Masyarakat Tidak Wajar Sisih Remaja Bermasalah
Hassan Omar, Berita Harian (29 Julai 2005)
KUALA LUMPUR: Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat mencadangkan supaya wanita turut diberi peluang menjadi ahli jawatankuasa (AJK) masjid yang kini didominasi lelaki.
Menterinya, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil berkata, usaha itu akan memberi peluang kepada wanita memberi sumbangan lebih bermakna dan bukan setakat diperlukan hanya apabila ada kenduri-kendara di masjid.
"Wanita layak diberikan tanggungjawab berkenaan bagi membolehkan mereka memberi pendapat dan melaksanakan pelbagai program keagamaan dan kemasyarakatan, terutama yang berkaitan dengan hal-ehwal wanita.
"Setakat ini, memang ada wanita diberikan jawatan berkenaan tetapi kebanyakan hanya membabitkan kumpulan AJK kecil dan bukannya dalam kumpulan jawatankuasa utama masjid," katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar selepas menutup Konvensyen Wanita Islam anjuran bersama Hal Ehwal Wanita (Helwa) Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) dan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) di Menara DBP, di sini, semalam.
Shahrizat berkata, Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK) yang terbabit dalam pembentukan AJK masjid, perlu melihat kemampuan wanita sebagai aspek untuk memajukan fungsi masjid melalui pelbagai kegiatan.
"Kebanyakan muslimat yang saya jumpa memberikan maklum balas, mereka ingin sama-sama melaksanakan pelbagai kegiatan anjuran masjid tetapi tidak ramai yang diberikan peluang mengemukakan pandangan," katanya.
Konvensyen dua hari itu dihadiri kira-kira 300 peserta. Turut hadir, Timbalan Presiden Abim, Prof Madya Shaharuddin Baharuddin dan Naib Presiden (Helwa) Abim, Nordiran Idris. Ia bertujuan memperkukuh fungsi wanita dalam institusi keluarga, masyarakat dan negara.
Terdahulu, ketika berucap, Shahrizat berkata, meskipun memegang jawatan tinggi dalam sektor kerajaan atau swasta, wanita tidak harus mengabaikan tanggungjawab sebagai isteri dan ibu kerana asas pembentukan masyarakat yang dianjurkan Islam, bermula di rumah.
Dengan mengambil contoh dirinya, Shahrizat berkata, beliau tetap mengambil berat tanggungjawabnya sebagai isteri dan ibu kerana kasih sayang yang diberikan kepada suami dan anak-anak adalah faktor terpenting menjamin kebahagiaan keluarga.
Friday, July 29, 2005
[Malaysia] ABIM's Comment on "Harm-REduction" Programme
Malaysia's Islamic Groups Cautiously Accept Anti-HIV Plan
KUALA LUMPUR, July 19, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) -Islamic organizations in Malaysia are only cautiously accepting a government plan to distribute free syringes and condoms as part of a pioneering plan to battle the country's HIV/AIDS crisis.
"We are for the program, but the authorities must realize that before implementing it they must consult with the various quarters involved," Azizuddin Ahmad, secretary-general of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), told IslamOnline.net.
"They need to consult with Muslim scholars,non-governmental organizations, academics, and a host of other people before this program is implemented.
"The problem has to be looked at holistically," he stressed.
Facing a threat of a possible epidemic, Malaysia is mulling the implementation of a pioneer program to give needles, condoms and methadone substitution drugs to addicts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The government has decided to consult the National Fatwa Council on the program compatibility with Islamic Shari`ah after it was disputed by some religious leaders fearing it could "legitimize" illicit sex and drug abuse.
The World Health Organization has recently warned that Malaysia is at the initial stage of an HIV outbreak.
Deputy Premier Najib Tun Razak has put at 64,000 the number of Malaysians infected with HIV.
He warned that "if this trend continues in the next two or three years, between 200,000 and 300,000 people may be infected".
Concerns
Despite the guarded response, ABIM still has concerns about the pilot program, including the message and implications of the plan which the government says will target about 1,200 drug addicts.
"By distributing syringes and condoms freely to drug addicts, what message are we inadvertently sending across to our youth?" Azizuddin asked.
"Inevitably, that message is that it is okay to use drugs and have sex as long as it is safe.
"That program must not carry that message." Azizuddin's statements echoed those of other groups that met recently for a round table discussion on the implications of the program.
Among their primary concerns was the failure of HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and the government authorities to address the social roots of the epidemic, and declining social morality in general, in formulating its plan.
Dr Rayney Azmi Ali, a leader of the Islamic opposition PAS party, said that though they welcome efforts to combat the disease, the government was not doing enough to prevent wrong behavior from occurring in the
first place.
"As a representative of PAS, I would say that we welcome any moves or calls that lead to righteous behavior, and the government seems to be calling to something that is good," he told participants.
"However, we must stress here that merely amr bil ma'ruf (enjoin the good) is not enough. Nahy 'anil munkar (forbidding the evil) must also be done," said Dr Rayney, who heads the party's Islamic medical center.
Action Needed
Dr Kamarul Azhar Mohd Razali, a doctor at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital's Institute of Pediatrics, urged Islamic and Muslim interest groups to take an active part in engaging and treating HIV/AIDS patients.
"We cannot deny that the HIV/AIDS problem is at its root a social problem which cannot be tackled merely physically but also socially and spiritual," he said.
"It is a social problem that stems from failure to prevent certain human activities," said the doctor, who treats two to three children infected with HIV every month at his clinic.
"However, we Muslims have been very adept at sitting around and judging, saying this is haram (prohibited), that is haram, while we ourselves haven't done anything about (the spread of the disease)" Kamarul regretted.
He recalled that some Muslim women, who have been infected with HIV through no fault of their own but as a result of their husbands' extra-marital affairs or drug-addiction, had been shunned by the Muslim community.
"One woman I know of (who was infected through her husband) had gone to a mosque to pray with the congregation. What did they do? They chased her out!" he said angrily.
"We Muslims have been so deceitful and have no sense of compassion anymore," he charged.
Future Risks
Dr Kamarul pointed out that at the rate in which HIV/AIDS was spreading in Malaysia, especially among its youth, drastic steps were indeed to prevent the destruction of a large segment of the country's future population.
"From the first few reported cases in 1986, the numbers had soured to more than 65,000 identified HIV/AIDS patients in 2005," he said, adding that one in every 400 Malaysians are currently infected.
He argued that the solution of the HIV/AIDS problem lays in tackling it multilaterally."The spread of HIV/AIDS is a result of the failure of every layer of society, a failure from the heads of the government and spiritual leaders down to us who are the ordinary members of society," said Dr Kamarul.
He urged all parties and interest groups to be pro-active in educating members of their community about HIV/AIDS.
Uganda Model
Dr Ishak Mas'ud, former president of the Malaysian Islamic Medical Association, asked the authorities to study the experience of the Muslim community in the East African country of Uganda.
In tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis, Uganda's Islamic Medical Association (IMA) developed a distinctly Islamic approach to the problem by enlisting the community's Islamic administrative structure and
personnel to educate and spread awareness.
More than 1,000 imams and 7,000 volunteers were instrumental in conveying not merely information about the epidemic, but injecting Islamic teachings into the information sessions, Dr Ishak said.
In such a manner, he added, the Muslim leaders would also be able to speak on the Islamic concept of Jihad An-Nafs, the struggle of the soul against obeying its lusts and desires, as well as the societal jihad to care for those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Dr Ishak said the IMA's approach had resulted in a tangible decline of HIV/AIDS incidence among members of Uganda's Muslim community by 18% to the current rate of 6%.
Dr Faisal Ibrahim, who heads the health ministry's HIV/AIDS program, has promised to study the Ugandan experiment.
"By all means, we will consider the model. In our plans, we have already proposed enlisting the help of and training the imams of our mosques," he said.
The government plans on implementing its pilot methadone program in October and has tentatively set January as the start of its free syringe and condom program.
KUALA LUMPUR, July 19, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) -Islamic organizations in Malaysia are only cautiously accepting a government plan to distribute free syringes and condoms as part of a pioneering plan to battle the country's HIV/AIDS crisis.
"We are for the program, but the authorities must realize that before implementing it they must consult with the various quarters involved," Azizuddin Ahmad, secretary-general of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), told IslamOnline.net.
"They need to consult with Muslim scholars,non-governmental organizations, academics, and a host of other people before this program is implemented.
"The problem has to be looked at holistically," he stressed.
Facing a threat of a possible epidemic, Malaysia is mulling the implementation of a pioneer program to give needles, condoms and methadone substitution drugs to addicts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The government has decided to consult the National Fatwa Council on the program compatibility with Islamic Shari`ah after it was disputed by some religious leaders fearing it could "legitimize" illicit sex and drug abuse.
The World Health Organization has recently warned that Malaysia is at the initial stage of an HIV outbreak.
Deputy Premier Najib Tun Razak has put at 64,000 the number of Malaysians infected with HIV.
He warned that "if this trend continues in the next two or three years, between 200,000 and 300,000 people may be infected".
Concerns
Despite the guarded response, ABIM still has concerns about the pilot program, including the message and implications of the plan which the government says will target about 1,200 drug addicts.
"By distributing syringes and condoms freely to drug addicts, what message are we inadvertently sending across to our youth?" Azizuddin asked.
"Inevitably, that message is that it is okay to use drugs and have sex as long as it is safe.
"That program must not carry that message." Azizuddin's statements echoed those of other groups that met recently for a round table discussion on the implications of the program.
Among their primary concerns was the failure of HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and the government authorities to address the social roots of the epidemic, and declining social morality in general, in formulating its plan.
Dr Rayney Azmi Ali, a leader of the Islamic opposition PAS party, said that though they welcome efforts to combat the disease, the government was not doing enough to prevent wrong behavior from occurring in the
first place.
"As a representative of PAS, I would say that we welcome any moves or calls that lead to righteous behavior, and the government seems to be calling to something that is good," he told participants.
"However, we must stress here that merely amr bil ma'ruf (enjoin the good) is not enough. Nahy 'anil munkar (forbidding the evil) must also be done," said Dr Rayney, who heads the party's Islamic medical center.
Action Needed
Dr Kamarul Azhar Mohd Razali, a doctor at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital's Institute of Pediatrics, urged Islamic and Muslim interest groups to take an active part in engaging and treating HIV/AIDS patients.
"We cannot deny that the HIV/AIDS problem is at its root a social problem which cannot be tackled merely physically but also socially and spiritual," he said.
"It is a social problem that stems from failure to prevent certain human activities," said the doctor, who treats two to three children infected with HIV every month at his clinic.
"However, we Muslims have been very adept at sitting around and judging, saying this is haram (prohibited), that is haram, while we ourselves haven't done anything about (the spread of the disease)" Kamarul regretted.
He recalled that some Muslim women, who have been infected with HIV through no fault of their own but as a result of their husbands' extra-marital affairs or drug-addiction, had been shunned by the Muslim community.
"One woman I know of (who was infected through her husband) had gone to a mosque to pray with the congregation. What did they do? They chased her out!" he said angrily.
"We Muslims have been so deceitful and have no sense of compassion anymore," he charged.
Future Risks
Dr Kamarul pointed out that at the rate in which HIV/AIDS was spreading in Malaysia, especially among its youth, drastic steps were indeed to prevent the destruction of a large segment of the country's future population.
"From the first few reported cases in 1986, the numbers had soured to more than 65,000 identified HIV/AIDS patients in 2005," he said, adding that one in every 400 Malaysians are currently infected.
He argued that the solution of the HIV/AIDS problem lays in tackling it multilaterally."The spread of HIV/AIDS is a result of the failure of every layer of society, a failure from the heads of the government and spiritual leaders down to us who are the ordinary members of society," said Dr Kamarul.
He urged all parties and interest groups to be pro-active in educating members of their community about HIV/AIDS.
Uganda Model
Dr Ishak Mas'ud, former president of the Malaysian Islamic Medical Association, asked the authorities to study the experience of the Muslim community in the East African country of Uganda.
In tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis, Uganda's Islamic Medical Association (IMA) developed a distinctly Islamic approach to the problem by enlisting the community's Islamic administrative structure and
personnel to educate and spread awareness.
More than 1,000 imams and 7,000 volunteers were instrumental in conveying not merely information about the epidemic, but injecting Islamic teachings into the information sessions, Dr Ishak said.
In such a manner, he added, the Muslim leaders would also be able to speak on the Islamic concept of Jihad An-Nafs, the struggle of the soul against obeying its lusts and desires, as well as the societal jihad to care for those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Dr Ishak said the IMA's approach had resulted in a tangible decline of HIV/AIDS incidence among members of Uganda's Muslim community by 18% to the current rate of 6%.
Dr Faisal Ibrahim, who heads the health ministry's HIV/AIDS program, has promised to study the Ugandan experiment.
"By all means, we will consider the model. In our plans, we have already proposed enlisting the help of and training the imams of our mosques," he said.
The government plans on implementing its pilot methadone program in October and has tentatively set January as the start of its free syringe and condom program.
[Malaysia] Bengkel ABIM Mengenai Program Pengagihan Jarum
Bengkel Keprihatinan Isu-Isu Sosial: Implikasi Pemberian Jarum Dan Kondom Percuma Terhadap Masyarakat
10 Julai 2005
Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) telah mengadakan Bengkel Keprihatinan Isu-isu Sosial yang membincangkan Implikasi Pemberian Jarum dan Kondom Kepada Pesakit HIV/AIDS di Kompleks Anjung Rahmat, Gombak pada Ahad, 10 Julai 2005.
Bengkel tertutup yang dihadiri oleh lebih kurang 50 orang dari pelbagai pertubuhan profesional dan NGO telah dipengerusikan oleh Dr. Rayney Azmi Ali Pusat Perubatan Kohilal. Empat orang pembentang telah menjelaskan kedudukan dan memberi penyampaian did lam bengkel tersebut, iaitu
(i) Dr. Kamarul Azhar Mohd Razali, Pakar Perunding Kanak-kanak dan Penyakit Berjangkit, Institut Pediatrik Hospital Kuala Lumpur,
(ii) Dato' Dr. Faisal Haji Ibrahim, Pengurus Program HIV/AIDS, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia,
(iii) Dr. Ishak Mas'ud, Pakar Perunding Perubatan dan Gastroenterologi, Pusat Perubatan Kampung Baru, dan
(iv) Dato’ Seri Haji Harussani Haji Zakaria, Mufti Kerajaan Negeri Perak.
Perbincangan bengkel selama empat ini diakhiri dengan satu sidang media selama lebih kurang sejam sebagai merumuskan penyampaian dan penjelasan yang dilakukan. Di dalam sidang media tersebut, Dato' Dr. Faisal Ibrahim telah menjelaskan tujuan kehadiran beliau ke bengkel tersebut manakala ABIM pula menjelaskan pendiriannya mengenai cadangan tersebut sepertimana yang dimaklumkan di dalam memorandumnya kepada YAB Timbalan Perdana Menteri pada 18 Jun 2005.
ABIM menyatakan bahawa Kerajaan seharusnya mengambilkira pandangan agama dan kesusilaan budaya masyarakat yang pegang selama ini. Pandangan ini mestilah diambilkira secara menyeluruh dalam usaha membenteras penyakit HIV/AIDS yang semakin menular dalam masyarakat.
Peruntukan yang mencukupi perlu diberi bagi membolehkan usaha dapat dibuat secara bersungguh-sungguh. Yang jelas, Islam telah mengemukakan penyelesaian yang dapat merubah sikap manusia kepada yang baik. Metodologi barat tidak semestinya menghasilkan kesan yang baik dan sesuai pada semua tempat.
ABIM bersedia membantu Kementerian Kesihatan dalam menangani isu ini.
www.abim.org.my
10 Julai 2005
Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) telah mengadakan Bengkel Keprihatinan Isu-isu Sosial yang membincangkan Implikasi Pemberian Jarum dan Kondom Kepada Pesakit HIV/AIDS di Kompleks Anjung Rahmat, Gombak pada Ahad, 10 Julai 2005.
Bengkel tertutup yang dihadiri oleh lebih kurang 50 orang dari pelbagai pertubuhan profesional dan NGO telah dipengerusikan oleh Dr. Rayney Azmi Ali Pusat Perubatan Kohilal. Empat orang pembentang telah menjelaskan kedudukan dan memberi penyampaian did lam bengkel tersebut, iaitu
(i) Dr. Kamarul Azhar Mohd Razali, Pakar Perunding Kanak-kanak dan Penyakit Berjangkit, Institut Pediatrik Hospital Kuala Lumpur,
(ii) Dato' Dr. Faisal Haji Ibrahim, Pengurus Program HIV/AIDS, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia,
(iii) Dr. Ishak Mas'ud, Pakar Perunding Perubatan dan Gastroenterologi, Pusat Perubatan Kampung Baru, dan
(iv) Dato’ Seri Haji Harussani Haji Zakaria, Mufti Kerajaan Negeri Perak.
Perbincangan bengkel selama empat ini diakhiri dengan satu sidang media selama lebih kurang sejam sebagai merumuskan penyampaian dan penjelasan yang dilakukan. Di dalam sidang media tersebut, Dato' Dr. Faisal Ibrahim telah menjelaskan tujuan kehadiran beliau ke bengkel tersebut manakala ABIM pula menjelaskan pendiriannya mengenai cadangan tersebut sepertimana yang dimaklumkan di dalam memorandumnya kepada YAB Timbalan Perdana Menteri pada 18 Jun 2005.
ABIM menyatakan bahawa Kerajaan seharusnya mengambilkira pandangan agama dan kesusilaan budaya masyarakat yang pegang selama ini. Pandangan ini mestilah diambilkira secara menyeluruh dalam usaha membenteras penyakit HIV/AIDS yang semakin menular dalam masyarakat.
Peruntukan yang mencukupi perlu diberi bagi membolehkan usaha dapat dibuat secara bersungguh-sungguh. Yang jelas, Islam telah mengemukakan penyelesaian yang dapat merubah sikap manusia kepada yang baik. Metodologi barat tidak semestinya menghasilkan kesan yang baik dan sesuai pada semua tempat.
ABIM bersedia membantu Kementerian Kesihatan dalam menangani isu ini.
www.abim.org.my
[Malaysia] Kaji semula program kondom, jarum percuma - ABIM
Kaji semula program kondom, jarum percuma - ABIM (Harakdaily)
Oleh Salmiyah Harun
KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Julai (Hrkh) - Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) meminta kerajaan mengkaji semula cadangan program perintis Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia untuk mengurangkan jangkitan HIV/Aids di kalangan rakyat negara ini dengan mengambil kira padangan semua pihak.
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Abim, Azizuddin Ahmad, untuk melaksanakan program itu kerajaan harus juga mendengar pandangan daripada ulama, akademik, profesional dan juga rakyat.
Ini kerana katanya, program perintis itu mungkin akan menimbulkan implikasi sama ada baik atau buruk.
Bagaimanapun katanya, jika kerajaan bertegas melaksanakan program pemberian kondom dan dan jarum percuma kepada sejumlah 1200 penagih di negara ini, maka ia perlu dilaksanakan dengan teliti dan serius dengan memasukkam elemen kegamaan, motivasi dan kawalan sebaiknya.
Beliau berkata demikian dalam satu sidang media yang diadakan sebaik sahaja selesai 'Persidangan meja bulat; Implikasi Pemberian Jarum dan Kondom Terhadap Masyarakat', di Gombak semalam.
Azizuddin berkata, perkara asas yang perlu ditekankan kerajaan untuk mengurangkan jangkitan HIV/ Aids itu, yang paling baik adalah dengan menerapkan penghayatan cara hidup Islam yang sempurna.
Beliau juga mempersoalkan adakah dengan melaksanakan program perintis itu dapat mengubah kelakuan tidak bertanggungjawab di kalangan penagih-penagih.
Beliau berkata, setakat ini tidak ada statistik yang menunjukkan jangkitan HIV/Aids turun mendadak oleh negara-negara yang menggunakan kaedah pemberian jarum dan kondom serta dadah percuma kepada penagih.
"Kita mendapati model yang dimulakan oleh Barat tidak pernah menampakkan kejayaan dan perubahan dalam masyarakatnya, apakah kita akan boleh berubah berdasarkan kaedah mereka? Kita tidak perlu mengikut model barat.
"Adakah logik seseorang itu (penagih) apabila semasa berkongsi jarum punyai kesempatan untuk menukar jarum tersebut? Apakah dengan memakai kondom menjamin 100 peratus tidak berlaku jangkitan tersebut, dan kita tahu bagaimana tahap pemikiran seseorang penagih," jelasnya.
