Hudud Laws Only For Muslims, Says Pas President

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said today non-Muslims should not feel apprehensive about the implementation of "hudud" laws in the country because the Islamic penal code was meant only for Muslims.

He said non-Muslims could opt for the law they wanted, for example as provided for in the Syariah Criminal Code of Kelantan and Terengganu.

"It is unnecessary for PAS to give an explanation (on the hudud laws) because the laws have nothing to do with non-Muslims," he told a news conference after launching the "Jom Sertai PAS" (Let's Join PAS) campaign at Dataran Shah Alam here.

Abdul Hadi was asked whether PAS would provide an explanation on the hudud laws to the leaders of DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) -- the other component parties -- in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as they were uncomfortable with PAS's idea of wanting to implement the hudud laws if the PR came to power in the country. (Bernama)

***** Now that the top man in PAS has given his assurance, how many of you non-Muslims are relieved by his words? Can we now proceed with its implementation?

Yoga: A Conflict Of Religion?

I came across the following article which may be of interest to you.

Avondale's Kim Mason is a Christian who takes her faith seriously. She also practices yoga several times a week.

Conflict?

No way, said Mason, who scoffs at the notion that yoga is an overt or subliminal homage to ancient Indian gods or spirituality.

"You don't have to worship anything" during yoga, Mason said. "You can worship a Gucci purse if you want to - you have to look at your motive."

Mason's motive? Glorifying Christ.

"It is a form of praise and worship, in my opinion."

Given that nearly 16 million Americans practice yoga and spend $5.7 billion a year on classes and related products, Mason isn't alone in embracing the practice. But there are also many who view it as spiritually suspect at best and spiritually corrupting at worst.

The issue was thrust into the spotlight in November when an Islamic religious council in Malaysia banned Muslims there from practicing yoga because it includes postures, rituals and chants with ancient Indian origins.

That ruling mirrors the concern of some Jewish and Christian leaders who warn their followers against participating in any activity violating the biblical prohibition on idolatry and that tends to claim that all religions are equally valid paths to salvation.

And the issue is on the minds of studio owners and others as doctors, psychologists and other health professionals are increasingly recommending yoga as a way to combat everything from depression to stress.

Is yoga a religion?

Yoga teachers and studio owners draw a distinction between "spiritual" and "religious" when describing the practice: It's spiritual because it can do as much to strengthen existing faith as it can muscles, they said.

"It's a spiritual path," said Shri Hamilton-Hubbard, owner of Bliss Yoga in San Marco. "It works very well if you practice a religion along with it."

Yoga postures are more effective in both the physiological and spiritual realms if a practitioner is focused on what is most sacred to them during a session, whether it's Buddha, Jesus, Ganesh or simply "spirit," she said.

Spirit?

"Spirit for you can be connecting with your breath," said Kate Cordell, director of Ocean Yoga in Atlantic Beach. "Spirit could be connecting with a particular deity - maybe you're a Christian, and Jesus is who you honor."

Hamilton-Hubbard, Cordell and other teachers and studio owners said they never push a particular deity or agenda in their classes - just the principle of connecting with the sacred through practice.

Clergy advice: 'Be careful'

Rabbi Yoseph Kahanov said he's no yoga expert, but he knows for Judaism some forms are acceptable and some are not.

Kahanov, spiritual leader of Mandarin-based Chabad Lubavitch of Northeast Florida, said he's often asked if it's OK to participate in yoga. He reminds people that Judaism prohibits worshipping or honoring other deities in any form.

"I tell them it's OK when it's just trying to help people focus and meditate properly," Kahanov said. "But when it starts becoming religious in any way, I advise them not to be involved in that."

The Rev. Pradeep Thorat said he advises people to stay away from the practice, period.

Even yoga that's completely devoid of Sanskrit spiritual terms should be avoided because some of the postures originate from Hindu worship.

"If it comes from a spiritual background, it does carry some sort of spiritual effect," said Thorat, pastor of First Baptist Church of India in Jacksonville.

Read the whole report HERE

Qur'ān In Malaysian Hotel Rooms Soon

A copy of the Quran and its intepretation will be made available in most hotel rooms in the country to allow both Muslims and non-Muslims to have “access” to the Holy book.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the department had embarked on a pilot project recently where a copy of the Quran’s intepretation was placed in several five-star hotel rooms in the Klang Valley.

He said the move received positive response from guests and members of the Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners (MAHO) have asked the Islamic Development department (Jakim) if they too could be part of this project.

“This move is not only because of the high number of visitors and tourists from the Middle East, but also because there are people of other beliefs who are keen to know more about what is said in the Quran, just as they are interested to know more about the teachings of other religions.

“We are pleased that our effort is accepted positively by the public. Soon, one can expect to see a copy of the Quran in rooms of three-star hotels and above,” he told reporters Thursday after launching the latest Bahasa Malaysia-version of the interpretation of the Quran.

Ahmad Zahid said Jakim would be printing another 50,000 copies of the Quran’s interpretation for the purpose, costing some RM1.3mil, adding these books were in English to cater to foreign visitors and tourists. (The Star)

***** In the US, for more than a century the Gideon's Bible has been placed in hospitals, prisons, military bases, and schools as well as hotels. This particular Bible is now found in more than 180 countries and in over 80 languages. I suppose that some good must have come out of giving such easy access to a holy book. Therefore placing a copy of the Quran in hotel rooms is on balance a good idea.

