Rantings byMM

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, Yes, I Will!

2009-10-14T05:55:00.000+08:00

I think that was a Diana Ross song sometime ago that had a chorus that went:

"Every night, every day, I'll find a way,

I'm gonna make you, I'm gonna make you,

I'm gonna make you love me, yes I will,

Yes I will!"

‘Sayang’ project launched

KUALA LUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor launched on Tuesday Wanita Umno’s latest project, “Sayang” (Love), the rebranded welfare, voluntary and social programmes of the movement aimed at getting closer to the people through time spent with them. The launch of the project, which coincided with the Wanita Umno Aidilfitri open house here, involves the setting up of “Sayang” squads and “Sayang” stores, to keep aid for distribution, in every state.

Rosmah said at the launch that political parties had to be more creative, innovative and proactive in planning political activities in the effort to be close to the people so that they remained relevant and understood the needs of the people.

She said the “Sayang” project would be able to solve problems faced by the people and bring leaders closer to them at a time when the people were conscious of their rights and were bold enough to demand them.

“The project will also be able to convince the people to continue to support Umno,” she said at the launch, which was also attended by Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak, Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Puteri Umno chief Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.

Rosmah did not want the “Sayang” project to be confined to any one community or group, saying efforts must be pooled to get closer to all the people regardless of race.

“It is hoped that the project will be carried out with much love and care so that its impact is greatly felt by all the people,” she said.

Najib told reporters later the project would portray a new image of Wanita Umno and the Barisan Nasional.

“It is hoped that all BN component parties and divisions would implement the “Sayang” squad activities with vigour as a new programme which can boost the people’s confidence in the BN government,” he said.

Shahrizat told reporters the project would be able to bring Wanita Umno members closer to the people without the need for heavy financial allocation.

She added that the project would be carried out by Wanita Umno before it was introduced to Wanita Barisan Nasional. - Bernama
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Well, all very nice I'm sure but I wish they weren't so vague about what this programme will actually do. What on earth will 'sayang squads' do? Accost people and smother them with love? Who will actually be on these 'sayang squads'? And who exactly are they going to bestow their love on?

And merchandising never seems to be far behind. What on earth will you find in 'sayang shops'? Will there be lots of t-shirts saying 'Sayang, I Love You'? Or 'I Sayang You'. 'Sayang Your Neighbour'? (Some people might take that literally. Sayang squad meets Khalwat squad!)

Are they going to have big 'love-ins' as they did in the 60s? Group hugs?

I can't wait!

Connecting the Dots on Migration

2009-10-07T22:24:00.000+08:00

Yesterday the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its annual Human Development Report. The theme for this year is Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development.

I went along to the launch because the HDRs are often very valuable sources of information about human development all over the world. Indeed in the back of the report is a treasure trove of information about almost anything you need to know about any country. For instance, Malaysia is 66th among the High Human Development Index countries, lower than, say, Argentina or the Seychelles or Bulgaria but higher than Brazil, the Russian Federation and Turkey. Our HDI has remained the same from 2006 to 2007 which is the period covered by the report. (Local newspapers only mentioned that we came in third among ASEAN countries in the HDI list; for the record, Singapore is 23rd and Brunei 30th, very far ahead of us.)

The entire report gives a very interesting overview, backed by many empirical studies, on the issue of human mobility, legal, illegal, voluntary or forced. It looks at the factors that lead to migration and the impacts in economic and social terms of these migrations to both the countries of origin and the destination countries. One of the most interesting facts found in the report is that, as large as international migration is, most people migrate within their own countries (some 740 million out of 1 billion movers).

At the launch the United Nations Resident Representative Kamal Malhotra gave a very frank speech about the issues surrounding migration in Malaysia. He stated that Malaysia has some 2.1 legal migrants in the country along with a significant number of illegals and refugees. This amounts to about 11% of our population, up from about 0.1% in 1960, a substantial proportion indeed. Nevertheless these migrants have contributed to Malaysia's development in very tangible ways. Most of our roads and buildings would not have been built without them, our plantations would not thrive, nor our children cared for without migrant workers.

However despite being one of the countries very dependent on migrant workers, the Malaysian public is not very appreciative of this. In a survey on attitudes towards immigration of 52 destination countries , Malaysia came in as the country which was LEAST welcoming to migrant workers (see graph). More welcoming than we are countries like Switzerland, China, Australia and South Africa. Our inhospitability is demonstrated in the many barriers to migrant workers coming here to work including high costs (compounded by corruption), our lack of basic essential services and protection for legal workers, their vulnerability to arrest, punishment and deportation and our refusal to recognise the position of refugees by not signing the United Nations Convention on Refugees.

I was amazed when Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, in his launching speech, avoided the entire question of international immigration into Malaysia and focussed almost totally on internal rural to urban migration. This meant that he did not address any of the issues that Kamal Malhotra had just mentioned in his speech a few minutes before. Not even to at least deny that we're such unwelcoming people. (For the record, 65% of Malaysia's population is now urban due to migration from rural areas over the past 50 years. Which rather begs the question of why politicians still behave as if we are still one big rural nation, with rural issues, concerns and attitudes.)

In the papers today all the very brief reports on the launch avoided the issue of our inhospitality to migrant workers and refugees. Bernama reported that Malaysia 'allows' both unskilled and semi-skilled workers "unlike many countries that favour only skilled migrants and put up barriers against unskilled workers."

But the reporter obviously never read the report itself because it also says that typically such unskilled and semi-skilled migrant workers fill in jobs that locals do not want. What's more, bringing in skilled workers results in broader economic benefits, including higher rates of innovation. For example, data from the US show that between 1950 and 2000, skilled migrants boosted innovation: a 1.3% increase in the share of migrant university graduates increased the number of patents issued per capita by a massive 15%, with marked contributions from science and engineering graduates and without any adverse effects on the innovative activity of local people.

This is why countries like Singapore and Hong Kong have explicit policies to attract foreign highly-skilled professionals.

The report discusses the real and perceived impacts of immigration because "these perceptions shape the political climate in which policy reforms are debated and determined." For example, despite what many think, the impact of immigration has very small or no impact on local employment. So if we fear that the existence of foreign workers in our country deprives locals of a job, this would really only impact those locals who are working in very low-income labour-intensive jobs. Obviously in our country, this is not a very large segment of our local labour force since very few of our people work in construction, agriculture or the domestic sector. This was certainly proven when the last time the Government decided to deport migrant workers en masse, the plantation and agriculture industries virtually came to a standstill.

What's more "even locals with low levels of formal schooling may still have advantages over migrants due not only to language but also to knowledge of local institutions, networks and technology, which enables them to specialise in complementary and better-paid tasks." The exception I would think would be those employers who prefer to employ foreign workers to keep costs down by paying them a pittance rather than paying locals who may be able to provide better service, for example in restaurants or shops. Having said that, I hear lots of complaints from employers regarding local workers' attitudes towards these jobs, often being undisciplined and less than diligent in performing their tasks.

One of the main reasons for hostility towards foreign workers is the perception that foreign workers are responsible for most crimes. This has been shaped mostly by the media which often depicts crimes and violence as being committed far more by foreigners than by locals despite studies by our own police force that show that crimes committed by foreigners amount to only 4% of the total. Of course, politicians often also help to stoke these concerns about security. History is full of instances, often violent, of anti-immigrant sentiment ranging from those towards the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia who were suspected of political subversion on behalf of Communist China during the 1960s, and the ethnic Russian populations in the Baltic states who were suspected of undermining the states' newly won independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

Only today there is a letter in The Star urging the Government to take seriously the threat of the Bendera group to invade Malaysia by calling on their one million plus countrymen to "rise up and kill one particular race" here and in so doing cause chaos in our country. This, despite a featured interview with the head of Bendera a few days ago in the same paper which patently showed what a nutcase he is.

It made me wonder whether the letter-writer was urging for us to do what Americans did after the bombing of Pearl Harbour when they incarcerated some 142,000 Japanese-Americans in ten concentration camps, one of the worst examples of jingoism in history. Although if we tried to incarcerate all the Indonesian workers in the country because we think Bendera's threat is actually viable, our country would probably come to a standstill and many careerwomen would be forced to stay home to cook and clean. For no pay, I might add.

If our attitudes towards legal migrants are hardly what those ads on Malaysia Truly Asia portray, even worse is the way we treat refugees. We have some 90,000 refugees in Malaysia, out of which 90% are from Burma. Others are from Sri Lanka, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Out of these, 65,000 are registered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) which gives a small measure of protection.

It's important to remember that refugees are different from migrants. Migrants move to seek opportunities while refugees move by force, often because of conflict or other very dangerous situations at home. The former can go home but refugees cannot. Most refugees would like to go on to third countries.

The problem with us not signing the UN Convention is that there is no legal or administrative framework for us to deal with refugees. They are dealt with under the Immigration Act which doesn't mention refugees and basically deals with them in a very narrow way: are they here legally or not? In fact, the entire refugee problem is mostly dealt with by the Home Ministry which, as with most things under their purview, sees it entirely as a threat to national security.

Unsurprisingly, refugees living here have the most miserable of lives. They cannot work and hence have few means of supporting themselves and their families. Their children ( there are 16,000 refugee children in Malaysia, more than half of whom are of school-age) cannot attend school. Healthcare is a major issue; refugees suffer all sorts of diseases and illnesses but cannot seek treatment even though generally our hospitals will not turn them away.

But generally they don't go to hospitals, firstly because of lack of money and secondly, because of the ever-present danger of running into RELA. Here's a video report on what refugees have to deal with in Malaysia.

There is also a photography exhibition on Burmese refugees at the Annexe, Central Market from October 15-25 which gives a good picture of their situation here. For details, please go here.

When we complain about the way other countries view us, we often don't make the connection between what we do to their nationals and how they respond. It is perfectly natural for any country to get upset if there are constant reports of their nationals being abused overseas. When we ourselves try to downplay the abuse by saying that it doesn't happen often, nobody really believes us. Our papers and TV routinely show migrant workers and refugees with very little sympathy or understanding for the circumstances they find themselves in.

As one of the panellists at the Human Development Report launch pointed out, our media are quick to report crimes committed by foreigners but rarely ever highlight the crimes commited against foreigners (unless they're white or tourists). If we detailed all the abuse against migrant workers and foreigners ranging from refusal to pay salaries to making them work all hours to outright thievery to rape and possibly even murder, we really don't come out well at all.

Yet we have politicians who do very little about these abuses because they think blaming foreigners for everything is what we want to hear. Add to that a complicit media who choose to report on how supposedly generous we are ( including the abhorrently patronising "they should be thankful we're giving them jobs at all!" stance), rather than the truth, then we will perpetually remain at the bottom of the friendliness to foreigners scale.

And we want to sell 1Malaysia to the world?

Tariq Ramadan on Islam and Punishment

2009-10-03T13:22:00.000+08:00

You may have heard that various Muslim NGO groups have called for the censure of the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), especially one of its component members Sisters in Islam, for supposedly insulting Islam by calling for a revision of the caning sentence on Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno recently.

I'm not going to go into the arguments why I think that these groups are wrongheaded. Rather I would like here to quote an article by the Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan written in 2005 which pretty much sets out the issues we are currently facing today and where groups like SIS are coming from. It is a long article but it is worth reading all the way to the end. For those who may be unaware, Tariq Ramadan is the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna, one of the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Although born in Switzerland where his family was exiled by then President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, he studied Arabic and Islam at Al-Azhar University and also has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Geneva.

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An International call for Moratorium on corporal punishment, stoning and the death penalty in the Islamic World

Tuesday 5 April 2005, by Tariq Ramadan

Muslim majority societies and Muslims around the world are constantly confronted with the fundamental question of how to implement the penalties prescribed in the Islamic penal code. Evoking the notion of sharî’a, or more precisely hudûd[1], the terms of the debate are defined by central questions emerging from thought provoking discussions taking place between ulamâ’ (scholars) and/or Muslim masses: How to be faithful to the message of Islam in the contemporary era? How can a society truly define itself as “Islamic” beyond what is required in the daily practices of individual private life? But a critical and fruitful debate has not yet materialized.

Several currents of thought exist in the Islamic world today and disagreements are numerous, deep and recurring. Among these, a small minority demands the immediate and strict application of hudûd, assessing this as an essential prerequisite to truly defining a “Muslim majority society” as “Islamic”. Others, while accepting the fact that the hudûd are indeed found in the textual references (the Qur’an and the Sunna[2]), consider the application of hudûd to be conditional upon the state of the society which must be just and, for some, has to be “ideal” before these injunctions could be applied. Thus, the priority is the promotion of social justice, fighting against poverty and illiteracy etc. Finally, there are others, also a minority, who consider the texts relating to hudûd as obsolete and argue that these references have no place in contemporary Muslim societies.

One can see the opinions on this subject are so divergent and entrenched that it becomes difficult to discern what the respective arguments are. At the very moment we are writing these lines- while serious debate is virtually non-existent, while positions remain vague and even nebulous, and consensus among Muslims is lacking- women and men are being subjected to the application of these penalties.