Tegasnya, jangan sampai rakyat dapat rasakan bahawa kerajaan kini langsung tidak mahu berfikir dan tidak dapat mempertahankan lagi nilai serta budaya, agama, bangsa dan negara.
Katanya, kerajaan tidak seharusnya terburu-buru melaksanakan sesuatu perkara sekadar untuk mempertahankan fakta yang tidak tepat dan menggesa agar program ini dilaksanakan demi kebaikan umat seluruhnya.
Sementara itu, Wakil dari PAS Dr Rayney Azmi Ali pula berpendapat perkara utama yang perlu ditekankan dalam program ini adalah amar maaruf nahi mungkar.
Malangnya, Dr Rayney berkata, di negara ini wujud konsep mengajak rakyat kepada kebaikkan tetapi tidak ada mencegah kepada kemungkaran.
"Kalau asasnya kuat, seperti didikan agama, segala masalah akan selesai, ini kerana kebanyakkan kaum melayu yang menjadi mangsa HIV dan dadah, sekiranya mereka ini ada pengangan agama mungkin masalah ini tidak akan timbul," jelasnya.
Justeru kata beliau, yang sewajarnya menjadi langkah-langkah pencegahan adalah penutupan saluran-saluran yang akan melorongkan mereka kepada jangkitan HIV seprti, membanteras gejala maksiat di pelbagai peringkat, gerak gempur sarang-sarang penagih dadah dan sarang maksiat serta penyederhanaan program dan bucaya hiburan yang semakin keterlaluan.
Di antara panelis yang hadir dan membentangkan kertas kerja masing-masing adalah, Mufti Kerajaan Perak, Dato' Seri Dr Harussani Zakaria; Pakar Perunding Kanak-kanak dan Penyakit Berjangkit Institut Pediatrik Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Dr Kamarul Azhar Mohd Razali; Pengurus Program HIV/AIDS Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, Dato' Dr Faisal Ibrahim; dan Pakar Perunding Perubatan dan Gastroenterologi Pusat Perubatan Kampung Baru, Dr Ishak Mas'ud manakala Dr Rayney Azmi Ali dari Pusat Perubatan Kohilal mempengerusikan sesi
Abim says ‘yes’ to syringes, condoms
NST, 11 July 2005
Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) today supported the move to provide free syringes and condoms to drug addicts, but with a caveat. The programme should not convey the message that it was all right to take drugs and practise free sex, secretary-general Azizuddin Ahmad said.
Azizuddin said the movement was relieved to learn that the free syringes and condoms would be given under strict supervision.
He said this after a roundtable discussion on the implications of giving free needles and condoms to drug addicts, attended by about 10 representatives of several organisations, including Pas.
The Health Ministry’s HIV/AIDS programme manager, Datuk Dr Faisal Ibrahim, explained the efforts being undertaken to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Also present were Federal Territory Pas Liaison Committee member Dr Rayney Azmi Ali and Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Harunssani Zakaria.
Dr Faisal assured that only trained care workers would be allowed to distribute new syringes in exchange for the old ones and these would only be given to addicts who came personally.
"This programme will also help track undetected drug addicts so that we can give them assistance such as counselling and advise them to undergo tests for HIV."
He said a comprehensive action plan would be unveiled early next year.
A committee will monitor the pilot project.
Azizuddin wanted the Government to use religion to tackle the problem, and suggested that imams play a bigger role in this.
"Abim, with its limited resources, has trained over 30 imams for such a purpose," he said.
Dr Rayney said Pas believed that a strong religious foundation would help check the drugs and HIV/AIDS problems.
Oleh Salmiyah Harun
KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Julai (Hrkh) - Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) meminta kerajaan mengkaji semula cadangan program perintis Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia untuk mengurangkan jangkitan HIV/Aids di kalangan rakyat negara ini dengan mengambil kira padangan semua pihak.
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Abim, Azizuddin Ahmad, untuk melaksanakan program itu kerajaan harus juga mendengar pandangan daripada ulama, akademik, profesional dan juga rakyat.
Ini kerana katanya, program perintis itu mungkin akan menimbulkan implikasi sama ada baik atau buruk.
Bagaimanapun katanya, jika kerajaan bertegas melaksanakan program pemberian kondom dan dan jarum percuma kepada sejumlah 1200 penagih di negara ini, maka ia perlu dilaksanakan dengan teliti dan serius dengan memasukkam elemen kegamaan, motivasi dan kawalan sebaiknya.
Beliau berkata demikian dalam satu sidang media yang diadakan sebaik sahaja selesai 'Persidangan meja bulat; Implikasi Pemberian Jarum dan Kondom Terhadap Masyarakat', di Gombak semalam.
Azizuddin berkata, perkara asas yang perlu ditekankan kerajaan untuk mengurangkan jangkitan HIV/ Aids itu, yang paling baik adalah dengan menerapkan penghayatan cara hidup Islam yang sempurna.
Beliau juga mempersoalkan adakah dengan melaksanakan program perintis itu dapat mengubah kelakuan tidak bertanggungjawab di kalangan penagih-penagih.
Beliau berkata, setakat ini tidak ada statistik yang menunjukkan jangkitan HIV/Aids turun mendadak oleh negara-negara yang menggunakan kaedah pemberian jarum dan kondom serta dadah percuma kepada penagih.
"Kita mendapati model yang dimulakan oleh Barat tidak pernah menampakkan kejayaan dan perubahan dalam masyarakatnya, apakah kita akan boleh berubah berdasarkan kaedah mereka? Kita tidak perlu mengikut model barat.
"Adakah logik seseorang itu (penagih) apabila semasa berkongsi jarum punyai kesempatan untuk menukar jarum tersebut? Apakah dengan memakai kondom menjamin 100 peratus tidak berlaku jangkitan tersebut, dan kita tahu bagaimana tahap pemikiran seseorang penagih," jelasnya.
Tegasnya, jangan sampai rakyat dapat rasakan bahawa kerajaan kini langsung tidak mahu berfikir dan tidak dapat mempertahankan lagi nilai serta budaya, agama, bangsa dan negara.
Katanya, kerajaan tidak seharusnya terburu-buru melaksanakan sesuatu perkara sekadar untuk mempertahankan fakta yang tidak tepat dan menggesa agar program ini dilaksanakan demi kebaikan umat seluruhnya.
Sementara itu, Wakil dari PAS Dr Rayney Azmi Ali pula berpendapat perkara utama yang perlu ditekankan dalam program ini adalah amar maaruf nahi mungkar.
Malangnya, Dr Rayney berkata, di negara ini wujud konsep mengajak rakyat kepada kebaikkan tetapi tidak ada mencegah kepada kemungkaran.
"Kalau asasnya kuat, seperti didikan agama, segala masalah akan selesai, ini kerana kebanyakkan kaum melayu yang menjadi mangsa HIV dan dadah, sekiranya mereka ini ada pengangan agama mungkin masalah ini tidak akan timbul," jelasnya.
Justeru kata beliau, yang sewajarnya menjadi langkah-langkah pencegahan adalah penutupan saluran-saluran yang akan melorongkan mereka kepada jangkitan HIV seprti, membanteras gejala maksiat di pelbagai peringkat, gerak gempur sarang-sarang penagih dadah dan sarang maksiat serta penyederhanaan program dan bucaya hiburan yang semakin keterlaluan.
Di antara panelis yang hadir dan membentangkan kertas kerja masing-masing adalah, Mufti Kerajaan Perak, Dato' Seri Dr Harussani Zakaria; Pakar Perunding Kanak-kanak dan Penyakit Berjangkit Institut Pediatrik Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Dr Kamarul Azhar Mohd Razali; Pengurus Program HIV/AIDS Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, Dato' Dr Faisal Ibrahim; dan Pakar Perunding Perubatan dan Gastroenterologi Pusat Perubatan Kampung Baru, Dr Ishak Mas'ud manakala Dr Rayney Azmi Ali dari Pusat Perubatan Kohilal mempengerusikan sesi
Abim says ‘yes’ to syringes, condoms
NST, 11 July 2005
Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) today supported the move to provide free syringes and condoms to drug addicts, but with a caveat. The programme should not convey the message that it was all right to take drugs and practise free sex, secretary-general Azizuddin Ahmad said.
Azizuddin said the movement was relieved to learn that the free syringes and condoms would be given under strict supervision.
He said this after a roundtable discussion on the implications of giving free needles and condoms to drug addicts, attended by about 10 representatives of several organisations, including Pas.
The Health Ministry’s HIV/AIDS programme manager, Datuk Dr Faisal Ibrahim, explained the efforts being undertaken to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Also present were Federal Territory Pas Liaison Committee member Dr Rayney Azmi Ali and Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Harunssani Zakaria.
Dr Faisal assured that only trained care workers would be allowed to distribute new syringes in exchange for the old ones and these would only be given to addicts who came personally.
"This programme will also help track undetected drug addicts so that we can give them assistance such as counselling and advise them to undergo tests for HIV."
He said a comprehensive action plan would be unveiled early next year.
A committee will monitor the pilot project.
Azizuddin wanted the Government to use religion to tackle the problem, and suggested that imams play a bigger role in this.
"Abim, with its limited resources, has trained over 30 imams for such a purpose," he said.
Dr Rayney said Pas believed that a strong religious foundation would help check the drugs and HIV/AIDS problems.
[Malaysia] TNB Mahu Semak Tarif 3 Bulan Sekali
TNB mahu kaedah semakan tiga bulan sekali digunakan untuk menentukan kenaikan atau penurunan kadar tarif
Berita Harian, 29 Julai 2005
TENAGA Nasional Bhd (TNB) memberi jaminan sebarang kenaikan tarif elektrik tidak akan memberi kesan menyeluruh kepada semua pihak dan akan dibuat secara berperingkat. Ketua Eksekutifnya, Datuk Che Khalib Mohd Noh, berkata jika kerajaan memutuskan untuk menaikkan tarif elektrik, ia membabitkan pelarasan dengan kadarnya berbeza di antara kategori pengguna.
Beliau menjelaskan, sebab itulah dalam cadangan yang dikemukakan kepada kerajaan, TNB memberi cadangan digunakan semula formula “pass-through” dalam menentukan kadar tarif elektrik.
Mengikut formula itu, semakan terhadap kos bahan bakar dibuat setiap tiga bulan, yang mana ia menentukan keputusan sama ada untuk menaikkan atau menurunkan kadar tarif elektrik.
Tanpa menyatakan sama ada kerajaan meluluskan permohonan semakan tarif yang dikemukakan TNB, Che Khalib berkata, formula itu berkesan kerana kadar yang dibayar pengguna akan ditentukan berdasarkan kepada kos bahan mentah, terutama produk petroleum.
Beliau berkata, bagi mengelak kesan mendadak kenaikan tarif elektrik, TNB juga meminta kerajaan menimbangkan harga gas dinaikkan secara berperingkat dalam tempoh 10 hingga 15 tahun.
Pada satu pertemuan dengan media di Kuala Lumpur, semalam, Che Khalib menegaskan, cadangan TNB bukan semata-mata mengenai kenaikan tarif, sebaliknya lebih kepada menerangkan isu yang dihadapi TNB.
"TNB menjelaskan kepada kerajaan mengenai pelbagai perkara yang perlu dilakukan (bagi pembaikan perkhidmatan) termasuk aspek penyelenggaraan dan penggantian aset," katanya.
Che Khalib menegaskan, TNB yang kini dibebani hutang RM30.5 bilion tidak boleh terus berhutang untuk membiayai perbelanjaan modalnya.
Setiap tahun TNB perlukan antara RM4-RM4.5 bilion yang mana sebahagian besarnya untuk penyelenggaraan dan membaiki aset penghantaran dan pengagihan.
"Dalam tempoh 20 tahun lalu, tarif hanya dilaraskan semula dua kali iaitu pada 1996 dan 1997. Itupun disebabkan kenaikan harga minyak dan perubahan pertukaran mata wang.
"Sedangkan dalam tempoh itu, pelbagai kos lain seperti gaji kakitangan, peralatan dan aset penghantaran dan penjanaan telah naik," katanya.
Che Khalib berkata, disebabkan pendapatan yang semakin terhad, TNB terpaksa memilih antara menyelenggara aset dan sistem dengan membuat pelaburan penyambungan tenaga ke kawasan pembangunan baru.
"Dalam banyak keadaan, kami mesti memberi tumpuan kepada penyambungan ke kawasan baru yang setiap tahun membabitkan peruntukan sehingga RM1.5 bilion, pada masa sama memperuntukkan untuk pembaikan sistem dan aset. Kami tidak boleh menanti sistem rosak baru hendak diganti," katanya.
Che Khalib, antara beberapa ketua eksekutif yang menamatkan tahun pertama dalam syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) "berjiwa baru" turut menggariskan beberapa pencapaian TNB dalam tempoh itu.
Antaranya ialah kutipan tunggakan hutang bil, mengurangkan kerugian kehilangan teknikal (penghantaran elektrik), mengekang kegiatan mencuri elektrik dan peningkatan keberkesanan kos.
Sehingga kini, TNB mengutip RM190 juta hutang daripada lima kilang besi yang menjadi pemiutang terbesar, sementara 100 pasukan pengesan kecurian elektrik telah mengutip bil tertunggak RM143 juta, mengurangkan kos perbelanjaan pejabat sebanyak RM70 juta dan sistem KPI untuk kakitangan pengurusan.
"Secara keseluruhannya TNB mensasarkan penjimatan RM800 juta tahun ini, dan setakat ini kami mencapai RM400 juta," katanya
Berita Harian, 29 Julai 2005
TENAGA Nasional Bhd (TNB) memberi jaminan sebarang kenaikan tarif elektrik tidak akan memberi kesan menyeluruh kepada semua pihak dan akan dibuat secara berperingkat. Ketua Eksekutifnya, Datuk Che Khalib Mohd Noh, berkata jika kerajaan memutuskan untuk menaikkan tarif elektrik, ia membabitkan pelarasan dengan kadarnya berbeza di antara kategori pengguna.
Beliau menjelaskan, sebab itulah dalam cadangan yang dikemukakan kepada kerajaan, TNB memberi cadangan digunakan semula formula “pass-through” dalam menentukan kadar tarif elektrik.
Mengikut formula itu, semakan terhadap kos bahan bakar dibuat setiap tiga bulan, yang mana ia menentukan keputusan sama ada untuk menaikkan atau menurunkan kadar tarif elektrik.
Tanpa menyatakan sama ada kerajaan meluluskan permohonan semakan tarif yang dikemukakan TNB, Che Khalib berkata, formula itu berkesan kerana kadar yang dibayar pengguna akan ditentukan berdasarkan kepada kos bahan mentah, terutama produk petroleum.
Beliau berkata, bagi mengelak kesan mendadak kenaikan tarif elektrik, TNB juga meminta kerajaan menimbangkan harga gas dinaikkan secara berperingkat dalam tempoh 10 hingga 15 tahun.
Pada satu pertemuan dengan media di Kuala Lumpur, semalam, Che Khalib menegaskan, cadangan TNB bukan semata-mata mengenai kenaikan tarif, sebaliknya lebih kepada menerangkan isu yang dihadapi TNB.
"TNB menjelaskan kepada kerajaan mengenai pelbagai perkara yang perlu dilakukan (bagi pembaikan perkhidmatan) termasuk aspek penyelenggaraan dan penggantian aset," katanya.
Che Khalib menegaskan, TNB yang kini dibebani hutang RM30.5 bilion tidak boleh terus berhutang untuk membiayai perbelanjaan modalnya.
Setiap tahun TNB perlukan antara RM4-RM4.5 bilion yang mana sebahagian besarnya untuk penyelenggaraan dan membaiki aset penghantaran dan pengagihan.
"Dalam tempoh 20 tahun lalu, tarif hanya dilaraskan semula dua kali iaitu pada 1996 dan 1997. Itupun disebabkan kenaikan harga minyak dan perubahan pertukaran mata wang.
"Sedangkan dalam tempoh itu, pelbagai kos lain seperti gaji kakitangan, peralatan dan aset penghantaran dan penjanaan telah naik," katanya.
Che Khalib berkata, disebabkan pendapatan yang semakin terhad, TNB terpaksa memilih antara menyelenggara aset dan sistem dengan membuat pelaburan penyambungan tenaga ke kawasan pembangunan baru.
"Dalam banyak keadaan, kami mesti memberi tumpuan kepada penyambungan ke kawasan baru yang setiap tahun membabitkan peruntukan sehingga RM1.5 bilion, pada masa sama memperuntukkan untuk pembaikan sistem dan aset. Kami tidak boleh menanti sistem rosak baru hendak diganti," katanya.
Che Khalib, antara beberapa ketua eksekutif yang menamatkan tahun pertama dalam syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) "berjiwa baru" turut menggariskan beberapa pencapaian TNB dalam tempoh itu.
Antaranya ialah kutipan tunggakan hutang bil, mengurangkan kerugian kehilangan teknikal (penghantaran elektrik), mengekang kegiatan mencuri elektrik dan peningkatan keberkesanan kos.
Sehingga kini, TNB mengutip RM190 juta hutang daripada lima kilang besi yang menjadi pemiutang terbesar, sementara 100 pasukan pengesan kecurian elektrik telah mengutip bil tertunggak RM143 juta, mengurangkan kos perbelanjaan pejabat sebanyak RM70 juta dan sistem KPI untuk kakitangan pengurusan.
"Secara keseluruhannya TNB mensasarkan penjimatan RM800 juta tahun ini, dan setakat ini kami mencapai RM400 juta," katanya
Hikes in fuel prices not ruled out
Indonesian minister says hikes in fuel prices not ruled out
Friday, July 29 2005, Harakahdaily
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 - Indonesia's Minister for National Development Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Thursday that a drive to reduce energy consumption had made some headway, but did not rule out another fuel price hike.
"So far electricity consumption has been quite drastically reduced, especially on the peak burden, so that's a good indication," she said on the sidelines of an Asia economic conference.
"We are not expecting that it is going to disrupt the economic pickup that we are now enjoying in the first two quarters," added the minister, who is also chair of the National Development Planning Agency.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this month issued a decree ordering all officials and government institutions to reduce their fuel and electricity consumption.
He also said that the government was considering ways to enforce fuel saving measures, which may include higher taxes for larger-engine cars or switching off air conditioners at offices and shopping malls before closing hours.
The measures are aimed at reducing fuel consumption by 5-10 percent nationwide and to keep fuel subsidy spending within the targeted 76.5 trillion rupiah (7.84 billion dollars) this year.
Indrawati said the government was examining how the drive could be extended from saving energy to curbing fuel consumption, which she said was a difficult task.
"For the fuel, it's a really difficult one because the fact that Indonesia is selling more cars and motorcycles is also demanding a higher consumption of fuel," she told AFP.
The minister said that the government was not ruling out a hike in fuel prices to keep the situation under control.
"Any option is still open for all of us, so as a government we are still going to review and monitor what we can achieve and we will achieve with this saving energy movement by us," she said.
"We will see the sustainability of our own fiscal status as well in this case, the possibility of adjusting the price, first to the business community before we can move to the other consumers."
Indrawati said that despite pressure over oil prices, Indonesia expected to maintain its targetted growth of six percent this year, citing strong results in the first two quarters which were "way above our optimistic expectations."
"I think overall the six percent maximum growth for the year hopefully can be easily achieved," she said. - AFP/mks.
Friday, July 29 2005, Harakahdaily
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 - Indonesia's Minister for National Development Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Thursday that a drive to reduce energy consumption had made some headway, but did not rule out another fuel price hike.
"So far electricity consumption has been quite drastically reduced, especially on the peak burden, so that's a good indication," she said on the sidelines of an Asia economic conference.
"We are not expecting that it is going to disrupt the economic pickup that we are now enjoying in the first two quarters," added the minister, who is also chair of the National Development Planning Agency.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this month issued a decree ordering all officials and government institutions to reduce their fuel and electricity consumption.
He also said that the government was considering ways to enforce fuel saving measures, which may include higher taxes for larger-engine cars or switching off air conditioners at offices and shopping malls before closing hours.
The measures are aimed at reducing fuel consumption by 5-10 percent nationwide and to keep fuel subsidy spending within the targeted 76.5 trillion rupiah (7.84 billion dollars) this year.
Indrawati said the government was examining how the drive could be extended from saving energy to curbing fuel consumption, which she said was a difficult task.
"For the fuel, it's a really difficult one because the fact that Indonesia is selling more cars and motorcycles is also demanding a higher consumption of fuel," she told AFP.
