Category: Agama

New Fears Of Communal Violence In Myanmar

NINE police officers were killed early on October 9th in a series of apparently co-ordinated attacks on border-guard posts in the troubled state of Rakhine in Myanmar’s west. The attackers were armed with knives, slingshots and only a few guns—and reportedly made off with dozens more guns and thousands of bullets. The Buddhist majority in Rakhine has long oppressed the state’s Muslim Rohingyas. Now the victims may be starting to fight back.

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility, but police say the attackers—at least two of whom were captured and eight killed—were Rohingyas. One local official blamed the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation, a militant group that has been dormant for decades. The two who were detained reportedly told authorities that they planned the raids with fellow locals.

The central government’s response has been reasonably level-headed. On the same day it held a press conference to appeal for caution and restraint. Two days later it dispatched high-ranking officials to talk to local leaders in the Muslim-majority townships where the attacks took place. Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de facto leader, did not cast blame, but reiterated her commitment to “peace and stability”. “Rakhine State’s problem is Myanmar’s problem,” said the information minister.

Since the attacks in northern Rakhine, however, clashes have broken out there leaving at least a dozen people dead—including unarmed civilians, according to locals. The government has beefed up an already heavy military presence. Some worry that the stolen guns will be used in future attacks on security forces, or that in trying to retrieve the weapons, the police will target innocents.

By far the biggest concern is that unrest could spread, as it did in 2012, when communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims killed scores and displaced tens of thousands. Many outside Myanmar have criticised Miss Suu Kyi for failing to speak up for the Rohingyas. Anti-Muslim sentiment runs deep among the Burman Buddhist majority. Wirathu, a virulently nationalist monk and master of social media, posted a video on his Facebook page this week that he claims shows the attackers calling for Rohingyas to join the jihad.

In August Miss Suu Kyi invited Kofi Annan, a former UN secretary-general, to head a commission investigating human-rights abuses in Rakhine. Buddhist nationalists protested, and the Rakhine parliament passed a resolution condemning the commission. But as this week’s events have shown, efforts to bring about a just and durable peace in Rakhine are more urgent than ever.

Source: www.economist.com

October 15, 2016
Khutbah Solat Jumaat: Masyarakat Islam Digesa Jauhi Tabiat Menjudi

Masyarakat Islam Singapura diberi peringatan supaya menjauhi tabiat suka berjudi dan kesan-kesan buruk daripada tabiat yang merugikan itu. Ia menjejas bukan sahaja individu yang terlibat secara langsung, malah anggota keluarga serta masyarakat secara amnya.

Menerusi khutbah solat Jumaat bertajuk “Istaqamah Bertakwa Kepada Allah” yang disampaikan di masjid-masjid merata Singapura hari ini (14 Okt), masyarakat Islam diingatkan bahawa dengan kemudahan teknologi yang ada sekarang, semakin mudah untuk melakukan pelbagai perkara maksiat tanpa diketahui orang lain.

Satu tinjauan oleh Touch Cyberwellness yang disentuh dalam khutbah solat Jumaat, mendapati bahawa sembilan daripada 10 remaja yang ditinjau menonton atau membaca bahan lucah melalui internet.

Lebih membimbangkan lagi, lebih 70 peratus daripada mereka yang ditinjau pernah menonton kandungan sedemikian melalui telefon bijak mereka.

Selain itu, timbul juga keprihatinan terhadap trend berjudi secara online, di mana masyarakat Islam juga digesa supaya mendidik anak-anak mereka tentang kesan-kesan negatif akibat tabiat yang merugikan itu dan kesannya terhadap kehidupan mereka dan keluarga.

Khutbah solat Jumaat turut menukil dapatan tinjauan itu yang menunjukkan bahawa mereka yang menjadi tahi judi lazimnya bermula dengan berjudi secara sosial.

Maka itu, masyarakat Islam perlu mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga seperti memastikan anggota keluarga mereka termasuk dalam senarai individu yang tidak dibenarkan menyertai sebarang kegiatan perjudian yang berlesen serta memantau lelaman yang dikunjungi, menurut khutbah solat Jumaat hari ini.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

October 14, 2016
Khan Osman Sulaiman: Mengapa AP Melayu Islam Dan MUIS Membisu Dalam Isu Online Gambling?

Apabila polisi membina 2 casino dibahaskan dalam parliament dan diletakkan pada undian, tidak seorang pun AP Melayu/Islam menentang hasrat pemerintah. Malahan mereka setuju dgn hala tujuan pemerintah untuk membangunkan negara dgn hasil perjudian.

Sebaliknya, yg menentang ialah AP2 bukan Islam.

Baru2 ini, pemerintah meluluskan permohonan dari Singapore Pools dan Singapore Turf Club untuk menyediakan perkhidmatan ‘Online Gambling.’

Langkah itu menimbulkan kebimbangan daripada pihak Majlis Kebangsaan Gereja-Gereja yang menekankan bahawa perjudian akan meninggalkan kesan buruk terhadap masyarakat.

Yg peliknya, bantahan dari MUIS dan AP2 Melayu kita tidak langsung kedengaran. Walaupun Singapura adalah negara sekular, ini tidak bermakna nilai2 murni yg diajarkan kepada kita melalui agama Islam tidak boleh diluahkan.

