal to convert been denied, will that make him or her turn into a pious, religious Muslim?

It is sickening to see other people who believe they have the right to dictate and control a citizen in the name of religion.

Is it any better to have a Muslim by their MyKad but not by their conscience? The idea of one is not allowed to apostate because it will be seen as an insult to Islam, a loss to Islam is nonsense. I am not trying to glorify the way of living their life jumping from one faith to another but all I am trying to say is, let them choose their own God. We can only guide them.

If one wishes to renounce Islam then so be it. What’s the point of keeping a Muslim who doesn’t believe in it? Please respect to personal freedom and rights. To most of you Malay Muslims, stop being so concerned on ensuring no one leaves Islam so we have the number. We forgot it is the value which is more important, the quality not quantity.

Why the big fuss over people leaving Islam? Why not channel the same amount of energy and effort into much more important issues; economic and education development amongst Muslims.

Most Malay Muslims claims to be a Muslim but didn’t even have an idea about it. Just ask them the complete translation of Surah Al-Fatiha.

"There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejected false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower." - Qur’an 002:256 (Pickthall)

There have been no records of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) forcing people to convert to Islam or punished Muslim who apostate. Islamic scholars like Sufyan al-Thawri, Abu Walid al- Baji and Dr Mohammed Sayed Tantawi have also agreed on this. Apostasy is a serious sin but not one that can be control or punishable by law.

I bet those who speak against Article 11 don’t even know those scholars. Religious zealots and fundamentalists. Holier than thou huh?

I leave you with the excerpts taken from the book In Pursuit of Justice: The Jurisprudence of Human Rights in Islam by Dr Maher Hathout:

"We strongly oppose the state's use of coercion in regulating Islamic belief in such a manner, since faith is a matter of individual choice on which only God can adjudicate."

Well said.

To answer the question of how would I feel if a family member wishes to convert into another religion? Well, he or she is still my family member. Blood is thicker than water they say. Let them choose their own God (or the absence of God) as all we could do is only guiding them. It is a matter between them and God. Who are we trying to take over His role by punishing others?

Here is another good article to read by Dr Farish A Noor. Have a nice day.

Holy Fuck

2008-09-07T04:07:00.000+08:00

is awesome. Below is their music video for "Lovely Allen". Enjoy.

If KL can have Laksa Kedah, Kuey Teow Penang and Soto Johor...

2008-09-04T23:08:00.002+08:00

...then we should have Mee Kolok (or kolo mee or mi kering or whatever names you might call it) here. Sarawakian delicacies should be made mainstream!

I'm Muslim Too!

2008-09-01T14:58:00.004+08:00

From Zan Azlee:

"Yeah yeah people! All of you must have been chewing your fingers till their stumps in anticipation of my latest piece of work! Hahaha!!

My latest documentary film I'M MUSLIM TOO! will be go on air on NTV7 the whole month of September 08. The film documents my journey to the Middle-East (Iran, Syria, Jordan & Lebanon) as I try to understand my identity as a young (heheh!) Malaysian Muslim. It is actually a full feature length film at 73minutes. But it will be shown in four parts (30 minutes each) every Thursdays (starting 4th September 08) at 7:30pm. Then the full version will be shown on Hari Raya. Video blog entries and photo essays documenting the whole production process of the film can be viewed at my website. Click here for trailer."

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Details:
I'M MUSLIM TOO!
THURSDAYS (starting 4th Sept 08), 7:30pm
NTV7

SYNOPSIS:
Many see Malaysia as a moderate Islamic country that has found a unique and harmonious balance between religion, secularism and multiculturalism. Zan Azlee decides to learn and find out more about Islam and his own identity as a Malay Muslim. He embarks on a journey to the heartland of Islam, the Middle-East, with nothing but his video camera and a bag full of instant noodles. He meets a brutal heavy metal band in Iran, discovers a Syrian version of Low Yat Plaza in Damascus, hangs out with a couple of Palestinian dudes in a camp in Beirut and learns about sex from a bunch of artists in Jordan.

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY:
Zan Azlee is a freelance media professional who founded Fat Bidin Media in 2003. The services he provides include directing, producing, scriptwriting, videography, news reporting/journalism and consultation. He is an independent filmmaker who has produced and directed numerous films that have gone on to screen at local and international film festivals. Zan also lectures at HELP University-College in Kuala Lumpur. His first feature length documentary film, The Look-East Project, was commissioned in early 2007 by local television station NTV7 under its FESTIVAL programme, which aims to encourage and highlight independent filmmaking in Malaysia. I'm Muslim Too! is his second feature length documentary film.