Syariah Judge: Islam Defends Everybody. Non-Muslim Fears Unwarranted

Islam does not discriminate against any race or religion so non-Muslims do not have to fear if common law and syariah courts were to be merged as suggested by a former Chief Justice.

Syariah Court Judge and Syariah Judicial Department director-general Datuk Ibrahim Lembut said such fears among non-Muslims were unwarranted.

“Islam will defend everybody. The impression that merging the two court systems will override the rights of the non-Muslims is wrong,” he told reporters after attending the International Seminar on Comparative Law at Marriott Hotel here on Tuesday.

“However, we still have a long way to go before we can merge the two court systems although we have held talks on the possibility of harmonising civil and syariah laws,” he said.

He said Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail had also given his views on the matter during such talks.

Some civil lawyers who had attended these talks had refused to even consider harmonising the laws between the two systems, Ibrahim said when commenting on a statement by MCA legal bureau chairman Datuk Leong Tang Chong.

Leong had said that any merger would subject non-Muslims to syariah jurisdiction on all legal matters, including inter-faith cases relating to marriage and divorce.

Read the whole report HERE

***** Does the assurance by the learned Syariah Court Judge and Syariah Judicial Department director-general calm your doubts and worries about the future of our justice system if there should be a merger?

New Syaria Law Marriage Contract Gives Muslim Women Equal Rights In Britain

Hailed as the biggest change in Sharia law in Britain for 100 years, a married Muslim couple will now have equal rights. A husband will have to waive his right to polygamy, allowed under Islamic law, in the new contract which has been described as "revolutionary".

Currently Muslims in Britain have an Islamic ceremony called a nikah (a non register office marriage) which, although it is guaranteed under Sharia law, is not legally binding and does not provide a woman with written proof of the marriage and of the terms and conditions agreed between the spouses.

Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, Director of the Muslim Institute and author of the contract, told The Daily Telegraph: "It will challenge various sharia councils who don't believe in gender equality but the world has changed and Islamic law has to be renegotiated."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, was criticised earlier this year when he called for greater recognition of Sharia in British civil legislature, a view that was echoed recently by the Lord Chief Justice Phillips.

Ann Cryer, a Labour MP who has campaigned for the rights of Muslim women, welcomed today's change, saying: "This document has been carefully researched over a four year period and I feel confident in recommending its findings to women (and men) of the Muslim Faith contemplating Marriage."

In cases of divorces, the absence of such proof, has meant that many Muslim women have been denied financial rights.

The new Muslim marriage contract does not require a 'marriage guardian' (wali) for the bride, and also makes delegation of the right of divorce to the wife (talaq-i-tafweeed) automatic.

This right does not affect the husband's right of talaq but enables the wife to initiate divorce and retain all her financial rights agreed in the marriage contract. These provisions reflect a recognition of changes in the Muslim world, including women's greater public roles, educational achievements and financial autonomy.

Read the whole story HERE

***** Indeed this may be considered as a great act of reform for some but for others it could be the thin end of the wedge. If such proposals were to be made in Malaysia what are the chances that some terminally backward, medieval-minded chauvinistic nitwit in Umno could be screaming, "DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE"!

No Liqour Please, We're PAS

The state government must make sure that liquor is not served at events sponsored by a beer company in conjunction with the visit of Chelsea Football Club to Malaysia.

Selangor Pas Youth chief Sallehin Mukhyi said the presence of Muslims, including state leaders, at the events should be taken into account.

"We have nothing against them coming but we do not want liquor to be served at functions attended by Muslims. This will not only involve Pakatan Rakyat leaders and Selangor residents, it will also be done on state premises."

He said Pas Youth hoped the state government would study the programmes planned for the English football club before allowing it to come for the friendly match. "We urge the state government to cancel several of the programmes, which are against the tenets of Islam."

Sallehin said Pas had no issue with the football match as the party looked at it as a healthy activity.

"Since the match is with an international club, this would establish a good relationship at an international level. However, we do not want events conducted prior to the match to have liquor."

He said since the PR government included Pas, it would not be appropriate for a function to include liquor. He said an event serving liquor was not only against the tenets of Islam but also Malay culture. Therefore, the state Pas Youth wing would not hesitate to send a memorandum of protest to the state government on the issue.

This is not the first time the wing has asked the state government to step in to change parts of a function deemed un-Islamic.

It had submitted a memorandum to the menteri besar's office to protest plans to have artistes Ella and Mas Idayu perform at the Sultan of Selangor Cup football match on July 6 and threatened to hold a demonstration if the event went ahead. However, the show featured both artistes and went on without a hitch.

The match between Chelsea and the Malaysian national team is set to take place at Shah Alam Stadium on July 29. (NST)

***** No liqour and no women artistes. Both are against Islam and the 'Malay culture'. However go to 4-D shops on draw days and see how many Malays throng these outlets. Go to girlie bars on any day/night and see how Malay culture and the religion has not discouraged so many of them from patronising these places.

Frankly there is only so much that a democratic government should do to discourage citizens from indulging in their likes and tastes. But then again those who dream of absolute theocratic states and caliphates are not bound by the inconvenient fundamentals of a functioning democracy. Voting PAS anyone?