The minister said that the government was not ruling out a hike in fuel prices to keep the situation under control.
"Any option is still open for all of us, so as a government we are still going to review and monitor what we can achieve and we will achieve with this saving energy movement by us," she said.
"We will see the sustainability of our own fiscal status as well in this case, the possibility of adjusting the price, first to the business community before we can move to the other consumers."
Indrawati said that despite pressure over oil prices, Indonesia expected to maintain its targetted growth of six percent this year, citing strong results in the first two quarters which were "way above our optimistic expectations."
"I think overall the six percent maximum growth for the year hopefully can be easily achieved," she said. - AFP/mks.
[Malaysia] Ekuiti Melayu tertinggi zaman Ku Li
Ekuiti Melayu tertinggi zaman Ku Li jadi Menteri Kewangan - Husam
Friday, July 29 2005, Harakahdaily
KETEREH (Kelantan), 29 Julai (Hrkh) – Kejayaan orang Melayu memiliki ekuiti kekayaan negara sehingga mencapai 22 peratus hanya berlaku ketika Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah menjadi Menteri Kewangan.
Pada kemuncak itu hanya sebanyak lapan peratus lagi menghampiri 30 peratus sebagaimana ditetapkan bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Abdul Razak Hussin ketika melancarkan Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) pada 1971. Naib Presiden PAS, Haji Husam Musa berkata, bagaimanapun selepas anggota Parlimen Gua Musang terbabit meninggalkan Kementerian Kewangan, ekuiti milik orang Melayu semakin merosot.
"Sekarang ekuiti milik orang Melayu hanya sekitar 18 peratus sahaja. Keadaan ini berlaku kerana orang Melayu yang mendapat kontrak kerajaan menjual kepada orang lain," katanya pada ceramah di Kampung Gondang, dekat sini, malam tadi.
Hadir sama Yang Dipertua PAS Ketereh, Ustaz Wan Ismail Wan Jusoh, Penyelia DUN Kok Lanas, Haji Ashaari Mamat, Penyelia Parlimen Ketereh, Haji Abdul Aziz Abdul Kadir dan Adun Kadok, Haji Mohd Shukri Abdul Rahman.
Cakap bela Melayu tetapi rumah Tunku dijual kepada The Star
Husam yang juga anggota Exco kerajaan negeri turut mendedahkan pemimpin Umno kononnya bercakap hendak bela nasib orang Melayu, namun dalam masa yang sama banyak melakukan tindakan menyebabkan orang Melayu semakin kehilangan haknya.
Katanya, ia dapat dibuktikan apabila kerajaan membiarkan rumah milik bekas Perdana Menteri pertama, Tuanku Abdul Rahman dijual anggota keluarganya kepada syarikat akhbar bukan Melayu, baru-baru ini.
"Rumah itu sepatutnya menjadi satu sejarah kepada negara kerana dijual kerajaan dengan harga murah kepada bekas perdana menteri selepas tidak lagi menjadi pemimpin negara.
"Namun beberapa hari lalu saya diberitahu kerajaan membiarkan rumah bersejarah itu dijual kepada orang bukan Melayu. Sepatutnya kerajaan membeli semula rumah tersebut kerana ia mempunyai nilai tinggi kepada negara," ujarnya.
Beliau berkata, amat malang tindakan itu berlaku ketika pemimpin Umno tengah sibuk bercakap mengenai semangat Melayu.
"Kalau benar-benar serius bercakap mengenai semangat Melayu sepatutnya rumah yang mempunyai nilai sejarah milik bekas pemimpin negara itu tidak dibiarkan dimiliki orang bukan Melayu," tambahnya.
Sementara itu, dalam perkembangan lain beliau melihat ada kebenaran dakwaan bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad terhadap Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz yang tidak bercakap benar berkaitan isu permit import (AP).
Dakwa beliau, ada pemimpin Umno sendiri memberitahu seorang daripada penerima AP terbanyak yang diberi Rafidah hanya memiliki sebuah sahaja bilik pameran kereta.
Katanya, banyak sijil AP yang dimiliki hanya dijual begitu sahaja tanpa perlu memiliki bilik pameran sebagaimana disyaratkan. Menurut Husam, pemilik AP terbabit bersara awal daripada jawatan kerajaan dan kini memiliki kekayaan luar biasa.
"Dalam menangani isu ini nampak sangat Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi begitu lemah dan tidak boleh buat apa-apa," ujarnya.
Husam berkata, hampir kesemua pemimpin utama Umno tidak dapat dipisahkan daripada rasuah politik kecuali presiden dan timbalannya kerana mereka memenangi jawatan tersebut tanpa melalui pertandingan.
Friday, July 29 2005, Harakahdaily
KETEREH (Kelantan), 29 Julai (Hrkh) – Kejayaan orang Melayu memiliki ekuiti kekayaan negara sehingga mencapai 22 peratus hanya berlaku ketika Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah menjadi Menteri Kewangan.
Pada kemuncak itu hanya sebanyak lapan peratus lagi menghampiri 30 peratus sebagaimana ditetapkan bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Abdul Razak Hussin ketika melancarkan Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) pada 1971. Naib Presiden PAS, Haji Husam Musa berkata, bagaimanapun selepas anggota Parlimen Gua Musang terbabit meninggalkan Kementerian Kewangan, ekuiti milik orang Melayu semakin merosot.
"Sekarang ekuiti milik orang Melayu hanya sekitar 18 peratus sahaja. Keadaan ini berlaku kerana orang Melayu yang mendapat kontrak kerajaan menjual kepada orang lain," katanya pada ceramah di Kampung Gondang, dekat sini, malam tadi.
Hadir sama Yang Dipertua PAS Ketereh, Ustaz Wan Ismail Wan Jusoh, Penyelia DUN Kok Lanas, Haji Ashaari Mamat, Penyelia Parlimen Ketereh, Haji Abdul Aziz Abdul Kadir dan Adun Kadok, Haji Mohd Shukri Abdul Rahman.
Cakap bela Melayu tetapi rumah Tunku dijual kepada The Star
Husam yang juga anggota Exco kerajaan negeri turut mendedahkan pemimpin Umno kononnya bercakap hendak bela nasib orang Melayu, namun dalam masa yang sama banyak melakukan tindakan menyebabkan orang Melayu semakin kehilangan haknya.
Katanya, ia dapat dibuktikan apabila kerajaan membiarkan rumah milik bekas Perdana Menteri pertama, Tuanku Abdul Rahman dijual anggota keluarganya kepada syarikat akhbar bukan Melayu, baru-baru ini.
"Rumah itu sepatutnya menjadi satu sejarah kepada negara kerana dijual kerajaan dengan harga murah kepada bekas perdana menteri selepas tidak lagi menjadi pemimpin negara.
"Namun beberapa hari lalu saya diberitahu kerajaan membiarkan rumah bersejarah itu dijual kepada orang bukan Melayu. Sepatutnya kerajaan membeli semula rumah tersebut kerana ia mempunyai nilai tinggi kepada negara," ujarnya.
Beliau berkata, amat malang tindakan itu berlaku ketika pemimpin Umno tengah sibuk bercakap mengenai semangat Melayu.
"Kalau benar-benar serius bercakap mengenai semangat Melayu sepatutnya rumah yang mempunyai nilai sejarah milik bekas pemimpin negara itu tidak dibiarkan dimiliki orang bukan Melayu," tambahnya.
Sementara itu, dalam perkembangan lain beliau melihat ada kebenaran dakwaan bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad terhadap Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz yang tidak bercakap benar berkaitan isu permit import (AP).
Dakwa beliau, ada pemimpin Umno sendiri memberitahu seorang daripada penerima AP terbanyak yang diberi Rafidah hanya memiliki sebuah sahaja bilik pameran kereta.
Katanya, banyak sijil AP yang dimiliki hanya dijual begitu sahaja tanpa perlu memiliki bilik pameran sebagaimana disyaratkan. Menurut Husam, pemilik AP terbabit bersara awal daripada jawatan kerajaan dan kini memiliki kekayaan luar biasa.
"Dalam menangani isu ini nampak sangat Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi begitu lemah dan tidak boleh buat apa-apa," ujarnya.
Husam berkata, hampir kesemua pemimpin utama Umno tidak dapat dipisahkan daripada rasuah politik kecuali presiden dan timbalannya kerana mereka memenangi jawatan tersebut tanpa melalui pertandingan.
Egyptians Question Culture-Extremism Link
Egyptians Question Culture-Extremism Link
By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press
Wed Jul 27, 2005
CAIRO, Egypt - Stunned by terror attacks in a Red Sea resort, Egyptians are in a remarkably frank debate about whether mosques and schools — and the government itself — should be blamed for promoting Islamic extremism.
Even pro-government media say authorities have created a climate where young people are turning into radicals and suicide bombers.
In a country more used to hearing general condemnations of terrorism, critics on Wednesday were angry — and specific — hammering at instances where they say the government let state media and mosque preachers, including many appointed by the government, to promote intolerance.
At one mosque in Cairo, some worshippers objected to prayers for the dead and missing after Saturday's bombings in Sharm el-Sheik because some victims were likely non-Muslims, said the editor of the government weekly Al-Musawwar.
Another columnist pointed to a weekly column in the government Al-Ahram daily by a religious scholar, Zaghloul al-Naggar, who explains science by using the Quran. After December's tsunami in the Indian Ocean, he went on Arab television and called the devastation God's revenge on Westerners engaged in vice.
The debate since Sharm has been a deepening of the soul-searching that has gone on across the Arab world in recent years over whether religious interpretations need reform in the face of terror attacks by Muslim radicals.
The debate began, hesitantly, after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. And the voices have grown with each act of terrorism — particularly ones in the Middle East. A series of attacks in Saudi Arabia in 2003 forced that country to begin taking action against extremist thought.
The 2004 Madrid bombings increased calls for change among Muslims in Europe and the Mideast. After the July 7 suicide bombings in London, Britain's largest Sunni group issued a binding religious edict, known as a fatwa, condemning the attack.
Egypt has been hit this month by a double blow: the kidnapping and slaying of its top envoy in Iraq by Islamic militants and the bomb blasts that ripped through Sharm, killing as many as 88 people — the vast majority of them Egyptians.
What was unusual about the self-criticism after Sharm was that it came from government media — and even from within the Islamic clerical hierarchy picked by the government.
"There is no use denying. ... We incited the crime of Sharm el-Sheik," ran a bold red headline of a lead editorial Wednesday by Al-Musawwar's editor in chief, Abdel-Qader Shohaib.
The bombers "didn't just conjure up in our midst suddenly, they are a product of a society that produces extremist fossilized minds that are easy to be controlled," Shohaib wrote.
"They became extremists through continuous incitement for extremism which we have allowed to exist in our societies. Regrettably, the incitement is coming from mosque pulpits, newspapers, and TV screens, and radio microphones," which are all state-run, Shohaib said.
In Al-Ahram, columnist Ahmed Abdel Moeti Hegazi wrote: "This is not just deviation, it is a culture,"
Hegazi said he went to one mosque after the July 7 London bombings and the slaying of the Egyptian diplomat but the preacher made no mention of either attack. Instead, he denounced women wearing bathing suits.
Abdel Moeti Bayoumi, a theology professor at Al-Azhar University and a member of Al-Azhar's Center of Islamic Research, said change is needed. Al-Azhar, in Cairo, is one of the leading Sunni Muslim institutions in the world.
"Islamic preaching institutions are in a very acute need for shake-up," Bayoumi told The Associated Press. "Issuing statements and holding conferences to condemn terrorism is not what is needed. They are more like a cover-up of unresolved problems."
Islamic leaders "need to do a lot of work to enlighten clerics and preachers and educate them about the true religious ideas ... and teach them about the realities of the age we're living in," he said.
The government appoints the clerics of most big mosques in Egypt — but not of many smaller mosques. The Religious Affairs Ministry gives guidelines for Friday sermons, but there is no guarantee they are followed.
Critics have complained about the justifications of violence in Iraq by some clerics. Egyptian cleric Sheik Youssef al-Qaradawi — who has a regular show on the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera — has issued a fatwa saying that since Iraq remains in a state of war, the kidnapping of those involved is allowed, but hostages shouldn't be killed. He repeated that stance Monday, two days after the Sharm attacks.
Not all are convinced that Islam needs reform, however.
Kamal Habib — a former member of Egypt's Islamic Jihad militant group who was jailed from 1981 to 1991 along with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahri — denounced the critics as "secular extremists who hate religion."
He blamed terrorism, instead, on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's autocratic rule.
"Mubarak's regime has produced this generation. ... This is a nihilistic generation of a nihilistic regime."
By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press
Wed Jul 27, 2005
CAIRO, Egypt - Stunned by terror attacks in a Red Sea resort, Egyptians are in a remarkably frank debate about whether mosques and schools — and the government itself — should be blamed for promoting Islamic extremism.
Even pro-government media say authorities have created a climate where young people are turning into radicals and suicide bombers.
In a country more used to hearing general condemnations of terrorism, critics on Wednesday were angry — and specific — hammering at instances where they say the government let state media and mosque preachers, including many appointed by the government, to promote intolerance.
At one mosque in Cairo, some worshippers objected to prayers for the dead and missing after Saturday's bombings in Sharm el-Sheik because some victims were likely non-Muslims, said the editor of the government weekly Al-Musawwar.
Another columnist pointed to a weekly column in the government Al-Ahram daily by a religious scholar, Zaghloul al-Naggar, who explains science by using the Quran. After December's tsunami in the Indian Ocean, he went on Arab television and called the devastation God's revenge on Westerners engaged in vice.
The debate since Sharm has been a deepening of the soul-searching that has gone on across the Arab world in recent years over whether religious interpretations need reform in the face of terror attacks by Muslim radicals.
The debate began, hesitantly, after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. And the voices have grown with each act of terrorism — particularly ones in the Middle East. A series of attacks in Saudi Arabia in 2003 forced that country to begin taking action against extremist thought.
The 2004 Madrid bombings increased calls for change among Muslims in Europe and the Mideast. After the July 7 suicide bombings in London, Britain's largest Sunni group issued a binding religious edict, known as a fatwa, condemning the attack.
Egypt has been hit this month by a double blow: the kidnapping and slaying of its top envoy in Iraq by Islamic militants and the bomb blasts that ripped through Sharm, killing as many as 88 people — the vast majority of them Egyptians.
What was unusual about the self-criticism after Sharm was that it came from government media — and even from within the Islamic clerical hierarchy picked by the government.
"There is no use denying. ... We incited the crime of Sharm el-Sheik," ran a bold red headline of a lead editorial Wednesday by Al-Musawwar's editor in chief, Abdel-Qader Shohaib.
The bombers "didn't just conjure up in our midst suddenly, they are a product of a society that produces extremist fossilized minds that are easy to be controlled," Shohaib wrote.
"They became extremists through continuous incitement for extremism which we have allowed to exist in our societies. Regrettably, the incitement is coming from mosque pulpits, newspapers, and TV screens, and radio microphones," which are all state-run, Shohaib said.
In Al-Ahram, columnist Ahmed Abdel Moeti Hegazi wrote: "This is not just deviation, it is a culture,"
Hegazi said he went to one mosque after the July 7 London bombings and the slaying of the Egyptian diplomat but the preacher made no mention of either attack. Instead, he denounced women wearing bathing suits.
Abdel Moeti Bayoumi, a theology professor at Al-Azhar University and a member of Al-Azhar's Center of Islamic Research, said change is needed. Al-Azhar, in Cairo, is one of the leading Sunni Muslim institutions in the world.
"Islamic preaching institutions are in a very acute need for shake-up," Bayoumi told The Associated Press. "Issuing statements and holding conferences to condemn terrorism is not what is needed. They are more like a cover-up of unresolved problems."
Islamic leaders "need to do a lot of work to enlighten clerics and preachers and educate them about the true religious ideas ... and teach them about the realities of the age we're living in," he said.
The government appoints the clerics of most big mosques in Egypt — but not of many smaller mosques. The Religious Affairs Ministry gives guidelines for Friday sermons, but there is no guarantee they are followed.
Critics have complained about the justifications of violence in Iraq by some clerics. Egyptian cleric Sheik Youssef al-Qaradawi — who has a regular show on the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera — has issued a fatwa saying that since Iraq remains in a state of war, the kidnapping of those involved is allowed, but hostages shouldn't be killed. He repeated that stance Monday, two days after the Sharm attacks.
Not all are convinced that Islam needs reform, however.
Kamal Habib — a former member of Egypt's Islamic Jihad militant group who was jailed from 1981 to 1991 along with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahri — denounced the critics as "secular extremists who hate religion."
He blamed terrorism, instead, on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's autocratic rule.
"Mubarak's regime has produced this generation. ... This is a nihilistic generation of a nihilistic regime."
[Malaysia] Muktamar Sanawi ke-34 ABIM
Sukacita dimaklumkan bahawa Muktamar Sanawi ke 34 ABIM akan diadakan pada 19-21 Ogos 2005 di Institut Latihan KWSP (ESSET) Bangi. Saya nyatakan secara umum atur cara program.
HARI PERTAMA
19 Ogos 2005 (Jumaat)
08.30 - Pembentangan Ucapan Dasan & Majlis Perasmian
Muktamar & Seminar Umat Islam & Cabaran Ketamadunan
11.00 - 05.30 petang
Seminar Umat Islam & Cabaran Ketamadunan
08.00 - 11.00 malam
- IJTIMA' HELWA 2005
Forum : HELWA DALAM CABARAN PASCA MODENISME
- Prof Madya Datin Dr. Siti Zalikhah
- Datin Hajjah Aminah Zakaria
- Dr. Rahmah Hashim
- Datin Hajjah Fatini Yaacob
- Prof. Dr. Rosnani Hashim
HARI KEDUA
20 Ogos 2005 (Sabtu)
09.00 - 05.30 petang
Sambungan Seminar Umat Islam & Cabaran Ketamadunan
09.00 - 10.00 malam
Taklimat Muktamar & Pengesahan Dokumen
HARI KETIGA
21 Ogos 2005 (Ahad)
08.30 - 06.30 petang
Muktamar Belia Islam (MBI) ke 34
08.15 - 11.15 malam
Majlis Makan Malam 'Mengimbas Ingatan Mengerat Ikatan'
bersama mantan-mantan Presiden
- Prof. Dr Razali Nawawi
- Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim
- Dato' Dr Siddiq Fadzil
- Dr Mohd Nur Manuty
(HOTEL CROWN PRINCESS, KL)
Bagi pihak ABIM, saya menjemput saudara/i ke Muktamar kali ini. Sebarang pertanyaan sila hubungi kami di talian 03-61880300 atau 03-89263211:-
Muktamar - Hilwah/Junaidah
Seminar - Shamshinoor (89263211)
Ijtima' HELWA - Maria/Aidil
Majlis Makan Malam - Marlindawati
Untuk pendaftaran atau makluman lanjut sila kunjungi laman sawang ABIM: http:/www.abim.org.my
NORDIRAN IDRIS
Naib Presiden (HELWA)
merangkap Timbalan Pengerusi Muktamar Sanawi ke 34
HARI PERTAMA
19 Ogos 2005 (Jumaat)
08.30 - Pembentangan Ucapan Dasan & Majlis Perasmian
Muktamar & Seminar Umat Islam & Cabaran Ketamadunan
11.00 - 05.30 petang
Seminar Umat Islam & Cabaran Ketamadunan
08.00 - 11.00 malam
- IJTIMA' HELWA 2005
Forum : HELWA DALAM CABARAN PASCA MODENISME
- Prof Madya Datin Dr. Siti Zalikhah
- Datin Hajjah Aminah Zakaria
- Dr. Rahmah Hashim
- Datin Hajjah Fatini Yaacob
- Prof. Dr. Rosnani Hashim
HARI KEDUA
20 Ogos 2005 (Sabtu)
09.00 - 05.30 petang
Sambungan Seminar Umat Islam & Cabaran Ketamadunan
09.00 - 10.00 malam
Taklimat Muktamar & Pengesahan Dokumen
HARI KETIGA
21 Ogos 2005 (Ahad)
08.30 - 06.30 petang
Muktamar Belia Islam (MBI) ke 34
08.15 - 11.15 malam
Majlis Makan Malam 'Mengimbas Ingatan Mengerat Ikatan'
bersama mantan-mantan Presiden
- Prof. Dr Razali Nawawi
- Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim
- Dato' Dr Siddiq Fadzil
- Dr Mohd Nur Manuty
(HOTEL CROWN PRINCESS, KL)
Bagi pihak ABIM, saya menjemput saudara/i ke Muktamar kali ini. Sebarang pertanyaan sila hubungi kami di talian 03-61880300 atau 03-89263211:-
Muktamar - Hilwah/Junaidah
Seminar - Shamshinoor (89263211)
Ijtima' HELWA - Maria/Aidil
Majlis Makan Malam - Marlindawati
Untuk pendaftaran atau makluman lanjut sila kunjungi laman sawang ABIM: http:/www.abim.org.my
NORDIRAN IDRIS
Naib Presiden (HELWA)
merangkap Timbalan Pengerusi Muktamar Sanawi ke 34
[Malaysia] Affirmative action shackles, not frees
Affirmative action shackles, not frees
Jaya Prakash, Malaysiakini, Jul 27, 05
With the dust finally settled on Umno’s general assembly, the logical thing to do next, is to follow up on what was deliberated during the sessions. It is also an occasion for grave reflection and introspection.