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Happy fasting to those who are actually doing it. Fasting is not an excuse to be lazy!

love

2008-08-31T19:55:00.002+08:00

A friend told me earlier today that if you try to key in the word kote (which means dick/penis) using your cellphone with the English dictionary turned on, you'll get the word love.

Love is kote.

I'll find you and I'll kill you.

2008-08-28T11:59:00.001+08:00

"Molten Light", music and visuals by Chad VanGaalen.

Got it from Kak Ili. Crazy. Gila.

Permatang Pauh

2008-08-26T22:09:00.001+08:00

From Malaysiakini:

9.50pm: Final official EC tally - Anwar got 31,195 votes, Arif Shah, 15,524, Hanafi, 92. Anwar won with a majority of 15,671.

Anwar's wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, won the seat with a 13,388 majority at the March 8 general elections.

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Dude, don't forget to kick Taib out of Sarawak once you get your new spot in Putrajaya.

Mulia sangat ke pangkat Datuk ni?

2008-08-24T13:06:00.002+08:00

I'm not in the mood to write an original piece. So I edited an article written by Francis Siah for Malaysiakini.

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Stop dishing out datukship to 'kids'

First, it was Nicole David. I was really shocked when 24-year-old Nicole was awarded the datukship last month. Why? No doubt she’s the world squash champion but she’s only a ‘kid’ and since when did we start giving out datukships (originally meant for senior, deserving citizens) to school kids?

Now, it’s Lee Chong Wei!

These are young people only in their twenties - and to award them the datukships - whatever for? What is happening these days? Surely, there are other more appropriate and more useful rewards or incentives we can offer our young sportsmen and sportswomen.

I always think of a datuk as an older person, someone highly revered (even idolised or feared perhaps) and who has contributed immensely to the state and nation. A datukship used to be awarded to those holding high public offices such as governors, ministers, top civil servants and prominent philanthropists. It will be better if the number is kept small to uphold the dignity, quality and value of the award.

But to award the datukship to Nicole David and Lee Chong Wei is silly, awkward and un-chief minister-like. I describe them as ‘kids’ because they are viewed as such when weighed against the title which is normally given to senior citizens.

Guan Eng’s reason that “Chong Wei was being honoured because he had done not only Penang but also Malaysia proud with his achievement as the first Penangite to win a silver medal at the world’s biggest sports event” does not hold up for the datukship at all.

Hey, Yap Kim Hock and Cheah Soon Kit also brought the silver medal home from the 1996 Atlanta Games. And what about Jalani and Razif Sidek. They won Malaysia’s first Olympic medal, albeit only a bronze, in Barcelona in 1992. They should all be made datuks too, if Guan Eng’s reasoning is to be taken as a yardstick.

Then what about our other sporting greats like Rabuan Pit, formerly Asia’s fastest man, former Mr Universe Soloman Ismanto, or our football legends like the late ‘Spiderman’ R Arumugam and Santokh Singh - why were they not awarded the datukship? Indeed, there is a long list of sportsmen and sportswomen who had also brought glory and honour to the nation too.

We can appreciate that Guan Eng is a young chief minister (I consider those below 50 young lah) and he intends to thrive on doing things differently, which is well and good. But this awarding of the datukship to ‘kids’ is definitely not well and good and the young chief minister has to be advised as such.

In future, Guan Eng should consider awarding permanent scholarships from the Penang government to the state’s high achievers in sports.

For example, Nicole or Chong Wei could be given scholarships to further their studies, say in sports science at USM or overseas, when they retire from the sporting arena. That would be a more appropriate reward from the state government than the datukship.

It ain’t so comforting and it will be even embarrassing to hear RTM’s Hasbullah Awang commenting on Chong Wei when he next steps onto the badminton court, “Oh, Datuk Lee tersungkur ke lantai gelanggang dan tumbang di tangan Lin Dan."Thanks to CM Lim Guan Eng, Lin Dan has created history by taking his first Malaysian Datuk scalp - he floored and defeated Datuk Lee Chong Wei.

Last night in Kuala Lumpur

2008-08-24T11:03:00.007+08:00

Small sized kids talking like they're in their mid 20s.

Cheap sunglasses from Sg Wang (I have nothing against cheap stuffs; I'm just trying to be precise).

Graphic t-shirt. Either from shops in BB Plaza, Dolls Store, Danau Kota or local "indie" clothing line.

Red/white/pink/purple/light blue/green/yellow skinny jeans.

DSLR camera.

Yasser Arafat's scarf.