Oh No, Not Again! M'sian Hindu Family In Court To Reclaim Relative's Body Set To Be Buried As Muslim Islamic authorities in a Malaysian state are seeking custody of a man's body for burial, saying he was a Muslim convert, but his Hindu family disputes the claim, their lawyer said Thursday.It is the latest in a series of religious conversion disputes that erupt regularly in this Muslim-majority country, straining ethnic and racial tensions. The case puts renewed pressure on the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who had recently pledged that the rights of Chinese and Indian minorities would not be comprised in disputes with the majority Malays.B. Elangesvaran, 34, committed suicide by hanging on Sunday, family lawyer R. Nethaji Rayer told The Associated Press.After the autopsy, hospital authorities refused to release the body, saying they had been informed by the local Islamic Religious Department that Elangesvaran had converted to Islam. The department wants to give him a Muslim burial.His family has filed a case in a high court in the northern state of Penang, seeking a declaration that he is a Hindu and that his body should be handed over to them, Rayer said.The Star daily newspaper quoted Elangesvaran's brother, Selvan, as saying that Islamic authorities had failed to give him proof of conversion."I was only served with a police report alleging that my brother had embraced Islam at the Penang Islamic Religious Department ... and a letter with some scribbling allegedly done by Elangesvaran that he had converted," Selvan was quoted as saying.About 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people are Malay Muslims, and Islam is the official religion. Non-Muslims — mostly ethnic Chinese and Indians — make up 40 percent of the population. They generally practice their religions freely, but often complain that Islamic authorities refuse to look compassionately at interfaith disputes and flaunt their powers over minorities.In a bid to appease minority fears, Abdullah announced earlier this year that non-Muslims would soon be required to inform their family before converting to Islam to avoid post-death disputes.But Elangesvaran's case showed that Abdullah's announcement had amounted to nothing, said A. Vaithilingam, who heads a prominent interfaith group. "It's again coming back to fighting for the dead body. People who never knew him want to bury him, and his family has no chance to get involved," said Vaithilingam, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism."It's the same old story. ... Every time there is a problem, the government makes a statement to ease tension and then forgets all about it," he told The Associated Press.Malaysia has a dual court system with civil courts for non-Muslims and Shariah courts for Muslims. In interfaith disputes involving Islam, the Shariah courts typically get the last word, leading to fears that minority rights are being compromised. (International Herald Tribune)***** Pak Lah needs this latest complication like he needs the HIV virus. The poor chap already has his hands full with political problems and is probably shaking his head in disbelief at the relentless avalanche of misfortune and bad luck which is besetting him. Perhaps it's time for him to consult a Feng Shui master!

Islamic authorities in a Malaysian state are seeking custody of a man's body for burial, saying he was a Muslim convert, but his Hindu family disputes the claim, their lawyer said Thursday.

It is the latest in a series of religious conversion disputes that erupt regularly in this Muslim-majority country, straining ethnic and racial tensions. The case puts renewed pressure on the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who had recently pledged that the rights of Chinese and Indian minorities would not be comprised in disputes with the majority Malays.

B. Elangesvaran, 34, committed suicide by hanging on Sunday, family lawyer R. Nethaji Rayer told The Associated Press.

After the autopsy, hospital authorities refused to release the body, saying they had been informed by the local Islamic Religious Department that Elangesvaran had converted to Islam. The department wants to give him a Muslim burial.

His family has filed a case in a high court in the northern state of Penang, seeking a declaration that he is a Hindu and that his body should be handed over to them, Rayer said.

The Star daily newspaper quoted Elangesvaran's brother, Selvan, as saying that Islamic authorities had failed to give him proof of conversion.

"I was only served with a police report alleging that my brother had embraced Islam at the Penang Islamic Religious Department ... and a letter with some scribbling allegedly done by Elangesvaran that he had converted," Selvan was quoted as saying.

About 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people are Malay Muslims, and Islam is the official religion. Non-Muslims — mostly ethnic Chinese and Indians — make up 40 percent of the population. They generally practice their religions freely, but often complain that Islamic authorities refuse to look compassionately at interfaith disputes and flaunt their powers over minorities.

In a bid to appease minority fears, Abdullah announced earlier this year that non-Muslims would soon be required to inform their family before converting to Islam to avoid post-death disputes.

But Elangesvaran's case showed that Abdullah's announcement had amounted to nothing, said A. Vaithilingam, who heads a prominent interfaith group. "It's again coming back to fighting for the dead body. People who never knew him want to bury him, and his family has no chance to get involved," said Vaithilingam, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.

"It's the same old story. ... Every time there is a problem, the government makes a statement to ease tension and then forgets all about it," he told The Associated Press.

Malaysia has a dual court system with civil courts for non-Muslims and Shariah courts for Muslims. In interfaith disputes involving Islam, the Shariah courts typically get the last word, leading to fears that minority rights are being compromised. (International Herald Tribune)

***** Pak Lah needs this latest complication like he needs the HIV virus. The poor chap already has his hands full with political problems and is probably shaking his head in disbelief at the relentless avalanche of misfortune and bad luck which is besetting him. Perhaps it's time for him to consult a Feng Shui master!

Salman Rushdie Is Finally Knighted

Indian-origin British author Salman Rushdie received a knighthood for services to literature from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday, saying he was proud of the honour and had ''no regrets'' over the controversy sparked by his work.

Sir Salman, as the Anglo-Indian writer will now be known, said the knighthood was in recognition ''not for any specific book but for a very long career in writing and I'm happy to see it recognized''.

Rushdie, 61, enraged opinion in the Muslim world with his 1988 novel ''The Satanic Verses'', which was considered blasphemous against Islam by Iran and made him the subject of a fatwa of death sentence by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Announcement of the British honour for Rushdie a year ago sparked worldwide protests in Muslim countries and caused considerable diplomatic tension between Britain and Pakistan.