That means making every word uttered during the assembly a bond. And could range from tackling a whole gamut of issues from reining in corruption, to ethereal issues such as the issuance of permits for cars and how to hoist the economy to developed status.
Even as all these seem noble and uplifting to the cause of national morale, the failure nonetheless, to tackle and banish the bumiputera policy must have surely left many keen watchers of the event with a sense of understandable disillusionment.
If that disillusionment is what is felt, the fact that the policy will be given a second lease of life - despite its obvious failure – from a no less a public figure than Khairy Jamaluddin amounts to a death blow to those wishing for the policy's demise.
This is despite the irony and failure of the assistance scheme to deliver the 30 percent stakeholder role in the economy for the Malays; which interestingly was what the policy was intended for.
Far from it, it has attracted snide attacks from no less a figure than the very architect of it: former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The mercurial former leader had once reasoned two years ago, that despite all the help the Malays got from affirmative action programmes, they still fell dismally behind the non-Malays, especially the Chinese, in educational and economic performance.
"No matter what kind of obstacles we place, the Chinese are still able to get ahead and (survive)," were the words the former Umno boss used when expressing his disappointment with the bumiputera policy.
Those words give ample clues that like any idea which time has come, the bumiputera policy needs its final sacraments and a resting-place.
But alas, that does not seem like what it is about to get.
Naivete and defensiveness
To the contrary, what seemed to have ruled the assembly's raucous sessions, is a prevailing sense of naivete and maybe outright defensiveness.
If ever the policy is revived, how much merit it deserves in Malay and subsequently in Malaysian consciousness would only be left to harsh historical judgements?
To begin with, what needs addressing is not what the bumiputera policy has done, but what it will never be able to do all because of what it is.
If Malay competitiveness is what is needed here, remedial action should begin first with very a hard look at education followed by stringent and transparent ways to ensure it is what to international standards.
So, in the main what is needed if not for a dismantling of the bumiputera policy is perhaps a fine-tuning of it. This could mean, the gradual withdrawal of subsidies and business permits for bumiputeras, signalling to them that like a growing child, they do need to grow up and come of age.
Yet what has never been attempted for fear of embarrassment, is the Singapore-style, self-help programmes such as Mendaki. Such a programme would not only foster a spirit of kinship loyalty, but a kindred desire to pitch and rescue fellow compatriots.
With institutional guarantees, such a programme can be gauged for its effectiveness by periodic reports on its success, and become a useful indicator of the progress of the community.
Presently, the bumiputera policy with an emphasis on heavy handouts is unable to deliver that, as too often it is bogged down in institutional gridlock and red tape.
The Italians have a saying that goes like this. "Welfare is like holy water. Everybody helps themselves to it".
That could just sum up the situation with affirmative action. Because it is help that is free without any need to earn it, everybody helps themselves to it.
The choice indeed now is for Malaysia to make. Whether to learn from experience or have that same experience shackle it once again.
Jaya Prakash lectures in journalism in Singapore
[Malaysia] Male Chauvinism in Islam?
Don't let male chauvinists monopolise Islamic discourse
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
If Islamic discourse is monopolised by male chauvinists, its because progressive Muslim women have abandoned their obligation to learn the necessary disciplines, said prominent scholar and advocate of women’s rights.
Speaking at a discussion in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Islamic jurist and law professor Khaled Abou El Fadl told local Muslim women’s group Sisters in Islam (SIS) to stop tussling with male chauvinist religious scholars in order to speak for Islam.
The established scholars hold an apparent monopoly over Islamic discourse only because progressive Muslim women have abandoned the Islamic learning disciplines and other requisite fields of knowledge, he said.
While it was the height of impertinence for anybody, including male chauvinists, to claim to speak on God’s behalf, it was also misguided for others to issue declarations about Islam without having mastered and exercised the requisite knowledge and training, he added.
"Those who want to go beyond personal piety and become authoritative sources of authority for the community ... there is no alternative to learning, rigorous and thorough learning.
"We do not want to make the same mistake that the puritans and the fundamentalists commit. That is, to go to Saudi Arabia to study for a couple of years and then to come back ready to represent God," he told the closed-door discussion.
Eentitled Playing God: Who speaks for Islam Today?, the discussion was organised by SIS and attended by some 25 people.
Khaled said SIS can begin to counter the conservatives’ monopoly by helping to raise the next generation of women trained and qualified in Islamic jurisprudence and other disciplines who would be able to present alternative yet authoritative versions of God’s will.
Khaled, who holds degrees from Yale University, University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, has also received formal training in Islamic jurisprudence in Egypt and Kuwait.
He teaches at the University of California School of Law and has written extensively on the themes of morality and humanity, with much of his written focus on issues related to women.
Danger of misrepresentation
"To say, 'Well, I can interpret God’s will from a translated copy of the Quran, that's enough. I'll just read the translated Quran and I'll decide what God wants. I'd consider that a violation of diligence, comprehensiveness, probably self-restraint, and probably reasonableness as well," he said.
Diligence, comprehensiveness, self-restraint, reasonableness and honesty were among the necessary qualities of the Islamic jurist in suggesting to society what is forbidden and what is allowed, he added.
Differentiating the role of jurists and other scholars from ordinary Muslims, Khaled said the latter should be preoccupied with purifying themselves by nurturing a personal relationship with God.
"For the average Muslim, the usual Muslim, they are not to pretend to be teachers. They are to be workers, immersed in the remembrance of Allah," he added.
After developing such a relationship with and awareness of God, it was a matter of natural intuition to know whether something was right or wrong, and "no half-learned male chauvinist can lie to you about your Creator. You know your Beloved intuitively."
Khaled said in issuing declarations to society at large about Islam without a comprehensive and systematic consideration of all the evidences, posed the danger of "transgressing against God" by wrongly declaring something forbidden when it is in fact allowed, or vice-versa.
The other danger lay in "the misrepresentation of the legitimate Islamic discourse, he added.
"This job of becoming a jurist is not a glamorous one. Your job is to spend years learning so that you are available to consult, to get consultation, if people seek your opinion," he said.
Give scholarships
In response to protestations from the floor that professional women and others occupied in other pursuits do not have time to undergo years of rigorous learning and training, Khaled said that was precisely the main reason the "chauvinists" monopolised Islamic discourse.
"Muslim women had completely neglected the social obligation (of learning Islamic disciplines)," said Khaled, who compared the present situation with the past, where Islamic history recorded the attainments of more than 4,800 female Islamic jurists.
"If I was in a position such as SIS, I would fund scholarships for women to go and train in Islamic jurisprudence and other disciplines," he added.
In response to comments from another participant that Islamic practices and teachings included some that were barbaric by Western standards, Khaled said Muslim women need not bond themselves to standards set by the West.
"If you want to make the Western standard of barbarity, then that's fine, that's a decision that Muslims would have to make," he said.
"(However,) We are quick to rely on fashionable ideas (of feminism) from Europe. It's due time that we liberate our psychologies from the cultural experience," he added.
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
If Islamic discourse is monopolised by male chauvinists, its because progressive Muslim women have abandoned their obligation to learn the necessary disciplines, said prominent scholar and advocate of women’s rights.
Speaking at a discussion in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Islamic jurist and law professor Khaled Abou El Fadl told local Muslim women’s group Sisters in Islam (SIS) to stop tussling with male chauvinist religious scholars in order to speak for Islam.
The established scholars hold an apparent monopoly over Islamic discourse only because progressive Muslim women have abandoned the Islamic learning disciplines and other requisite fields of knowledge, he said.
While it was the height of impertinence for anybody, including male chauvinists, to claim to speak on God’s behalf, it was also misguided for others to issue declarations about Islam without having mastered and exercised the requisite knowledge and training, he added.
"Those who want to go beyond personal piety and become authoritative sources of authority for the community ... there is no alternative to learning, rigorous and thorough learning.
"We do not want to make the same mistake that the puritans and the fundamentalists commit. That is, to go to Saudi Arabia to study for a couple of years and then to come back ready to represent God," he told the closed-door discussion.
Eentitled Playing God: Who speaks for Islam Today?, the discussion was organised by SIS and attended by some 25 people.
Khaled said SIS can begin to counter the conservatives’ monopoly by helping to raise the next generation of women trained and qualified in Islamic jurisprudence and other disciplines who would be able to present alternative yet authoritative versions of God’s will.
Khaled, who holds degrees from Yale University, University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, has also received formal training in Islamic jurisprudence in Egypt and Kuwait.
He teaches at the University of California School of Law and has written extensively on the themes of morality and humanity, with much of his written focus on issues related to women.
Danger of misrepresentation
"To say, 'Well, I can interpret God’s will from a translated copy of the Quran, that's enough. I'll just read the translated Quran and I'll decide what God wants. I'd consider that a violation of diligence, comprehensiveness, probably self-restraint, and probably reasonableness as well," he said.
Diligence, comprehensiveness, self-restraint, reasonableness and honesty were among the necessary qualities of the Islamic jurist in suggesting to society what is forbidden and what is allowed, he added.
Differentiating the role of jurists and other scholars from ordinary Muslims, Khaled said the latter should be preoccupied with purifying themselves by nurturing a personal relationship with God.
"For the average Muslim, the usual Muslim, they are not to pretend to be teachers. They are to be workers, immersed in the remembrance of Allah," he added.
After developing such a relationship with and awareness of God, it was a matter of natural intuition to know whether something was right or wrong, and "no half-learned male chauvinist can lie to you about your Creator. You know your Beloved intuitively."
Khaled said in issuing declarations to society at large about Islam without a comprehensive and systematic consideration of all the evidences, posed the danger of "transgressing against God" by wrongly declaring something forbidden when it is in fact allowed, or vice-versa.
The other danger lay in "the misrepresentation of the legitimate Islamic discourse, he added.
"This job of becoming a jurist is not a glamorous one. Your job is to spend years learning so that you are available to consult, to get consultation, if people seek your opinion," he said.
Give scholarships
In response to protestations from the floor that professional women and others occupied in other pursuits do not have time to undergo years of rigorous learning and training, Khaled said that was precisely the main reason the "chauvinists" monopolised Islamic discourse.
"Muslim women had completely neglected the social obligation (of learning Islamic disciplines)," said Khaled, who compared the present situation with the past, where Islamic history recorded the attainments of more than 4,800 female Islamic jurists.
"If I was in a position such as SIS, I would fund scholarships for women to go and train in Islamic jurisprudence and other disciplines," he added.
In response to comments from another participant that Islamic practices and teachings included some that were barbaric by Western standards, Khaled said Muslim women need not bond themselves to standards set by the West.
"If you want to make the Western standard of barbarity, then that's fine, that's a decision that Muslims would have to make," he said.
"(However,) We are quick to rely on fashionable ideas (of feminism) from Europe. It's due time that we liberate our psychologies from the cultural experience," he added.
[Malaysia] Sharingthe economic pie
Economic pie sharing not zero-sum game
SK Wong, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
A few thoughts about the just concluded Umno general assembly.
1. To continue harping on percentage and quota is the wrong approach. The government could tomorrow decree that every non-Malay should give 30 percent of their possessions to the Malays, and this will achieve the goal of the bumiputera's 30 percent equity in the shortest possible time, but it doesn't improve the competitiveness of the recipients.
Similarly, handing out diplomas without properly training the students doesn't make them better graduates. It only demeans the diplomas. Quantity is pointless if not accompanied by quality.
2. NEP was never abolished. It was rebadged as the NDP. To call for a revival of NEP is correct only as far as the name change.
3. If the kampung folk (regardless of ethnicity) are still backward after 48 years of Barisan Nasional governance and 35 years of implementation of the NEP/NDP, who's fault is it? It is ironic that failure can be used as a justification for continuation of the same failed regime.
4. The sharing of economic pie need not be a zero-sum game. The approach of government policies like the AP scheme simply parceling a portion of the wealth from one group of people to another without creating more wealth. I am also puzzled how this scheme benefits the said kampung folk.
5. Umno practically constitutes the entire government, yet they still harp on parochial attitudes. Either they are not confident in being truly Malaysian or they are bankrupt of ideas.
6. Brandishing a keris at the podium doesn't an inspiring gesture make, if one views it as a symbol of a crutch.
--------------------------
NEP: Umnoputeras have betrayed nation
Yue-han, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
The call to revive the failed New Economic Policy (NEP) is, to say the least, reactionary because it is premised on the outdated assumption that the alleged backwardness of the Malay community is attributable to a negative role played by non-Malay Malaysians and Western colonialism of the past. Let us critically examine and dismantle this outdated assumption.
While it was true that Malaysia was once colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese (and again British) imperialism, it is also equally true that Malaysia has achieved independence since 1957. And in the past 48 years, Malaysia has benefitted from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), technology transfer, military assistance as well as foreign aid for economic development.
Thousands of Malaysian students and academics, including many bumiputeras, have received scholarships and study grants from developed countries to upgrade themselves.
Therefore, the "West" has paid back and to continue to harp on the past injustices of the colonial times does not seem to be very honest.
Also, non-bumiputeras had suffered enough during the 20-year implementation – and gross abuse – of the New Economic Policy from 1970 to 1990. Thousands of qualified Chinese and Indian youths were deprived of higher education opportunities in their own country.
Many families were tremendous financial strain because of the need to send their children to Britain, Australia, the United States, Singapore, Canada or New Zealand for further studies. Businessmen, meanwhile, had to struggle not only against foreign competition, but also domestic discrimination.
Meanwhile, the exclusionist policy of the civil service with regards to recruitment ensured that non-Malay Malaysians could not rely on the state for a government job.
Personally, I think the sacrifices made by non-bumiputeras could have been considered worth the while had the income, wealth and economic opportunities of the country been distributed productively and equitably within the bumi community. But what happened?
The income, wealth and economic opportunities sacrificed by non-bumis for the bumis has been milked by a clique of Umnoputeras to enrich only themselves and their children besides being wasted on conspicuous and vainglorious consumption by a tiny portion of the crony class.
Is it fair to now ask the non-bumis to sacrifice and suffer again for this sin of betrayal and breach of trust committed by the Umnoputeras against the bumi community?
Look at Putrajaya. How many - bumis and non-bumis alike- have actually benefitted productively from it? The same can be said of other white elephants.
Look at the AP list. How many squatters, fishermen, hawkers, taxi drivers, policemen, soldiers, factory workers, farmers, small-and-medium businessmen, teachers, nurses and lower ranking civil servants – be they Malay or non-Malay Malaysians – have benefitted from this lucrative handout from the state?
Seen in this light, it is clear that any revival of the NEP would be tantamount to a repetition of a known failure. Why repeat a known failure? Are we out of our mind?
It is time Umnoputeras come to their senses and ask for the forgiveness of the whole nation for the sins they have committed against their fellow citizens over the past 35 years. It is time Malaysian for all races to unite and say no to the predatory greed of these Umnoputeras.
-------------------
Poverty the problem, not meritocracy
Help All Poor People, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
Johor Umno delegate Dr Mohd Puad Zarkhasi - in the report Scrap meritocracy if Malays are lagging - was right to point out that people living in poverty could not compete on the same level as those who are not. He cited the cases of schools in Malaysia which lack electricity and water supply.
He should be applauded for suggesting that the government should help those in poverty. The government should heed his suggestions and truly get the infrastructure to supply water and electricity to rural schools. The government should also provide monetary assistance to these students.
Many, if not all readers, would agree that meritocracy is not the problem in Mohd Puad’s deliberations. The problem is poverty and it is not specific to a particular race. The government should help those who are poor, regardless of race. Mohd Puad should reflect on this and analyse more of what he has said. There are also many poor Chinese and Indians in Malaysia.
Mohd Puad has wrongly identified the problem. It is not meritocracy that is the problem. It is poverty and poverty knows no racial boundary. I do hope the government realises this and comes up with the right policies to create a great atmosphere for all Malaysians.
--------------------
Poor Malays must be helped, Indians as well
R Rama Chandran, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
The prime minister must be heartily congratulated for his soul-stirring speech at the recent Umno assembly. His priority to lead a corruption-free government should be highly lauded. His concern for the poor and needy is touching.
There are many Malays, other bumiputeras, and Indians who are very poor. In this land of plenty, many go hungry. It is indeed sad to read of such news in the papers. So this means our economic planing and strategies are not equitably and fairly implemented.
There is no fairness in distribution and acknowledgment. Take university places. Bumiputeras get 60 percent of the total places, Chinese 35 percent and Indians (and others) five percent. Whilst these allocations reflect more than fairly the two major races in terms of their population strength, the Indians are left out miserably compared to their population strength of 10 percent.
Besides this, their stake in the national wealth is only 1.5 percent and has been for many, many decades. The repeated calls by the MIC at every party annual assembly have fallen on deaf ears especially during the reign of Dr Mahathir Mohamad who largely got away by citing Ananda Krishnan (AK) as one of the richest men in Malaysia.
Actually this 1.5 percent belongs all to him. I am sure Pak Lah, being a highly spiritual and God- fearing man, will personally look into the problems of Indians as he tackles the Malays’ problem seriously as well. He must earn his name as the man who eradicated poverty totally from the face of Malaysia.
And ironically, the Indians only take the lead in the jails where they make up 30 percent of the prisoners. They largely become gangsters upon leaving the fragmented estates and jobs are not available for them in the urban areas.
Many have red identity cards out of their sheer ignorance or apathy though they are born here. So Mr Prime Minister, help the poor Malays that you must not forget the poor Indians and others in the same category. God bless you.
SK Wong, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
A few thoughts about the just concluded Umno general assembly.
1. To continue harping on percentage and quota is the wrong approach. The government could tomorrow decree that every non-Malay should give 30 percent of their possessions to the Malays, and this will achieve the goal of the bumiputera's 30 percent equity in the shortest possible time, but it doesn't improve the competitiveness of the recipients.
Similarly, handing out diplomas without properly training the students doesn't make them better graduates. It only demeans the diplomas. Quantity is pointless if not accompanied by quality.
2. NEP was never abolished. It was rebadged as the NDP. To call for a revival of NEP is correct only as far as the name change.
3. If the kampung folk (regardless of ethnicity) are still backward after 48 years of Barisan Nasional governance and 35 years of implementation of the NEP/NDP, who's fault is it? It is ironic that failure can be used as a justification for continuation of the same failed regime.
4. The sharing of economic pie need not be a zero-sum game. The approach of government policies like the AP scheme simply parceling a portion of the wealth from one group of people to another without creating more wealth. I am also puzzled how this scheme benefits the said kampung folk.
5. Umno practically constitutes the entire government, yet they still harp on parochial attitudes. Either they are not confident in being truly Malaysian or they are bankrupt of ideas.
6. Brandishing a keris at the podium doesn't an inspiring gesture make, if one views it as a symbol of a crutch.
--------------------------
NEP: Umnoputeras have betrayed nation
Yue-han, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
The call to revive the failed New Economic Policy (NEP) is, to say the least, reactionary because it is premised on the outdated assumption that the alleged backwardness of the Malay community is attributable to a negative role played by non-Malay Malaysians and Western colonialism of the past. Let us critically examine and dismantle this outdated assumption.
While it was true that Malaysia was once colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese (and again British) imperialism, it is also equally true that Malaysia has achieved independence since 1957. And in the past 48 years, Malaysia has benefitted from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), technology transfer, military assistance as well as foreign aid for economic development.
Thousands of Malaysian students and academics, including many bumiputeras, have received scholarships and study grants from developed countries to upgrade themselves.
Therefore, the "West" has paid back and to continue to harp on the past injustices of the colonial times does not seem to be very honest.
