Thursday, February 21, 2008

What the local Taliban-wannabe Fakirs want!

There ya go, nary a couple of days go by before some fuckwit sees fit to call me 'kafir' in my own blog.

And you know what, I'm sick of being referred to in Islamic terms. Why can't someone be Muslim, and I simply be Buddhist or Christian or Hindu or Sikh etc? Why must I be... non-Muslim? Why must my identity be based on someone else's terms? And why must some of them have to use the word with so much disdain and self righteous indignance?

So, from now on, I resolve to do the following.

Since I'm being labelled kafir, I will label them as fakir. From the Oxford dictionary:

fakir

/faykeer, fkeer/

noun a Muslim, a religious ascetic who lives solely on alms.

— ORIGIN Arabic, needy man.

Fakir is more than just a coincidental play on the word kafir. It's actually very apt, describing those who are wont to use the word 'kafir' in the most derogatory manner possible, don't you think?

And since I'm just a simple Chinaman, please forgive me in advance if I sometimes mispronounce it 'farker' or something.

Which brings me nicely into the topic of today's post:

Here's what some local Talibani fakirs want from the political parties in the next election:
PRESS RELEASE: 20 FEBRUARI 2008 / 13 SAFAR 1429H

MALAYSIA'S 12TH GENERAL ELECTION: ISLAMIC NGOs ELECTION DEMANDS

In view of the upcoming general election, Malaysia's Islamic NGOs exercise their democratic right by calling upon political parties, election candidates and the future state and federal government to address issues concerning the interests of Islam, Muslim society and the nation. The calls for a responsive government which is receptive to the aspiration of the people and the Muslim majority contained in a document called "Malaysia's 12th General Election: Islamic NGOs Election Demands". The document is a product of a consensus reached through a series of consultation among Malaysia's main Islamic NGOs including Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM), Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA), Syari'e Lawyers Association of Malaysia (PGSM), Allied Coordinating Council of Islamic NGOs (ACCIN), Wadah Pencerdasan Umat (WADAH), Muafakat Masyarakat Malaysia (MUAFAKAT) and Muslim Lawyers Association (MLA), Persatuan Ulama' Malaysia (PUM), Teras Pengupayaan Umat (TERAS). (See the full list below).

The document comprises a host of demands which fall under six main items, namely the special constitutional position of Islam; Islamic education and da'wah (call to Islam); good governance; democracy and civil society; inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations; and Islamic faith and morals. Following are the summary of the demands:

1. Special Constitutional Position of Islam


• Defend the position of Islam as the Religion of the Federation under Article 3 of the Federal Constitution.
• Assert the significant role of Islam in the state and rejects the notion of Malaysia as a secular state.
• Defend and strengthen the position and jurisdiction of Syariah Courts under Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution.
• Legislate laws controlling the propagation of non-Muslim religions among the Muslims in Sabah, Sarawak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang and Federal Territories as provided by Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution.
• Enhance the level of professionalism among the staff of Islamic agencies.
• Legislate Halal Food and Processing Act as a means to govern halal industry and enhance the enforcement of halal requirements.
• Take stern action against employers who prevent employees from practicing their Islamic religious duties at work.
• Prosecute those who cause religious disharmony, especially by making offensive remarks against Islam, under Section 298A of the Penal Code.

2. Islamic Education and Da'wah

• Increase the learning period of Islamic subjects in national primary and secondary schools.
• Set up Islamic higher learning and research institutions in specific fields such as education, technology and management.
• Guarantee academic and intellectual freedom by giving autonomous status to the universities.
• Re-instate and increase the per-capita aid to People's Religious Schools (Sekolah Agama Rakyat, SAR) and provide free textbooks to students of these schools.
• Re-introduce the teaching of Mathematics and Science in Malay at national schools.
• The Ministry of Education to allow excellent students from private religious schools to enrol in boarding schools under the supervision of the ministry and the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).
• Extend the provision of government scholarships, which are currently enjoyed by Malay students, to non-Malay Muslim students.
• Increase the number of recipients of the Public Service Department's scholarship award to Muslim students to further their studies abroad.
• The Ministry of Education to continue encouraging Islamic practices in schools.
• Provide special allocation to Islamic NGOs to carry out Islamic educational activities.
• The Ministry of Information to be sensitive toward the feelings of Muslim majority in devising broadcast policies; prioritize television programs that contribute to the development of a moral society; increase the number of Islamic education programs; and stop airing entertainment programs that promote hedonistic culture.
• Private television stations must adhere to the National Culture Policy and the National Education policy in selecting their programs.