The terror network Al Qaeda, in a chilling website audiotape, called the knighthood an ''insult to Islam'' and threatened a ''very precise response'' against Britain.

The British government of Gordon Brown said ''sorry'' if the award had caused offence, but refused a demand by the Pakistan government to withdraw the honour.

The decision to honour the author was taken by Tony Blair, Brown's predecessor as prime minister. There were also protests in Iran, Malaysia and other parts of the Muslim world.

After imposition of the fatwa in February, 1989, Rushdie was forced into hiding and moved 30 times in an attempt to keep his whereabouts secret.

Over the last 10 years, he has returned to public life, living in London and New York.

Speaking after the ceremony Wednesday, and displaying his knighthood medal, he said: ''I'm very proud, very happy.''

''It's been a long time - my first novel was published 33 years ago but I think the thing you hope to do as a writer is leave behind a shelf of interesting books and it's great just to have that work recognized.''

Asked about the controversy surrounding his knighthood, he said: ''At this stage, you know, it's certainly not a day to talk about controversy, it's a day for myself and my family to celebrate this.''

Asked if, with hindsight, he had any doubts about writing The Satanic Verses, Rushdie said: ''I really have no regrets about any of my work. If you're lucky enough to have one book that gets into people's consciousness in that way then it's fortunate.''

''The fact that that book, 27 years after it was published, it still interesting to people, I'm very proud of that,'' he added.

But Rushdie said he was really ''more interested'' in his recent work. He would write another children's book next. (NDTV.com)

Inter-Religion TV Game Show To Promote Harmony In Britain

A television game show aimed at promoting good relations between members of different religious communities and encouraging people to enhance their knowledge about other faiths will be launched here. The series titled Faith Off will involve people from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Buddhist faiths contesting against each other and will be aired on Islam Channel.

According to producers, the series will attempt to promote good relations and mutual respect between Britain’s religious communities. Two teams of four will go head to head in each episode, answering quick-fire and general knowledge questions in the eight-part series hosted by the Muslim comedian Jeff Mirza,.

There will be a multiple choice current affairs segment in addition to a home or away round, when contestants can answer questions on their own faith or the opposing team’s for points. Players will also have to identify religious figures, such as the Dalai Lama and the Pope, from blurred footage.

“We’re living in a multicultural society,” producer Abrar Hussain said. “You learn about religions at school and then you forget, so it’s about transferring the basic blocks of knowledge ... It’s also about learning the similarities between religions, instead of focusing on the differences,” he added.

***** It's a good idea and will go some way in not only promoting good relations but also enabling the average person to learn more about other faiths. However such a show in Malaysia may not be well received especially by those who have no intention of engaging in inter-religious discourse or harmony.

Fatwa Made Me Stronger: Salman Rushdie

Noted writer Salman Rushdie has revealed that he emerged a better person after living in fear under a fatwa for almost a decade.

Rushdie went into hiding in 1989 after the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued him with a death threat following the publication of his book, The Satanic Verses.

He returned to public life only 10 years later when Tehran withdrew its support for the death sentence.

However, in a programme, which will be broadcast on Monday on London's More4 channel, Rushdie claims that his time in seclusion made him more self-aware.

Speaking to Pamela Connolly, a clinical psychologist, he recalls how he plunged into despair when the fatwa was declared and says that it "erased" his personality.

But he adds "The thing about hitting the bottom is then you know where the bottom is...And after that, it cleared things up in my head... One of the things it cleared up was an urge in my mind, which is that everybody should like me.

"That was the moment at which I stopped being the prisoner of that thing, because I thought, OK, there are people who are not going to like me and do you know what, I don't like them," he said.

The author also recalls his isolation when he was sent from India to attend public school in Britain.

Speaking about his time at Rugby school, he says: "Very quickly I began to understand that I was going to be treated as somebody who was different and some of that was almost comical."

"I was clever, and I was foreign, and I was bad at games, and these are the three mistakes at an English boarding school," he added. (DNA)
Image - Source

Court Allows Muslim Convert To Return To Buddhism

The Penang Syariah Court on Thursday allowed Muslim convert Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah (Tan Ean Hung) to return to Buddhism.

The court criticised the state religious council for not ensuring Siti Fatimah practised Islam.

Siti Fatimah, 39, had filed an application to renounce Islam at the Syariah High Court here in May 2006.

In her affidavit, Siti Fatimah claimed she converted to Islam in July 1998 for the sake of marrying an Iranian named Ferdoun Ashanian in 1999.

She claimed Ferdoun left her a few months after their marriage and she stopped practising Islam. She also said she has no knowledge of his whereabouts.

Siti Fatimah said she had maintained her Buddhist leanings and prayed to deities like Tua Pek Kong, Kuan Yin and Thi Kong. (The Star)