For Muslims, Islam is a message of equality and justice. It is our faithfulness to the message of Islam that leads us to recognize that it impossible to remain silent in the face of unjust applications of our religious references. The debate must liberate itself and refuse to be satisfied by general, timid and convoluted responses. These silences and intellectual contortions are unworthy of the clarity and just message of Islam.

In the name of the scriptural sources, the Islamic teachings, and the contemporary Muslim conscience, statements must be made and decisions need to be taken.

• What does the majority of the ulamâ’ say?

All the ulamâ’ (scholars) of the Muslim world, of yesterday and of today and in all the currents of thought, recognize the existence of scriptural sources that refer to corporal punishment (Qur’an and Sunna), stoning of adulterous men and women (Sunna) and the penal code (Qur’an and Sunna). The divergences between the ulamâ’ and the various trends of thought (literalist, reformist, rationalist, etc.) are primarily rooted in the interpretation of a certain number of these texts, the conditions of application of the Islamic penal code, as well as its degree of relevance to the contemporary era (nature of the committed infractions, testimonials, social and political contexts, etc.).

The majority of the ulamâ’, historically and today, are of the opinion that these penalties are on the whole Islamic but that the conditions under which they should be implemented are nearly impossible to reestablish. These penalties, therefore, are “almost never applicable”. The hudûd would, therefore, serve as a “deterrent,” the objective of which would be to stir the conscience of the believer to the gravity of an action warranting such a punishment.

Anyone who reads the books of the ulamâ’, listens to their lectures and sermons, travels inside the Islamic world or interacts with the Muslim communities of the West will inevitably and invariably hear the following pronouncement from religious authorities: “almost never applicable”. Such pronouncements give the majority of ulamâ and Muslim masses a way out of dealing with the fundamental issues and questions without risking appearing to be have betrayed the Islamic scriptural sources. The alternative posture is to avoid the issue of hudûd altogether and/or to remain silent.

• What is happening on the ground?

One would have hoped that this pronouncement, “almost never,” would be understood as a assurance that women and men would be protected from repressive and unjust treatment; one would have wished that the stipulated conditions would be seen, by legislators and government who claim Islam, as an imperative to promote equality before the law and justice among humans.

Nothing could be further from the reality. Behind an Islamic discourse that minimizes the reality and rounds off the angles, and within the shadows of this “almost never”, lurks a somber reality where women and men are punished, beaten, stoned and executed in the name of hudûd while Muslim conscience the world over remains untouched.

It is as if one does not know, as though a minor violation is being done to the Islamic teachings. A still more grave injustice is that these penalties are applied almost exclusively to women and the poor, the doubly victimized, never to the wealthy, the powerful, or the oppressors. Furthermore, hundreds of prisoners have no access to anything that could even remotely be called defense counsel. Death sentences are decided and carried out against women, men and even minors (political prisoners, traffickers, delinquents, etc.) without ever given a chance to obtain legal counsel.

In resigning ourselves to having a superficial relationship to the scriptural sources, we betray the message of justice of Islam.

The international community has an equally major and obvious responsibility to be involved in addressing the question of hudûd in the Muslim world. Thus far, the denunciations have been selective and calculated for the protection of geostrategic and economic interests. A poor country, in Africa or Asia, trying to apply the hudûd or the sharî’a will face the mobilization of international campaigns as we have seen recently. This is not the case with rich countries, the petromonarchies and those considered “allies”. Towards the latter, denunciations are made reluctantly, or not at all, despite ongoing and acknowledged applications of these penalties typically carried out against the poorest or weakest segments of society. The intensity of the denouncements is inversely proportional to the interests at stake. A further injustice!

• The passion of the people, the fear of the ulamâ’

For those who travel within the Islamic world and interact with Muslims, an analysis imposes itself: everywhere, populations are demonstrating an increasing devotion to Islam and its teachings. This reality, although interesting in itself, could be troubling, and even dangerous when the nature of this devotion is so fervent, where there is no real knowledge or comprehension of the texts, where there is so little if any critical distance vis-à-vis the different scholarly interpretations, the necessary contextualization, the nature of the required conditions or, indeed the protection of the rights of the individual and the promotion of justice.

On the question of hudûd, one sometimes sees popular support hoping or exacting a literal and immediate application because the latter would guarantee henceforth the “Islamic” character of a society. In fact, it is not rare to hear Muslim women and men (educated or not, and more often of modest means) calling for a formal and strict application of the penal code (in their mind, the sharî’a) of which they themselves will often be the first victims.

When one studies this phenomenon, two types of reasoning generally motivate these claims:

1. The literal and immediate application of the hudûd legally and socially provides a visible reference to Islam. The legislation, by its harshness, gives the feeling of fidelity to the Qur’anic injunctions that demands rigorous respect of the text. At the popular level, one can infer in the African, Arabic, Asian as well as Western countries, that the very nature of this harshness and intransigence of the application, gives an Islamic dimension to the popular psyche.

2. The opposition and condemnations by the West supplies, paradoxically, the popular feeling of fidelity to the Islamic teachings; a reasoning that is antithetical, simple and simplistic. The intense opposition of the West is sufficient proof of the authentic Islamic character of the literal application of hudûd. Some will persuade themselves by asserting that the West has long since lost its moral references and became so permissive that the harshness of the Islamic penal code which punishes behaviors judged immoral, is by antithesis, the true and only alternative “to Western decadence”.

These formalistic and binary reasoning are fundamentally dangerous for they claim and grant an Islamic quality to a legislation, not in what it promotes, protects and applies justice to, but more so because it sanctions harsh and visible punishment to certain behaviors and in stark contrast and opposition to the Western laws, which are perceived as morally permissive and without a reference to religion[3].

One sees today that communities or Muslim people satisfy themselves with this type of legitimacy to back a government or a party that calls for an application of the sharî’a narrowly understood as a literal and immediate application of corporal punishment, stoning and the death penalty. When this type of popular passion takes hold, it is the first sign of a will to respond to various forms of frustration and humiliation by asserting an identity that perceives itself as Islamic (and anti-Western). Such an identity is not based on the comprehension of the objectives of the Islamic teachings (al maqâsid) or the different interpretations and conditions relating to the application of the hudûd. Faced with this passion, many ulamâ’ remain prudent for the fear of losing their credibility with the masses. One can observe a psychological pressure exercised by this popular sentiment towards the judicial process of the ulamâ’, which normally should be independent so as to educate the population and propose alternatives.

Today, an inverse phenomenon is revealing itself. The majority of the ulamâ’ are afraid to confront these popular and simplistic claims which lack knowledge, are passionate and binary, for fear of losing their status and being defined as having compromised too much, not been strict enough, too westernized or not Islamic enough. The ulamâ’, who should be the guarantors of a deep reading of the texts, the guardians of fidelity to the objectives of justice and equality and of the critical analysis of conditions and social contexts, find themselves having to accept either a formalistic application (an immediate non-contextualized application), or a binary reasoning (less West is more Islam), or hide behind “almost never applicable” pronouncements which protects them but which does not provide real solutions to the daily injustices experienced by women and the poor.

• An impossible status quo: our responsibility

The Islamic world is experiencing a very deep crisis the causes of which are multiple and sometimes contradictory. The political system of the Arab world is becoming more and more entrenched, references to Islam frequently instrumentalized, and public opinion is often muzzled or blindly passionate (to such a point as to accept, indeed even to call for, the most repressive interpretations and least just application of the “Islamic sharî’a” and hudûd).

In terms of the more circumscribed religious question, we can observe a crisis of authority accompanied by an absence of internal debate among the ulamâ’ in the diverse schools of thought and within Muslim societies. It becomes apparent that a variety of opinions, accepted in Islam, are whirling today within a chaotic framework leading to the coexistence of disparate and contradictory Islamic legal opinions each claiming to have more “Islamic character” than the other.

Faced with this legal chaos, the ordinary Muslim public is more appeased by “an appearance of fidelity”, then it is persuaded by opinions based on real knowledge and understanding of the governing Islamic principles and rules (ahkâm).

Let us look at the reality, as it exists. There is a today a quadruple crisis of closed and repressive political systems, religious authorities upholding contradictory juristic positions and unknowledgeable populations swept up in remaining faithful to the teachings of Islam through religious fervor than through true reflection.

The crisis cannot legitimize our silence. We are accomplices and guilty when women and men are punished, stoned or executed in the name of a formal application of the scriptural sources. It leaves the responsibility to the Muslims of the entire world. It is for them to rise to the challenge of remaining faithful to the message of Islam in the contemporary era; it is for them to denounce the failures and the betrayals being carried out by whatever authorities or any Muslim individual. A prophetic tradition reports: “Support your brother, whether he be unjust or victim of an injustice.” One of the Companions asked: “Messenger of God, I understand how to support someone that is a victim of injustice, but how can I support him who is unjust?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) responded: “Prevent him from being unjust, that is you support to him.”[4]

It thus becomes the responsibility of each ‘âlim (scholar), of each conscience, every woman and man, wherever they may be to speak up. Western Muslims either hide behind the argument that they are exempt from the application of the sharî’a or hudûd since they are “in a minority position”[5]. Their avoidance of the questions leaves a heavy and troubling silence. Or they express condemnation from afar without attempting to change the situation and influence the mentalities. These Muslim women and men who live in spaces of political freedom, who have access to education and knowledge, shoulder - in the very name of the Islamic teachings - have a major responsibility to attempt to reform the situation, open a relevant debate, condemn and put a end to injustices perpetrated in their name.

• A call, some questions:

Taking into account all these considerations, we launch today a call for an immediate international moratorium on corporal punishment, stoning and the death penalty in all Muslim majority countries. Considering that the opinions of most scholars, regarding the comprehension of the texts and the application of hudûd, are neither explicit nor unanimous (indeed there is not even a clear majority), and bearing in mind that political systems and the state of the majority Muslim societies do not guarantee a just and equal treatment of individuals before the law, it is our moral obligation and religious responsibility to demand for the immediate suspension of the application of the hudûd which is inaccurately accepted as an application of “Islamic sharî’a”.

This call doubles itself with a series of basic questions addressed to the body of Islamic religious authorities of the world, whatever their tradition (sunnî or shî’î), their school of thought (hanâfî, mâlikî, ja’farî, etc.) or their tendencies (literalist, salafî, reformist, etc.) :

1. What are the texts (and what is their respective degrees of recognized authenticity), that make reference to corporal punishment, stoning and to the death penalty in the corpus of the Islamic scriptural sources circumscribed to what the specialists call the hudûd? Where are the margins of possible interpretations and on which points are there clear divergences (al ikhtilâf) in the history of the Islamic law and in the contemporary era?

2. What are the conditions (shurût) stipulated for each of the penalties by the sources themselves, the consensus of the scholars (al ijmâ’) or by individual scholars through Islamic law history and jurisprudence (fiqh)? Where are the divergences on the stipulations and what “extenuating circumstances” were sometimes elaborated by religious authorities throughout history or within the different schools of thought?

3. The socio-political context (al wâqi’) was always considered by the ulamâ’ as one of the conditions needed for the application of hudûd. The importance of this question is such that it demands special treatment (and participation within the debate from intellectuals, notably those who are specialized in the social sciences). In which context today is it possible to apply hudûd? What would be the required conditions in terms of political systems and the application of the general legislation: freedom of expression, equality before the law, public education, eradication of poverty and social exclusion? Which are, in this domain, the areas of divergence between the legal schools and the ulamâ’ and on what are these disagreements based?

Studying these questions are meant to clarify the terms of the debate with regards to the interpretative latitudes offered by the texts, while simultaneously taking into account the determining state of contemporary societies and their evolution. This intra-community reflection requires from the start a double understanding of the texts and contexts, in keeping solemnly with the objectives of the Islamic message.

On the whole, this must allow us to respond to the questions of what is applicable (and according to which methods) and what is no longer applicable (considering the required conditions are impossible to reestablish as well as the fact that societal evolution is clearly moving away from the required ideal). This undertaking requires, from within, rigour, time and establishing spaces of dialogue and debate, nationally and internationally, between the ulamâ’, Muslim intellectuals and inside the Muslim communities since this matter is not only about a relationship to the texts, but equally, to the context. In the interval, there can be no justification for applying penalties that sanction legal approximations and injustices such as is the case today[6]. A moratorium would impose and allow a basic debate to unfold in serenity, without using it as an excuse to manipulate Islam. All injustices made legal in the name of Islam must stop immediately.

• Between the letter and objectives: fidelity

Some will understand this call as an instigation to disrespect the scriptural sources of Islam, thinking that to ask for a moratorium goes against the explicit texts of the Qu`ran and Sunna. Precisely the opposite is true: all the legal texts demand to be read in light of the objective intended to justify them (Al-maqâsid).

Foremost among these objectives, we find stipulated that the protection of the integrity of the person (an- nafs) and the promotion of justice (al-’adl) are primordial. Therefore, a literal and non-contextualized application of hudûd, with no regard for strict and numerous stipulated conditions, and one which would present itself as being faithful to the teachings of Islam, is in fact a betrayal if according to the context, for it produces an injustice. The caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab established a moratorium towards thieves when he suspended the application of the punishment during a famine. Despite the Qur’anic text being very explicit on this, the state of the society meant it would have been an unjust literal application: they would have castigated poor people whose potential theft would have been for the sole purpose of surviving in a state of absolute poverty. Therefore, in the name of absolute justice demanded by the global message of Islam, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab decided to suspend the application of a text: keeping with the literalist interpretation would have meant disloyalty and betrayal of the superior value of Islam that is justice. It is in the name of Islam and in the understanding of texts that he suspended the application of one of these injunctions.