3. Good Governance


• Step up the efforts to curb graft and abuse of powers among public officials.
• Appoint public officials among those who are free from graft, abuse of power and immoral conduct.
• Foster the internalization of Islamic values among civil servants.
• Public officials to make public declaration of their assets.
• Appoint senators among the leaders Islamic NGOs to oversee the implementation of Islamic policies and promote the welfare of Muslims.

4. Civil Society and Democracy

• Ensure that elections are clean, free and fair.
• Select election candidates among those who are of high integrity, good conduct and able.
• Ensure that the government exercises its powers in accordance with the rule of law and the constitution.
• Widen the democratic space in order to allow civil society institutions to contribute to social empowerment and nation building.

5. Inter-Ethnic and Inter-Religious Relations

• Enhance commitment to religious and racial harmony.
• Reject political parties and politicians who disregard special position of Islam in Malaysia and those who advocate the secular understanding of absolute religious freedom.
• Strictly enforce laws on the building of houses of worship irrespective of religions.
• Ensure that the sensitivities of local residents be taken into consideration before a house of worship is built in the area.
• Form a special committee comprising the representatives of Muslim organizations and local authorities to deliberate on applications to build non-Muslim houses of worship in Muslim-majority residential area.

6. Islamic Faith and Morals


• Reject the notion of religious pluralism which claims that all religions are the same.
• Reject the use of specific Islamic terms like "Allah", "Ka'abah","Baitullah" and "Solat" to refer to certain dissimilar concepts in non-Muslim religions.
• Increase the number of religious enforcement officers and their level of professionalism.
• Strictly enforce the existing laws on religious and moral crimes.

The full document can be accessed at www.MYISLAMNETWORK.NET

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

u arent the only one man that being labeled as kafir.

I was labeled as one as well, by a malay teacher. luckily another malay teacher stand up and corrected his mistake.

Anonymous said...

consider using this instead:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munafiq

sean-the-man said...

A Reply To PEMBELA
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Malaysia-Today

Pembela and ABIM have made a strange declaration about what they want to see coming out of the 12th General Elections. I have prepared a point for point reply to their Declaration. My answers begin with ‘TM says’. Pembela’s points begin with ‘Pembela’

By True Muslim

MALAYSIA’S 12TH GENERAL ELECTION: ISLAMIC NGOs ELECTION DEMANDS

Pembela : In view of the upcoming general election, Malaysia’s Islamic NGOs exercise their democratic right by calling upon political parties, election candidates and the future state and federal government to address issues concerning the interests of Islam, Muslim society and the nation.

TM says : Excuse me sirs, but who said that your declaration represents the Muslims in the first place? What do you mean by ‘issues concerning the interests of Islam’? Islam is not a club or a tribe (as described by Syed Hamid Albar) which has interests. Islam is a deen revealed by God for mankind. It is not a persatuan under your control. So please do not claim to be representing Islam. There is no such thing.

Pembela : The calls for a responsive government which is receptive to the aspiration of the people and the Muslim majority contained in a document called “Malaysia’s 12th General Election: Islamic NGOs Election Demands”. The document is a product of a consensus reached through a series of consultation among Malaysia’s main Islamic NGOs including Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM), Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA), Syari’e Lawyers Association of Malaysia (PGSM), Allied Coordinating Council of Islamic NGOs (ACCIN), Wadah Pencerdasan Umat (WADAH), Muafakat Masyarakat Malaysia (MUAFAKAT) and Muslim Lawyers Association (MLA), Persatuan Ulama’ Malaysia (PUM), Teras Pengupayaan Umat (TERAS). (See the full list below).

TM says : As Khairy Jamaludin said so eloquently on TV recently, please ‘stop talking cock’. You say your document is a product of a consensus reached through a series of consultations among Malaysia’s main Islamic NGOs. And just what in heaven’s name is that? How come I was not invited? You fellows just claim to be muslims but I am a True Muslim. How can you arrive at any consensus without inviting me?

Pembela : The document comprises a host of demands which fall under six main items, namely the special constitutional position of Islam; Islamic education and da’wah (call to Islam); good governance; democracy and civil society; inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations; and Islamic faith and morals. Following are the summary of the demands:

1. Special Constitutional Position of Islam

• Defend the position of Islam as the Religion of the Federation under Article 3 of the Federal Constitution.

TM says : Nak defend apa? Dont try to make a purse out of a sows ear and don’t try to make roti canai out of camel dung either. It wont work. You are also confused. You say ‘defend Islam as the official religion of the Federation’. But Federation is a secular concept. There is no such thing as ‘Federation’ in Islam. Also it is already written down clearly that Islam is the religion of the Federation. What is your problem? Why make an issue out of nothing?