Ah, each "indie"viduals looks the same.

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updated: ~~Irman~~ Melayu Minimalis just posted an entry on the same issue. Click here.

I love the 90s

2008-08-22T20:07:00.005+08:00

I want to go back to the 90s. No handphones, no mp3 players, great music, cleaner air, watching "Alternatif" on TV3, great movies, etc.

Mazzy Star - Blue Flower

My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow

Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Teenage Lust

Resource-rich Sarawak has been controlled by Taib since 1981

2008-08-21T10:32:00.003+08:00

From Malaysiakini;

Opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim, who has promised to take control of Parliament and form a new government by Sept 16, has called for change in Sarawak, saying the East Malaysian state has been dominated by one man - chief minister Taib Mahmud - for too long.

MCPX

"There must be change, nobody should stay too long and control everything," he told Malaysiakini when met at the sidelines of his campaign for the Permatang Pauh by-election.

"You cannot afford to have a gap that is too wide between the rich and poor," he added.

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If he can make that happen, I'll be happy. Now who's with me?

Ke hadapan bintang jatuh

2008-08-21T10:10:00.006+08:00

Read more about it here.

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Updated: pasal tajuk asal entri ni, sumpah aku tak berkira. aku memang tak pandai buat tajuk. minta maaf kepada peminat wani ardy.

Just for the sake of updating this blog since someone said I've been so quiet

2008-08-20T15:18:00.001+08:00

Filem Melayu tidak laku? A forum brought to you by MStar online

2008-08-15T02:56:00.004+08:00

Most Gracious, Most Merciful

2008-08-11T11:18:00.004+08:00

The article below is based on the open forum by Bar Council incident few days ago.

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Having proper religious discussions seems impossible. When we Malaysians are going to grow up and be mature? "Don't play with fire" they said.

"How is the Bar Council insulting or challenging Islam by having a forum on the legal aspect of conversions? More so after Syariah lawyer and Muslim authorities are given space to address the floor? Getting angry does not solve anything, especially not over a subject that will continue to haunt this country until some understanding is reached" said a friend in her blog.

I may not be a good Muslim. I don't perform the daily prayer and I can't even remember when was the last time I attended the mosque for Friday prayer. I don't fast for the whole month of Ramadhan. So that should make me have less iman then the others right? So why should the religious people get so insecure when this happened?

It is clear stated in the al-Quran on the matter of guidance and preaching for embracing Islam. In surah al-Nur, it said that the prophets were to 'send the message' and they do not decide on one's religion.

"Katakanlah: Taatlah kepada Allah dan taatlah kepada rasul; dan jika kamu berpaling maka sesungguhnya kewajipan kamu sekalian adalah semata-mata apa yang dibebankan kepadamu. Dan jika kamu taat kepadanya, nescayakamu mendapat petunjuk. Dan tidak lain kewajipan rasul itu melainkan menyampaikan (amanat Allah) dengan terang" Surah an-Nuur, 24:25.

It is God who at the end of the day that decides to guide His follower just like in surah al-Qasas, "Sesungguhnya kamu tidak akan dapat memberikan petunjuk kepada orang yang kamu kasihi, tetapi Allah memberikan petunjuk kepada orang yang dikehendaki-Nya, dan Allah lebih mengetahui orang yang mahu menerima petunjuk" Surah al-Qasas, 28:56.

We Muslims should know that Islam does not allow racism, prejudice and discrimination, especially discrimination against the minorities that are weak and always the one to blame in this country. Why are making dangerous threats to the effort of understanding each others religions better?

I'm sure that religious bigots says ya Rahman, ya Rahim (Most Gracious, Most Merciful) but do they actually know what it means?

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I dare not to translate the meaning of the surahs from Bahasa Malaysia to English fearing that I might distort its actual message(s).

Penjurian Filem Terbaik paling rumit oleh ABD. AZIZ ITAR

2008-08-09T10:32:00.003+08:00

"Kemuncak Festival Filem Malaysia ke-21 (FFM21) yang akan berlangsung pada 9 Ogos ini bakal menyaksikan pertembungan muka-muka baru & lama bagi merebut banyak kategori utama pada festival tersebut....... (no, I don't bother to put everything here, no link too as I do not want to associate my blog with rubbish)....

...Jadi, filem yang akan muncul sebagai Filem Terbaik itu nanti MESTILAH MEMPUNYAI LIMA NILAI tersebut. Antara nilai itu ialah, soal harga diri membabitkan kesederhanaan, kejujuran, kasih sayang pada keluarga, isu masyarakat, kesedaran terhadap alam sekitar & kecintaan terhadap negara," katanya. Kalaulah kriteria-kriteria itu mahu diserapkan pada senarai 23 filem yang bertanding pada FFM21, maka kita akan....."

from Utusuan Malaysia.