The moratorium finds here a precedent of the utmost importance. Reflection and necessary reform within Muslim majority societies will not occur but from within. It is for Muslims to take up their responsibilities and set in motion a debate that opens an intra-community dialogue, while refusing the continued legalized injusticesin the name of Islam, i.e. in their name.

An endogenous dynamic is imperative.This does not mean that the questions put forward by non-Muslim intellectuals or citizens should be dismissed. On the contrary, all parties must learn to decentre themselves and move towards listening to the other, to the other’s points of reference, logic and their aspiration. For Muslims, all queries, from their co-religionists or women and men who do share their religious conviction, are welcome. It is for us to make use of these questions as a spark of dynamism to our thoughts. This is how we can remain faithful to the justice demanded by Islam while taking into account also the demands of the contemporary era.

• Conclusion

This call for an immediate moratorium on corporal punishment, stoning and the death penalty is demanding on many fronts. We are defining it as a call to consciousness of each individual so that she/he realizes that Islam is being used to degrade and subjugate women and men in certain Muslim majority societies in the midst of collusive silence and chaotic judicial opinions on the ground. This realization implies:

A mobilization of ordinary Muslims throughout the world to call on their governments to place an immediate moratorium on the application of hudûd and for the opening of a vast intra-community debate (critical, reasonable and reasoned) between the ulamâ, the intellectuals, the leaders and the general population.

Taking the ulamâ to account so that they at last dare to report the injustices and instrumentalization of Islam in the field of hudûd and, in the name of fidelity to the Islamic texts, to put out a call for an immediate moratorium emulating the example of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.

Promoting education of Muslim populations so that they go beyond the mirage of the formalism and appearances. The application of the repressive interpretations, measures and punishment does not make a society more faithful to the Islamic teachings. It is more the capacity to promote social justice and the protection the integrity of every individual, woman or man, rich or poor, that determines a truly authentic fidelity. The priority, according to the norms of Islam, is given to the protection of rights not to administering punishments which are meant to be implemented under strict and conditioned exceptions.

This movement for reform from within, by the Muslims and in the name of the message and reference texts of Islam, should never neglect listening to the surrounding world as well as to the inquiries that Islam raises in non-Muslim minds. Not to concede to responses from “the other”, from “the West”, but, in order to remain, in its mirror, more constructively faithful to oneself.

We urge all of those that take heed to this call to join us and make their voices heard for the immediate suspension of the application of hudûd in the Muslim world so that a real debate establishes itself on the question. We say that in the name of Islam, of its texts and of the message of justice, we can no longer accept that women and men undergo punishment and death while we remain utterly silent, as accomplices, through a process which is ultimately cowardly.

It is urgent that Muslim throughout the world refuse the formalist legitimization of the teachings of their religion and reconcile themselves with the deep message that invites towards spirituality, demands education, justice and the respect of pluralism. Societies will never reform themselves by repressive measures and punishment but more so by the engagement of each to establish civil society and the respect of popular will as well as a just legislation guaranteeing the equality of women and men, poor and rich before the law. It is urgent to set in motion a democratization movement that moves populations from the obsession of what the law is sanctioning to the claim of what it should protect: their conscience, their integrity, their liberty and their rights.

Footnotes:

[1] A concept which literally means “limits”. In the specialized language of Muslim jurists, (fuqahâ’), this term is inclusive of the punishment which is revealed in the application of the Islamic Penal code. Sharî’a, literally ‘the way to the source” and a path to faithfulness, is a corpus of Islamic jurisprudence the in-depth definition of which is beyond the scope of this paper. Sharî’a has sadly been reduced to legalistic formulae of a penal code in the minds of many, Muslims and non-Muslim alike
[2] Prophetic tradition: texts which report what the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) did, said or approved of during his lifetime.
[3] In Muslim countries, laws that we see as being “ borrowed from the west “ are often interpreted as tools by dictatorial governments to mislead and legitimize their autocratic character, and more importantly, to promote a westernized culture and morals.
[4] Hadîth reported by al-Bukhârî and Muslim.
[5] The argument is weak and dangerous as it tacitly accepts the application of hudûd within today’s societal context as “ Islamic “
[6] If ever in doubt, all circumstances require the benefit of the doubt towards the accused according to a legal universal principle (acknowledged from the start by the tradition of Islamic jurisprudence)

A Tale of Two Schools of Thought

2009-09-29T15:40:00.004+08:00

The other day there was this interesting article in The Star. It's not anything women's groups have not known but now we have empirical evidence for it. It just goes to show that stereotypes about both boys and girls benefit neither.

The Star Online > Education
Sunday September 27, 2009

Boy, it's a tough world for girls!

By CHOI TUCK WO

The world has come a long way since the days of calling for the emancipation of women but gender bias is prevalent in many nations, including Malaysia.

BOYS seem to fall behind girls in Malaysia. And it's not for lack of attention.

On the contrary, their preferential treatment in school and at home may have contributed to their somewhat lax attitude towards their studies.

While most girls see education as their passport to the future, boys appear to take it for granted, according to a study on gender bias in schools.

Yet despite this subtle gender discrimination at almost all levels - in the classroom, textbooks and even sports and games - the boys appear to be outsmarted by girls.

With most leaders and role models being men, it is little wonder that boys harbour a surreal feeling that they can do well in life even if they don't excel in education.

"The compelling factor to perform well in studies doesn't exist for boys as much as they do for girls," explains Dr Jyotsna Jha, one of the authors of a new book, Exploring the Bias: Gender and Stereotyping in Secondary Schools.

Published by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, the 272-page book covering seven countries including Malaysia showed that schools in general reflected and reinforced gender disparities.

The survey involved two groups, the first on India, Pakistan and Nigeria, where girls lag behind boys and the second on Malaysia, Seychelles, Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago, where boys struggled behind girls.

As a follow-up to the study, a second book The Gender-Responsive School: An Action Guide has also been published, providing teachers and head teachers guidance on how to make schools more gender-responsive.

Both reports come in the wake of a survey by the Lancaster University Management School that sex discrimination in the hiring and promotion of women is still a thorny issue in Malaysia. (The Star Eurofile July 26, 2009 under the heading 'Man, it's tough going for women'.)

Stereotypical view

Dr Jha notes that most researchers usually looked at the issue of access to education, but they wanted to examine how gender bias worked when children get to school.

"The rising trend of boys' under-achievement has been deliberated among Commonwealth countries over the years," she says, adding that in Malaysia, boys did not perform as well as girls.

She cites a number of reasons, including the fact that they see education differently despite getting better treatment in school and at home.

Dr Jha draws attention to the stereotypical view on domestic roles for girls like sweeping the floor, looking after siblings and washing dishes while boys almost had a free hand in what they do.

Hence, girls feel resentful about the favouritism towards the boys, who prefer to get involved in mat rempit (motorcycle racing) activities, hang out at cybercafes and lepak (loiter) at shopping malls.

"Such a bias attitude generally existed in all seven countries, not just Malaysia, but with slight changes in forms," she says.

For instance, in Pakistan, Nigeria and parts of India, their only focus was on boys and education was still considered 'more manly', she adds.

She also touches briefly on the conclusion that there's evidence of gender discrimination at almost all levels in Malaysia. It can be seen in the attitudes, thinking and behaviour of students, teachers, and principals.

"Even school games and sports are highly geared towards boys' interests, while library books focus mostly on male personalities," she notes.

Dr Jha says they came up with a second book which provides a practical guide to support schools to change and address certain stereotypes.

"We had teachers who went through the whole process of teaching certain things differently, so that both boys and girls take more interest in them," she says.

Unwritten rule

Malaysian women's rights activist Maria Chin Abdullah says that educational institutions must recognise that the 'Education for All' policy did not mean that girls and boys would automatically have equal access (to education) and develop similarly.

She says girls and boys have adapted differently, have different expectations and have been exposed to different social expectations and pressures.

"This gender neutral policy must be supported with a deeper analysis of how it impacts boys and girls," says Maria, who undertook the study on Malaysia based on a gender analysis of classroom and other processes in schools.

She says that where girls might do well in studies, the support was about breaking the stereotype values that still viewed girls as subordinate, hence their contribution was seen as supplementary and not key to the nation's development.

Maria, who conducted the study on four secondary schools in Sungai Petani, Kedah, speaks of the 'unwritten rule' in two of them, where only boys were appointed as head prefects and class monitors.

"School text books are also good examples of the kind of sexism that is unintentionally practised," she says, adding that both teachers and students hold stereotyped ideas on the roles of boys and girls.

On girls' roles, she says they were taught to take on responsibilities as part of growing up and were also taught to multi-task.

In contrast, boys are often excused from housework, given freedom to have fun and socialise with friends.

"Basically, they're free from responsibility. At times, society and their families excuse boys for behaving irresponsibly through escape valves," she says.

Sexuality programmes

These have given rise to different expectations being placed on boys as their parents, and to a large extent society, expect them to be bread winners, hence leaders, while girls' roles are supplementary and domestic in nature.

Such different expectations may have pushed girls to do well in their studies, while boys may feel that even if they do not excel, they have alternatives and are still regarded as leaders and heads of households.

Maria admits that her respondents were concerned about the discrimination, but have not been able to change it.

Most of the girls, she says, accepted the unequal relationship as given and static. This sentiment is stronger with those from the rural schools.

"However, I remember three respondents stating they will not accord such treatment to their children nor will they allow them to discriminate against women".

She says that so far, there had been little change in the education system where gender issues were concerned.

In teacher training courses, such concepts and challenges need to be raised, discussed and teachers have to be taught on how to bring about change.

But there is no gender or women's rights course taught in teacher training or in refresher courses, she says.

Maria says women groups in Malaysia had to constantly fight for sexuality programmes to be taught in schools but they have not as yet been implemented.

She believes that discrimination and violence against women still remain the country's biggest challenges.

The two books are available at; MDC

Book Distributors Sdn Bhd, MDC Building, 2717 & 2718, Jalan Permata 4, Taman Permata, 53300 Ulu Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

(tel: 603-4108-6600), University Bookstore (M) Sdn Bhd, 43, Jalan 34/154, Taman Delima, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (tel: 603-9100-1860) and major book stores in Malaysia.

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While our 'secular' education system is doing little to eliminate gender bias and discrimination, surprisingly more is being done in another type of school system:

Indonesian Muslim students listen to their teacher during a class at an Islamic boarding school in Yogyakarta on Aug. 3, 2007

Dwi Oblo / Reuters / Landov

When she was widowed two years ago, most people in the Javanese village of Babakan Ciwaringin expected Nyai Yu Masriyah Amva to marry again. They also assumed that the local pesantren, or traditional Indonesian Islamic boarding school, would close with the death of her husband, its head Islamic scholar.

Neither happened. Bucking tradition, Amva decided that she would run the school. "If men can do it, then why can't I?" the 48-year-old recalls praying. "If you, Allah, are the source of all power, then why do I have to find someone else to run it? Just give me the power. I know that I can do it." After all, she reasoned Megawati Sukarnoputri, Indonesia's ex-president, was a woman, joining the ranks of "Benazir [Bhutto], and Elizabeth, and the woman Madonna played in that movie" — Evita Peron.

Straight-backed, in red lipstick and maroon-and-white polka dots, a sheer black veil slipping off her hair, Amva strides around the campus of Pesantran Kebon Jambu, which takes its name from the guava orchards that stood there before the school's mint-and-white mosque and tile-roofed dormitories.

Born in the village to a family of respected kyais, or Islamic teachers, she learned her Arabic and the study of the Quran and the Islamic traditions at her father's pesantren.

"My grandfather and parents always hoped someday I'd become a respected scholar," she smiles, pouring tea in her airy her on-campus house. "But since my husband died, people say I have become a superstar."

She recalls addressing a nervous student body the week she took over: "You don't have to be afraid because the kyai has passed away," she says she told the 700-odd teenagers. "You still have the greatest thing in this world: Allah. He is with us, and you will be guided by his light."

This July's bombings at two five-star hotels in Jakarta and the 2002 bombings in Bali raised fears among counterterrorism experts that Indonesia's 12,000 pesantren were potential breeding grounds for radicalism. And while suicide bombers and radicals have been traced to a few schools notorious for their extremist teachings, others have been incubators for a more benign trend in the world's most populous Muslim nation: the development of feminist readings of the Quran and Islamic traditions.

Indonesia's two largest Muslim political parties — the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah — have intricate campaigns promoting women's rights. Indonesian feminists, male and female alike, have worked with progressive pesantren to develop women-friendly interpretations of shari'a — a radical break with the conservative notions of shari'a across the Muslim world, which tend to be heavily reliant on the world views of medieval — and male — jurists.

Feminism has found fertile soil in Indonesia, whose Islamic traditions are relatively porous, and whose traditional agricultural culture often had men and women working together in the fields , in contrast, say, to the segregated tribal customs of Arabia. It's not that these ideas don't find resistence: There's a strong tradition of male authority in Indonesia, as well as a more recent trend towards fundamentalism, so feminists have to be careful to pick kyais who will be open to their teachings.