Some Malaysian Muslim Groups Urge Govt To Reverse Decision And Ban Chelsea's Israelis Muslim groups have urged the Malaysian government to stop Chelsea's two Israelis from entering the country when the English team visits in July, warning the tour could face protests if they are allowed in,' reports Reuters.Chelsea, whose coach Avram Grant and midfielder Tal Ben Haim are Israeli citizens, are set to play in mainly Muslim Malaysia as part of their Asian summer tour.Malaysia has no ties with Israel and normally bars Israelis from entering the country, but the home minister decided at the weekend to allow the pair to enter the country, on the grounds they were taking part in a sporting event, free of politics.A group of 21 Muslim and non-government groups now want the government to reverse its decision and has sent a petition to the minister."If the Israeli footballers are allowed entry, the government would be seen as being insensitive to the feelings of the Palestinian victims of Israeli ethnic cleansing and atrocities, and the majority of the Malaysians who sympathise with them and support their struggle for justice and peace," the petition says.Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, a spokesman for the group, said on Monday that the signatories would consider staging protests during the tour if the government refused to back down. "People are very, very angry with the decision, so we are going to have discussions on this," he said.The last time Israeli athletes were allowed in Malaysia was for the 1997 ICC Trophy cricket tournament, which resulted in street protests in Kuala Lumpur.The London club are due to play Chinese Super League team Guangzhou Pharmaceutical on July 23 and a Malaysia select team in Kuala Lumpur on July 29.Image - Source

Muslim groups have urged the Malaysian government to stop Chelsea's two Israelis from entering the country when the English team visits in July, warning the tour could face protests if they are allowed in,' reports Reuters.

Chelsea, whose coach Avram Grant and midfielder Tal Ben Haim are Israeli citizens, are set to play in mainly Muslim Malaysia as part of their Asian summer tour.

Malaysia has no ties with Israel and normally bars Israelis from entering the country, but the home minister decided at the weekend to allow the pair to enter the country, on the grounds they were taking part in a sporting event, free of politics.

A group of 21 Muslim and non-government groups now want the government to reverse its decision and has sent a petition to the minister.

"If the Israeli footballers are allowed entry, the government would be seen as being insensitive to the feelings of the Palestinian victims of Israeli ethnic cleansing and atrocities, and the majority of the Malaysians who sympathise with them and support their struggle for justice and peace," the petition says.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, a spokesman for the group, said on Monday that the signatories would consider staging protests during the tour if the government refused to back down. "People are very, very angry with the decision, so we are going to have discussions on this," he said.

The last time Israeli athletes were allowed in Malaysia was for the 1997 ICC Trophy cricket tournament, which resulted in street protests in Kuala Lumpur.

The London club are due to play Chinese Super League team Guangzhou Pharmaceutical on July 23 and a Malaysia select team in Kuala Lumpur on July 29.
Image - Source

Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia Demands Act To 'Preserve' The Sanctity Of Quranic Verses

The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) Friday urged the government to formulate an Act to control the sale of Quranic verses aimed at preventing abuse by unscrupulous traders for commercial gain.

PPIM project director Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin said the absence of such an Act meant that Quranic verses could be sold freely by traders, including non-Muslims.

"This issue must be looked at seriously as it touches the sensitivity of the Muslim community in the country.

"The absence of such an Act leaves us powerless to act other than to monitor and advise the public. We urge the government to formulate an Act to control the sale of Quranic verses by non-Muslims.

"Other than the sale of Quranic verses by non-Muslims, the association also received many reports on the sale of painting brushes made of pig fur. About 70 per cent of the painting brushes on sale are made of pig fur," he told Bernama here Friday.

Nirwandy said a case in point was the use of Quranic verses by restaurants operated by non-Muslims, aimed at generating business. Muslims were duped into patronising such restaurants as they believed the restaurants were owned by Muslims.

"The sensitivities of Muslims must be preserved to prevent public anger and to maintain the racial harmony in the country," he added. (Bernama)

***** To whom are the non-Muslims selling the said Quranic verses for a profit? Obviously to Muslims. If their 'sensitivities' are so offended why are they buying these from the kaffir? Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia's project director Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin should ask himself this question. Perhaps not all Muslims in Malaysia are as hypersensitive to matters as he and his colleagues in PPIM are making it out to be. Or are they merely worried that they do not have a monopoly over the religious items business and envious that all profits from such sales which should 'by right' be theirs is not coming their way? Who is being really offended here? The businessmen in the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia or the average Muslim who has got better things to do?

When will the demand for this sort of proscription end? If hypothetically a group of talented young non-Muslim singers get together and release an album of nasyid songs ala Rabbani, will the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia then demand that the government pass an act of Parliament to ban them from singing these songs as they will 'offend the sensitivity' of some Muslims?

Why stop there? In future will they demand that all mosques and other 'Islamic' buildings in the country must be physically built only by Muslim workers using materials completely untouched by kaffir hands? The possibilities for making profit are endless.

Interesting read: From Mahaguru58's Blog

May 8 Decision At Penang Syariah High Court On Application By Muslim Convert To Renounce Islam

The Penang Syariah High Court today fixed May 8 to decide on an application by Muslim convert, Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah, to renounce Islam.

Cousel Ahmad Munawir Abdul Aziz, representing the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP), told reporters here that the verdict would be read out by former Penang Syariah High Court Judge, Othman Ibrahim, who presided over the case.

Othman is now the Perlis chief syarie judge.

Siti Fatimah, 38, previously known as Tan Ean Huang, 38, of Nibong Tebal, filed her application to renounce Islam on July 10, 2006.

In her affidavit, she stated that she had never practised Islamic teachings since embracing the religion on July 25, 1998.

She claimed that she did not believe in Islam and that she converted to the religion to enable her to marry an Iranian by the name of Ferdoun Ashanian.

The couple married on Sept 16, 2004.

She also claimed that she continued to eat pork and practised her Buddhist faith even after embracing Islam.