What nilai? What criteria? You're not supposed to limit your judgment to those narrow minded mentality. Judge the films by how the film makers present their stories; the script, technique, screenplay, editing, sound, production design, cinematography, etc. I don't think Tarantino's Pulp Fiction won an award because there's a message of saving the environment or showing the love for United States of America.

"For the record, let me tell you how films are judged at festivals the world over -

There are - NO CRITERIA ! No need to read my lips: NO CRITERIA. Criteria is for morons," said Hassan Muthalib regarding this matter.

FFM-21 is a big joke. Maybe the criteria is to make sure certain patriotic movie with messages about honest, love and family *cough* will win the top prize. Maybe. Although I'm quite happy that Amir's movie received eight nominations but a bit disappointed that Flower In The Pocket by Seng Tat didn't make it for Best Digital Film.

It feels like being in college, making assignments that'll please the lecturers and other academic staffs. Sigh, macam ni lah Melayu.

Everyone Nose (Remix)

2008-08-07T12:12:00.001+08:00

N.E.R.D featuring Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco & Pusha T.

Reading is good

2008-08-07T11:33:00.002+08:00

Random Alphabets: Read while Waiting Project.

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And We Also Read, "a geek equivalent of street fashion blog" according to Li.

An-War

2008-08-06T10:58:00.003+08:00

I am not saying that I am supporter of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, I never say I am. I just think he is a great speaker (anybody watched THE live debate? Shabery just got served, fo shizzo!).

A tribute video has been released in YouTube two days ago and as I am typing, it received more than 2,500 hits already. Expect the video to be embedded in other socio-politic themed blogs in the coming days. It just might cause a revolution. Maybe.

Orang-orang Jerman datang Kuala Lumpur

2008-08-03T19:39:00.003+08:00

be your own PET is officially over

2008-08-02T11:31:00.007+08:00

From the website;

"Friday, August 01, 2008

BYOP Final Tour!

To all of our fans,

We are sad to bring you the news that our upcoming shows in the UK (dates below) are going to be our last as a band. We thank you for all your love and support these past few years - its been a blast but the time has come for the 4 of us to go our separate ways.

22 August: Reading Festival - Reading, UK
23 August: Leeds Festival - West Yorkshire, UK
25 August: Carling Academy 2 - Liverpool, UK
26 August: Dingwalls - London, UK"

This is absolutely gutting. One of the greatest female fronted bands. Who needs 3 sisters singing with another 2 dudes at a small cafe in Texas anyway?

What the hell is Lomo?

2008-08-01T07:57:00.004+08:00

The lomoKidS (not a typo, the name is spelled that way) is having an exhibition in conjunction of KAED Fest 08 held at UIAM, Gombak. To those who don't mind paying a bit (because public transportation in Gombak is really a pain in the anus) or has a car, come lah and bring your partner(s), friends, family and cats to the event.

Or do come to the Caliban show tomorrow at MCPA Hall. I'll be there only for a while as I don't feel like spending my entire day in a sauna-like venue. I've been commissioned by Dyslexia to shoot a live video of Restraint and consulting them how to produce their tour DVD.

Rejected

2008-07-30T15:39:00.002+08:00

My proposal for a film fest didn't get to the final 5. I failed to get the grant for my final year project.

Puki.

The Shock Doctrine by Alfonso Cuarón and Naomi Klein

2008-07-30T14:33:00.002+08:00

DIRECTED BY JONÁS CUARÓN. Alfonso Cuarón, director of "Children of Men", and Naomi Klein, author of "No Logo", present a short film from Klein's book "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism."

http://www.shockdoctrine.com

Girls on TV

2008-07-27T20:06:00.004+08:00

I just watched Wild Hogs on Astro about half an hour ago. I didn't really think much about the movie but it made me wonder how Marisa Tomei get to stay physically attractive and she is turning 44 years old this December?!

Another 40 years old plus female actress that I personally think is attractive; Traylor Howard, she is famous for her character Natalie Teeger, the (second) assistant to Adrian Monk. I don't care what you think. I think she looks good.

And oh, I enjoy watching Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden) on Friday Night Lights TV Series (I don't have a problem with the shaky camera work, why everybody is making a big fuss?) and Kari Byron on Discovery's Mythbuster too.

Occasionally, Audrina Patridge too. Hahahahaha.

PS: I still love The Girlfriend.