Jakarta-based feminist activist Lies Marcoes-Natsir says much of her work is protecting indigenous Indonesian Islamic culture from the spread of stricter, Saudi-style Wahhabi interpretations of Islam. "The good thing is that [Indonesia's religious scholars] are also worried about Wahhabism, so we can work hand-in-hand with them," she says. Tellingly, Marcoes-Natsir finds that traditional scholars are easier to get through to than many middle-class urbanites. Where classically trained scholars know of the diversity of interpretations of Islamic law, those less versed tend to insist that it's far stricter than it really is.

Together with Indonesia's most prominent male feminist cleric, Kyai Husein Muhammad, Marcoes-Natsir has developed a course for teaching gender equality in Islam. On a hot summer morning in Cirebon, Northern Java, she taught a workshop on reproductive health, which had her gamely sketching fallopian tubes on a white-board, and parsing Quranic verses on reproductive rights.

From the young men and women students, there were nods, furious scribblings, and the odd giggle. And then there was the group of young women, all majoring in gender studies at the local Islamic college, who were snapping pictures to post on their feminist blog.

"The patriarchy is very strong," concedes one blogger, Asih Baet, in John Lennon specs and a black hijab. But across Indonesia, in mosques, on blogs, and in former guava orchards, there are rebellions against it.

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Ahh...if only our Malaysian Islamic parties and religious schools would develop more female-friendly interpretations of the shari'a like their Indonesian counterparts...

An Amazing Talent

2009-09-25T23:08:00.002+08:00

Dear folks, Selamat Hari Raya again! Sorry for not posting anything for a while but with all the Raya festivities, it's been hard to get time. Hope your holidays and festivities have been equally busy and good.

Meantime, thought I would share this amazing video with you. Creativity and imagination really has no bounds. Enjoy!

A Note on Forgiveness

2009-09-19T10:30:00.003+08:00

Dear folks, it is finally the end of Ramadan and after the long month of restraint and denial of food, we may now celebrate joyfully with loved ones, family and friends.

One of the most important deeds that everyone does on Hari Raya Aidil Fitri is to ask for forgiveness. From our parents first of all, then everyone else in the family older than us, then our contemporaries. In my family, it is a Raya morning ritual when we queue up from the eldest to the very youngest to wish my parents and ask for their forgiveness for every coarse word, every transgression conscious or otherwise that we may have done in the past year. The forgiveness is always lovingly given of course, and for the children, also accompanied by duit Raya.

Of course, forgiveness from God is the most coveted.

In Surah An-Nisa (The Women),

4:110 If any one does evil or wrongs his own soul but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (Yusuf Ali translation)

And in Surah Al-Maidah (The Table Spread),

5:9 To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward. (Yusuf Ali translation)

Let us hope that we all will obtain God's forgiveness for whatever wrong that we may do.

With that, I wish you all Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir bathin. Peace and forgiveness on ALL humankind.

Here's a bit of humour on the theme of forgiveness, courtesy of the great P. Ramlee (thanks Pah Nur!).

Buka'ing Together on Malaysia Day

2009-09-17T15:51:00.002+08:00

This is the buka I had at my house yesterday as part of the Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia initiative.

For the past few years I've invited my neighbours over for tea on August 31, Merdeka Day. This year I couldn't because of Ramadan. But the Fast for the Nation initiative proved a good reason to invite my neighbours again to celebrate Malaysia Day instead.

Not all of them could make it so I invited some young friends as well. We had really yummy Indian food including really delicious home-made mutton curry from one of my neighbours. Sat around the table and chatted about all sorts of things and mostly, laughed a lot.

Afterwards, some of us went to Chawan in Bangsar for the closing supper. About 50 of us were there and it was a casual affair where we chatted about the whole day and how it made us feel. I met an old Sikh uncle who said he'd never fasted in his whole 73 years til yesterday and it was no problem at all.

I am really impressed by how my non-Muslim friends took this on and fasted with so much enthusiasm and commitment. If you'd like to see all the photos and comments, do go to the blogsite and scroll down on the start button for the 'live' chat. So amazing to see the photos from Australia and London!

A funny thing happened when we were at Chawan. As we sat there chatting away, we saw someone come in that looked rather familiar. It turned out to be the pony-tailed guy in the Shah Alam dialogue video! So strange that he should turn up on the very day we had all fasted as a show of solidarity against the likes of him!

What's more, one of my young friends actually strode up to him and tried to engage him in a conversation about not so much his right to protest but how he and his friends did it. It was extremely civilised and no voices were raised. But she said he just didn't get it and thought of himself as a hero of some sort, boasting of the support he had gotten. If only he knew who all these people in the tables around him were and what we had been doing all day!

I have to salute my young friend for her courage and resoluteness in confronting him. I doubt she changed his mind but at the very least, I hope she rattled him a bit.

Maybe, he should take a trip to Virginia and talk to the Muslims there:

The Star Online > Nation

Published: Thursday September 17, 2009 MYT 2:44:00 PM
Updated: Thursday September 17, 2009 MYT 2:52:00 PM

US synagogue serves as mosque during Ramadan

RESTON, Virginia: On Friday afternoons, the people coming to pray at this building take off their shoes, unfurl rugs to kneel on and pray in Arabic.

The ones that come Friday evenings put on yarmulkes, light candles and pray in Hebrew.

The building is a synagogue on a tree-lined street in suburban Virginia, but for the past few weeks - during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan - it has also been doubling daily as a mosque.

Synagogue members suggested their building after hearing the Muslim congregation was looking to rent a place for overflow crowds.

In this Sept. 14, 2009 photo, people participate in Ramadan prayers held at the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston, Va. The prayers are organized by the All Dulles Area Muslim Center, who rent the space in the synagogue for the month of Ramadan. - AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

"People look to the Jewish-Muslim relationship as conflict," said All Dulles Area Muslim Society Imam Mohamed Magid, saying it's usually disputes between the two groups in the Middle East that make news.

"Here is a story that shatters the stereotype."

Magid, who grew up in Sudan, said he did not meet someone who was Jewish until after he had moved to the U.S. in his 20s, and he never imagined having such a close relationship with a rabbi.

But he said the relationship with the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation has affected him and his members.

Beyond being tolerant, the synagogue and its members have been welcoming.

He said one member of the mosque told him, "Next time I see a Jewish person I will not look at them the same."

Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk, who leads the Reform congregation of about 500 families, said the relationship works both ways.

"You really only get to know someone when you invite them into your home ... you learn to recognize their faces. You learn the names of their children," Nosanchuk said.

The actual prayers are held in the building's social hall, which is used by the synagogue for a range of activities from educational programs to dance classes and receptions.

Both the synagogue and the mosque have a history of sharing space with other religious groups.

People coming to Friday night services at the synagogue sometimes park in an adjoining church's parking lot; on Sundays, sometimes churchgoers park behind the synagogue.

And the mosque has rented space from others since it was founded in 1983.

Members have prayed in a recreation center, a high school, an office building and, for a long time, a church.

As the mosque has grown, however, it has needed more space. In 2002 the community opened its own building in Sterling, Virginia.

It holds 900 people for prayers, but the community has satellite locations to accommodate more people: a hotel, a banquet hall and even a second synagogue, Beth Chaverim Reform congregation, in Ashburn, Virginia.

The community began renting space at the two synagogues in 2008.

They began holding daily prayers at the Ashburn synagogue and prayers on Friday afternoons, the week's main prayer service, at the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation.

This is the first year, however, they have rented space at the synagogue for the daily prayers for Ramadan, which began at the end of August.

More than 100 people come to the daily services, which are held from 9 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. except for Friday, when the services are in the afternoon.

The society pays the synagogue US$300 a day.

The partnership isn't entirely new.

The two communities have held occasional events together going back a decade: dialogues and community service.

Still, some members of both communities were unsure of how things would work at first.

"When they rented the place, I was surprised, but then after that when I came here and saw how nicely everything is set up and how well done it is ... I am very happy with it," said mosque member Ambreen Ahmed.

Now, mosque members sometimes greet the rabbi with the Hebrew greeting "Shalom"; he'll answer back with the Arabic equivalent, "Salaam."

Nosanchuk spoke at Friday afternoon prayers recently.

The imam spoke at Friday evening Shabbat services.

Both groups say the relationship won't be over when Ramadan ends in North America over the weekend.

The rabbi and imam are talking about possibly even making a joint trip to the Middle East, and Friday prayers will still be held at the synagogue.

Magid says some mosque members, in fact, have permanently moved from the mosque to the synagogue.

"Where have you been?" he asked one man who used to pray regularly at the mosque.

"You saw me in the synagogue," the man replied.

"All the time?" the imam asked.

"It's cozy, it's nice. Your parking lot is overcrowded ... and I like to be there," the man said.

The imam joked maybe the man should stay for the Sabbath service.

Said the imam: "That shows you how comfortable they have become." - AP

All Dulles Area Muslim Society: http://www.adamscenter.org/

Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation: http://www.nvhcreston.org/

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Dare we hope that we'll be like this one day? InsyaAllah.

Sahur-ing Together for Malaysia Day

2009-09-16T15:58:00.004+08:00

The long table at Lotus (pic courtesy of Pahlawan Volunteers)

Last night there were so many worries on the mind of those of us in the core group of the Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia initiative. Can we get up? Would anyone come?

We needn't have worried. My husband, daughter and I arrived at Lotus restaurant at Jln Yong Shook Lin at about 4.45 to find it very quiet. Oh dear, I thought, nobody's here! Then when we walked in I saw an old friend (and first ever boss!) Ayesha Harben whom I haven't seen in ages.

"Are you here for the sahur?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yes! Of course! This is such a great idea!" she replied with a big smile.

And then they streamed in. We started putting tables together to form one and it got longer and longer and stretched right across the restaurant. My fellow core group members, Rev Sivin Kit, Wong Chin Huat and Ivy Josiah greeted friends and strangers who had showed up. Even though some of us did not know one another, we greeted each other as if we were old friends. It was the idea of us all being here to do the same thing that made a really convivial atmosphere.

While we chatted, we ordered our food and drinks. Tosai, roti canai, mee goreng and nasi lemak seemed the most popular. One new friend managed to persuade her three sons, twins aged 7 and another aged 4, to come with the promise that they would get roti canai.

Various people had volunteered themselves to take a video and photographs. (Please take a look at the blogsite to see them.) One health drink company came and offered us their product which they said would keep our energy up all day. (Seems to be working, none of my non-Muslim friends have faltered thus far!). We all signed our names and put messages on a long sheet of paper to commemorate this unique event.

At the end of the meal, just at imsak when Muslims had to stop eating, we all stood up and sang "Negara Ku". It was truly a moment when we all felt united as Malaysians, rising above hate, violence and divisiveness to celebrate the day 46 years ago when we became the nation called Malaysia.

I have to say that I am truly appreciative of my non-Muslim friends, new and old, who are fasting. We Muslims are used to doing this every year for a whole month and we know how tough it can be. So to be so committed to try it out for a cause is really admirable. I am truly touched.

Muslims fast in the name of God. But Ramadan has always also been a time of not just personal sacrifice and restraint but also of goodwill in the community. When we share our meals and our prayers, such as the terawih prayers, it creates what we call 'sillatul rahim' , the feeling of bonding and friendship, among us. To be able to extend that feeling to our friends of other faiths is surely added berkat.

Will update later on how our various buka puasa events went. Meantime I am trying to encourage my fasting friends to keep going and enjoy the rewards of buka'ing after a long hungry day!

Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia Update

2009-09-15T13:19:00.003+08:00

Hi all,

Hope you are all getting ready for tomorrow! If you haven't signed up yet, do please go to the Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia blog site. There's also a live chat going on there where you can leave comments and interact with Rev Sivin Kit, one of the members of the core group of this initiative.

Many many people have signed up for it. If you're in the KL/PJ area, do join us for sahur at Lotus restaurant, PJ State at 5am tomorrow.

Some of the first participants talked about why they are joining this initiative here.

Please don't forget that if you are participating, do send us photos of either your sahur or buka (or both) to peace4malaysia@gmail.com for us to upload onto the website. Don't forget to caption them with your names and location.

Thank you for your support!

Peace!

Meme:Save Yvonne's Sight

2009-09-13T10:27:00.003+08:00

Last April I wrote about Yvonne Foong, the young woman who's been singlehandedly raising funds for the operations she needs to treat her neurofibromatosis which causes tumours to grow inside her body.

Yesterday I got tagged by Bibliobibuli for this Save Yvonne's Sight Meme. When I met her some six months ago, Yvonne had already lost her hearing and communicated through writing on a small white board. But now she's losing her eyesight and needs another operation again. The operation is due in December and once again she needs to raise funds for it. The cost of the surgery is USD44,000 (RM154,770) and the cost of her hospital stay for two weeks is USD915 or RM3219.

She has already raised RM10,000 of this but obviously still has a long way to go. She's hoping to raise the rest by republishing her book I'm Not Sick, Just A Little Bit Unwell in English and Chinese.The books are now available in Malaysian bookshops and from her website store. She is also selling T-shirts at bazaars and via her web site store. You can read about her surgery and donate to her fund here.