Kita dapat melihat bagaimana Majlis Kebangsaan Gereja-Gereja memainkan peranannya terhadap masyarakat umum dengan mengambil pendirian tegas terhadap polisi2 pemerintah yg tidak sehaluan dgn ajaran agama mereka.

MUIS selaku kuasa tertinggi yg menyeliakan hal ehwal umat Islam di Singapura, seringkali didapati membisu apabila pemerintah menggubal rang undang2 yg bercanggah dgn ajaran Islam.

Pucuk kepimpinan MUIS yg lemah setelah beberapa dekat ini menjadikan organisasinya mandul. Tidak dapat memainkan peranan nya seperti yg diharapkan oleh masyarakat.

Pada masa jangkau yg panjang, kelemahan MUIS untuk membuat pendiriannya terhadap isu2 genting yg berkaitan dgn polisi2 negara, akan menghilangkan pengaruh masyarakat Islam Singapura.

Source: Khan Osman Sulaiman

October 13, 2016
No Further Action To Be Taken Over Former NMP Calvin Cheng’s Online Comments, Say Police

The police have decided not to take any further action against former Nominated MP Calvin Cheng, who was being investigated after a report was made over controversial comments he made online.

The decision was made after careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case and in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the police said in a letter to Mr Cheng dated Oct 5.

They added that all investigations and enquiries into the matter would stop, and the case will be closed.

A police report was made against Mr Cheng last December (2015) by People’s Power Party (PPP) organising secretary Augustin Lee Tze Shih, over Mr Cheng’s comments online about killing the children of terrorists.

In a four-line Facebook comment in last November, Mr Cheng had seemed to advocate killing the children of terrorists “in case they grow up to take revenge”, which drew sharp criticism from netizens.

Mr Lee had said in his police report that the comments contravened the Sedition Act.

Following the controversy, the Media Literacy Council, which advises the Government on developments pertaining to the Internet and media, and which Mr Cheng was a member of, issued a statement saying that his words were insensitive but did not amount to hate speech.

Mr Cheng also apologised to his fellow council members, the Media Development Authority and his supporters in a Facebook post.

Source: The Straits Times

October 11, 2016
Myanmar Sends Troops Into Muslim-Majority Region After Deadly Attacks

Myanmar has stepped up security in a Muslim-majority region near its border with Bangladesh, officials said on Monday (Oct 10), as authorities hunt for attackers who killed at least nine police officers.

Officials believe that members of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority launched three separate attacks in the early hours of Sunday, in which dozens of weapons and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition were seized from border police.

Nine policemen were killed, one was missing and five were wounded. Eight attackers were killed and two captured, police said.

The Rohingya, who are mostly stateless and are subject to severe restrictions on their movements, make up the majority of the population in the northern part of Rakhine State.

Authorities in the township of Maungdaw on Sunday announced the extension of an existing order banning gatherings of five or more people and imposing a 7pm to 6am curfew.

State media said the military – known as the Tatmadaw – had moved troops into the area by helicopter. Photographs on social media showed trucks full of infantry purportedly being deployed in the area.

No detailed information has been released about the operation in the area near a border guard office at Kyiganbyin village, where as many as 90 assailants seized weapons and fled into the hills.

“The Tatmadaw, the police force and the Ministry of Border Affairs are working together to ensure security and restore law and order,” said Min Aung, a minister in the Rakhine State government, who declined to disclose the size of the force sent to the area.

Human rights advocates raised concerns that civilians may be caught up in the sweep. Unverified reports posted online by advocates for the Rohingya suggested that a violent crackdown may be underway.

Ye Htut, administrator for Maungdaw, said he was not aware of the situation around Kyiganbyin village, which is under the control of security forces.

Muslim residents of Maungdaw town closed their shops amid the heightened security presence, he said.

“All of the security forces are deployed in Maungdaw, so we are not worried about security. Everything is fine,” Ye Htut said.

BANGLADESH DEPLOYS BORDER GUARDS

Matthew Smith, founder of campaign group Fortify Rights, said restrictions on the Muslim population already in place made northern Rakhine State “a police state, an apartheid state”.

“Human rights violations in the context of counterinsurgency in northern Rakhine State are not new,” Smith said.

“The authorities routinely accuse average Rohingya of involvement with armed extremists.”

Authorities routinely dismiss accusations of rights abuses.

Sunday was the bloodiest day in the state since 2012, when more than 100 people were killed in clashes between Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. Some 125,000 people, the majority Rohingya, remain displaced.

Myanmar’s state counsellor and foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi – who in August appointed former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to head an advisory commission into the situation in Rakhine State – discussed the attacks with security officials in an emergency meeting on Sunday, said foreign ministry official Kyaw Tin.

“The state counsellor instructed us to handle this issue cautiously in accordance with the law,” Kyaw Tin told reporters.

Officials in Bangladesh said Myanmar had closed the border after the attacks.

Bangladesh deployed additional border guards, said Mohammad Tanvir Alam Khan, a Border Guard Bangladesh commander.

Myanmar police chief Zaw Win has said his force was investigating possible links between the attackers and rebel groups.

Zaw Win also mentioned big drugs busts by police in the area – some 6 million methamphetamine pills were seized in September – as a possible trigger for the attacks.

Source: ChannelNewsAsia

October 11, 2016