Siti Fatimah, a cook, filed the application to renounce Islam after her husband left her. (Bernama)

***** Yet another potential religious time bomb waiting to explode in our midst.

Who Speaks For Islam? What A Billion Muslims Really Think

By Aijaz Zaka Syed

Opinion polls fascinate me. They are, if honestly conducted, perhaps the best possible way to gauge public opinion. At a time when spin is the norm and global media is controlled, manipulated and dictated by powerful cliques, corporate interests and governments, it’s not easy to get a clear picture on any given issue.

This is especially true when the story involves marginalised minorities and dispossessed groups. And of late the Muslims, currently the world’s favourite punching bag, have been at the receiving end.

After the spectacular assassination of Marxism and disintegration of Soviet Union, the West found itself a new enemy in Islam.

The 9/11 attacks in the US and 7/7 strikes in the UK were only excuses, not the causes, to hasten this process. They might have contributed to the current hysteria against everything Islamic but they never were the Original Sin as we’ve been given to believe.

Myths like this have been demolished in a most interesting survey conducted by Gallup. What makes this opinion poll like no other is that it has been conducted over a period of six years, beginning after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Gallup conducted research in 35 Muslim countries, interviewing more than 50,000 people, to come up with what it calls the first comprehensive survey of Muslim world opinion.

And the results have also given birth to a book called, 'Who Speaks for Islam? What a billion Muslims really think' by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed.

The poll and the book offer a much-needed reality check on the relations between the West and Muslim world. Some of the findings are genuinely surprising and revealing even for someone like me who has been obsessed with the issue.

Many conclusions of the poll only go to confirm what we in the Middle East and Muslim world have always known but couldn’t succeed in putting them across to our friends in the West.

For instance, the fact that it’s not Islamic teachings that drive some individuals to violence but historical injustices inflicted and perpetuated by some Western powers. Which is why one so hopes that the urgent message this poll seeks to convey reaches the Western audience — and the wider world. It would be such a shame if it doesn’t.

Because, as Dalia Mogahed argues in the book, Who Speaks for Islam…, this ostensible conflict between Islam and West is far from inevitable.

Many concerned commentators including this humble hack have repeatedly argued that what is fuelling the so-called clash of civilisations is not some absurd hatred of the Christian West sanctioned by Islam but Western ignorance about Muslims. The poll backs this argument.

A huge majority of Muslims regardless of where they live, whether in Sunni Saudi Arabia or Iran, they are surprisingly well informed about the West, its values and ideals.

In fact, most of them admire the West for its scientific achievements, economic progress and celebration of knowledge and excellence. The West is admired by the Muslims for the political freedom, democracy and rights it offers its people. There are other findings that are equally interesting. Contrary to common perceptions in the West, the majority of respondents think men and women have equal rights.

A whopping 94 pc of Indonesians, the world’s largest Muslim nation, share this view. In Islamist Iran, the figure is 89 per cent. And in the much-reviled Saudi Arabia, it’s 73 per cent.

A great majority of Muslims also believe a woman can work outside her home in any job for which she is qualified (88 pc in Indonesia, 72 pc in Egypt and even 78 pc in Saudi Arabia). And they also believe women should be able to vote without interference (87 pc in Indonesia, 91 pc in Egypt, 98 pc in Lebanon).

What about the legendary Muslim sympathy for terrorism? While 6 pc of the Americans think attacks involving civilians are ‘completely justified,’ in Saudi Arabia, this figure is 4 pc. In Lebanon and Iran, it’s 2 per cent.

And mark this, it’s important. The majority of Muslims absolutely rejects violence and terrorism. In fact, many of the respondents quoted Quranic verses to point out that extremism goes against Islamic teachings.

Going by these findings, would any reasonable person in his right mind blame Islam of championing extremism and violence? And remember, this survey was not sponsored by Al Jazeera, Bin Laden’s favourite channel, but by Gallup, the biggest name in the business.

So what is it then that drives the West and Muslim world apart? The answer lies in Western indifference, nay casual contempt, for a billion believers and all that they believe in. I am not saying this; Gallup poll does.

Again this shouldn’t come as a surprise. While admiring Western values such as democracy and freedom, Muslims feel these values are conveniently cast aside when it comes to applying them to Muslim world.

More than 65 pc of Egyptians, Jordanians and Iranians believe the US will never allow people in the Middle East to run their own affairs and chart their own course.

When the Gallup pollsters asked Muslims around the world what the West could do to improve relations with the Muslim world, the most frequent responses were for the West to demonstrate more respect for Islam and to regard Muslims as equals, not as inferior.

The Western contempt for Islam, especially the ignorance of Americans, is not something that is imagined by us. The poll findings speak for themselves.

The majority of Americans (66 pc) admit to having “some” prejudice against Muslims; one in five say they have ‘a great deal’ of prejudice. Almost half do not believe US Muslims are ‘loyal’ to their country; and one in four doesn’t want a Muslim as a neighbour!

Given these views, is it any surprising that Muslims are invariably portrayed in the US media, including that big propaganda machine called Hollywood, as terrorists?

If the Muslims harbour some degree of anti-US sentiment, it’s not because of what the Americans are; it’s because of what they do or have been doing in the Muslim world. But how would you explain the deep-seated paranoia and Islamophobia in the US and West?

Whatever its causes, this divide is most unfortunate and unnatural. Because there is a great deal lot that unites the Muslims and the Americans. In an increasingly materialistic world, they continue to hold on to their belief in God.

Unlike in Europe and much of the world, religion plays a healthy and positive role in the day-to-day life of the Americans as well as Muslims. They both cherish universal values like honesty, truthfulness, hard work, accountability and being always loyal to your family.