You can also help by sending on this meme. If you do, please follow these meme rules:

1. Create a blog entry titled "Meme: Save Yvonne's Sight"

2. List three things you love to see. Add in the picture of Yvonne's book cover. The URL is http://www.yvonnefoong.com/images/banner/my-story.jpg

3. End with the line, "Yvonne Foong is in danger of losing her eyesight thanks to neurofibromatosis (NF). Please find out how you can help her by visiting her blog at http://www.yvonnefoong.com.

4. Tag 5 blog friends. Be sure to copy the rules, OK?

5. If you have a Facebook account, please check out Ellen's new invention, a "feme" pronounced FEEM, a meme designed for Facebook here. And if you want to blog about NF, that would be great too!

The three things I love to see are:

1. My daughters' smiles
2.Rolling green hills
3.My friends chatting and laughing together

I'm tagging the following blogger friends to ask them to help out:

1. Niki Cheong
2. Nuraina Samad
3. Ruby Ahmad
4. Kaytee Moc
5. Anas Zubedy

Anyone else interested in passing on this meme is more than welcome to do so. Yvonne (and I) will much appreciate it!

Puasa for Malaysia

2009-09-11T15:22:00.006+08:00

Folks, it's Malaysia Day next week on Sept 16, the day a whole lot of different peoples came together as a nation. It's a day of celebration. This year some of us want to celebrate in a different way, a way that promotes peace and harmony.

This is the way we want to do it. Please read the letter below:

Dear friends,

A few friends met up some days ago and in talking about events that have happened in the country in the past year, came up with this idea: what if on Malaysia Day we all fast for peace for our nation? The idea grew into a plan and now, it has become a nationwide call for action.

"Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia" is our response to this call. Please read below and join us:

Malaysia is a peaceful country and it should remain that way forever. Acts of Violence and inciting hatred must have no place in our public life.

Unfortunately, too many cruelties and injustices have happened since the nation’s last birthday.

It is tempting to slip into despair or become revengeful. Let us turn our anger and sadness into a positive force for change.

This September 16, let us all combine our efforts to present a meaningful gift for Malaysia on her 46th birthday.

Let us be united in one single action. Let us all fast from dawn to dusk for peace in this blessed land. Let the Muslims amongst us fast with a specific prayer for peace for the nation. Let the Bahais, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Taoists, followers of other spiritual traditions and atheists amongst us fast in solidarity and the same determination for peace.

Let our common experience of hunger and human weakness humble, strengthen and unite us.

Let us offer a hospitable smile to people we know and especially to those we don’t.

Let us perform one extra act of kindness while fasting on this Malaysia Day.

Let us show our love and compassion for each other.

Let Malaysia be a better country on her 46th birthday and every day after.

Let Malaysia be truly happy and peaceful this September 16.

And so we fast.
. . . . . . to make room for justice and peace!

Things you can do and How do you join?:

1. Sign up.

- e-mail your pledge to fast on Sept 16, 2009, to: peace4malaysia09@gmail.com.
or SMS to 016-9707966

or leave a comment at http://peace4msia.blogspot.com/
(If you want, you may include your age and location)

or sign the petition here http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/peace4msia/

2. Forward this e-mail to your circle of friends, family and colleagues. Please try to get your friends and family from outside the Klang Valley to sign up as well

3. Come to the press conference to announce this initiative: Friday, 11am, Sept 11, 2009, at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (Report on this below)

4. Break fast (or have the pre-fast meal) together wherever your location is and send pics and captions to: peace4malaysia09@gmail.com

Here are the standard recommendations which you may modify according to your preferences, medical conditions and other circumstances.

• Get a group of at least three people.

• Have your pre-fast meal together before dawn (e.g. before 5.35am for Muslims*). The meal is preferably vegetarian to be inclusive to all.

• Carry out your daily duties and tasks as usual.

• Smile and do an extra act of kindness to people around you or afar.

• Share your message of peace with every curious person.

• Break your fast together after dusk(e.g. after 7.25 pm for Muslims*). The meal is preferably vegetarian to be inclusive to all.

• Share your experience, feelings and thoughts in this national fasting exercise with more people, in every possible way.

Plotting goodness with friends,

Sivin Kit
On behalf of
"Fast for the Nation, Peace for the Nation 2009" Core Group

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first people to join the Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia initiative.

Well we had the press conference this morning and lots of amazing people turned up to support. Chef Wan was one of the first to agree because he says we should all come to the table with respect for peace. Former Miss Malaysia, Deborah Henry said that she believes that the majority of Malaysians want peace and reject hatred. Singer Reshmonu, who brought his friends, singer/songwriter Saran, DJ Roshan and rapper Altimet along, said that he loves Malaysia and wants a peaceful country for his two young kids to grow up in. 3R host Rafidah Abdullah thinks that young people all want peace for our country and will publicise this through the 3R website.

The religious communities were represented by The Most Venerable K Sri Dhammaratana, Buddhist Chief High Priest of Malaysia, Malaysian Council of Churches General Secretary Rev Hermen Shastri and the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia. Invitations had also been sent out to many other faith organisations but due to the short notice, they had not had time to revert but we expect everyone of every religion to be supportive.

The Bunga Raya, our National Flower, is a symbol of beauty and harmony.

Also present were various individuals from different walks of life. Renowned personality Dato Mahadzir Lokman was there as was Anas Zubedy of the famous Zubedy ads. NGOs such as Ivy Josiah from Women's Aid Organisation, Poh Yoke Lin from All Women's Action Society, Maria Chin Abdullah from Empower and Zainah Anwar from Sisters in Islam. Also people who may not be so well-known but nevertheless are keen to show their support. Already more than 50 people have signed up to join the fast and the response has been so positive that we expect many many more to do so too.

It was a really wonderful get-together where everyone was really united in wanting to do something at a rakyat level to change things for the better. At the end we all stood up and sang NegaraKu and I'm sure, like me, everyone had a lump in their throats.

For those of you in KL/PJ, we will start off this event with sahur on the morning of September 16 at Lotus restaurant in PJ (PJ State) so if you're free and able to wake up, do join us. Then there will also be a few venues for buka puasa which we will announce later.

Folks, we need to reclaim our Malaysia from those that would divide us. These types of community initiatives where people get together for a joint purpose for the good of our society and country can help change the mood of things. We hope that this initiative will have a ripple effect and spread the idea of peace among our people.

As the representative from the Young Buddhists said, individually we are just a drop of water that will evaporate. But together we drops of water can become a river!

So fast on September 16 in honour of our Malaysia and do something kind for someone!

Where On Earth Do We Get Them?

2009-09-07T12:50:00.002+08:00

Where do we get Ministers like this? Since when has 'tapping a chair with a cane' been the equivalent of caning a human being? Did the chair give him the positive feedback?

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/6/nation/4660845&sec=nation

Sunday September 6, 2009

Dept cleared to cane part-time model Kartika

By PAUL GABRIEL

KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has “cleared” the Prisons Department to cane part-time model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno.

He said department director-general Datuk Zulkifli Omar and a woman officer came to his office last week to conduct a caning demonstration for him.

“She tapped the back of a chair with the cane.

“There was little force involved and it was not going to inflict pain, not even like the caning carried out in schools in those days.

“I am now satisfied that the caning can be carried out by the department if the court decides to proceed and enforce the sentence,” he said in an interview.

Hishammuddin had recently said the ministry needed to study the proper procedures before caning the woman according to Syariah law, adding that he would not allow the department to execute the caning sentence if it did not have the knowledge and expertise to do it. (what degree do you need to carry out caning?)

Kartika, a 32-year-old mother-of-two, was fined RM5,000 and ordered to be whipped six times for drinking beer in a hotel in Cherating last year.

Her sentence has been deferred until after Ramadan.

Several parties, such as the Bar Council, have called for the sentence to be annulled.

Hishammuddin said that although he was now satisfied that the department was able to conduct the caning, he still felt it had no experience to do so.

“This is because the woman (Kartika) will be the first to be caned (under Syariah laws applicable to Muslims). Four men who have received caning sentences by the Syariah Court are appealing their sentences,” he said.

On the merits of Kartika’s caning sentence, the minister said he had told the department not to get “embroiled in this.”

“That is not their purview. It is the judicial process which decides that. If the caning sentence is to be imposed, it is their duty to carry it out fairly.” (Fairly? What's fairly?)

Kartika’s father, Shukarno Mutalib, when contacted, said the family was happy to hear that the department was able to handle the caning.

“Alhamdullillah (praise be upon Allah). Kartika wants it over and done with,” he said.

The End of Civility?

2009-09-06T10:49:00.003+08:00

I grew up in Kedah and Kedahans, while not an overly formal people, put great store on courtesy and manners. Known for being gentle people, we were governed by many rules on how we behaved and spoke, particularly to our elders.

For instance, it was considered extremely impolite to refer to ourselves as 'saya' (I) when speaking to family members (including extended family members). 'Saya' was considered so formal as to be snobby, even arrogant. (The extremely informal 'aku' however was beyond the pale; you only use it among very close friends who are allowed to call you the very rough 'hang'). Correctly speaking, you have to refer to yourself always by name, or at least the diminutive version of it, or, as some very traditional Kedah women would, as 'Che' (pronounced 'Chek', not 'Chay') though this is considered very 'manja'. Thus you would say, "Che tak tau la sapa mai tadi pasai Che tak dak kat rumah." (I don't know who came just now because I was not home.)

Similarly, having to name one's parents posed great difficulties to the well-brought up Kedahan. Our parents' names were sacred, not to be bandied about. Perhaps it was a way of teaching us not to be arrogant about our family and origins. But if asked what our parents' names were, the reaction was often a certain amount of blushing and hand-wringing before a tiny voice finally whispered their names.

This was the way I grew up. And to this day I treat my elders with respect, even when I don't like them too much. I may now find it easier to refer to myself as 'saya' when I speak to someone in KL though I tend to retreat to the English 'I' when I can. Also, even 12 years after receiving my award from the Sultan of Selangor, I cannot bring myself to introduce myself by my title nor sign off anything but the most formal of letters with it.It's the Kedah way and what my parents taught me.

Not to say that Malays from other states are any less polite. We stick to many rules of courtesy. One of those I like is calling someone older than you 'Kak' or 'Abang' or 'Makcik/Aunty' or 'Pakcik/Uncle'.I still inwardly cringe when a young person calls me by my name although I have made it a rule that if they're over 25, they don't have to call me Aunty. And those who do call me Aunty aren't allowed to shout it out too loudly in public. But it's nice when, unbidden, young people easily address you as Kak or Aunty as a show of respect. It also tells you a lot about their upbringing.

Why am I talking about upbringing? It's really been prompted by that video I posted yesterday on the Shah Alam dialogue-turned-fracas. Over the years I have become aware that civility is really becoming uncool. People are rude everywhere, whether on the roads, in shops ( you know, the ubiquitous and automatic 'no stock' without even bothering to look) or on the phone.Most of it is shrugged off as the daily irritations of city life and frankly sometimes on a bad day I can be curt too.

But one of the occasions in which I am never impolite is in a meeting. Over the years I have been in numerous meetings/dialogues/conferences/consultations, whatever you want to call them. They can be tedious, boring, frustrating and annoying. But it's never served anyone well to be rude in them. I have faced very vocal opponents in several meetings and have never yielded to the temptation of shouting back at them. In fact the louder they get, the calmer I become. My philosophy is, just because a point is shouted doesn't make it a better argument.

Which is why when I watched that video it was clear to me that those people had no intention of having any dialogue at all. What dialogue is there when all one person can say (or rather shout repeatedly) is 'Bangang!'. One bespectacled man takes the mike and starts off speaking normally enough and then suddenly spins into some sort of hysterical dance, much like a child stamping its foot when it doesn't get something it wants. Another man, in a songkok to denote piety perhaps, grabs the mike behind the panel and starts shouting incomprehensibly.Someone else apparently took off his shoes and showed it to the MB.Did his mother teach him that?

But the 'star' is the young man with the ponytail who is a tubby hurricane unto himself, shouting, waving, jumping up and down, rushing the panel, all the while not uttering a single comprehensible word that might advance his argument. I can almost picture how he drives his car.

I had to remind myself many times that this was happening during Ramadan, when we are enjoined to exercise restrain. Did these people then go home and eat since surely their puasa was batal'd?

It still puzzles me what the reason for not having the temple in their neighbourhood is. I was following the whole session on Twitter and apparently one woman claimed that having the temple there would cause house prices to fall and crime rates to rise. The logic of that escapes me. In my neighbourhood, there is a mosque, a temple and a church within shouting distance of one another and there is no problem, apart from the traffic jams and indiscriminate parking on Fridays. Although crime is a problem in my area, it can't be attributed to the presence of places of worship, and house prices have risen to ridiculous levels.

I did start to wonder though, is there no mosque in Section 23? Would they rather there be a mosque where the temple is to be? If so, why put it in a factory area?

Even so, what trouble would a temple bring except from these people themselves? In what way does it intrude into their lives? And as a friend pointed out, if being in the majority is the excuse not to have a place of worship of a minority faith, then there would be no mosques in America or Europe.