Also, non-bumiputeras had suffered enough during the 20-year implementation – and gross abuse – of the New Economic Policy from 1970 to 1990. Thousands of qualified Chinese and Indian youths were deprived of higher education opportunities in their own country.
Many families were tremendous financial strain because of the need to send their children to Britain, Australia, the United States, Singapore, Canada or New Zealand for further studies. Businessmen, meanwhile, had to struggle not only against foreign competition, but also domestic discrimination.
Meanwhile, the exclusionist policy of the civil service with regards to recruitment ensured that non-Malay Malaysians could not rely on the state for a government job.
Personally, I think the sacrifices made by non-bumiputeras could have been considered worth the while had the income, wealth and economic opportunities of the country been distributed productively and equitably within the bumi community. But what happened?
The income, wealth and economic opportunities sacrificed by non-bumis for the bumis has been milked by a clique of Umnoputeras to enrich only themselves and their children besides being wasted on conspicuous and vainglorious consumption by a tiny portion of the crony class.
Is it fair to now ask the non-bumis to sacrifice and suffer again for this sin of betrayal and breach of trust committed by the Umnoputeras against the bumi community?
Look at Putrajaya. How many - bumis and non-bumis alike- have actually benefitted productively from it? The same can be said of other white elephants.
Look at the AP list. How many squatters, fishermen, hawkers, taxi drivers, policemen, soldiers, factory workers, farmers, small-and-medium businessmen, teachers, nurses and lower ranking civil servants – be they Malay or non-Malay Malaysians – have benefitted from this lucrative handout from the state?
Seen in this light, it is clear that any revival of the NEP would be tantamount to a repetition of a known failure. Why repeat a known failure? Are we out of our mind?
It is time Umnoputeras come to their senses and ask for the forgiveness of the whole nation for the sins they have committed against their fellow citizens over the past 35 years. It is time Malaysian for all races to unite and say no to the predatory greed of these Umnoputeras.
-------------------
Poverty the problem, not meritocracy
Help All Poor People, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
Johor Umno delegate Dr Mohd Puad Zarkhasi - in the report Scrap meritocracy if Malays are lagging - was right to point out that people living in poverty could not compete on the same level as those who are not. He cited the cases of schools in Malaysia which lack electricity and water supply.
He should be applauded for suggesting that the government should help those in poverty. The government should heed his suggestions and truly get the infrastructure to supply water and electricity to rural schools. The government should also provide monetary assistance to these students.
Many, if not all readers, would agree that meritocracy is not the problem in Mohd Puad’s deliberations. The problem is poverty and it is not specific to a particular race. The government should help those who are poor, regardless of race. Mohd Puad should reflect on this and analyse more of what he has said. There are also many poor Chinese and Indians in Malaysia.
Mohd Puad has wrongly identified the problem. It is not meritocracy that is the problem. It is poverty and poverty knows no racial boundary. I do hope the government realises this and comes up with the right policies to create a great atmosphere for all Malaysians.
--------------------
Poor Malays must be helped, Indians as well
R Rama Chandran, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
The prime minister must be heartily congratulated for his soul-stirring speech at the recent Umno assembly. His priority to lead a corruption-free government should be highly lauded. His concern for the poor and needy is touching.
There are many Malays, other bumiputeras, and Indians who are very poor. In this land of plenty, many go hungry. It is indeed sad to read of such news in the papers. So this means our economic planing and strategies are not equitably and fairly implemented.
There is no fairness in distribution and acknowledgment. Take university places. Bumiputeras get 60 percent of the total places, Chinese 35 percent and Indians (and others) five percent. Whilst these allocations reflect more than fairly the two major races in terms of their population strength, the Indians are left out miserably compared to their population strength of 10 percent.
Besides this, their stake in the national wealth is only 1.5 percent and has been for many, many decades. The repeated calls by the MIC at every party annual assembly have fallen on deaf ears especially during the reign of Dr Mahathir Mohamad who largely got away by citing Ananda Krishnan (AK) as one of the richest men in Malaysia.
Actually this 1.5 percent belongs all to him. I am sure Pak Lah, being a highly spiritual and God- fearing man, will personally look into the problems of Indians as he tackles the Malays’ problem seriously as well. He must earn his name as the man who eradicated poverty totally from the face of Malaysia.
And ironically, the Indians only take the lead in the jails where they make up 30 percent of the prisoners. They largely become gangsters upon leaving the fragmented estates and jobs are not available for them in the urban areas.
Many have red identity cards out of their sheer ignorance or apathy though they are born here. So Mr Prime Minister, help the poor Malays that you must not forget the poor Indians and others in the same category. God bless you.
[Malaysia] APs aside, what about bumi shares?
APs aside, what about bumi shares?
Arfa'eza A Aziz, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
An opposition leader has joined in to flay embattled minister Rafidah Aziz, saying she must not only be questioned over the Approved Permits (AP) scandal but also for the allotment of bumiputera shares.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor said the AP issue is not her first scandal since she took over the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
He noted that the veteran politician had also been investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) for allegedly allocating five million bumiputera shares to her son-in-law, Fazrin Azwar.
When pointed out that investigations into the matter have been closed, Ezam said: "They may say she is cleared from any wrongdoing but the investigations papers showed evidence that she had instructed for her son-in-law to be given shares."
"I would also stress here that to date no one has refuted the validity of the documents for which I had spent two years in jail," he added.
Ezam was charged and convicted under the Official Secrets Act for leaking to the media classified documents pertaining to the probe.
His conviction was later quashed by the Shah Alam High Court upon appeal.
Keng Yaik’s company
Meanwhile, Ezam also alleged that apart from the ACA probe, there were allegations by former MITI official Rejab Lebai Man - in his defence against a criminal breach of trust charge - how Rafidah had instructed him to give a company controlled by Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik bumiputera allocated shares.
"Have there been investigations on such serious allegations? I don’t think so. If they are really sincere and serious in combatting corruption, a thorough investigation on abuse of power within MITI must start now," he said.
The bumiputera shares allocation scheme, launched in 1971, aims to transfer 30 percent of Malaysia's corporate wealth to the Malays, to help them catch up with the richer ethnic Chinese businessmen who dominate the economy.
Ezam said an investigation into MITI would also prove the sincerity of the government and Umno in helping the Malays.
"Umno is talking about a new agenda to help the Malays. They touch on semangat Melayu (spirit of the Malays), claiming that policies lacked this spirit, which is absolute rubbish. The problem is not the spirit of the Malays but the spirit of honesty or the lack of it.
"What happened to the APs and shares allocation is not because the policies are not good but it is the implementation of the policies which had been abused by the authorities," he added.
He said any agenda - new or old - would be useless as long as the government refuses to be more transparent in policy implementation and practice good governance.
Backward step
In a statement yesterday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng also touched on Umno Youth’s new agenda.
He said the movement's call to revive the New Economic Policy (NEP) is a step backward, divisive and will breed corruption and malpractice.
"Malaysians - both non-Malays and poor Malays - will not be convinced that the NEP has fulfilled its function of wealth creation and equitable wealth distribution," he added.
He said DAP regretted that Umno had excluded the non-Malays from such an important policy.
"Umno’s refusal to allow all Malaysians to debate and express their view is undemocratic and unconstitutional and is tantamount to refusing to respect that non-Malays are also Malaysian citizens," he added.
Arfa'eza A Aziz, Malaysiakini, Jul 28, 05
An opposition leader has joined in to flay embattled minister Rafidah Aziz, saying she must not only be questioned over the Approved Permits (AP) scandal but also for the allotment of bumiputera shares.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor said the AP issue is not her first scandal since she took over the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
He noted that the veteran politician had also been investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) for allegedly allocating five million bumiputera shares to her son-in-law, Fazrin Azwar.
When pointed out that investigations into the matter have been closed, Ezam said: "They may say she is cleared from any wrongdoing but the investigations papers showed evidence that she had instructed for her son-in-law to be given shares."
"I would also stress here that to date no one has refuted the validity of the documents for which I had spent two years in jail," he added.
Ezam was charged and convicted under the Official Secrets Act for leaking to the media classified documents pertaining to the probe.
His conviction was later quashed by the Shah Alam High Court upon appeal.
Keng Yaik’s company
Meanwhile, Ezam also alleged that apart from the ACA probe, there were allegations by former MITI official Rejab Lebai Man - in his defence against a criminal breach of trust charge - how Rafidah had instructed him to give a company controlled by Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik bumiputera allocated shares.
"Have there been investigations on such serious allegations? I don’t think so. If they are really sincere and serious in combatting corruption, a thorough investigation on abuse of power within MITI must start now," he said.
The bumiputera shares allocation scheme, launched in 1971, aims to transfer 30 percent of Malaysia's corporate wealth to the Malays, to help them catch up with the richer ethnic Chinese businessmen who dominate the economy.
Ezam said an investigation into MITI would also prove the sincerity of the government and Umno in helping the Malays.
"Umno is talking about a new agenda to help the Malays. They touch on semangat Melayu (spirit of the Malays), claiming that policies lacked this spirit, which is absolute rubbish. The problem is not the spirit of the Malays but the spirit of honesty or the lack of it.
"What happened to the APs and shares allocation is not because the policies are not good but it is the implementation of the policies which had been abused by the authorities," he added.
He said any agenda - new or old - would be useless as long as the government refuses to be more transparent in policy implementation and practice good governance.
Backward step
In a statement yesterday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng also touched on Umno Youth’s new agenda.
He said the movement's call to revive the New Economic Policy (NEP) is a step backward, divisive and will breed corruption and malpractice.
"Malaysians - both non-Malays and poor Malays - will not be convinced that the NEP has fulfilled its function of wealth creation and equitable wealth distribution," he added.
He said DAP regretted that Umno had excluded the non-Malays from such an important policy.
"Umno’s refusal to allow all Malaysians to debate and express their view is undemocratic and unconstitutional and is tantamount to refusing to respect that non-Malays are also Malaysian citizens," he added.
Terlalu banyak sebab Melayu gagal
Utusan Malaysia 28 Julai 2005 oleh Kamaruzaman Ujang,
Shah Alam, Selangor.
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2005&dt=0728&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_07.htm
Terlalu banyak sebab Melayu gagal
Perhimpunan Agung UMNO yang berlangsung minggu lalu tidak ketinggalan mencipta sejarah.
Dan sejarah yang berulang ialah kelantangan suara Pemuda UMNO disebabkan kegagalan orang Melayu mencapai sasaran 30 peratus pegangan ekuiti dalam kek ekonomi negara. Maka terciptalah satu lagi wawasan UMNO iaitu Agenda Nasional Baru (ANB). Di samping itu bergegarlah PWTC dengan sorakan untuk mengembalikan semangat Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB).
DEB adalah istilah taboo bagi bukan Melayu di Malaysia. Sebut saja DEB, pemikiran semua pemimpin bukan Melayu, parti komponen BN mahupun pembangkang, menjadi kabur walaupun kaum mereka tidak pernah rugi daripada dasar itu. Saya percaya ini lebih dipengaruhi oleh perspektif politik daripada keuntungan kaum.
Bagaimanapun, suka saya mengajak semua orang Melayu menyahut seruan Presiden Gerakan, Lim Keng Yaik. Beliau mengesyorkan agar para pemimpin Melayu mengkaji "punca sebenar" kegagalan orang Melayu mencapai 30 peratus ekuiti setelah 35 tahun DEB diguna pakai.
Awang Selamat kata sebenarnya, ini sudah pun dilakukan dan orang Melayu tahu di mana yang tidak betul. UMNO juga kata mereka tahu punca kegagalan Melayu mencapai sasaran. Lupakan saja pendekatan politik Parti Keadilan Rakyat dan Pas walaupun mereka juga kata mereka tahu.
Oleh kerana Melayu telah pun mempunyai ramai bijak pandai, kita boleh beri lebih seratus satu sebab kenapa Melayu gagal. Dari sikap malas dan lemah sehingga kepada kurang pengetahuan, kurang pengalaman, kurang punca kewangan dan tiada jaringan perniagaan.
Mungkin kerana terlalu banyak sebab, kita gagal mencari jalan penyelesaian yang terbaik kerana terpaksa menangani semua alasan yang ditemui.
Sebab saya mengajak orang Melayu memberi perhatian kepada kenyataan Presiden Gerakan adalah kerana beliau mahu kita kaji "punca sebenar". Kita perlu jujur dan bertanya diri kita dengan minda yang terbuka dan dada yang lapang, adakah apa yang "orang Melayu dan UMNO dah tahu" itu adalah punca sebenar?
Apakah setelah 35 tahun Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) menjadi agensi memartabatkan Melayu, bangsa kita masih kurang pengetahuan. Apakah setelah beribu juta ringgit kerajaan memperuntukan wang untuk membantu usahawan Melayu, kita masih menjadikan kekurangan sumber
kewangan sebagai alasan?
Apakah usahawan Melayu masih perlu disediakan unit-unit kedai oleh Mara, pihak berkuasa tempatan dan lain-lain agensi untuk berniaga? Dalam kita bercakap pasal Melayu Glokal, apakah Melayu masih mengalami masalah jaringan perniagaan?
Saya ingin mengajak orang Melayu kembali merenung tangisan Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad dalam Perhimpunan Agung UMNO lalu. Apakah betul apa yang ditangisi oleh Tun Mahathir sebelum beliau mengundurkan diri bahawa Melayu mudah lupa?
Jangan lupa bahawa mungkin ini merupakan antara faktor utama kenapa Melayu masih gagal untuk mencapai sasaran DEB walaupun setelah 35 tahun berlalu.
Beri pinjaman, lupa hendak bayar. Bagi tempat di IPTA, lupa tentang belajar. Beri kontrak, lupa yang dia kena buat sendiri. Ada peluang, bagi orang sendiri, lupa hendak agihkan kepada orang lain. Beri kekayaan, lupa berjimat. Beri kemewahan, lupa diri. Beri ruang niaga lupa janji mahu berniaga. Beri kuasa, lupa berlaku adil. Beri makan, lupa bersyukur. Berikan masjid, lupa sembahyang. Jangan lupa juga lihat implikasinya.
Dalam konteks Pemuda UMNO, mereka mungkin tidak lupa bahawa DEB telah tamat tempoh pada tahun 1990. Tetapi mungkin mereka lupa bahawa kerajaan telah pun menyediakan satu dasar dan strategi yang berdaya tahan dan berdaya saing dalam Dasar Wawasan Negara yang
dilancarkan pada 28 Februari tahun 1991.
Adakah Pemuda UMNO juga lupa bahawa dasar ini telah didokong sendiri oleh UMNO dan majoriti orang Melayu menyokongnya? Apakah Pemuda UMNO lupa atau tidak yakin dengan dasar yang pengarapannya dipimpin oleh UMNO sendiri? Kalau tidak, apa perlunya Agenda Nasional
Baru?
Mungkin kita lupa pernyataan Wawasan 2020 ini adalah penegasan semula ke atas isu yang sentiasa diberi dan meminta perhatian utama iaitu pembasmian kemiskinan, keseimbangan sosioekonomi antara kaum, antara wilayah, antara negeri dan antara bandar dan luar bandar.
Dalam konteks ini, Wawasan 2020 sebenarnya telah meminta semua rakyat Malaysia tidak salah tafsir terhadap bantuan yang diberikan kepada sesuatu golongan kaum sebagai tidak adil, sebaliknya menganggapnya sebagai satu usaha bagi memperbaiki ketidakadilan.
Untuk renungan, langkah mengatasi 'kebocoran' adalah baik dan perlu disegerakan. Tetapi 'kebocoran' bukan sebab utama kegagalan Melayu. Persoalan utama yang perlu dijawab adalah kenapa kebocoran dibiarkan berlaku selama 35 tahun? Kita tidak mahu kerajaan bertungkus lumus menjahit kantung yang bocor tanpa membuang gunting yang berada di dalamnya.
- Kamaruzaman Ujang, Shah Alam, Selangor.
Shah Alam, Selangor.
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2005&dt=0728&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Rencana&pg=re_07.htm
Terlalu banyak sebab Melayu gagal
Perhimpunan Agung UMNO yang berlangsung minggu lalu tidak ketinggalan mencipta sejarah.
Dan sejarah yang berulang ialah kelantangan suara Pemuda UMNO disebabkan kegagalan orang Melayu mencapai sasaran 30 peratus pegangan ekuiti dalam kek ekonomi negara. Maka terciptalah satu lagi wawasan UMNO iaitu Agenda Nasional Baru (ANB). Di samping itu bergegarlah PWTC dengan sorakan untuk mengembalikan semangat Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB).
DEB adalah istilah taboo bagi bukan Melayu di Malaysia. Sebut saja DEB, pemikiran semua pemimpin bukan Melayu, parti komponen BN mahupun pembangkang, menjadi kabur walaupun kaum mereka tidak pernah rugi daripada dasar itu. Saya percaya ini lebih dipengaruhi oleh perspektif politik daripada keuntungan kaum.
Bagaimanapun, suka saya mengajak semua orang Melayu menyahut seruan Presiden Gerakan, Lim Keng Yaik. Beliau mengesyorkan agar para pemimpin Melayu mengkaji "punca sebenar" kegagalan orang Melayu mencapai 30 peratus ekuiti setelah 35 tahun DEB diguna pakai.
Awang Selamat kata sebenarnya, ini sudah pun dilakukan dan orang Melayu tahu di mana yang tidak betul. UMNO juga kata mereka tahu punca kegagalan Melayu mencapai sasaran. Lupakan saja pendekatan politik Parti Keadilan Rakyat dan Pas walaupun mereka juga kata mereka tahu.
Oleh kerana Melayu telah pun mempunyai ramai bijak pandai, kita boleh beri lebih seratus satu sebab kenapa Melayu gagal. Dari sikap malas dan lemah sehingga kepada kurang pengetahuan, kurang pengalaman, kurang punca kewangan dan tiada jaringan perniagaan.
Mungkin kerana terlalu banyak sebab, kita gagal mencari jalan penyelesaian yang terbaik kerana terpaksa menangani semua alasan yang ditemui.
Sebab saya mengajak orang Melayu memberi perhatian kepada kenyataan Presiden Gerakan adalah kerana beliau mahu kita kaji "punca sebenar". Kita perlu jujur dan bertanya diri kita dengan minda yang terbuka dan dada yang lapang, adakah apa yang "orang Melayu dan UMNO dah tahu" itu adalah punca sebenar?
Apakah setelah 35 tahun Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) menjadi agensi memartabatkan Melayu, bangsa kita masih kurang pengetahuan. Apakah setelah beribu juta ringgit kerajaan memperuntukan wang untuk membantu usahawan Melayu, kita masih menjadikan kekurangan sumber
kewangan sebagai alasan?
Apakah usahawan Melayu masih perlu disediakan unit-unit kedai oleh Mara, pihak berkuasa tempatan dan lain-lain agensi untuk berniaga? Dalam kita bercakap pasal Melayu Glokal, apakah Melayu masih mengalami masalah jaringan perniagaan?
Saya ingin mengajak orang Melayu kembali merenung tangisan Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad dalam Perhimpunan Agung UMNO lalu. Apakah betul apa yang ditangisi oleh Tun Mahathir sebelum beliau mengundurkan diri bahawa Melayu mudah lupa?
Jangan lupa bahawa mungkin ini merupakan antara faktor utama kenapa Melayu masih gagal untuk mencapai sasaran DEB walaupun setelah 35 tahun berlalu.
Beri pinjaman, lupa hendak bayar. Bagi tempat di IPTA, lupa tentang belajar. Beri kontrak, lupa yang dia kena buat sendiri. Ada peluang, bagi orang sendiri, lupa hendak agihkan kepada orang lain. Beri kekayaan, lupa berjimat. Beri kemewahan, lupa diri. Beri ruang niaga lupa janji mahu berniaga. Beri kuasa, lupa berlaku adil. Beri makan, lupa bersyukur. Berikan masjid, lupa sembahyang. Jangan lupa juga lihat implikasinya.
Dalam konteks Pemuda UMNO, mereka mungkin tidak lupa bahawa DEB telah tamat tempoh pada tahun 1990. Tetapi mungkin mereka lupa bahawa kerajaan telah pun menyediakan satu dasar dan strategi yang berdaya tahan dan berdaya saing dalam Dasar Wawasan Negara yang
dilancarkan pada 28 Februari tahun 1991.
