Asking for special treatment,eh?

Frankly, Desi won't blame the Government for many instances of commssion of DOUBLE STANDARDS. Often it's the people themselves asking for such treatment.

WITNESS the news yesterday, in The Star:~~


Friday August 11, 2006


Discussion ban on all, says Radzi

KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad has reminded all groups, including Muslims, not to organise inter-religious discussion forums which are deemed sensitive.

“What the Prime Minister said is meant for everybody. It is not applicable only to non-Muslims,” he said when contacted yesterday.

“The Prime Minister asked everyone to cool off and hold on. I don’t know why some Muslims groups should be doing it now. It will only create unnecessary misunderstanding, tension and suspicion.”

Radzi said the groups should call off the conferences and seminars.

“I’m not trying to pick on the opposition but it is irrespective of political party. Religion is sensitive. Everyone should follow the Prime Minister’s advice and stop (inter-faith discussions),” he said.

A group calling itself Secretariat Himpunan Ulama Rantau Asia (Shura) is organising a two-day seminar at Hotel de Palma, Shah Alam, over the weekend to discuss Challenges Facing the Muslims.

The secretariat, when contacted, confirmed there would be discussions on Article 11 of the Federal Constitution and the Lina Joy case, among other things. Article 11 refers to freedom of religion.

At the Shura seminar, Jemaah Islah Malaysia president Zaid Kamarudin will speak on The Issue of Freedom and Human Rights in a Democratic Nation, while Abim’s Dr Nur Manuty is expected to present a paper on Religious Pluralism: From an Islamic Perspective, while PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Md Isa will talk on Big Agenda for Muslims to Combat Apostasy.

Another group calling itself Allied Coordinating Committee of Islamic Non-governmental Organisations, a coalition of 14 Muslim NGOs, is organising a seminar on Challenges on the Rights of Muslims on Saturday at Hotel Plaza.

Last week, several university Muslim student bodies held discussions at Universiti Malaya to oppose the Article 11 forums and express unhappiness over incidents, which they said challenged Islam.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had on May 25 called for the immediate stoppage of inter-faith forums, including on Article 11, because they were deemed to have caused tension in the multi-religious society.

The Prime Minister had then said the Government would act against those who did not heed the warning.

The forums were organised by Article 11, an umbrella body of 13 NGOs which came together following concerns over cases involving inter-faith issues.

~~~~~~~

WITNESS the news today,in The Star page N31:

Groups: Our talks
on Muslims not
against PM's oder

KUALA LUMPUR: Two groups organising semionars
on the challenges facing Muslims said their programmes would
go on because they believe these do not contradict the
Prime Minister's directive to lay off inter-religious issues.

Secretariat Himpunan Ulama Rantau Asia (Shura) and the Allied
Coordinating Committee of Isalmic non-governmental organisations
(Accin) said they were not going to specifically touch on Article
11 of the Federal Constitution, which refers to freedom of religion.

:
"We are focusing on international issues such as the different
mazhabs (schools of thought), like Sunni and Sh'ite, and the
Muslim world as a whole," said Shura chairman Abdul Ghani Shamsudin.

"Our speakers and delegates are scholars from all over.
They are learned people.

"If one or two of our speakers indirectly touch on
Article 11, we can't stop them because that is within their right.

"But it won't cause religious tension because this will be
from an educated and knowledgeable perspective and not to incite
people to riot," Abdul Ghani said.

He stressed that Article 11 was not the focus of the seminar.

"When scholars have discussion, the temperature is different. It is done in a learned way," he added.


~~~~~~~~~~~


DESIDERATA: I won't comment much but ask my ER to note the HIGHLIGHTED PORTIONS (Desi's BOLDING THUS). Just wonder whether this Shura guy wants us to take his "words" as gospel assurances, and his implications that his group and participants are "learned" but not those who organised the Article 11 Forums IN PENANG AND JOHOR BARU RECENTLY, BOTH ENDED PREMATURELY BY THE PROTESTERS WHO MOST LIKELY ALSO COMPRISED SOME OF THESE LEARNED PEOPLE.

"...temperature...different" Yeah, how? Lower, or Higher? Shura has a golden thermometer, yes?

I am amazed by this Shura guy's line...""If one or two of our speakers indirectly touch on Article 11, we can't stop them because that is within their right.

WoW, such great assurance in the same breath earlier that "...they were not going to specifically touch on Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, which refers to freedom of religion."

In Malaysia they feed differenyt diets to the Goose up north and the Gander down south or central? Or a better analogy is that It's gold when Shura spokesman spits fire; it's shit when Desi speaks, IS IT?

I hope my ER would ponder over the two news items above if you agree that some of our Malaysian brethren are calling on the Government to practise DOUBLE STANDARDS, which already it has been guilty of many times over. I pray IT won't add one more soon ...

When it comes to discussions on Religion and on cultural milieu I'm not adequately ionformed about -- especially outside my own limited field of knowledge -- I usually seek other resources which I deem to be better equipped, so I rely on another item to share. Thinking ALLOWED, is there a THREAD between the following extract and the foregoing reports, please feedback me, mty dear ER.