But back to the behaviour of these people, this is the most troubling part of it. These are the people on whom the government and the police base their arguments for not allowing demos or for using the ISA, notwithstanding the allegations that these are pro-BN people and that most probably they will never be hauled up. These are the examples pointed to when people say that demos can't be allowed because people can't control their emotions and behave rationally. These are the people held up as 'typical' Malaysians, a notion I find extremely insulting.

Even more ironically, these are the very same people who insist that we must keep the ISA, because they assume that everyone must behave like them in situations like this. That, just because they can't be trusted to discuss anything in a civilised manner, nobody else can either. They see the world entirely as mirrors of themselves, no matter how ugly that reflection. Or perhaps it's a distorted mirror they are looking at, where all their reflections come out beautiful.

We know that there are many people out there perfectly capable of intelligent, calm and rational discussion. In fact our culture dictates that that's how we conduct ourselves. Only a few people are predisposed to acting like neanderthals, whose idea of a good 'dialogue' is when the outcome has been predetermined to their advantage. Make no mistake, these types transcend race. But in this case, it is clear that the ugly ones are those who claim to represent my race and religion. I'm sorry but I refuse to be represented by them.

But the trouble is, the excuse for maintaining harsh laws will be these people. Just because a small number of people don't know how to behave, the rest of us are the ones who will have to suffer.

Already the Malaysian Comunications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has asked for these videos to be taken down. I suspect it's because it makes Malays look bad. Could there be a sense of shame after all? But the official excuse is that Indians will get offended. Well I'm sorry la, but every decent right-thinking Malaysian is offended, not just Indians. And for that decency, we are going to be punished.

God help us, Malaysia.

The Ugly Malay

2009-09-05T20:35:00.003+08:00

What else can we describe these people but with the word 'ugly'? How do you dialogue (ie have a two-way conversation) when these people's main intention is to shout you down? How do you solve anything if you refuse to allow anyone to speak?

Would they be happy to have their children watch them behave like this? Or their mothers?

They should read the Quran.

4:36 (Y. Ali) Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess: For Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious;-

Meanwhile,

Police arrest Uthayakumar, 13 others in aborted candlelight vigil

UPDATE 1

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

Uthayakumar (being carried) and several others have been arrested while trying to make their way to a candlelight vigil at Dataran Merdeka. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Police have arrested 14 people including Human Rights Party leader P. Uthayakumar who were attempting to march from Masjed Jamek to Dataran Merdeka here tonight to hold a candlelight vigil protesting last week’s cow-head demonstration by Section 23 residents in Shah Alam.

Authorities had closed off access to the square to prevent the group of about 50 demonstrators from carrying out the vigil.

Police moved in to detain the protesters, among them Uthayakumar’s fiancée, despite the group heeding police orders to disperse and leave the area.

According to sources from Hindraf, three people from the group were injured during the arrests. All 14 are currently being held at the Dang Wangi police station

In last week’s protest in Shah Alam, around 50 residents from Section 23 marched towards the Selangor state secretariat building after Friday prayers to protest the planned relocation of a Hindu temple to their housing area.

The protesters brandished a severed cow’s head during the protest, which was observed by the police. No arrests were made then or since.

Today, Selangor mentri besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim announced the relocation will now be temporarily put on hold, following an abortive Shah Alam town hall meeting called this morning to discuss the growing controversy.

Rafeah Mohamad Iskandar (1915-2009)

2009-09-03T10:34:00.003+08:00

My beloved Mak Teh passed away on Tuesday September 1, aged 94. She was my Dad's eldest sister and the last of his living siblings. Both she and her younger sister Mak Bibi were very close to my Dad and doted on their youngest brother. They were regular fixtures in our house and were always kind and smiling. I remember whenever I was going off to school and university, both Mak Teh and Mak Bibi would come and give me some money, usually RM5, as a going-away gift.

Although she was hard of hearing, Mak Teh had excellent eyesight and continued to read the papers and watch TV without the need for glasses till the end and had no trouble climbing up and down stairs. Whenever she came to KL, she loved visiting family, her little handbag hanging off her arm. She never said much, probably because she couldn't hear very well, but her smile always made up for it.

Mak Teh was laid to rest yesterday at the Akar Peluru Muslim Cemetery next to my grandparents, Mohamad Iskandar and Wan Tempahwan. Besides my father, she left behind one son, four grandchildren (including the actor Ako Mustapha) and several great-grandchildren.

Al-fatihah.

The Cow-Head Lesson for Merdeka: Delegitimize Violence and Hatred Petition

2009-09-01T15:50:00.000+08:00

The Cow-Head Lesson for Merdeka: Delegitimize Violence and Hatred Petition

Barbarians at the Gate

2009-08-28T22:15:00.004+08:00

Al-Hujurat, Surah 49

49:11 O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong.

49:12 O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it...But fear Allah. For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

49:13 O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

How little we know about this Surah and these verses in the Quran. And how little heed we take of them.

Today, a Friday in the month of Ramadan, when some barbarians did what they did in Shah Alam, they not only insulted their fellow citizens of the Hindu faith but they desecrated their own religion as well. Because it is obvious they have disobeyed God's orders in the Quran.

All right-thinking people of every race, religion and creed should be enraged. Is this what we will remember our 52nd Merdeka by?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please also read my fellow LRTQers' posts in response to yesterday:

Walski, Woe to the Foolish Aggressors.
Rapera, Hindu Brothers, Sisters, please Forgive These Wayward Folks,
Anas Zubedy, New Bob Agency, What the Quran Says About Non-Muslim Places of Worship.

LRTQ2 Updates

2009-08-26T13:12:00.002+08:00

Do take a look at other participating blogs in the LRTQ2 campaign.

Let Us Add Value, What Does the Quran Say About Alcohol Consumption

Outsyed the Box, Hassan Ali and the Temple of Doom

MyAsylum, Intoxicating Rhetoric

These three above have written posts related to the issue of alcohol and Kartika.

These have also posted on the Quran on other topics.

Rapera, What Do I Write About the Quran

Lunch at the Lake Club, Abacus-ical Quran

LRTQ2: Mercy and Repentance at the Heart of the Quran

2009-08-24T17:20:00.005+08:00

Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi
In the name of God , Most Gracious, Most Merciful (Al-Fatiha, 1:1)

As most people know, Muslims begin almost everything they do with these words. This is probably the best-known phrase among Muslims and serves to remind us constantly not only about God but that He is THE dispenser of grace and mercy.

Over and over again we repeat this phrase so much so that sometimes we forget what it means. And yet one of the most important attributes of God is mercy. This is evidenced by the fact that there are 107 verses in the Quran that mentions the merciful attribute of God.

Among the verses that talk about God’s mercy are these:

At-Tauba

9:117 INDEED, God has turned in His mercy unto the Prophet, as well as unto those who have forsaken the domain of evil and those who have sheltered and succoured the Faiths - [all] those who followed him in the hour of distress, when the hearts of some of the other believers had well-nigh swerved from faith. And once again: He has turned unto them in His mercy - for, behold, He is compassionate towards them, a dispenser of grace.

Az-Zumar (The Groups)

39:53 SAY: Thus speaks God:] O you servants of Mine who have transgressed against your own selves! Despair not of God’s mercy: behold, God forgives all sins - for, verily, He alone is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

We all transgress and make mistakes all the time but it is the fact that God forgives us when we are aware of our mistakes that makes us want to do better each time. If He is unforgiving from the start, then what is there to lose and what incentive would there be for us to do better?

Reading the Quran really reveals some interesting verses on the topic.

Al-Maidah (The Table Spread)

5:39 But as for him who repents after having thus done wrong, and makes amends, behold, God will accept his repentance: verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

Al-Araf (The Heights)

7:153 (Asad) But as for those who do bad deeds and afterwards repent and [truly] believe-verily, after such repentance [120] thy Sustainer is indeed much forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

The general tone of the Quran is one of forgiveness and mercy, which is what makes it so appealing. God accepts that there are circumstances when we commit sins out of ignorance. As long as we know that and become aware afterwards and repent, then God will forgive.

An-Nisa

4:17 Verily, God's acceptance of repentance relates only to those who do evil out of ignorance and then repent before their time runs out: and it is they unto whom God will turn again in His mercy - for God is all-knowing, wise;

Thus, when God is all-Forgiving and Compassionate, we have to wonder why so often humans cannot be? For instance, in this current case of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, the woman who is facing a whipping for drinking alcohol despite being a first-time offender, already pleading guilty and exhibiting remorse, why is the Pahang Syariah Court so bent on giving her the harshest maximum sentence?

She will be the first woman ever whipped for any offence in Malaysia. In fact, the Criminal Procedure Code doesn’t allow women to be whipped at all. So this will be setting a precedent in so many ways. It means for instance that non-Muslim women can commit far worse crimes and be sure they can never be whipped but Muslim women like Kartika have to suffer such humiliation. Does this mean that Muslim women are not the equal of their non-Muslim sisters under the law?

(For an opinion on what the Quran says about punishments for drinking alcohol, do read this.)

What would it cost anyone to cancel the sentence on Kartika and to simply let her go? After all, she has already suffered for two years waiting for her sentence, lost her job as a nurse and is caring for one special needs son and a daughter who has a hole-in-the-heart. What would it cost the Jabatan Ugama Pahang to show some compassion?

God is infinitely wiser than humankind. And I think He best displays that wisdom in this verse:

Al-Imran

3:159 And it was by God's grace that thou [O Prophet] didst deal gently with thy followers: for if thou hadst been harsh and hard of heart, they would indeed have broken away from thee. Pardon them, then, and pray that they be forgiven. And take counsel with them in all matters of public concern; then, when thou hast decided upon a course of action, place thy trust in God: for, verily, God loves those who place their trust in Him.

Amin.

Let's Read the Quran 2

2009-08-22T11:53:00.003+08:00

Peace!

Good news, we are bringing back the Let’s Read The Quran Campaign this Bulan Puasa.

Campaign name: Let’s Read The Quran (2)

The first campaign (January 14 – February 14 2009) was started by four friends Syed, Walski, Marina and Anas. By the end of it, about 50 other blogs also participated helping us to reach a larger audience.There were also many calls for us to extend this very popular campaign.

Well, here it is!

This time around, four more friends will be part of the main team; they are Art Harun, Jahamy, Pah Nur and Nizam Bashir.

To recap, the campaign is not only for Muslims, but also for our brothers and sisters who are Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and those who believe in God and a proper way of doing things – come join us and share your ideas! You can join this campaign even if you are an atheist!

The goal of this campaign is to encourage people to read the Quran in the language they understand best and find in it areas of common value for our day to day living.

We also want to hear your feedback and comments.

What is the Campaign all about?

Read the Quran in the language that you are familiar with.

When will the campaign start and end?

August 22nd to September 21st (Hari Raya Aidil Fitri)

Where?

Participating blogs in the blogosphere.

Why?

So more people know what the Quran says and what the Quran does not say and to match its relevance to our daily lives.

Who?

Anyone who wants to – the more the merrier! If you have a Blog, Facebook, etc do please carry the logo/icon.

How?

- To join the campaign, place the accompanying logo/icon on your blog.
- Write or share short articles based on the Quranic text.
- Share what you find in the Quran with family and friends.
- Ask questions about the Quranic message
- Read the Quran – eg click here http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch , www.altafsir.com

Peace and Thanks, and Selamat Berpuasa to those fasting,

Marina Mahathir http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com

Syed Akbar Ali http://syedsoutsidethebox.blogspot.com

Walski http://asylum60.blogspot.com

Art Harun http://art-harun.blogspot.com

Pah Nur http://lunchatthelakeclub.blogspot.com

Rapera http://jahaberdeen.blogspot.com

Nizam Bashir http://nizambashir.com and,

Anas Zubedy http://letusaddvalue.blogspot.com

9th ICAAP:Pushing the Quest for Equality

2009-08-18T15:47:00.006+08:00

President SBY addressing delegates at the opening of 9th ICAAP

Hi folks, sorry for the long silence but 9th ICAAP was a really busy time and I just never got the chance to just sit down and write something substantial. But it was a very interesting conference and those who followed me on Twitter will have kept up with the many interesting topics that were discussed there.

I have a column out tomorrow in The Star that will talk a little bit about the conference, mainly the difference between the way Indonesia approaches HIV and the way we do. But let me just talk about the conference overall and some of the lessons that all of us, whether we work in HIV or not, can take away from it.

First of all, if anyone thinks that AIDS conferences are just a meeting of doctors and academics, they would be very wrong. When the pandemic first started, that was what AIDS meetings were about but gradually, people began to realise that you really can't talk about the issue without involving 'key affected populations', that is, people most affected by the pandemic. At first, this mainly meant the (male) gay population but soon, as more information became available about the disease, other people started to become involved, such as drug users and sex workers.

Eventually AIDS conference delegates typically now comprise perhaps 50% doctors, scientists and academics and 50%, communities most affected by the pandemic. These would include not just the first three groups mentioned but also migrant workers, transgendered people, youth, women and not forgetting, people living with HIV.