Adakah Pemuda UMNO juga lupa bahawa dasar ini telah didokong sendiri oleh UMNO dan majoriti orang Melayu menyokongnya? Apakah Pemuda UMNO lupa atau tidak yakin dengan dasar yang pengarapannya dipimpin oleh UMNO sendiri? Kalau tidak, apa perlunya Agenda Nasional
Baru?
Mungkin kita lupa pernyataan Wawasan 2020 ini adalah penegasan semula ke atas isu yang sentiasa diberi dan meminta perhatian utama iaitu pembasmian kemiskinan, keseimbangan sosioekonomi antara kaum, antara wilayah, antara negeri dan antara bandar dan luar bandar.
Dalam konteks ini, Wawasan 2020 sebenarnya telah meminta semua rakyat Malaysia tidak salah tafsir terhadap bantuan yang diberikan kepada sesuatu golongan kaum sebagai tidak adil, sebaliknya menganggapnya sebagai satu usaha bagi memperbaiki ketidakadilan.
Untuk renungan, langkah mengatasi 'kebocoran' adalah baik dan perlu disegerakan. Tetapi 'kebocoran' bukan sebab utama kegagalan Melayu. Persoalan utama yang perlu dijawab adalah kenapa kebocoran dibiarkan berlaku selama 35 tahun? Kita tidak mahu kerajaan bertungkus lumus menjahit kantung yang bocor tanpa membuang gunting yang berada di dalamnya.
- Kamaruzaman Ujang, Shah Alam, Selangor.
[Malaysia] Malay dignity and survival at stake
Chinese press reject 'shallow thinking' tag
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng, Jul 27, 05 1:33pm
Responding to the criticism by Unmo Youth head Hishammuddin Hussein that the Chinese-language press is "shallow thinking", leading personalities said they reject any form of political intervention in their professional duties.
Hishammuddin’s scathing attack on the "sensationalist" Chinese press came after he had been criticised for demanding the revival of the contentious New Economic Policy (NEP) during the Umno general assembly.
Veteran Chinese-language journalist Teoh Kian Hoon called Hishammuddin a "populist" who has repeatedly resorted to "hocus-pocus" in the past.
Teoh was formerly the chief leader writer for Nanyang Siang Pau and a former researcher at the Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies, a major think-tank for the Chinese Malaysian community.
Describing Hishammuddin’s remark as "loser’s logic", he said: "The Malay community has had many advantages, but he is still disgruntled. This shows he is an outdated politician who has turned to populism to seek support."
Teoh questioned the alleged "sensationalism" of news by the Chinese press, asking whether the same definition would be applied if the (English-language pro-government daily) New Strait Times placed certain issues on the front page.
However, Teoh also advised the Chinese press to report issues in their historic context instead of reporting these as stand-alone developments.
"The press should ponder why the Malay community’s problems have remain unresolved although the NEP has been in place for more than 30 years," he said.
"No self-censorship"
Kwong Wah editor-in-chief Judy Wong said the daily would review its reports in the wake of Hishammuddin’s criticism, but that "self-censorship" will not be part of this process.
"We have our own policy on discipline and it will not be influenced by politicians. We will make adjustments if our reports are sensationalised because national interest is still our priority," she said.
Oriental Daily News executive editor Eng King Sia said Hishammuddin’s outburst was a "political act".
"That was (part of) Hishammuddin’s periodic acting to build his image as an ‘ethnic hero’. It would be embarrassing for him as a Youth chief to back down to the Chinese press," said Eng.
"In the past when there were limited opportunities to spread information, politicians could practise racial politics by giving different statements to different language media."
Eng said such tactics have been made obsolete by access to information technology today.
He said the Chinese press was merely expressing the opinion that a 30-year period was sufficient for the NEP to have had its intended effect, and that Umno (Youth) was not progressing by calling for its revival.
Chinese news magazine Yazhou Zhoukan staff correspondent Lin Yew Soon pointed out that Hishammuddin was championing the status of the Malay community by attacking the Chinese press.
"He was doing that to advance his own status...(if he did not do so) it would expose his fragility," he said.
He viewed the remarks made during the Umno general assembly as “premeditated and with certain intentions”.
"Some of the responses of the Chinese press were knee-jerk reactions. Both Umno and the Chinese press have certain racial sentiments which limit their ability to think out of the box and sometimes result in inaccurate judgements," he added.
----------------------------------
Malay dignity and survival at stake
Roshan Jason, Jul 21, 05 3:25pm
Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has told Malays to further upgrade their economic power by tackling the set-backs they currently face with new mind-sets and fresh sprits, pledging the government’s backing all the way.
At the same time, he scoffed at members of the community who abused their special privileges to gain quick bucks during his 90-minute address at the 56th Umno General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
"Latest statistics indicate that the New Economic Plan (NEP) targets have only been partially achieved. This is because of the action of rent-seekers who prioritize short-term gains.
"The opportunities that were given were abused instead of being used to expand businesses or to enhance capacity that would have ensured continued and lasting success," Abdullah told the 2,533 delegates attending the assembly at Umno headquarters in the Putra World Trade Centre.
He added that the introduction of the NEP in 1970 was a formula to reduce the disparity in economic achievement among the various races in the country primarily between the non-Malays and the Malays.
"Permits, facilities, contracts and licences which were allocated to bumiputras were instead handed over to others for quick profit. Having done so, they asked for new opportunities once, twice, and more. As a consequence, a class of Malays arose that turned being middlemen into a full-time profession," he said, adding that this was one reason for the NEP’s set-back.
"Our dignity and our survival are at stake. The Malaysia of yesterday, when the NEP was first introduced, is radically different from the Malaysia of the knowledge-based economy. The Malays have to infuse their struggle with a fresh spirit."
Two-fold backing
Abdullah added that the government will work with the community to fix the shortcomings in the implementation of the NEP.
"A zeal for capacity building that will increase the income of Malays on a sustainable basis must be ignited," he pointed out.
The premier told the delegates that all this is done with the goal of achieving a parity of income between the two communal sections of the nation.
"Malays should earn one ringgit for every one ringgit earned by non-Malays. Therefore, the government will redouble efforts and increase programmes to develop human capital to ensure that Malays have the physical, mental and spiritual strength to pursue their objectives," he said of what is needed to increase the nation’s productivity and competitiveness.
Abdullah’s pledge to increase government contribution to Malay sustainability includes efforts to provide more facilities to ensure more Malays master science and technology.
"This will ensure a sustained supply of Malay professionals," he added in his speech which was televised live.
Too many contractors
The assembly was also told that as opposed to having 2,049 bumiputra contractors in 1992, the country now boasts over 46,000 of them. Of these, Abdullah said more than 42,000 are registered as Class F contractors.
Class F contractors - many of whom are badly affected by a slowdown in the construction industry - carry out projects that are below the RM200,000 mark. The premier said this category had been created with the objective of encouraging bumiputras to break into the industry.
However, he was disappointed that these contractors took things for granted and always expect the government to provide for them.
"Almost all these contractors expect to get government contracts. There are too many players on a shrinking field. In 2000, the government was compelled to launch a pre-emptive package of projects allocating RM3 million for each parliamentary constituency, aimed at ensuring the survival of Class F contractors.
"Contractors should have seen the writing on the wall and realised that future prospects were already dimming. The government cannot play the role of Santa Claus, perpetually handing out gifts. Contractors should have taken this as a signal to diversify to other sectors," he added.
Abdullah, who has been criticised for the slow pace of an anti-corruption campaign he declared after assuming power, used some of his toughest language yet to describe the scourge that has dogged his party for decades.
"I am determined and committed to cleanse Umno of political corruption," he said. "I may be climbing a steep slope, but I will not be deterred nor will I lose faith."
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng, Jul 27, 05 1:33pm
Responding to the criticism by Unmo Youth head Hishammuddin Hussein that the Chinese-language press is "shallow thinking", leading personalities said they reject any form of political intervention in their professional duties.
Hishammuddin’s scathing attack on the "sensationalist" Chinese press came after he had been criticised for demanding the revival of the contentious New Economic Policy (NEP) during the Umno general assembly.
Veteran Chinese-language journalist Teoh Kian Hoon called Hishammuddin a "populist" who has repeatedly resorted to "hocus-pocus" in the past.
Teoh was formerly the chief leader writer for Nanyang Siang Pau and a former researcher at the Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies, a major think-tank for the Chinese Malaysian community.
Describing Hishammuddin’s remark as "loser’s logic", he said: "The Malay community has had many advantages, but he is still disgruntled. This shows he is an outdated politician who has turned to populism to seek support."
Teoh questioned the alleged "sensationalism" of news by the Chinese press, asking whether the same definition would be applied if the (English-language pro-government daily) New Strait Times placed certain issues on the front page.
However, Teoh also advised the Chinese press to report issues in their historic context instead of reporting these as stand-alone developments.
"The press should ponder why the Malay community’s problems have remain unresolved although the NEP has been in place for more than 30 years," he said.
"No self-censorship"
Kwong Wah editor-in-chief Judy Wong said the daily would review its reports in the wake of Hishammuddin’s criticism, but that "self-censorship" will not be part of this process.
"We have our own policy on discipline and it will not be influenced by politicians. We will make adjustments if our reports are sensationalised because national interest is still our priority," she said.
Oriental Daily News executive editor Eng King Sia said Hishammuddin’s outburst was a "political act".
"That was (part of) Hishammuddin’s periodic acting to build his image as an ‘ethnic hero’. It would be embarrassing for him as a Youth chief to back down to the Chinese press," said Eng.
"In the past when there were limited opportunities to spread information, politicians could practise racial politics by giving different statements to different language media."
Eng said such tactics have been made obsolete by access to information technology today.
He said the Chinese press was merely expressing the opinion that a 30-year period was sufficient for the NEP to have had its intended effect, and that Umno (Youth) was not progressing by calling for its revival.
Chinese news magazine Yazhou Zhoukan staff correspondent Lin Yew Soon pointed out that Hishammuddin was championing the status of the Malay community by attacking the Chinese press.
"He was doing that to advance his own status...(if he did not do so) it would expose his fragility," he said.
He viewed the remarks made during the Umno general assembly as “premeditated and with certain intentions”.
"Some of the responses of the Chinese press were knee-jerk reactions. Both Umno and the Chinese press have certain racial sentiments which limit their ability to think out of the box and sometimes result in inaccurate judgements," he added.
----------------------------------
Malay dignity and survival at stake
Roshan Jason, Jul 21, 05 3:25pm
Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has told Malays to further upgrade their economic power by tackling the set-backs they currently face with new mind-sets and fresh sprits, pledging the government’s backing all the way.
At the same time, he scoffed at members of the community who abused their special privileges to gain quick bucks during his 90-minute address at the 56th Umno General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
"Latest statistics indicate that the New Economic Plan (NEP) targets have only been partially achieved. This is because of the action of rent-seekers who prioritize short-term gains.
"The opportunities that were given were abused instead of being used to expand businesses or to enhance capacity that would have ensured continued and lasting success," Abdullah told the 2,533 delegates attending the assembly at Umno headquarters in the Putra World Trade Centre.
He added that the introduction of the NEP in 1970 was a formula to reduce the disparity in economic achievement among the various races in the country primarily between the non-Malays and the Malays.
"Permits, facilities, contracts and licences which were allocated to bumiputras were instead handed over to others for quick profit. Having done so, they asked for new opportunities once, twice, and more. As a consequence, a class of Malays arose that turned being middlemen into a full-time profession," he said, adding that this was one reason for the NEP’s set-back.
"Our dignity and our survival are at stake. The Malaysia of yesterday, when the NEP was first introduced, is radically different from the Malaysia of the knowledge-based economy. The Malays have to infuse their struggle with a fresh spirit."
Two-fold backing
Abdullah added that the government will work with the community to fix the shortcomings in the implementation of the NEP.
"A zeal for capacity building that will increase the income of Malays on a sustainable basis must be ignited," he pointed out.
The premier told the delegates that all this is done with the goal of achieving a parity of income between the two communal sections of the nation.
"Malays should earn one ringgit for every one ringgit earned by non-Malays. Therefore, the government will redouble efforts and increase programmes to develop human capital to ensure that Malays have the physical, mental and spiritual strength to pursue their objectives," he said of what is needed to increase the nation’s productivity and competitiveness.
Abdullah’s pledge to increase government contribution to Malay sustainability includes efforts to provide more facilities to ensure more Malays master science and technology.
"This will ensure a sustained supply of Malay professionals," he added in his speech which was televised live.
Too many contractors
The assembly was also told that as opposed to having 2,049 bumiputra contractors in 1992, the country now boasts over 46,000 of them. Of these, Abdullah said more than 42,000 are registered as Class F contractors.
Class F contractors - many of whom are badly affected by a slowdown in the construction industry - carry out projects that are below the RM200,000 mark. The premier said this category had been created with the objective of encouraging bumiputras to break into the industry.
However, he was disappointed that these contractors took things for granted and always expect the government to provide for them.
"Almost all these contractors expect to get government contracts. There are too many players on a shrinking field. In 2000, the government was compelled to launch a pre-emptive package of projects allocating RM3 million for each parliamentary constituency, aimed at ensuring the survival of Class F contractors.
"Contractors should have seen the writing on the wall and realised that future prospects were already dimming. The government cannot play the role of Santa Claus, perpetually handing out gifts. Contractors should have taken this as a signal to diversify to other sectors," he added.
Abdullah, who has been criticised for the slow pace of an anti-corruption campaign he declared after assuming power, used some of his toughest language yet to describe the scourge that has dogged his party for decades.
"I am determined and committed to cleanse Umno of political corruption," he said. "I may be climbing a steep slope, but I will not be deterred nor will I lose faith."
[Malaysia] PAS mohon PM kaji balik permit Harakah
PAS mohon PM kaji balik permit Harakah
Thursday, July 28 2005
Setelah disekat mulai tahun 2000 kepada dua kali sebulan sahaja
Oleh EKMAL YUSOF
SRI MANJUNG (Perak), 28 Julai (Hrkh) - Timbalan Presiden PAS, Nasharudin Mat Isa memohon Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengkaji balik permit Harakah agar boleh dikeluarkan dua kali seminggu sebagaimana sebelum ini.
"Kita pohon kepada Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agar dapat meluangkan sedikit masa demi untuk rakyat, yang sesama Melayu, Islam, satu keturunan dan bahasa agar dapat memberi masa 15 minit bercakap mengenai Harakah.
"PAS meminta yang Dato' Seri Abdullah sebagai sifat sebagai Menteri Dalam Negeri melonggarkan syarat supaya dapat Harakah diterbitkan dua kali setiap minggu seperti dulu."
Nasharudin berkata demikian dalam ucapannya di majlis ceramah dekat Air Tawar disini baru-baru ini.
Ini adalah majlis pertama beliau di Perak selepas dipilih sebagai Timbalan Presiden PAS dalam Muktamar PAS di Kota Bharu sebelum ini.
Harakahdaily difahamkan, Nasharudin selaku Setiausaha Agung PAS sebelum ini telah menghantar surat rasmi kepada Perdana Menteri untuk membolehkan kedua-dua belah pihak, Harakah dan kerajaan, bertemu bagi membincangkan soal permit Harakah itu.
Mulai Mac 2000, permit Harakah telah disekat oleh kerajaan iaitu Kementerian Dalam Negeri yang dipimpin oleh Abdullah sendiri.
Kalau sebelum itu Harakah boleh diterbitkan dua kali seminggu, selepas Mac 2000, Harakah hanya dibenarkan terbit dua kali setahun sahaja.
Kononnya, ia selaras dengan penerbitan media milik parti politik yang lain.
Walau pun sudah sekian lama surat itu dihantar, maklum balas mengenainya belum diperolehi dari Pejabat Perdana Menteri.
Permit Harakah perlu diperbaharui pada setiap 28 Februari pada setiap tahun.
“Apalah salahnya Harakah terbit dua kali seminggu, takkan Umno dan BN bolih tumbang dengan permintaan sedikit itu.
"Ini kerana kerajaan ada pelbagai media arus perdana termasuk TV, RTM dan radio.
"Lagipun ini hak kami bukan perkara baru hanya menuntut dikembalikan hak PAS sahaja iaitu memiliki akhbar yang dibenarkan terbit dua kali seminggu untuk melaporkan aktiviti PAS sebagai sebuah parti politik yang sah, bukan akhbar harian pun," kata Nasharudin di majlis itu.
Thursday, July 28 2005
Setelah disekat mulai tahun 2000 kepada dua kali sebulan sahaja
Oleh EKMAL YUSOF
SRI MANJUNG (Perak), 28 Julai (Hrkh) - Timbalan Presiden PAS, Nasharudin Mat Isa memohon Perdana Menteri, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengkaji balik permit Harakah agar boleh dikeluarkan dua kali seminggu sebagaimana sebelum ini.
"Kita pohon kepada Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agar dapat meluangkan sedikit masa demi untuk rakyat, yang sesama Melayu, Islam, satu keturunan dan bahasa agar dapat memberi masa 15 minit bercakap mengenai Harakah.
"PAS meminta yang Dato' Seri Abdullah sebagai sifat sebagai Menteri Dalam Negeri melonggarkan syarat supaya dapat Harakah diterbitkan dua kali setiap minggu seperti dulu."
Nasharudin berkata demikian dalam ucapannya di majlis ceramah dekat Air Tawar disini baru-baru ini.
Ini adalah majlis pertama beliau di Perak selepas dipilih sebagai Timbalan Presiden PAS dalam Muktamar PAS di Kota Bharu sebelum ini.
Harakahdaily difahamkan, Nasharudin selaku Setiausaha Agung PAS sebelum ini telah menghantar surat rasmi kepada Perdana Menteri untuk membolehkan kedua-dua belah pihak, Harakah dan kerajaan, bertemu bagi membincangkan soal permit Harakah itu.
Mulai Mac 2000, permit Harakah telah disekat oleh kerajaan iaitu Kementerian Dalam Negeri yang dipimpin oleh Abdullah sendiri.
Kalau sebelum itu Harakah boleh diterbitkan dua kali seminggu, selepas Mac 2000, Harakah hanya dibenarkan terbit dua kali setahun sahaja.
Kononnya, ia selaras dengan penerbitan media milik parti politik yang lain.
Walau pun sudah sekian lama surat itu dihantar, maklum balas mengenainya belum diperolehi dari Pejabat Perdana Menteri.
Permit Harakah perlu diperbaharui pada setiap 28 Februari pada setiap tahun.
“Apalah salahnya Harakah terbit dua kali seminggu, takkan Umno dan BN bolih tumbang dengan permintaan sedikit itu.
"Ini kerana kerajaan ada pelbagai media arus perdana termasuk TV, RTM dan radio.
"Lagipun ini hak kami bukan perkara baru hanya menuntut dikembalikan hak PAS sahaja iaitu memiliki akhbar yang dibenarkan terbit dua kali seminggu untuk melaporkan aktiviti PAS sebagai sebuah parti politik yang sah, bukan akhbar harian pun," kata Nasharudin di majlis itu.
Mosques in UK, US, New Zealand Attacked
Mosques in UK, US, New Zealand Attacked
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2005-07/10/article06.shtml
Tikriti said MAB "has registered some 70 verbal assaults, particularly against hijab-clad Muslims," since Thursday.
Additional Reporting By Ahmed Fathy, IOL Staff
CAIRO, July 10, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – No sooner had the London blasts taken place than racist attacks against mosques in Britain, the US and New Zealand were reported.
Anas Al-Tikriti, the spokesman of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), told IslamOnline.net Sunday, July 10, an arsonist attacked a mosque in central London and tried to set it on fire.
Media reports, however, said at least five mosques have come under racist attacks, including one in northwest England set on fire, since the attacks that killed 50 people and injured 700 others on Thursday, July 7.
A man living in a flat above the Shahjalal Mosque, which is part of an Islamic centre in Birkenhead , was treated for smoke inhalation but there were no other injuries, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The mosque door was burnt and there was some damage inside, Merseyside police said.
London police said Sunday there had been a number of racially and religiously-motivated hate crimes since the terror bombings, including one resulting in a serious injury.
"We have had a number of incidents of hate crime, racially and religiously motivated offences, and we take these types of offences very, very seriously," Commander Brian Paddick of the London Metropolitan Police told a press briefing.
"There has been one serious injury."
The European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) said in June that the Muslim minority in Britain has been living in a "climate of fear" since the 9/11 attacks.
Hotline
British Muslims at the central mosque at Regent's park in London. (Reuters)
Tikriti told IOL "MAB has registered some 70 verbal assaults, particularly against hijab-clad Muslims, since Thursday, July 7, when London was attacked."