So for spirited starters,or dessert after lunch, I reprise substantially from Raja Petra Kamarudin's August 8, 2006's post entitled

Dear Waiter 2

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:


"...I realise when you read some of the comments by the Malay readers, who are Muslims by birth but not necessarily by practice mind you, it gives an impression that Malaysia is no better than Iran or Afghanistan. Actually, these are postings of but a handful of readers who certainly do not represent the view of the majority of Malaysians. I mean, when we get an enormous number of hits a day, we are bound to attract a dozen or so weirdoes who talk from the other end of their anatomy, if you know what I mean. I am sure even in the UK you come across patronising bigots and narrow-minded individuals who make you sick. But just like what you do in the UK, in Malaysia we too ignore them and pass them off as numbskulls that need not be given the time of day. Malaysians in general are a friendly lot, but unfortunately they would rather remain the silent majority while these few dear-know-alls monopolise the stage and give the impression that they speak for the majority.

I too sometimes feel like screaming when I read or hear what they write or say. But then, if I do that, I would also be viewed as a nut. So, instead, I retaliate by writing uncomplimentary articles in my column and take them to task. Then I sit back and enjoy the spectacle of all these people crawling out from their holes to scream and holler that I am an apostate, enemy of Islam, ignorant (the word they use on me is ‘jahil’, the Arabic word for ignorant), and much more. It is actually quite funny watching these narrow-minded people telling me how ignorant I am. Most times they do not even understand what I am saying, but they not only pretend they do, they also try to give this impression that they are more learned than me and that they have studied Islam thoroughly and know more about Islam than even Prophet Muhammad himself.

I do not of course want to reveal to them where I have studied religion and who my tutors were. I purposely allow this perception that I am unlearned. It is more fun when they whack me with this holier-than-thou and I-am-more-learned-than-you attitude. If I were to attack them and challenge their view on Islam, then they would go on the defensive. I tried that a few times but they do not respond to that. They keep quiet and ignore me and pretend that they did not read what I wrote. For example, as a joke, I inserted a ten-point ‘test’ questionnaire which I called ‘ujian keislaman’ in my previous article and all those who had earlier been screaming and shouting about Islam did not dare take the test. It’s really very hilarious.

Anyway, as I said in one of my previous letters, I know the Western media has been very unkind towards Islam. But things are not really as bad as what the media portrays, especially in Malaysia. You will not find Malays with dynamite strapped around their chest embarking on a suicide mission or ‘jihad’. In fact, all you need to do is organise a protest demonstration in front of the United States Embassy, and if it rains or the sun is too hot, not many would turn up. All it takes is the rain or sun to dampen their spirits. Imagine if it was raining bullets or the heat is from bombs. These people would abandon their ‘jihad’ and migrate to England. Actually, jihad does not mean killing as what you probably understand from the media reports. Jihad means struggle and it is basically your personal struggle against temptation and other vices. This is where the western media has been most unkind to Islam. They make it appear like jihad is an Islamic concept of killing or dying. It is not.

In fact, even in Christianity you have jihad. For example, when you say “get behind me Satan”, that is jihad. You are asking that temptation (or nafsu in Malay) be cast aside. The only thing is you do not have a name for it while Islam calls it jihad, plain and simple. But the term jihad has been twisted to mean killing and dying which is actually very wrong. For example, Jesus was against usury. The Jews too are against usury and they would never charge interest if they lend money to a fellow Jew. But it is kosher if they charge interest to a non-Jew. So Islam is no different from either Judaism or Christianity. The only thing is most Jews, Christians and Muslims do not practice what their religions profess.

:
:
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I know my outspokenness is going to get me into trouble one of these days. Well, I have been getting into trouble since the 1970s. So I suppose after 30 years what difference can it make? Anyway, Islam teaches us that we must never be frightened of fellow humans. Ultimately, man proposes but God disposes. As much as man may plot, at the end of the day God decides. And if God has already decided that I will go to jail, then who am I to fight against this? And as long as God does not will it, then it will not happen. That is how you are supposed to live the life of a true Muslim. But Malays are more frightened of the government than God. So, in that sense, Malays are bad Muslims. I mean, they do not even dare post comments in the Blogs under their own names. They are so scared of openly telling the truth lest they suffer arrest. Islam considers this as putting another power above God and that demolishes one’s faith; which is called akidah in Arabic.

You know, I almost stood up to interrupt the imam during last Friday’s prayer sermon at the mosque near my house in Sungai Buloh. The imam actually misinformed the congregation and I thought it was my Islamic duty to correct this error. (DESI: This reminds Desi of one Ipohlang putting up her hand, with significantly Other's when asked by her Pastor who among them did NOT speak in tongue... Guess who?) But in Malaysia this is not allowed. So I did the wrong thing -- I just sat there quietly without saying anything. During the Prophet’s time, members of the congregation can stand up to question the imam or dispute what he says if they feel he is wrong. But in Malaysia we are warned we cannot do this and if we do then our Friday prayers become nullified. Sheesh, and they say Islam in Malaysia is the Islam that the Prophet taught us. I would of course not dare publicly say this as this statement of mine will attract an outrage from those pretending to be ‘true’ Muslims but who in fact have no inkling of what Islam is really all about..."
:
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DESIDERATA:

First, I recommend that you visit malaysia-today.net to read the article in full -- woth severeal times that Nazi berani you're gobbling now, I can assure you.

Second, I don't have RPK's patience, to suffer such fools gladly allowing them so much space, especially the Anon; but reading the comments on his blog, I truly find therapeutic value -- Chuckling to myself, maybe the next-door neighbours would think there's a "nut" case beyond the wall that separates us. (For more on this, I would add to Helen's chuckles tomorrow...Insya-Allah, when I inter-lude on, Again, Ghouls and Demons!



PS: I feel very tired and wearied again just after returning from Hiatus one week.
Maybe I should retire?

Can any of my ER send desi 20million?
Okay, rupiahs also can! Beggars can't be choosers...


Spirit you tomollow!