Not that any of this was easy to achieve. At one time, people assumed that the PhDs were the experts because they did research and published articles and books. But soon the AIDS world realised that this was not true. It is one thing to develop an AIDS drug in a laboratory but quite another when you need it but can't get at it. It is one thing to study a 'high risk group' but quite another to be on the receiving end of government 'public health' policies that make you feel like a criminal. It is also one thing to talk about what happens to a person's body when the virus enters it but still another to be that person and to have to continually keep the fact of that virus in your body a secret from your family, friends, employers and co-workers.

So because the issues were many and varied, so were the experts. But then some experts were more able to present their knowledge than others. At one time, almost the only people you would ever see speaking at an AIDS conference were male Caucasians. Women were few and far between, and non-Westerners even rarer. It was only when the pandemic had devastated huge numbers in the developing world before more effort was made to ensure that the voices of those most affected were brought to the table. And more importantly shown respect.

There were several instruments that ensured this happened. One was the Paris Declaration of 1994 that established the principle of Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA).

42 countries adopted GIPA in 1994. Needless to say, ours wasn't one of them.

The other was the 2001 Declaration of Commitment resulting from the United Nations General Assembly Special Summit on HIV/AIDS where heads of governments of all UN members states, among others, acknowledged "the particular role and significant contribution of people living with HIV/AIDS, young people and civil society actors in addressing the problem of HIV/AIDS in all its aspects and recognizing that their full involvement and participation in design, planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes is crucial to the development of effective responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic." Malaysia was one of the signatories, a prime example of how we sign things and then ignore them.

So these days, in many international forums at least, there is a lot of effort being made to ensure that the voices of civil society, especially those most marginalised, are heard.

CCTV host James Chau (left) and Pakistani musician Salman Ahmad (right), both UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassadors, holding a dialogue with young people at the Asia Pacific Village.

In Asia and the Pacific, this has been a struggle. Partly because in many cases, our marginalised groups are very marginalised, often to the point of invisibility. Few people making policies about HIV (read government bureaucrats) knew drug users or sex workers personally, for example, much less even thought of bringing them to a meeting. It was really the advocacy work of NGOs around the region that insisted on this. AND provided the training needed to be able to contribute effectively at these meetings.

Today it is not impossible to find women from remote Indian villages getting up to speak about the problems they faced when they became infected, or an Indonesian transexual talking about their specific issues or drug users staging a demonstration to demand cheaper medicines for Hepatitis C which is a common co-infection in drug users with HIV.

To ensure that they are aware of the issues they need to raise and how to strategise to raise them, a Community Forum is held a day or two before the conference proper begins. Ten years ago when the ICAAP was held in KL, there was only one Community Forum of some 200 people who broke out into smaller groups to discuss specific issues related to their particular community. But at 9th ICAAP, the Community Forum was attended by 1200 people who divided themselves into eight different forums catering to drug users, sex workers, migrant workers, youth, women, men who have sex with men (MSM), transgendered people as well as an interfaith forum. The youth forum in particular, which called themselves the Bali Youth Force, was very effective. At every session, youth representatives would get up to give the youth perspective and demand that their voices be heard.

And what's more, all these voices are treated with respect. At the opening of the conference, President Susilo Bambang Yudhiyono addressed his 'brothers and sisters living with HIV'. The significance of this was enormous; never has a head of government addressed people living with HIV as his equals. What was more, he's the head of the fifth most populous country in the world and the largest Muslim nation. At the opening, space was given for young people as well as those representing the Community Forum to speak and indeed these got the loudest applause.

Underscoring this inclusive approach is really an appreciation that human rights lies at the heart of an effective response to HIV. As Mairie Bopp Dupont, an HIV+ AIDS advocate from the Pacific islands said in a plenary, "Human rights is about embracing respect and the love for life of all human beings."

It is simply not possible to curb the spread of HIV by denying sectors of the population their right to health and to education because they are deemed social misfits or even criminals. Every human being is entitled to the highest attainable standard of health and healthcare but often this right is denied by poverty, by discrimination or neglect. Thus, to ensure people's rights to health and education ( and many other rights as well), we have to first of all accept that they exist, and that while they can sometimes be problematic, they can also be part of the solution. (In the negotiations leading up to the 2001 Declaration, the US, the Vatican and many Muslim countries banded together to ensure that there be no listing of these vulnerable groups in the final document. To actually list them would be to acknowledge they exist. Such is the political landscape we live in.)

Thus in other parts of the developing world, where for example, sex workers have been empowered to defend their rights, their access to healthcare has improved and with that, the rates of HIV have also stabilised or been reduced. Where drug users have been able to organise themselves to change drug laws so that harm reduction programmes (including needle exchange and opiate substitution therapy) can be set up, again HIV rates have been reduced, thus protecting the general population as well. As an additional benefit, these programmes have even been shown to reduce crime.

And most importantly, where women's rights have been respected and upheld, rates of infection among women can be held down. Consequently, HIV rates among children can also be reduced and the impact upon families and communities can be mitigated.

Thus a recurring theme at an AIDS conference is the need to uphold the human rights of those most affected by HIV. Unfortunately often we are talking to the converted. Few politicians or policymakers go to these conferences. This year, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) brought many parliamentarians, including one Malaysian one, to ICAAP but as far as I could see, they only attended AFPPD-organised sessions including one on Political Commitment which was poorly attended. In many sessions, presenters get up to talk about what they are doing in their countries with very little self-reflection or analysis. If government officials come, they are often from the Ministry of Health who tend to attend the sessions that relate to medical treatments. This year there was only one representative from our MoH, a fairly low level officer who, when I asked what sessions he was attending, replied, "HIV." Duh.

We need lawmakers and law enforcement officers to come and attend the excellent sessions on 'criminalisation of HIV', legal barriers to prevention and on political commitment to HIV efforts. We need bureaucrats to listen to Ibu Nafsiah Mboi, the head of the Indonesian National AIDS Commission, talk about how one of the objectives of the NAC is to ensure that the human rights of people vulnerable to and living with HIV are respected, and that leadership and good governance are extremely important. We need to have politicians look at the example of Misa Telefoni, who rose from Minister of Health to becoming Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, proving that being an AIDS advocate need not cost you your political career. We need lawyers and judges to come and listen to how the Lawyers Collective in India fought for and won the repeal of Section 377, a colonial relic of a law which exists in all Commonwealth countries and which criminalises private sexual behaviour between consenting adults.

(By the way, one group that has been coming to AIDS conferences are religious groups, mostly from Christian and Buddhist communities but more and more from Muslim ones, albeit from the more progressive sectors. And by the way also, the 9th ICAAP opened with a multi-faith blessing from five major religions.)

Yet, here at home, despite the efforts of NGOs and human rights groups, we have not moved far towards a more human rights-based approach to HIV. In fact, the very words 'human rights' is anathema in certain circles, deemed 'unrealistic and idealistic' by some quarters. Partly it is because of a limited understanding of human rights which does not go beyond political rights (and many people have this narrow view, not just in government) and partly because of pure prejudice. The assumption is that those who live on the margins of society must be of low intellect to go with their low incomes and therefore would not know how to contribute at a meeting with government officials.

Yet, at this ICAAP, I met a young Cambodian woman, who, despite coming from a poverty-stricken background and being HIV+, educated herself to obtain a Masters in Development Management. She is in fact better educated than me. And in people who have had to live through the pain of the stigma of HIV, I have seen more articulateness and clear thinking, than many of the complacent bureaucrats who sit in their offices contemplating how much allowances they can claim from their next overseas trip to an AIDS conference.

Do I have any hope for the future? Well actually yes. Partly because I have seen much progress over the years in many countries, even if sometimes this progress has been slow and often inconsistent. Much of it boils down to leadership. Where countries have had strong and committed leadership on the issue, they have made significant progress as in Thailand in the early days, in Cambodia, in Indonesia and even in China. Where leaders have striven to be inclusive and have consulted a wide range of people on what to do, they have come up with more effective management of the epidemic. Where they have led by example, particularly by embracing people living with HIV, they have done much to lessen the stigma and discrimination towards them.

But do we see that here? Not yet. Last Sunday there was a story about an Orang Asli village where 40 people have already died of AIDS, a prevalence rate of almost 6%, some sixty times the national prevalence rate which is around 0.1%. In just one family, three siblings have died of it with another one HIV+. It is a prime example of vulnerability; poverty, ignorance, discrimination, lack of access to treatment, invisibility. (And HIV is not the only disease that the Orang Asli suffer from; they also have the highest rates of malaria in the country.) Is there any budget at all allocated to HIV programmes for this very marginalised group in our society? Are they even recognised as having a problem in our National AIDS Strategic Plan? Instead we spend our money on ineffective programmes like mandatory premarital HIV testing. As our numbers continue to rise, go figure.

9th ICAAP: Contemplating Modern-Day Slavery

2009-08-08T17:29:00.007+08:00

Dear folks, I am currently in Bali at the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific which starts tomorrow until August 13. I am trying to blog as much as I can about it but because I have a very full schedule in the conference, it may not be possible to write as much as I would like. However if any of you are interested in following the conference, I am tweeting as I go along as well. If you have a Twitter account, look for @netraKL and request to be added to my list.

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What do you call it when people work for no pay? Volunteering? But if they work with the expectation of being paid and that payment is crucial for theirs and their families' survival? It's called slavery.

On Thursday August 6, I sat in a special 'court'. It's not a real court but rather a tribunal to hear the stories and complaints of women who had been trafficked and who had suffered abuse and exploitation when they migrated for work. The event was called the Southeast Asian Court of Women on HIV and Trafficking. I, along with five others, were the 'jury' tasked with listening to the evidence of these injustices.

Former migrant workers beat the Balinese 'kulkul' to signal that the Court is about to start.

To say the stories were harrowing would be to put it mildly. It is almost impossible to believe that human beings were capable of doing this to other human beings. But there were these 22 women up there laying bare the suffering that they had been through.

Poverty was the main driving force behind these women's decisions to leave home and migrate far from home for work. But at every step of the way, they found cruelty and exploitation. For Indonesian domestic workers, for instance, this began with having to pay agents to find them work overseas, a process that often landed them in debt. Then the so-called training that they were supposed to receive before they left turned out to be non-existent; one woman reported being treated like animals, being forced to take only five minutes to shower with nine other women in the same bathroom. Their 'training' consisted mostly of warnings not to run away from their employers or else there would be gangsters sent after them.

Once overseas, they found themselves with employers who expected them to work on about four hours sleep and very little food, and very often, no pay at all. One woman who came to Malaysia found herself in a large house where she cooked and cleaned for 18 people, as well as cooked for two other households every day, cleaned her employer's office and had to wash six cars every two days. On top of that, there was a lecherous grandfather in the house and finally, unable to take his advances anymore, she ran away. Which of course immediately made her illegal and created another set of problems for her. (When we complain about our illegal migrant workers, do we ever ask why and how they became illegal?)

Another found herself working in the household of a woman who had four grown-up sons. Again she was made to work almost round-the-clock, fed very little and subject to many scoldings. One day she fainted in the shower and woke up several hours later in the hospital bleeding from her private parts. It turned out that while she was unconscious, all four of her employer's sons had raped her.

Returning to Indonesia soon after, she found she was pregnant. She spoke at the Women's Court, cradling the son born to her, on her hip.

One who had to leave her husband and child behind in the Philippines to work overseas was repeatedly raped by her agent. What made her feel guilty was that her younger sister, who she had persuaded to also work overseas, was raped by the same agent not long after.

Then there were the Burmese girls who took up offers of work on the Burma-China border, only to find that the work was in fact sex work. Similarly the Cambodian and Indonesian women who were taken to Malaysia on the pretext of legitimate work and then found that they had to entertain men every day. If they refused, they were threatened with starvation, beaten up or threatened with death. Inevitably, these women also found themselves infected by HIV, compounding their shame and distress.

Throughout the litany of horrors, several common themes stood out. All of these women sincerely set out to earn money to help their families back home. To be able to feed their children and give them an education was always foremost in their minds. This focus enabled them to withstand the tortures they faced for a long time until finally, the abuse became too much and they finally found a way out. By this time, some of the consequences of what they had been through, such as HIV infection, was irreversible.

Secondly, unlike politicians, they were not interested in blaming other countries and governments because they recognised that the abuse and exploitation happens everywhere. From when they were recruited, to their workplace, to their return home, they are vulnerable every step of the way. As one woman said, "We are valued by our governments only because we send home foreign exchange. But apart from that, they don't care about us." Indeed, anyone who has been through Jakarta airport, for example, will notice the banners welcoming home the 'pahlawan devisa' (economic heroes). But it is at that very spot where returnees are exploited by airport officials wanting a share of the money and goodies they bring home. If any of them return to their villages with their earnings intact, this would be nothing short of a miracle.

Others complained of how they had called their own embassies to plead for help and rescue only to be told that there was 'no budget'.

Thirdly, while governments (including ours) are now enacting Anti-Trafficking laws, these are not necessarily serving women well. Based mostly on the raid-and-rescue model on the assumption that all sex workers are trafficked, these laws have had the impact of re-victimising the women. As seen in Cambodia, these laws have a tendency to 'rescue' these women and then dump them, with no protection or support. Many are thrown onto the streets where they become extremely vulnerable to violence. They still have the need to earn money but soliciting on the streets is a crime so they are vulnerable to arrest. The problem for them is thus not over at all. What is more, whatever HIV education that was in place in the brothels were destroyed along with them.