The assaults included offensive phrases like "wicked Islam", "go home" and "you are behind the blasts" as well as emotional outbursts in the face of Muslims, he added.
Tikriti, who championed a list of anti-war activists that vied in the European elections in Yorkshire and the Humber constituency in June of last year, said that two old couples insulted a hijab-clad woman, but she was protected by passers-by.
The activist said that MAB has established a hotline to receive complaints from British Muslims about racist attacks.
He further said that they will embark on a series of social activities and media campaigns to show the true face of Islam in addition to sin-ins and peaceful marches.
"MAB staged a sit-in on Friday, July 8, in cooperation with anti-Iraq war and anti-WMDs movements to condemn the blasts and show solidarity with the families of the victims," he said.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission has given British Muslims a set of safety tips to avoid reprisal attacks following the bombings.
Media Onslaughts
Tikriti feared that the media would unleash new anti-Islam campaigns in the wake of the blasts.
"I assume that right-wing and Zionist media, like The Daily Telegraph and The Sun, will mount their anti-Islam campaigns in the days to come, parroting hoary-old claims like Islam was encouraging the killing of infidels and terrifying civilians," he told IOL.
The Muslim activist further said that such media onslaughts are aimed at pitting the Britons against the Muslim minority as it happened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
He citied a Friday article by Charles Moore in The Daily Telegraph entitled "Where is the Gandhi of Islam?"
"But we can’t ignore the fact that there are some leading newspapers that do justice to Muslims and Islam like The Guardian and The Independent," Tikriti said.
Senior British parliamentarians admitted in August of last year that anti-terrorism laws are being used "disproportionately" against the Muslim minority.
Domino Effect
" New Zealand 's Muslim community, like all New Zealand 's communities, is overwhelmingly a law-abiding and peaceful community," said Clark
The London attacks have already had their domino effect with at least six Islamic centers in New Zealand vandalized and their walls painted with the message "Londoners RIP," police said Sunday.
In what appeared to be a co-coordinated series of attacks across Auckland , vandals smashed windows and doors and left variations of the same message in black paint on walls facing the street, AFP said.
New Zealand Federation of Islamic Associations President Javed Khan said it was the first time an attack on this scale had occurred against the country's 40,000 Muslims, about 25,000 of whom live in Auckland .
He said Muslims were "shocked and saddened" by the incidents in London and appealed to his community to be calm and tolerant of the overnight attacks in Auckland .
Prime Minister Helen Clark was quick to condemn the attacks, saying it was wrong to target the Muslim minority in New Zealand in retaliation for the terrorist attacks in London .
" New Zealand 's Muslim community, like all New Zealand 's communities, is overwhelmingly a law-abiding and peaceful community," she said.
Opposition National Party leader Don Brash said the attacks were "an appalling act of intolerance" and the Green Party described the attackers as no better than the terrorists who brought death to London .
In the US , the FBI and members of its Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating a fire at a Bloomington mosque in Minnesota on Saturday as a hate crime, the American Indy Star newspaper reported Sunday.
The incident took place at the Islamic Center of Bloomington, where a ground-floor window was broken and an incendiary device was used to start a fire, an official of the mosque said.
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2005-07/10/article06.shtml
Tikriti said MAB "has registered some 70 verbal assaults, particularly against hijab-clad Muslims," since Thursday.
Additional Reporting By Ahmed Fathy, IOL Staff
CAIRO, July 10, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – No sooner had the London blasts taken place than racist attacks against mosques in Britain, the US and New Zealand were reported.
Anas Al-Tikriti, the spokesman of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), told IslamOnline.net Sunday, July 10, an arsonist attacked a mosque in central London and tried to set it on fire.
Media reports, however, said at least five mosques have come under racist attacks, including one in northwest England set on fire, since the attacks that killed 50 people and injured 700 others on Thursday, July 7.
A man living in a flat above the Shahjalal Mosque, which is part of an Islamic centre in Birkenhead , was treated for smoke inhalation but there were no other injuries, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The mosque door was burnt and there was some damage inside, Merseyside police said.
London police said Sunday there had been a number of racially and religiously-motivated hate crimes since the terror bombings, including one resulting in a serious injury.
"We have had a number of incidents of hate crime, racially and religiously motivated offences, and we take these types of offences very, very seriously," Commander Brian Paddick of the London Metropolitan Police told a press briefing.
"There has been one serious injury."
The European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) said in June that the Muslim minority in Britain has been living in a "climate of fear" since the 9/11 attacks.
Hotline
British Muslims at the central mosque at Regent's park in London. (Reuters)
Tikriti told IOL "MAB has registered some 70 verbal assaults, particularly against hijab-clad Muslims, since Thursday, July 7, when London was attacked."
The assaults included offensive phrases like "wicked Islam", "go home" and "you are behind the blasts" as well as emotional outbursts in the face of Muslims, he added.
Tikriti, who championed a list of anti-war activists that vied in the European elections in Yorkshire and the Humber constituency in June of last year, said that two old couples insulted a hijab-clad woman, but she was protected by passers-by.
The activist said that MAB has established a hotline to receive complaints from British Muslims about racist attacks.
He further said that they will embark on a series of social activities and media campaigns to show the true face of Islam in addition to sin-ins and peaceful marches.
"MAB staged a sit-in on Friday, July 8, in cooperation with anti-Iraq war and anti-WMDs movements to condemn the blasts and show solidarity with the families of the victims," he said.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission has given British Muslims a set of safety tips to avoid reprisal attacks following the bombings.
Media Onslaughts
Tikriti feared that the media would unleash new anti-Islam campaigns in the wake of the blasts.
"I assume that right-wing and Zionist media, like The Daily Telegraph and The Sun, will mount their anti-Islam campaigns in the days to come, parroting hoary-old claims like Islam was encouraging the killing of infidels and terrifying civilians," he told IOL.
The Muslim activist further said that such media onslaughts are aimed at pitting the Britons against the Muslim minority as it happened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
He citied a Friday article by Charles Moore in The Daily Telegraph entitled "Where is the Gandhi of Islam?"
"But we can’t ignore the fact that there are some leading newspapers that do justice to Muslims and Islam like The Guardian and The Independent," Tikriti said.
Senior British parliamentarians admitted in August of last year that anti-terrorism laws are being used "disproportionately" against the Muslim minority.
Domino Effect
" New Zealand 's Muslim community, like all New Zealand 's communities, is overwhelmingly a law-abiding and peaceful community," said Clark
The London attacks have already had their domino effect with at least six Islamic centers in New Zealand vandalized and their walls painted with the message "Londoners RIP," police said Sunday.
In what appeared to be a co-coordinated series of attacks across Auckland , vandals smashed windows and doors and left variations of the same message in black paint on walls facing the street, AFP said.
New Zealand Federation of Islamic Associations President Javed Khan said it was the first time an attack on this scale had occurred against the country's 40,000 Muslims, about 25,000 of whom live in Auckland .
He said Muslims were "shocked and saddened" by the incidents in London and appealed to his community to be calm and tolerant of the overnight attacks in Auckland .
Prime Minister Helen Clark was quick to condemn the attacks, saying it was wrong to target the Muslim minority in New Zealand in retaliation for the terrorist attacks in London .
" New Zealand 's Muslim community, like all New Zealand 's communities, is overwhelmingly a law-abiding and peaceful community," she said.
Opposition National Party leader Don Brash said the attacks were "an appalling act of intolerance" and the Green Party described the attackers as no better than the terrorists who brought death to London .
In the US , the FBI and members of its Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating a fire at a Bloomington mosque in Minnesota on Saturday as a hate crime, the American Indy Star newspaper reported Sunday.
The incident took place at the Islamic Center of Bloomington, where a ground-floor window was broken and an incendiary device was used to start a fire, an official of the mosque said.
The Swords of Islam
The Swords of Islam
The first few who embraced the "new" religion in Makkah in the Arabian Peninsula at the hands of the Prophet, were his wife Khadijah, his servant Zaid and his eleven-year-old cousin Ali. Among the ones who later joined this faith were the honest merchant, Abu Bakr; the iron man of Arabia, Umar the Great; the shy businessman, Uthman; the Prophet's brave uncle Hamza and a slave of a pagan, Bilal. They simply couldn't resist the MAGIC SWORD of a humble and lonely Prophet! The negligible minority of the believers in this new Faith was soon exiled from Makkah and they arrived in the city called Yathrab which later became known as MADINAH.
The Muslim emigrants to Madinah brought their SWORD with them. The SWORD continued to "pull" people towards it until the whole of Arabia joined the Faith. Compared to the population of the rest of the world at that time, the Arabs constituted a tiny minority. A fraction of this minority decided to take the SWORD beyond the boundaries of the Arabian desert to the mighty empires of Rome and Persia, the shores of the Mediterranean, the coast of Malabar and the far away East Indies Islands.
People after people continued surrendering to this SWORD and joining the Faith. So sharp was the edge of the SWORD! It simply conquered the hearts; bodies yielded automatically. It is the SWORD OF TRUTH, whose mere shine eliminates falsehood just like light wipes away darkness. HAS THE SWORD GONE BLUNT? NO, FAR FROM IT. It continues to pierce the hearts of countless men and women even today - in spite of the relentless efforts by persons with vested interests who like darkness to prevail, so that they may rob people of their good things.
Read below the impressions of some who were recently conquered by the same SWORD. They are from different countries, speak different languages and have different backgrounds. Their present addresses are also given. Perhaps you may like to ask them how it feels to be struck by the SWORD OF TRUTH.
1. LEOPOLD WEISS (now Mohammad Asad): Austrian statesman, journalist, former foreign correspondent for the Frankfuerter Zeitung; author of ISLAM AT THE CROSSROADS and ROAD TO MECCA and translator of the Qur'an. He embraced Islam in 1926. (1) "Islam appears to me like a perfect work of Architecture. All its parts are harmoniously conceived to complement and support each other. Nothing is superfluous and nothing lacking, with the result of an absolute balance and solid composure."
2. AHMED HOLT: British Civil Contractor, traveler in search of the Divine truth, spent much of his time in research and comparative study of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He embraced Islam in 1975. (2) "The SWORD OF ISLAM is not the sword of steel. I know this by experience, because the sword of Islam struck deep into my own heart. It didn't bring death, but it brought a new life; it brought an awareness and it brought an awakening as to who am I and what am I and for what am I here?"
3. BOGDAN DOPANSKI (now Bogdan Ataullah Kopanski): Originally Polish, now American; Ph.D. in history and politics, had a very interesting journey to Islam and faced severe hardships; was imprisoned twice by the Polish communist regime (1968, 1981-82). He embraced Islam in 1974. (3) "When I was 12 years old I rejected illogical and contradictory faith of the Church. Two years later in 1962 - I was fascinated by victorious struggle of the Algerian Muslim mujahideen against French colonialism. It was the first ARROW of Islam.... The high school and earliest days of my education in the University, I was a typical example of 'rebel generation' of Reds.... My way to the truth of Al-Qur'an was slow and unpaved.... In 1974 I visited Turkey, I wrote my M.A. dissertation about Sultan and Caliph Suleiman Kanuni's policy towards the Polish Kingdom. There, I was hit by the most beautiful voice of mankind, the ADHAN, the call to prayer. My hair stood up. An unknown powerful force led me to old masjid in Istanbul. There, old smiling Turkish, bearded men taught me WUZU, ablution. I confessed to tears SHAHADAH and I prayed my first SALAH Maghrib.... I swept out the rubbish ideologies.... The first time in my life, my mind was relaxed and I felt pleasure of Allah's love in my heart. I was a Muslim...."
4. VENGATACHALAM ADIYAR (now Abdullah Adiyar): Indian, noted Tamil writer and journalist; worked as a news editor in Dr. M. Karunanidhi's daily MURASOLI for 17 years; assisted 3 former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu. Received Kalaimamani Award (Big Gem of Arts) from Tamil Nadu Government in 1982. He embraced Islam in 1987. (4) "In Islam I found suitable replies to nagging queries arising in my mind with regard to the theory of creation, status of woman, creation of the universe, etc. The life history of the Holy Prophet attracted me very much and made it easy for me to compare with other world leaders and their philosophies."
5. HERBERT HOBOHM (now Aman Hobohm): German diplomat, missionary and social worker. An intellectual who has been serving the German diplomatic missions in various parts of the world. Presently working as Cultural Attache in German Embassy in Riyadh. He embraced Islam in 1941. (5) "I have lived under different systems of life and have had the opportunity of studying various ideologies, but have come to the conclusion that none is perfect as Islam. None of the systems has got a complete code of a noble life. Only Islam has it; and that is why good men embrace it. Islam is not theoretical; it is practical. It means complete submission to the will of God."
6. CAT STEVENS (now Yousuf Islam): British; formerly a Christian and a world famous pop singer. He embraced Islam in 1973. (6) "It will be wrong to judge Islam in the light of the behavior of some bad Muslims who are always shown on the media. It is like judging a car as a bad one if the driver of the car is drunk and he bangs it into the wall. Islam guides all human beings in the daily life - in its spiritual, mental and physical dimensions. But we must find the sources of these instructions, the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet. Then we can see the ideal of Islam."
7. MS. MARGARET MARCUS (now Maryam Jamilah): American, formerly a Jewess, essayist and an author of many books. She embraced Islam in 1962. (7) "The authority of Islamic Morals and Laws proceeds from Almighty God. Pleasure and happiness in Islam are but the natural byproducts of emotional satisfaction in one's duties conscientiously performed for the pleasure of God to achieve salvation. In Islam duties are always stressed above rights. Only in Islam was my quest for absolute values satisfied. Only in Islam did I at last find all that was true, good, beautiful and which gives meaning and direction to human life and death."
8. WILFRIED HOFMAN (now Murad Hofman): Ph.D. in law (Harvard); German social scientist and diplomat; presently German Ambassador in Algeria. He embraced Islam in 1980. (8) "For some time now, striving for more and more precision and brevity, I have tried to put on paper, in a systematic way, all philosophical truths, which in my view, can be ascertained beyond reasonable doubt. In the course of this effort it dawned on me that the typical attitude of an agnostic is not an intelligent one; that man simply cannot escape a decision to believe; that the createdness of what exists around us is obvious; that Islam undoubtedly finds itself in the greatest harmony with overall reality. Thus I realize, not without shock, that step by step, in spite of myself and almost unconsciously, in feeling and thinking I have grown into a Muslim. Only one last step remained to be taken: to formalize my conversion. As of today I am a Muslim. I have arrived."
9. CASSIUS CLAY (now Muhammad Ali): American; three times World Heavyweight Champion, formerly a Christian. He embraced Islam in 1965. (9) "I have had many nice moments in my life. But the feelings I had while standing on Mount Arafat on the day of HAJJ (Muslims' pilgrimage), was the most unique. I felt exalted by the indescribable spiritual atmosphere there as over a million and a half pilgrims invoked God to forgive them of their sins and bestow on them His choicest blessings. It was an exhilarating experience to see people belonging to different colors, races and nationalities, kings, heads of states and ordinary men from very poor countries all clad in two simple white sheets praying to God without any sense of either pride or inferiority. It was a practical manifestation of the concept of equality in Islam." (Speaking to the daily "Al-Madinah," Jeddah, 15 July, 1989.)
These were the impressions of a few persons who had themselves been struck by the SWORD OF TRUTH, that is, the Message of Islam. AS FOR THE PROPAGANDA THAT IT WAS THE SWORD OF STEEL, THAT IS, FORCE, WHICH WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE UNIVERSAL EXPANSION OF ISLAM, WE GIVE BELOW QUOTATIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF SOME OF THE PROMINENT NON-MUSLIM SCHOLARS AND LEADERS REFUTING THIS BASELESS ACCUSATION.
1. M.K. GANDHI: "....I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These, and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble." YOUNG INDIA, 1924. (10)
2. EDWARD GIBBON: "The greatest success of Mohammad's life was effected by sheer moral force without the stroke of a sword." HISTORY OF THE SARACEN EMPIRE, London, 1870.
3. A.S. TRITTON: "The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with a sword in one hand and the Qur'an in the other is quite false." ISLAM, London, 1951, page 21. (12)
4. DE LACY O'LEARY: "History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims, sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated." ISLAM AT CROSSROADS, London, 1923, page 8.
5. K.S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO: "My problem to write this monograph is easier because we are not generally fed now on that (distorted) kind of history and much time need not be spent on pointing out our misrepresentations of Islam. The theory of Islam and sword, for instance, is not heard now in any quarter worth the name. The principle of Islam, there is no compulsion in religion, is well known." MOHAMMED THE PROPHET OF ISLAM, Riyadh, 1989, page 4.
6. JAMES A MICHENER: "No other religion in history spread so rapidly as Islam... The West has widely believed that this surge of religion was made possible by the sword. But no modern scholar accepts that idea, and the Qur'an is explicit in support of the freedom conscience." ISLAM - THE MISUNDERSTOOD RELIGION, READERS' DIGEST (American Edition) May 1955.
7. LAWRENCE E. BROWNE: "Incidentally these well-established facts dispose of the idea so widely fostered in Christian writings that the Muslims, wherever they went, forced people to accept Islam at the point of the sword." THE PROSPECTS OF ISLAM, London 1944. IF YOU TOO POSSESS A SOFT, TENDER HEART AND AN OPEN MIND, DO WRITE TO US FOR SOME BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE WAY OF LIFE CALLED "ISLAM." DO NOT BELIEVE IN HEARSAY AND LEARN FROM THE DIRECT SOURCES. WE ARE READY TO HELP.
ADDRESSES:
1. Muhammad Asad, (deceased recently)
2. Ahmad Holt, 23 Welland Garden Perivale, Middlesex UB6 8SZ, U.K.
3. Bogdan Ataullah Kopanski, 3013 Harrel Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75051.
4. Abdullah Adiyar, 1 Ashok Avenue, Rangarajapuram, Kodambakkam, Madras, India.
5. Aman Hobohm, Cultural Attache, P.O. Box 8974, Riyadh 11492, Saudi Arabia.
6. Yousuf Islam, Chairman, Muslim Aid, 3 Furlong Road, London, N7, U.K.
7. Maryam Jamilah, c/o Mohammad Yusuf Khan, Sant Nagar, Lahore, Pakistan.
8. Murad Hofman, Ambassador, Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, BP 664, Alger-gare, Algeria. 9. Muhammad Ali, c/o Masjid Al-Faatir, 1200 East 49th Street, Chicago, IL 60615.
NOTE: 10. Twentieth century champion of non-violence who lead the Indian movement of freedom from British colonization.
RECOMMENDED INTRODUCTORY PUBLICATIONS:
1. III&E Brochure Series may be obtained from the address given below.
2. WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM AND MUSLIMS by Suzanne Haneef, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL.
3. ISLAM IN FOCUS by H. Abdulati, American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, IN.
4. THE BIBLE, THE QUR'AN AND SCIENCE by Maurice Bucaille, American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, IN.
5. QUR'AN, AN INTRODUCTION by A.R. Doi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL.
6. HADITH, AN INTRODUCTION by A.R. Doi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL.
7. MUHAMMAD, HIS LIFE BASED ON THE EARLIEST SOURCES by Martin Lings, Inner Traditions International, Rochester, VT.
8. LIFE OF MUHAMMAD by A.H. Siddiqi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL.
9. HISTORY OF ISLAM by Masud-ul-Hasan, Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakistan.
10. THE CULTURAL ATLAS OF ISLAM by I.R. al-Faruqi and Lois L. al-Faruqi, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, NY.
http://www.islam101.com/dawah/sword_islam.html
The first few who embraced the "new" religion in Makkah in the Arabian Peninsula at the hands of the Prophet, were his wife Khadijah, his servant Zaid and his eleven-year-old cousin Ali. Among the ones who later joined this faith were the honest merchant, Abu Bakr; the iron man of Arabia, Umar the Great; the shy businessman, Uthman; the Prophet's brave uncle Hamza and a slave of a pagan, Bilal. They simply couldn't resist the MAGIC SWORD of a humble and lonely Prophet! The negligible minority of the believers in this new Faith was soon exiled from Makkah and they arrived in the city called Yathrab which later became known as MADINAH.
The Muslim emigrants to Madinah brought their SWORD with them. The SWORD continued to "pull" people towards it until the whole of Arabia joined the Faith. Compared to the population of the rest of the world at that time, the Arabs constituted a tiny minority. A fraction of this minority decided to take the SWORD beyond the boundaries of the Arabian desert to the mighty empires of Rome and Persia, the shores of the Mediterranean, the coast of Malabar and the far away East Indies Islands.