Pembela : • Assert the significant role of Islam in the state and rejects the notion of Malaysia as a secular state.

TM says : Nowhere is it written in the Constitution that Malaysia is a secular, non secular, Islamic, Hindu or Christian state. What are you talking about?

Pembela : • Defend and strengthen the position and jurisdiction of Syariah Courts under Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution.

TM says : Nak strengthen Syariah apa? In Saudi Arabian Syariah, if you steal they chop your hands. If you murder they chop your head in public. If you get raped, you can be sent to jail. So which Syariah are you talking about? Even the OIC does not follow the Syariah.There is no such thing. So what Syariah are you talking about?

Pembela : • Legislate laws controlling the propagation of non-Muslim religions among the Muslims in Sabah, Sarawak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang and Federal Territories as provided by Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution.

TM says : Eh eh! What about Perak, Selangor, Johor etc? But in the same light can we please have some laws controlling the propagation of Islam among the non Muslims? Fair fair lah brader. Or are you saying that you are looking for ‘sabsidi kerajaan’ in propagating religion also? You can propagate to others but others cannot propagate to you? Is this in the sunnah of the Prophet? Did the Prophet prevent anyone from propagating anything? Why don’t you follow the sunnah of the Prophet here? Are you anti hadith and anti sunnah?

Pembela : • Enhance the level of professionalism among the staff of Islamic agencies.

TM says : Professionalism kepala hotak engkau! Even the monkeys do not force other monkeys to urinate on a truck. But this is what the stupid pegawai penguatkuasa agama have been doing. They force women to urinate in public and then take pictures of them. Ini bukan pasal professionalism. This is the result of believing in the syaitan. I say ‘nauzubillah’ which means ‘May God protect us’.

Pembela : • Legislate Halal Food and Processing Act as a means to govern halal industry and enhance the enforcement of halal requirements.

• Take stern action against employers who prevent employees from practicing their Islamic religious duties at work.

• Prosecute those who cause religious disharmony, especially by making offensive remarks against Islam, under Section 298A of the Penal Code.

TM says : I think some sort of action must be taken against Pembela and others like you. You are definitely making extremely offensive remarks about Islam which causes religious disharmony. If you insist others cannot propagate their religion to you, but you can propagate your religion to them, isn’t that promoting religious disharmony? This double standard is not in Islam. It is also cowardice. Pasal apa nak tunjuk sangat engko punya bodoh? Ya Allah, please protect us from the kaum moron. Nauzubillah, Nauzubillah.

Pembela : 2. Islamic Education and Da’wah

• Increase the learning period of Islamic subjects in national primary and secondary schools. • Set up Islamic higher learning and research institutions in specific fields such as education, technology and management.

TM says : Elok lah tu. Then you can produce more brain dead morons. Hello brader wake up lah. Egypt, Pakistan, Arab Saudi, Indonesia, Algeria, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Bangladesh are all OIC mental cases lah. God has given them so much wealth in oil, land, water, good weather, plants, animals, rivers etc but they are still poor, stupid, uneducated and morons. So you want to become like them? Eloklah tu.

As long as Petronas ada minyak, you can enjoy sabsidi kerajaan and talk big. Then one day when the sabsidi kerajaan runs out, you will become like Bangladesh and Indonesia. Your daughters will become ‘maids’ or worse in Singapore, Vietnam and India. Just wait and see.

Pembela : • Guarantee academic and intellectual freedom by giving autonomous status to the universities.

TM says : OK and then what? Your university graduates cannot even talk. When they come for interview they don’t switch off their handphone. When they answer the handphone I ask them to get lost. Punya bodoh. Then they don’t know anything. They will use the freedom to join Kelab PAS or Kelab UMNO. They will use their duit biasiswa to mengurat pompuan, beli motor, lumba mat rempit etc. Freedom apa?

Pembela : • Re-instate and increase the per-capita aid to People’s Religious Schools (Sekolah Agama Rakyat, SAR) and provide free textbooks to students of these schools.

TM says : You mean increase the production at these moron factories? Hangpa ni bodoh mai kut mana? Pintu depan ke pintu belakang?

Pembela : • Re-introduce the teaching of Mathematics and Science in Malay at national schools.

TM says : Eh eh brader! What has this got to do with Islam? If you had any otak you should tell the Government to convert the whole education system back to English. Go and see for your self. Many Malay korporat now employ Malays (especially women) from Singapore. Why? Because the Malay women from Singapore can speak English and know a little bit more about the world.