Just look around. What we have in common is much more than what we do not — notwithstanding what the Bushes and Bin Ladens of this world would have you believe. Which is why this divide is such a tragedy. We Muslims want to bridge this gulf. Is the other side equally willing? (The News International)
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Alcohol Fatwa Sparks Controversy

A prominent Egyptian cleric has created controversy by issuing a fatwa that says tiny amounts of alcohol are permissible in Islam.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi's (pic) fatwa says a level of 0.5% is allowed, whereas most Muslims would say alcohol of any quantity is banned.

Sheikh Qaradawi was recently refused entry to Britain as the UK government said his views could spark violence.

He issued his fatwa in response to a question about high energy drinks.

'Distorted'

Sheikh Qaradawi is talking about tiny quantities of alcohol - equivalent to about one-eighth of that found in one unit of light beer.

He ruled there was no religious ban on consuming drinks with a minute amount of alcohol in them if it was formed naturally through the process of fermentation.

He quoted the rule derived from the sayings of the Prophet that if drinking a lot of alcohol makes you intoxicated then drinking a little is also forbidden.

Sheikh Qaradawi argued that any person who consumed a large amount of high energy drink would not become intoxicated, therefore they were permissible, even though they contained tiny amounts of alcohol.

But this logic has not gone down well.

The editor of a newspaper in Qatar - the alcohol-free state where the Sheikh lives - complained that the sheikh had just stirred up a controversy that everyone could have done without.

The editor said the fatwa from a cleric of the status of Sheikh Qaradawi would inevitably be misunderstood and distorted to suggest he was giving permission to Muslims to drink alcohol.

Sheikh Qaradawi, who is a well-known TV figure, views himself as a moderate voice of Islam. (BBC News)

Erotic Jesus Sparks Art Debate In Austria

They knew it would be risky to exhibit a homoerotic version of Christ's Last Supper, but curators at museum of Vienna's Roman Catholic Cathedral weren't ready for a barrage of angry messages and calls to be shut down.

The source of the dispute, which Austrian media has dubbed Vienna's version of the Mohammad caricature row, is a retrospective honouring Austria's cherished artist Alfred Hrdlicka, who turned 80 earlier this year.

The Church hastily removed the main picture, ‘a homosexual orgy’ of the Apostles as Hrdlicka describes it. But the protest has continued, much to the surprise of the small Cathedral Museum which is nestled down in Vienna's historic Gothic quarter.

The museum's director defends both Hrdlicka's work and his decision to host the artist's controversial versions of biblical imagery in a museum tied to the Catholic Church. “We think Hrdlicka is entitled to represent people in this way,” Bernhard Boehler said.

He said the museum never intended to offend people but that art should be allowed to provoke a debate. “I don't see any blasphemy here,” he said, gesturing at a Crucifixion picture showing a soldier simultaneously beating Jesus and holding his genitals.

Hrdlicka says he represented the men in this way because there are no women in the Da Vinci painting which inspired it. But the most disputed work was ''Leonardo's Last Supper, restored by Pier Paolo Pasolini' which showed Apostles sprawling over dining table and masturbating each other.

Pasolini was a controversial Italian filmmaker and writer who was murdered in the 1970s. The exhibition has attracted criticism on religion blogs in Austria, Germany and the US, with bloggers denouncing it as ‘blasphemy’ and desecration.’ (Agencies)
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Malaysian Islamic Scholar Rejects Syariah For Non-Muslims

One of Malaysia’s top religious scholars yesterday lashed out at comments by an Islamic judge that religious laws on close proximity affecting Muslims should be applied to non-Muslims.

The issue of Shariah or Islamic law is sensitive among non-Muslims here who fear a growing “Islamisation” of the country.

On Thursday, Islamic Court of Appeal Judge Mohamed Asri Abdullah told a local paper that a religious seminar was proposing that Islamic law on the issue of Khalwat or close proximity should also be applied to non-Muslims through the civil courts.

His comments created a major uproar with non-Muslim religious groups in the country criticising the proposal as a violation of their constitutional rights.
The proposal would apply to a non-Muslim who was with a Muslim and would not relate to two non-Muslims.

Now the head of the group organising the seminar has also condemned the suggestion. “This is something utterly erroneous,” said Syed Ali Tawfik al-Attas (pic), the head of the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding. “We are not in agreement with (Mohamed Asri) at all and because of this... our close friendship and important association with the non-Muslims... is now in jeopardy because ... people are now not going to trust us,” he added.

“In Islam it says to you yours to us ours in terms of religion. For us to think that we can apply Islamic Shariah law to non-Muslims, that is tantamount to (idolatry) because we are assuming we know better than God.”

Rights group SUARAM has also criticised the proposal as a violation of religious freedom. (Gulf Times - Qatar)

***** It's a relief to know that sensible scholars like Syed Ali Tawfik al-Attas are still around. Now that the matter has been more or less clarified by the IKIM boss himself, what of the Syariah Court of Appeal Judge Mohamed Asri Abdullah? Don't you think that it is high time that he was transferred to a desk job somewhere in IKIM where he cannot do much damage to inter-religious harmony? Or better still a second or third secretary post at our embassy in one of the Gulf states where he can spend the next decade or so researching the various punishments for khalwat?

Sharia Lawyers Say Extend Cuddle Ban To Non-Muslims

Islamic lawyers meeting in Malaysia want an existing ban on unwed Muslim couples from cuddling or holding hands to be extended to non-Muslims caught flirting with the faithful, a local newspaper said on Thursday.