People after people continued surrendering to this SWORD and joining the Faith. So sharp was the edge of the SWORD! It simply conquered the hearts; bodies yielded automatically. It is the SWORD OF TRUTH, whose mere shine eliminates falsehood just like light wipes away darkness. HAS THE SWORD GONE BLUNT? NO, FAR FROM IT. It continues to pierce the hearts of countless men and women even today - in spite of the relentless efforts by persons with vested interests who like darkness to prevail, so that they may rob people of their good things.
Read below the impressions of some who were recently conquered by the same SWORD. They are from different countries, speak different languages and have different backgrounds. Their present addresses are also given. Perhaps you may like to ask them how it feels to be struck by the SWORD OF TRUTH.
1. LEOPOLD WEISS (now Mohammad Asad): Austrian statesman, journalist, former foreign correspondent for the Frankfuerter Zeitung; author of ISLAM AT THE CROSSROADS and ROAD TO MECCA and translator of the Qur'an. He embraced Islam in 1926. (1) "Islam appears to me like a perfect work of Architecture. All its parts are harmoniously conceived to complement and support each other. Nothing is superfluous and nothing lacking, with the result of an absolute balance and solid composure."
2. AHMED HOLT: British Civil Contractor, traveler in search of the Divine truth, spent much of his time in research and comparative study of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He embraced Islam in 1975. (2) "The SWORD OF ISLAM is not the sword of steel. I know this by experience, because the sword of Islam struck deep into my own heart. It didn't bring death, but it brought a new life; it brought an awareness and it brought an awakening as to who am I and what am I and for what am I here?"
3. BOGDAN DOPANSKI (now Bogdan Ataullah Kopanski): Originally Polish, now American; Ph.D. in history and politics, had a very interesting journey to Islam and faced severe hardships; was imprisoned twice by the Polish communist regime (1968, 1981-82). He embraced Islam in 1974. (3) "When I was 12 years old I rejected illogical and contradictory faith of the Church. Two years later in 1962 - I was fascinated by victorious struggle of the Algerian Muslim mujahideen against French colonialism. It was the first ARROW of Islam.... The high school and earliest days of my education in the University, I was a typical example of 'rebel generation' of Reds.... My way to the truth of Al-Qur'an was slow and unpaved.... In 1974 I visited Turkey, I wrote my M.A. dissertation about Sultan and Caliph Suleiman Kanuni's policy towards the Polish Kingdom. There, I was hit by the most beautiful voice of mankind, the ADHAN, the call to prayer. My hair stood up. An unknown powerful force led me to old masjid in Istanbul. There, old smiling Turkish, bearded men taught me WUZU, ablution. I confessed to tears SHAHADAH and I prayed my first SALAH Maghrib.... I swept out the rubbish ideologies.... The first time in my life, my mind was relaxed and I felt pleasure of Allah's love in my heart. I was a Muslim...."
4. VENGATACHALAM ADIYAR (now Abdullah Adiyar): Indian, noted Tamil writer and journalist; worked as a news editor in Dr. M. Karunanidhi's daily MURASOLI for 17 years; assisted 3 former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu. Received Kalaimamani Award (Big Gem of Arts) from Tamil Nadu Government in 1982. He embraced Islam in 1987. (4) "In Islam I found suitable replies to nagging queries arising in my mind with regard to the theory of creation, status of woman, creation of the universe, etc. The life history of the Holy Prophet attracted me very much and made it easy for me to compare with other world leaders and their philosophies."
5. HERBERT HOBOHM (now Aman Hobohm): German diplomat, missionary and social worker. An intellectual who has been serving the German diplomatic missions in various parts of the world. Presently working as Cultural Attache in German Embassy in Riyadh. He embraced Islam in 1941. (5) "I have lived under different systems of life and have had the opportunity of studying various ideologies, but have come to the conclusion that none is perfect as Islam. None of the systems has got a complete code of a noble life. Only Islam has it; and that is why good men embrace it. Islam is not theoretical; it is practical. It means complete submission to the will of God."
6. CAT STEVENS (now Yousuf Islam): British; formerly a Christian and a world famous pop singer. He embraced Islam in 1973. (6) "It will be wrong to judge Islam in the light of the behavior of some bad Muslims who are always shown on the media. It is like judging a car as a bad one if the driver of the car is drunk and he bangs it into the wall. Islam guides all human beings in the daily life - in its spiritual, mental and physical dimensions. But we must find the sources of these instructions, the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet. Then we can see the ideal of Islam."
7. MS. MARGARET MARCUS (now Maryam Jamilah): American, formerly a Jewess, essayist and an author of many books. She embraced Islam in 1962. (7) "The authority of Islamic Morals and Laws proceeds from Almighty God. Pleasure and happiness in Islam are but the natural byproducts of emotional satisfaction in one's duties conscientiously performed for the pleasure of God to achieve salvation. In Islam duties are always stressed above rights. Only in Islam was my quest for absolute values satisfied. Only in Islam did I at last find all that was true, good, beautiful and which gives meaning and direction to human life and death."
8. WILFRIED HOFMAN (now Murad Hofman): Ph.D. in law (Harvard); German social scientist and diplomat; presently German Ambassador in Algeria. He embraced Islam in 1980. (8) "For some time now, striving for more and more precision and brevity, I have tried to put on paper, in a systematic way, all philosophical truths, which in my view, can be ascertained beyond reasonable doubt. In the course of this effort it dawned on me that the typical attitude of an agnostic is not an intelligent one; that man simply cannot escape a decision to believe; that the createdness of what exists around us is obvious; that Islam undoubtedly finds itself in the greatest harmony with overall reality. Thus I realize, not without shock, that step by step, in spite of myself and almost unconsciously, in feeling and thinking I have grown into a Muslim. Only one last step remained to be taken: to formalize my conversion. As of today I am a Muslim. I have arrived."
9. CASSIUS CLAY (now Muhammad Ali): American; three times World Heavyweight Champion, formerly a Christian. He embraced Islam in 1965. (9) "I have had many nice moments in my life. But the feelings I had while standing on Mount Arafat on the day of HAJJ (Muslims' pilgrimage), was the most unique. I felt exalted by the indescribable spiritual atmosphere there as over a million and a half pilgrims invoked God to forgive them of their sins and bestow on them His choicest blessings. It was an exhilarating experience to see people belonging to different colors, races and nationalities, kings, heads of states and ordinary men from very poor countries all clad in two simple white sheets praying to God without any sense of either pride or inferiority. It was a practical manifestation of the concept of equality in Islam." (Speaking to the daily "Al-Madinah," Jeddah, 15 July, 1989.)
These were the impressions of a few persons who had themselves been struck by the SWORD OF TRUTH, that is, the Message of Islam. AS FOR THE PROPAGANDA THAT IT WAS THE SWORD OF STEEL, THAT IS, FORCE, WHICH WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE UNIVERSAL EXPANSION OF ISLAM, WE GIVE BELOW QUOTATIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF SOME OF THE PROMINENT NON-MUSLIM SCHOLARS AND LEADERS REFUTING THIS BASELESS ACCUSATION.
1. M.K. GANDHI: "....I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These, and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble." YOUNG INDIA, 1924. (10)
2. EDWARD GIBBON: "The greatest success of Mohammad's life was effected by sheer moral force without the stroke of a sword." HISTORY OF THE SARACEN EMPIRE, London, 1870.
3. A.S. TRITTON: "The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with a sword in one hand and the Qur'an in the other is quite false." ISLAM, London, 1951, page 21. (12)
4. DE LACY O'LEARY: "History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims, sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated." ISLAM AT CROSSROADS, London, 1923, page 8.
5. K.S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO: "My problem to write this monograph is easier because we are not generally fed now on that (distorted) kind of history and much time need not be spent on pointing out our misrepresentations of Islam. The theory of Islam and sword, for instance, is not heard now in any quarter worth the name. The principle of Islam, there is no compulsion in religion, is well known." MOHAMMED THE PROPHET OF ISLAM, Riyadh, 1989, page 4.
6. JAMES A MICHENER: "No other religion in history spread so rapidly as Islam... The West has widely believed that this surge of religion was made possible by the sword. But no modern scholar accepts that idea, and the Qur'an is explicit in support of the freedom conscience." ISLAM - THE MISUNDERSTOOD RELIGION, READERS' DIGEST (American Edition) May 1955.
7. LAWRENCE E. BROWNE: "Incidentally these well-established facts dispose of the idea so widely fostered in Christian writings that the Muslims, wherever they went, forced people to accept Islam at the point of the sword." THE PROSPECTS OF ISLAM, London 1944. IF YOU TOO POSSESS A SOFT, TENDER HEART AND AN OPEN MIND, DO WRITE TO US FOR SOME BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE WAY OF LIFE CALLED "ISLAM." DO NOT BELIEVE IN HEARSAY AND LEARN FROM THE DIRECT SOURCES. WE ARE READY TO HELP.
ADDRESSES:
1. Muhammad Asad, (deceased recently)
2. Ahmad Holt, 23 Welland Garden Perivale, Middlesex UB6 8SZ, U.K.
3. Bogdan Ataullah Kopanski, 3013 Harrel Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75051.
4. Abdullah Adiyar, 1 Ashok Avenue, Rangarajapuram, Kodambakkam, Madras, India.
5. Aman Hobohm, Cultural Attache, P.O. Box 8974, Riyadh 11492, Saudi Arabia.
6. Yousuf Islam, Chairman, Muslim Aid, 3 Furlong Road, London, N7, U.K.
7. Maryam Jamilah, c/o Mohammad Yusuf Khan, Sant Nagar, Lahore, Pakistan.
8. Murad Hofman, Ambassador, Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, BP 664, Alger-gare, Algeria. 9. Muhammad Ali, c/o Masjid Al-Faatir, 1200 East 49th Street, Chicago, IL 60615.
NOTE: 10. Twentieth century champion of non-violence who lead the Indian movement of freedom from British colonization.
RECOMMENDED INTRODUCTORY PUBLICATIONS:
1. III&E Brochure Series may be obtained from the address given below.
2. WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM AND MUSLIMS by Suzanne Haneef, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL.
3. ISLAM IN FOCUS by H. Abdulati, American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, IN.
4. THE BIBLE, THE QUR'AN AND SCIENCE by Maurice Bucaille, American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, IN.
5. QUR'AN, AN INTRODUCTION by A.R. Doi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL.
6. HADITH, AN INTRODUCTION by A.R. Doi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL.
7. MUHAMMAD, HIS LIFE BASED ON THE EARLIEST SOURCES by Martin Lings, Inner Traditions International, Rochester, VT.
8. LIFE OF MUHAMMAD by A.H. Siddiqi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL.
9. HISTORY OF ISLAM by Masud-ul-Hasan, Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakistan.
10. THE CULTURAL ATLAS OF ISLAM by I.R. al-Faruqi and Lois L. al-Faruqi, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, NY.
http://www.islam101.com/dawah/sword_islam.html
[Malaysia] Gloria-Rafidah Twinning Programme?
Tears and jeers leave Rafidah's fate in cabinet uncertain
Jul 25, 05 AFP
Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz's future is in question after a week where a row over a controversial car import scheme reduce her to tears and saw her heckled and jeered by her own party.
The issue was a hot topic at the ruling party's annual congress as leaders attacked her handling of the auto sector and said the permit system for car imports was responsible for declining sales of the Proton national car.
The row flared when Rafidah, one of the longest-serving members of the cabinet with 25 years experience, attacked Proton models as "shoddy" and urged it to become more competitive in order to face a newly deregulated environment.
Former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who launched the national car scheme in the 1980s, responded angrily and said the system of approved permits (APs) was to blame for the automaker's woes by flooding the market with undervalued imports.
As the war of words escalated, Rafidah, a one-time close ally of Mahathir, sobbed publicly for several minutes when asked if she would apologise to the veteran leader over their war of words.
It was a stunning turn of events for Rafidah, once known as "Malaysia's Iron Lady" for her tough approach to her job.
Holy Koran
Amid accusations of cronyism in the awarding of the permits, she touched the holy Koran to swear that she had nothing to hide, and was repeatedly forced to deny rumours of her resignation.
And the affair reached a peak on Saturday when her speech to the Umno annual congress was interrupted by boos and jeers from party leaders.
"I have been victimised since the AP debacle. I have been slandered," the trade minister declared as she attempted to explain the distribution of APs to some 2,500 delegates.
APs are given to ethnic Malays under a decades-old affirmative-action policy designed to redistribute wealth and help ethnic Malays who were lagging behind the minority Chinese.
The list of recipients, long kept secret, was released by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's office last Monday, fuelling rumours of corporate cronyism and allegations that the system was only enriching a privileged few.
The list highlighted four men, including two former senior officials at Rafidah's trade ministry, who together received more than 28,000 of the 67,158 permits issued this year alone.
Akin to Gloria
Ismail Hashim, Umno delegate from northern Perlis, said he was shocked to learn that so few individuals were being awarded so many APs and drew parallels with Phillippine President Gloria Arroyo who is under pressure to quit over charges of corruption.
"I don't want to mention one word but just look at what is happening to President Arroyo in the Philippines," he said to loud applause from other delegates.
"Now there is speculation about (the future of) Rafidah," an Umno member attending the general assembly told AFP on condition of anonymity. "She is being rude to Mahathir, she is being egoistical," he said.
"She should listen to the dissenting voices. People just want fair distribution of the APs and transparency," he said.
"Swearing on the Koran like that is ridiculous. It's shameful. You don't need the Koran to bear witness, it's too much. People are laughing at her."
The top echelons of government have been noticeably silent as the debate raged, and Abdullah was lukewarm on Saturday when invited to defend his minister.
Asked whether he thought Umno party members were satisfied her explanation of the import scheme he replied: "I don't know. I wouldn't want to make any assumptions.
Jul 25, 05 AFP
Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz's future is in question after a week where a row over a controversial car import scheme reduce her to tears and saw her heckled and jeered by her own party.
The issue was a hot topic at the ruling party's annual congress as leaders attacked her handling of the auto sector and said the permit system for car imports was responsible for declining sales of the Proton national car.
The row flared when Rafidah, one of the longest-serving members of the cabinet with 25 years experience, attacked Proton models as "shoddy" and urged it to become more competitive in order to face a newly deregulated environment.
Former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who launched the national car scheme in the 1980s, responded angrily and said the system of approved permits (APs) was to blame for the automaker's woes by flooding the market with undervalued imports.
As the war of words escalated, Rafidah, a one-time close ally of Mahathir, sobbed publicly for several minutes when asked if she would apologise to the veteran leader over their war of words.
It was a stunning turn of events for Rafidah, once known as "Malaysia's Iron Lady" for her tough approach to her job.
Holy Koran
Amid accusations of cronyism in the awarding of the permits, she touched the holy Koran to swear that she had nothing to hide, and was repeatedly forced to deny rumours of her resignation.
And the affair reached a peak on Saturday when her speech to the Umno annual congress was interrupted by boos and jeers from party leaders.
"I have been victimised since the AP debacle. I have been slandered," the trade minister declared as she attempted to explain the distribution of APs to some 2,500 delegates.
APs are given to ethnic Malays under a decades-old affirmative-action policy designed to redistribute wealth and help ethnic Malays who were lagging behind the minority Chinese.
The list of recipients, long kept secret, was released by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's office last Monday, fuelling rumours of corporate cronyism and allegations that the system was only enriching a privileged few.
The list highlighted four men, including two former senior officials at Rafidah's trade ministry, who together received more than 28,000 of the 67,158 permits issued this year alone.
Akin to Gloria
Ismail Hashim, Umno delegate from northern Perlis, said he was shocked to learn that so few individuals were being awarded so many APs and drew parallels with Phillippine President Gloria Arroyo who is under pressure to quit over charges of corruption.
"I don't want to mention one word but just look at what is happening to President Arroyo in the Philippines," he said to loud applause from other delegates.
"Now there is speculation about (the future of) Rafidah," an Umno member attending the general assembly told AFP on condition of anonymity. "She is being rude to Mahathir, she is being egoistical," he said.
"She should listen to the dissenting voices. People just want fair distribution of the APs and transparency," he said.
"Swearing on the Koran like that is ridiculous. It's shameful. You don't need the Koran to bear witness, it's too much. People are laughing at her."
The top echelons of government have been noticeably silent as the debate raged, and Abdullah was lukewarm on Saturday when invited to defend his minister.
Asked whether he thought Umno party members were satisfied her explanation of the import scheme he replied: "I don't know. I wouldn't want to make any assumptions.
Set up institute to "Umno-ise" university students
Set up institute to "Umno-ise" university students
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz, Malaysiakini
Jul 23, 05
While heads of schools have their Aminudin Baki Institute and civil servants the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan), the government has yet to set up an institute to ensure that university academicians and staff toe the Umno line, a party delegate told the assembly today.
"We are very concerned that the next generations (will graduate) without having been Umno-ised," said Kedah representative Mohd Kamal Saidin. Two public universities, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) and the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), were highlighted by Kamal as opposition strongholds which stood in the way of goals set by the Umno-led government.
"These lecturers' role is to shape the thinking of our students. They must support the government, they must support the policies that it has set and not oppose them," he added.
"If heads of schools have Aminudin Baki Institute and government officials Intan, where can we place our lecturers and professors?" asked Kamal.
He urged the government to set up a National Academy of Higher Education so that "academics can absorb and be reminded of the policies of the government".
Students identified with opposition parties won campus elections last year in UIA and UPSI, together with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Student factions seen as "pro-establishment" won, however, at Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and Universiti Institut Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM).
Monitoring body
Meanwhile, a Puteri Umno member in her speech called for the establishment of a monitoring body to monitor Malay university students and ensure that they are effectively molded into "glocal" Malays. Puteri representative Azlina Mehtab Mohamed Ishaq said the body should also ensure that these students do not lag behind academically while enabling them to compete at the national and international levels, according to a Bernama report.
"This matter, if ignored, will cause Malay students to continue to lag behind although we are aware that the educational level of each person differs," said Azlina, a Puteri exco member and leader of the wing’s Penang division.
Umno deputy president Najib Abdul Razak had on Tuesday coined the term "glocal" in his opening address to signify the "brave new Malay" who is global in outlook but local in his actions. The monitoring body, Azlina added, should also look into the nurturing of glocal Malays from as early as the kindergarten level when seconding the motion on religion and education.
It should also look into the weaknesses of kindergartens run by the Community Development Department and make a comparative study on how private kindergartens could produce better pupils.A Kedah delegate expresses concern that future generations of Malay students will graduate without being "Umno-ised" and will not support the policies of the government.
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz, Malaysiakini
Jul 23, 05
While heads of schools have their Aminudin Baki Institute and civil servants the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan), the government has yet to set up an institute to ensure that university academicians and staff toe the Umno line, a party delegate told the assembly today.
"We are very concerned that the next generations (will graduate) without having been Umno-ised," said Kedah representative Mohd Kamal Saidin. Two public universities, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) and the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), were highlighted by Kamal as opposition strongholds which stood in the way of goals set by the Umno-led government.
"These lecturers' role is to shape the thinking of our students. They must support the government, they must support the policies that it has set and not oppose them," he added.
"If heads of schools have Aminudin Baki Institute and government officials Intan, where can we place our lecturers and professors?" asked Kamal.
He urged the government to set up a National Academy of Higher Education so that "academics can absorb and be reminded of the policies of the government".
Students identified with opposition parties won campus elections last year in UIA and UPSI, together with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Student factions seen as "pro-establishment" won, however, at Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and Universiti Institut Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM).
Monitoring body
Meanwhile, a Puteri Umno member in her speech called for the establishment of a monitoring body to monitor Malay university students and ensure that they are effectively molded into "glocal" Malays. Puteri representative Azlina Mehtab Mohamed Ishaq said the body should also ensure that these students do not lag behind academically while enabling them to compete at the national and international levels, according to a Bernama report.
"This matter, if ignored, will cause Malay students to continue to lag behind although we are aware that the educational level of each person differs," said Azlina, a Puteri exco member and leader of the wing’s Penang division.
Umno deputy president Najib Abdul Razak had on Tuesday coined the term "glocal" in his opening address to signify the "brave new Malay" who is global in outlook but local in his actions. The monitoring body, Azlina added, should also look into the nurturing of glocal Malays from as early as the kindergarten level when seconding the motion on religion and education.
It should also look into the weaknesses of kindergartens run by the Community Development Department and make a comparative study on how private kindergartens could produce better pupils.A Kedah delegate expresses concern that future generations of Malay students will graduate without being "Umno-ised" and will not support the policies of the government.
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