Pembela : • The Ministry of Education to allow excellent students from private religious schools to enrol in boarding schools under the supervision of the ministry and the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).

TM says : You are confused. You want your best students from sekolah agama to go to the sekolah secular kerajaan? If that is the case, why not just shut down the sekolah agama and let the students enrol in the sekolah secular kerajaan from Darjah Satu? Just shut down the sekolah agama lah. Effectively that is what you are saying lah bodoh! You are saying that your sekolah agama is not suitable to educate your best students. Hangpa ni bodoh mai kut mana? Kut depan ke kut belakang?

Pembela : • Extend the provision of government scholarships, which are currently enjoyed by Malay students, to non-Malay Muslim students.

TM says : And you think this type of prejudice and racism will promote religious and racial harmony? What about the non Muslim non Malay students like the Hindu and Christian Indians, Chinese, Kadazans etc? They don’t deserve scholarships? But just where exactly does the Government get money to throw on scholarships if not from the non Muslims who pay all sorts of taxes and cukai? How can you take the taxes from the non Muslims and use it to give scholarships to the Muslims pula? This is not Islam. Nauzubillah.

Pembela : • Increase the number of recipients of the Public Service Department’s scholarship award to Muslim students to further their studies abroad.

TM says : What about the non Muslims? Racist! The non Muslims pay the most taxes.

Pembela : • The Ministry of Education to continue encouraging Islamic practices in schools.

TM says : Like what? Male students on one side, female students on the other side? But how do you propose to handle the ustaz who rape young girls at the sekolah agama. Don’t say it does not happen. Jangan bohong ok?

Pembela : • Provide special allocation to Islamic NGOs to carry out Islamic educational activities.

TM says : That would be monkeys like you lah! So you want free money. Banyak cantik. This is what this is all about. You monkeys just want money. Why waste time bullshitting. Just get straight to the point lah.

Pembela : • The Ministry of Information to be sensitive toward the feelings of Muslim majority in devising broadcast policies; prioritize television programs that contribute to the development of a moral society; increase the number of Islamic education programs; and stop airing entertainment programs that promote hedonistic culture.

TM says : Hang ni bodoh mai kut mana? Who ask you to watch the tv? If you don’t like something just switch to another station. Or get Astro lah. I don’t like ‘Friends’ – boring and stupid. Low morals. So I watch Clint Eastwood – Sudden Impact. Good guys win, bad guys drop dead. If you like ‘Friends’, itu lu punya pasal lah.

Pembela : • Private television stations must adhere to the National Culture Policy and the National Education policy in selecting their programs.

TM says : What do you mean by National Culture Policy? Apa benda tu? Do you know what you are saying at all?

Pembela : 3. Good Governance

• Step up the efforts to curb graft and abuse of powers among public officials.

• Appoint public officials among those who are free from graft, abuse of power and immoral conduct.

• Foster the internalization of Islamic values among civil servants.

• Public officials to make public declaration of their assets.

• Appoint senators among the leaders Islamic NGOs to oversee the implementation of Islamic policies and promote the welfare of Muslims.

TM says : We can see your bullshit very easily lah brader. First you ask for free money. Now you say you want to be appointed Senators. Banyak cantik. This whole thing is about money and power. You can never hope to convince people at the ballot box. So you want to masuk kut pintu belakang! Cari sabsidi lagi.

Pembela : Inter-Ethnic and Inter-Religious Relations

• Enhance commitment to religious and racial harmony.

• Reject political parties and politicians who disregard special position of Islam in Malaysia and those who advocate the secular understanding of absolute religious freedom.

TM says : How do you propose to enhance religious harmony if you insist that you can preach your rubbish to others but others cannot preach their rubbish to you? How stupid can you get? The Prophet taught us that there is absolute religious freedom. Why do you reject the hadith and the sunnah of the prophet? Are you one of those anti hadith people?

Pembela : • Strictly enforce laws on the building of houses of worship irrespective of religions.

• Ensure that the sensitivities of local residents be taken into consideration before a house of worship is built in the area.

TM says : Then why do you build large and noisy mosques in residential neighborhoods? Your loudspeakers start cracking at 5 am in the morning, disturbing old people, young children and babies in their sleep. This is Islamic? Why do you close the roads on Fridays and inconvenience the traffic just because you want to sembahyang Jumaat? Is that Islamic? If you want to sembahyang go ahead but why must you inconvenience other people just because you want to sembahyang? That is not Islamic. Nauzubillah – May God protect us.

Pembela : • Form a special committee comprising the representatives of Muslim organizations and local authorities to deliberate on applications to build non-Muslim houses of worship in Muslim-majority residential area.