(Anti-trafficking laws are almost always focussed on female sex workers. In fact, people are also trafficked for labour into the fishing industries, factories and domestic work, children for adoption and women for forced marriages. There is also the trafficking of human organs such as kidneys.)

Women who are actually trafficked to other countries are deported home where again they are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Not to mention the same hunger that sent them out in the beginning. Inevitably they wind up forced to try to migrate again.

The women who testified and the jurors and organisers take a photo in front of the 'Talking Poleng', a banner made from Balinese poleng cloth with inscriptions to commemorate the struggles of female migrant workers.

Fourthly, all of these women survived their ordeals, found themselves stronger for having survived them and became determined that no other women should suffer the same way they had. Finding support in organisations that are set up to help these women, they become very effective peer educators and counsellors, providing information to other women wishing to work abroad on how to cope and also how to find help. It is humbling to listen to their unselfishness and refusal to retreat into self-pity.

When it comes to what to do about this problem, everyone was clear that most governments neglect the human person behind migration and trafficking, especially women. Protection of their human rights to safe employment, free mobility, to health, to decent wages is often not on the agenda. Too often, governments allow abuse to happen by forgetting that these workers are human beings with the same needs - food, rest, sleep - and wants - a happy life, a future - as anyone else. It doesn't help when employers also urge their governments to supposedly protect their interest, rather than the worker's, such as refusing to allow days off. And that so many get away with not paying wages, and even with physical abuse.

But ultimately we have to look at the global economic system that allows these women ( and men too) to be so victimised. Huge disparities between rich and poor countries, and within countries, are what cause these movements of people searching for a means to feed themselves. Instead of finding the means to provide a better life at home for their citizens, some countries, such as the Philippines, base their entire development plans on facilitating their citizens to work abroad and repatriate billions of dollars home.

And why is it that women migrant workers, by far, suffer more abuse than men? It starts from a value system that, in the words of one expert witness, "values daughters less than goats". It is because women are seen as weak, submissive and ignorant. It stems from the belief that once you have paid for someone, you own them.

What else can you call that but slavery?

Oh golly, golly, golly...!

2009-08-04T13:10:00.003+08:00

The Star Online > Nation

Published: Tuesday August 4, 2009 MYT 11:32:00 AM

Rosmah launches her own website

PETALING JAYA: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor has launched her own website for Malaysians to get to know her better in her role and duties as the Prime Minister’s wife.

The website, at www.pmo.gov.my/datinrosmah, includes news, pictures, speeches, newspaper articles and videos.

It is available in Bahasa Malaysia, English and other languages.

Announcing the website, Rosmah urged Malaysians to “filter” the information they get on the Internet and not be “influenced by messages with elements of slander.”

Why indeed do people take to the streets?

2009-08-03T09:48:00.004+08:00

Hi all, sorry for not posting for a while. Between jetlag, trying to finish off work and preparing to go to my Asia Pacific AIDS conference this week, I haven't had much time. A lot has been happening that needs commenting on but I've had to reserve that energy for my column which hopefully will come out this Wednesday. So please look out for that.

Meantime, I thought this was one of the more eloquent commentaries on the recent demos.

Why do Malaysians march?

By: Yeo Yang Poh (Sun, 02 Aug 2009)

On the move ... a section of anti-ISA protesters near
the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

WHY march, when the government has said that it will review the Internal Security Act? Why march, when there are other very cosy ways of giving your views and feedback?

One would understand if these were questions posed by nine-year-olds. But they are not. They are questions posed by the prime minister of this nation we call our home. Answer we must. So, why?

Because thousands who died while in detention cannot march or speak any more. That is why others have to do it for them.

Because persons in the corridors of power, persons who have amassed tremendous wealth and live in mansions, and persons who are in the position to right wrongs but won’t, continue to rule our nation with suffocating might. And they certainly would not march. They would prevent others from marching.

Because the have-nots, the sidelined, the oppressed, the discriminated and the persecuted have no effective line to the powerful.

Because the nice ways have been tried ad nauseam for decades, but have fallen on deaf ears.

Because none of the major recommendations of Suhakam (including on peaceful assembly), or of the commissions of inquiry, has been implemented. Because the proposed Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is not in sight, while corruption and insecurity live in every neighbourhood; and (despite reasoned views expressed ever so nicely in opposition) Rela (people’s volunteer corps) is being brought in to make matters even worse.

The proponents in “Su Qiu” (remember them?) were not marchers. In fact it is hard to find nicer ways than “su qiu”, because the term means “present and request” or “inform and request”. In terms of putting forward a view or a request, it is the height of politeness. Yet they were labelled “extremists” – they who did not march.

And now you ask, why march?

Because you gave non-marchers a false name! You called them the “silent majority”, who by virtue of their silence (so you proudly argued with twisted logic) were supporters of government policies since they were not vocal in raising objections. You claimed to be protecting the interest of the “silent majority”. Now some of them do not want to be silent anymore, and you are asking why?

Yes, because double standards and hypocrisy cannot be covered up or explained away forever; and incompetence cannot be indefinitely propped up by depleting resources.

Because cronyism can only take care of a few people, and the rest will eventually wake up to realise the repeated lies that things were done in certain ways purportedly “for their benefit”.

Because the race card, cleverly played for such a long time, is beginning to be seen for what it really is – a despicable tool to divide the rakyat for easier political manipulation.

Because it does not take much to figure out that there is no good reason why Malaysia, a country with abundant human resources and rich natural resources, does not have a standard of living many times higher than that of Singapore, an island state with no natural resources and that has to import human resources from Malaysia and elsewhere.

Because, in general, countries that do not persecute marchers are prosperous or are improving from their previous state of affairs, and those that do are declining.

Because Gandhi marched, Mandela marched, Martin Luther King marched, and Tunku Abdul Rahman marched.

Because more and more people realise that peaceful assemblies are no threat at all to the security of the nation, although they are a threat to the security of tenure of the ruling elite.

Because politicians do not mean it when they say with a straight face or a smile that they are the servants and that the people are the masters. No servant would treat his master with tear gas, batons and handcuffs.

Because if the marchers in history had been stopped in their tracks, places like India, Malaysia and many others would still be colonies today, apartheid would still be thriving in South Africa, Nelson Mandela would still be scribbling on the walls of Cell 5, and Obama would probably be a slave somewhere in Mississippi plotting to make his next midnight dash for the river.

And because liberty, freedom and dignity are not free vouchers posted out to each household.

They do not come to those who just sit and wait. They have to be fought for, and gained.

And if you still want to ask: why march; I can go on and on until the last tree is felled. But I shall
obviously not.

I will end with the following lines from one of the songs sung in the 1960s by civil rights marchers in the US, without whom Obama would not be able to even sit with the whites in a bus, let alone reside in the White House:

“It isn’t nice to block the doorway
It isn’t nice to go to jail
There are nicer ways to do it
But the nice ways have all failed
It isn’t nice; it isn’t nice
You’ve told us once, you’ve told us twice
But if that’s freedom’s price
We don’t mind ...”

Yeo Yang Poh is a former Bar Council president. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com.

And by the way, I am incensed about this:

The Star Online > Nation

Monday August 3, 2009

10 years jail for those who use kids as human shields

Reports by SIRA HABIBU, LOURDES CHARLES, ANDREW SAGAYAM, NELSON BENJAMIN, MARTIN CALVALHO, HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH, OH ING YEEN, LESTER KONG, IVAN LOH, SHAUN HO, ISABELLE LAI, ROSLINA MOHAMAD, IAN MCINTYRE, GLADYS TAY and DESIREE TRESA GASPER

KUALA LUMPUR: Parents, guardians and organisers who bring children to street demonstrations risk being jailed 10 years and/or fined RM20,000.

Women, Children and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil warned that action would be taken against those who intentionally exposed children to dangerous situations under the Child Act, 2001.

Strongly condemning parents and organisers who used children as human shields during rallies, Shahrizat said 44 children under the age of 18 were detained during the anti-ISA demonstration on Saturday. (Children cannot be handcuffed and detained like that!)

“They have since been released. But the police will continue with investigations and take action.

“Perhaps many people are not aware that action can be taken against parents and guardians, including school authorities if children are exposed to possible physical injuries,” she told a press conference yesterday.

She also said that the organisers were so desperate to ensure a large turnout that they resorted to bringing in children from boarding schools. (where's the proof???)

“Some of the children were not aware of what was in store for them,” she added.

She also condemned mothers who bring children to rallies.

“Some of the mothers are professional demonstrators. Even their children refused to divulge information when caught demonstrating with their mothers.” (?????)

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who expressed shock and anger towards the parents and guardians who were willing to risk the lives of children, said the police were seriously considering taking action against them. (Is demonstrating a life-threatening activity?)

“Several of the parents and guardians even told their children not to show their identity cards to policemen.

“We will discuss with the Attorney-General on what action to take.”

Musa said the police would be calling up PKR leaders including Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for questioning.

He said Anwar and several others were believed to be behind the illegal gathering on Saturday.

“We will investigate and see if they were directly involved or not.”

© 1995-2009 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

As far as what I've heard, many of these children were accompanying their parents shopping and were caught up in the chaos. They and their parents had nothing to do with the demos.

At least one magistrate had good sense:

The Star Online > Nation

Monday August 3, 2009

Two boys freed after judge denies request for remand

KUALA LUMPUR: Two underaged boys who were arrested for taking part in Saturday’s anti-ISA demonstration have been released after a magistrate refused to allow them to be remanded.

The 16-year-old and 13-year-old, who were represented by five lawyers each, were released after being held for more than 24 hours.

They were first detained at the Cheras Federal Reserve Unit complex, then moved to the Petaling police station in Jalan Klang Lama before being transferred to Bukit Jalil police station yesterday.

Two women, Masitah Sharif and Siti Zalina, were also released yesterday afternoon.

Underaged protesters: Police personnel escorting the two boys who have been released after being detained in the anti-ISA demonstration on Saturday.

Subang MP R. Sivarasa has also been remanded for two days. He is expected to be charged today.

The police said they would look into claims that the three teenagers were mistreated while in detention.

City CID chief Datuk SAC II Ku Chin Wah said the allegations were serious and they would get to the bottom of it.

“We cannot comment further until we find out the truth,” he said, referring to the allegations made by Human Rights group Suaram.

Suaram claimed that the teenagers were not given food and access to legal representation after being picked up.

Its co-ordinator, Temme Lee said the trio were handcuffed and made to wear lock-up clothes while one of them was detained together with adults.

“This is clearly a violation of the child rights and procedures in handling child detainees.

“The country has ratified the Convention of Rights of the Child and is obligated to protect their rights,” Lee said.

To date, 526 of the nearly 600 people arrested have been released after their particulars were taken down.

City police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Mohd Sabtu Osman said 63 people were still being held.

It is learnt that at least 30 of the protesters would be charged today.

DCP Mohd Sabtu said police were still looking for 11 Opposition members, including PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali, who were said to have instigated the gathering.

And for those who are interested, Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been signed by Malaysia, states that:

Article 37

States Parties shall ensure that:

(a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age;

(b) No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time;

(c) Every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age. In particular, every child deprived of liberty shall be separated from adults unless it is considered in the child's best interest not to do so and shall have the right to maintain contact with his or her family through correspondence and visits, save in exceptional circumstances;

(d) Every child deprived of his or her liberty shall have the right to prompt access to legal and other appropriate assistance, as well as the right to challenge the legality of the deprivation of his or her liberty before a court or other competent, independent and impartial authority, and to a prompt decision on any such action.

Shahrizat of all people should know this.

Yasmin Ahmad 1958-2009

2009-07-27T14:35:00.003+08:00

Dear folks, there seems no end to the bad news and this was one of the worse and saddest. What a shock to all who loved her films and her ads for Petronas.

I have known Yasmin a long time, at least 20 years. I wouldn't say we were friends but we knew each other and certainly have many friends in common. Occasionally we have had disagreements but talent is talent and there is no doubt that Yasmin had oodles of that. Even though some said she could be too soppy, she did have a way of capturing the right note to touch our hearts.

This Petronas ad, the Love of Tan Hong Ming, is one of my favourites:

Perhaps one thing few people knew about Yasmin is that she was also a talented singer and pianist. Long long ago we used to listen to her sing jazzy numbers in that warm sultry voice of hers.

Now she is no more. Most Malaysians I am sure send their condolences to her family and wish that she may rest in peace. Unfortunately there are some truly low creatures at that despicable rag called Kosmo who are determined to defame her and her legacy. The family is devastated. Yasmin has hardly been buried and Kosmo has already started to publish all sorts of trash about her. To what end, except to sell their rag and make their readers even more stupid. Instead of honouring someone who has believed so much in what Malaysia and Malaysians can be, Kosmo has chosen instead to sully her reputation. Is there no decency among the editors and reporters there?

If you are equally disgusted by Kosmo, please protest and call for a boycott of them. Is this how we remember those who have served their country well? Is this OneMalaysia?