Experts in sharia law, which currently applies only to Malaysia's majority Muslims, proposed at a seminar that there should be a civil law to deal with non-Muslims found committing the Islamic crime of khalwat, or close proximity, with a Muslim.

"The Muslims can be sentenced in sharia courts and the non-Muslim partners can probably be sentenced in the civil courts, to be fair to both parties," a senior Malaysian sharia-court judge told the Star newspaper.

Mohd Asri Abdullah, a sharia appeal-court judge, was quoted as saying the proposal would be forwarded to the Malaysia's chief lawyer, the attorney-general, for government consideration.

The seminar also proposed penalties be increased for Muslims found guilty of khalwat, prostitution, gambling and consuming alcohol, to a maximum fine of 1,000 ringgit ($314) or five years' jail or 12 strokes of a cane for lower-court offences.

Malaysia runs parallel sharia and civil legal systems, with sharia courts dealing only with Muslims and mainly in family disputes or in matters such as khalwat or apostacy.

It employs religious police to ensure Muslim compliance with Koranic laws. They sometimes patrol parks looking for young unwed couples holding hands, raid nightclubs to catch Muslims drinking alcohol and ensure Muslims observe the fasting month of Ramadan.

Some Muslims feel it is not fair to be punished for moral crimes that non-Muslims can freely commit. But non-Muslims, who make up around 40 percent of Malaysia's population of 26 million, strongly resist attempts to impose standards of Muslim morality on them, even if these attempts are sometimes mistaken.

In 2006, Islamic officials mistakenly raided the apartment of a married American couple, both Christians, on suspicion of khalwat. The government later apologised to the duo.

***** The learned gentlemen of the syariah should have come out with this statement a month ago and BN would have lost at least another half-a-dozen seats. Too bad.

While it is laudable that the syariah experts want to be 'fair to the Muslims' it is rather unreasonable on their part to wish to extend the provisions via the civil courts to those who do not profess or believe in their faith. Any attempt to steamroll legislation on this point would be political suicide for the government, be it Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat.

In any case would it not be better, if they genuinely believe in being fair to the Muslims, to lower fines and other harsh punishment and try the more tolerable and tested method of counseling the offending members of the faith? To legislate the social and moral behaviour of hot-blooded young men and women has met with little or no success in other countries and it is doubtful that Malaysia could be the miraculous exception.

It would be more useful if the learned syariah exponents employ their considerable knowledge and talent in tackling the deadly scourge of dadah among Malay/Muslims which has been a curse and has taken a great toll on Muslim families and the country. The whole nation would be grateful to them.
From The Star: ‘Punishing non-Muslims for khalwat against Constitution’

Indonesia Seeks To Block YouTube Over Anti-Koran Film

Indonesia has asked Internet providers to block access to the YouTube Web site for carrying a film made by a right-wing Dutch lawmaker which accuses the Koran of inciting violence, an official said on Wednesday.

Indonesia has banned broadcasts of the film by Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party, and radical Muslims called for the lawmaker’s death during protests outside the Dutch embassy in Jakarta this week.

The country’s information minister Muhammad Nuh has written to the video-sharing Web site YouTube asking it to remove the film, said Cahyana Ahmadjayadi, the ministry’s director general for information technology. "Our efforts include asking Internet service providers to block access to YouTube. They have started doing it now," Ahmadjayadi told Reuters.

Users subscribing to an Internet service provided by the country’s largest telecoms company, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, said they could still access YouTube.

In mainly Muslim Malaysia, a supermarket chain, Mydin Mohamed Holdings, has labelled hundreds of Dutch-origin items on its shelves with red stickers to help buyers identify and avoid them, urging customers to vote with their wallets in protest.

"We feel that as Muslims we must do something," Managing Director Ameer Ali Mydin told Reuters, adding that products ranging from electrical appliances to baby food now carry the telltale sticker in his network of 40 stores across Malaysia.

Mydin, which buys up to 60 million ringgit (9.6 million pounds) worth of products each year from companies with ties to the Netherlands, has also put up posters near store checkout points to urge customers to boycott the items.

Milk producer Dutch Lady, which says it has been operating in Malaysia for more than 50 years, took out full-page advertisements in newspapers on Wednesday to denounce the film, and condemned the comments and statements in it. "We respect all cultures, beliefs and values and strongly condemn this expression against Islam," it added.

Wilders launched his short video "Fitna" -- an Arabic term sometimes translated as "strife" -- on the Internet last week, drawing international condemnation. The film intersperses images of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States with other Islamist bombings and quotations from the Koran, Islam’s holy book.

In February, Pakistan ordered its Internet service providers to block YouTube for containing "blasphemous" content and material considered offensive to Islam. The move came after the popular site carried controversial sketches of the Prophet Mohammad which were republished by Danish newspapers in January.

The cartoon, first published in Danish newspapers, ignited violent protests around the world and a boycott of Danish products in 2006. Many Muslims regard any depiction of the Prophet as offensive.

A similar step was taken by Thailand last year after YouTube aired a 44-second film showing graffiti over the face of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Wilders’ film urges Muslims to tear out "hate-filled" verses from the Koran and starts and ends with a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb under his turban, accompanied by a ticking sound.

Protests against the Dutch film have been small-scale in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation and a former Dutch colony.

***** Will the owners of YouTube agree to withdraw the offending film? If YouTube obliges will it not open the floodgates to more such appeals and demands from many others who may have an objection to some clip or the other?