TM says : Then to be fair, also form committees comprising representatives of non Muslims to deliberate on applications to build mosques and suraus in non Muslim majority areas too. That is certainly more Islamic.

Pembela : 6. Islamic Faith and Morals

• Reject the notion of religious pluralism which claims that all religions are the same.

• Reject the use of specific Islamic terms like “Allah”, “Ka’abah”,”Baitullah” and “Solat” to refer to certain dissimilar concepts in non-Muslim religions.

• Increase the number of religious enforcement officers and their level of professionalism.

• Strictly enforce the existing laws on religious and moral crimes.

TM says : Increase the number of pengikut syaitan who will force women to pee in public and then take their pictures while they are doing it. Bodoh!

Nauzubillahi min al syaitan nir rajeem - We seek protection from God against the satanic devils.

sean-the-man said...

Refuting Pembela’s Racist Concept of Islam
Sunday, 24 February 2008

By Farouk A. Peru
www.peru.name

Reading ‘True Muslim’s response to the declaration given by Pembela, I was given to notice that Pembela’s concept of Islam should be called ‘Islamic Fundamentalism’ insofar as the ‘fundamentalism’ refers to exclusivism and in this case, aims to suppress any other form of religious expression.

The strange thing is, although Pembela thinks itself the upholders of Islam, its declaration is blatantly anti-Quranic! This is indeed ironic but unsurprising considering that Pembela has a record of saying such things.

Pembela :Assert the significant role of Islam in the state and rejects the notion of Malaysia as a secular state’

My comment: when the constitution was formulated, all that was said that Islam was to be the ‘official state religion’ but if you notice from the above declaration, Pembela sees ‘Malaysia as a secular state’ to be the opposite of ‘significant role of Islam’. What does this mean? Secularism is expressed via legislation therefore to reject it would mean acceptance of Sharia Law.

Is this a Quranic way of bringing in Sharia law guys? After the constitution explicitly rejects it, you guys bringing it in in a curi-curi fashion? Did Prophet Mohamed do it like this or was he invited to form a state?

Pembela: Defend and strengthen the position and jurisdiction of Syariah Courts under Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution.

Before you ‘strengthen and defend’ them, you must first DEFINE them. Not many people know, but in the formulation of Sharia Law, even the first principle, which is the application of the Quran is disagreed upon. The purveyors of Sharia law would have us believe that that Sharia law is a monolithic entity with no disagreements but in fact the opposite is true. What they seek is power, not justice.

The Quran explicitly states that if anything is to be from God, it cannot have any contradiction (4/82). Sharia law is riddled with contradictions so by Quranic principles, it cannot be divinely ordained.

Pembela: Prosecute those who cause religious disharmony, especially by making offensive remarks against Islam, under Section 298A of the Penal Code.

The Quran tells us when we judge between men, judge equitably (4/58). Why is it ok for mainstream media to derogate other religions by publishing stories of conversions of Islam, in which converts say how happy they are not to be sesat anymore thus insulting the followers of other religions. Do our fellow Malaysians not deserve respect too?

I challenge Pembela to demand to stop all propagation to non-Muslims and to stop these conversion stories from being published. Be fair as the Quran demands, not fascists as the Quran disdains.

Pembela: Reject the notion of religious pluralism which claims that all religions are the same.

Agreed. All religions are not the same and this is why I choose Islam. However, do I have the right to say ‘I am saved and you are not’. The Quran tells us that there are various expressions for submission to God (29/69, look for the word ‘paths’) and so I cannot condemn anyone just because they don’t follow my religious expression. What Pembela is saying however is different. They are saying OUR interpretation of Islam is infallible (is it? Ask them about sharia law and you’ll see) and so WE’LL go to heaven and not you. The Quran condemns such an exclusivist mindset (62/6).

Pembela: Reject the use of specific Islamic terms like “Allah”, “Ka’abah”,”Baitullah” and “Solat” to refer to certain dissimilar concepts in non-Muslim religions.

I have saved the most racist and least intelligent bit for last. Pembela seems to think that the above terms are ‘islamic’ terms. They are terms appropriated by Islam from the Arabic language. A look at pre-Islamic literature will show that these terms have already been in use before the advent of Islam. These terms have meanings and aren’t iconic in themselves. How is that that Pembela represents so many Islamic organisations and yet not know this?

Fellow Malaysians, this is the period when your local MP will actually listen to you because he wants your vote! Ask them about these fundamentalists, get them on record if they denounce people like Pembela so we can see for ourselves that people like Pembela are alone in their objective to turn Malaysian into a Taliban state. We need to do this urgently before it’s too late.