Category: Agama

4 Facts: Hizbut Tahrir Malaysia Vows To End Haram Sports

Islamist group Hizbut Tahrir Malaysia (HTM) has applauded the person who started the snowball of criticism against champion gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi for wearing a leotard that showed off her “vagina shape” during the SEA Games, adding that such “haram” sports would be barred under a caliphate.

1. The Hardline Islamist Group Told Authorities To Punish Muslim Men And Women Who Do Not Cover Their “Aurat” In Sports

The local chapter of the international hardline Islamist group also told the authorities to punish Muslim men and women who do not cover their “aurat” in sports, even in events such as swimming, saying it was a religious obligation to do so. The group said in a post on its website yesterday:

Praises must be given to the servant of Allah who gave criticism on this issue, although obviously the one who gave the criticism was then criticised by Farah herself and her supporters.

This is not a question of judging, but the question of preventing wrongdoings because it is an obligation for every Muslim, and for the State it is obligatory to take action through punishments.

2. The Group Said Defenders Of Farah Ann Proved Some Muslims Have Been Poisoned By Ideas Of Freedom From The West

HTM said defenders of Farah Ann proved that some Muslims have been poisoned by ideas of freedom from the West, where winning gold medals and bringing pride to the country is considered more important than covering up.

The group, which wishes to establish an Islamic caliphate in Malaysia, claimed that sports with “haram”, or forbidden elements, will never be allowed in a caliphate, and their athletes will be punished if found to be participating in such sports. It added:

Muslims are known to participate in ‘sports’ such as archery, horseriding, swimming, swordplay and so on, all of them done within the frame of performing jihad in the path of Allah,” it said, using the Arabic word that means “holy struggle”.

[They are] not like the sports of these days which bring humans further away from Allah.

3. Several Facebook Users Slammed Farah On Facebook Last Week After TV3 Uploaded A Photo Of Her In The Gymnastics Outfit

Several Facebook users had last week slammed the 21-year-old Farah Ann on Buletin TV3’s Facebook page after it uploaded a photograph of her in the gymnastics outfit, along with a caption that announced her winning gold in floor exercise in artistic gymnastics.

The woman athlete has since received an outpouring of support, however, from Malaysians who pointed out that the athlete should be celebrated for her performance at the games, which not only saw her take home gold, but three bronze medals and a silver in other individual events.

4. Youth And Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Has Since Defended Her, Telling Detractors They Have No Right To Judge Her Attire

Khairy also said a guidelines for sportswear by the federal Islamic authorities is unnecessary.

Even former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz weighed in on the issue, slamming Farah Ann’s critics for being obsessed with athletes’ body shapes and dressing instead of their performances.

Source: http://greatermalaysia.com

June 25, 2015
Boston Bomber Apologises For Attack

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev yesterday (June 24) apologised for the deadly 2013 attack at a hearing before a US judge formally sentenced him to death for killing four people and injuring 264 in the bombing and its aftermath.

The 21-year-old ethnic Chechen, who had not testified during his trial, referred to Allah and admitted that he and his now-dead older brother carried out one of the highest-profile attacks on US soil, in a courtroom packed with survivors of the April 15, 2013 bombing.

“I am sorry for the lives I have taken, for the suffering that I have caused you, for the damage I have done, irreparable damage,” said Tsarnaev, who had sat in silence, his head cast down as two survivors and family members of victims described the attacks’ heavy toll on their lives.

“In case there is any doubt, I am guilty of this attack, along with my brother,” Tsarnaev said, standing at the defence table.

Tsarnaev had been found guilty killing three people and injuring 264 in the bombing near the finish line of the world-renowned race, as well as fatally shooting a police officer three days later. The same federal jury that convicted him in April voted for death by lethal injection in May.

As he handed down that sentence, US District Judge George O’Toole condemned Tsarnaev for falling under the spell of militant Islamists, including American-born al Qaeda figure Anwar al Awlaki, who was killed in a 2011 drone strike.

“It is tragic … that you succumbed to their demonic siren song,” Mr O’Toole said. “As long as your name is mentioned, what will be remembered is the evil you’ve done.”

Before the judge pronounced the sentence, Ms Rebekah Gregory, who lost her left leg on that blood-soaked April day, addressed Tsarnaev directly.

“Terrorists like you do two things in this world. One, they create mass destruction, but the second is quite interesting,” Ms Gregory said. “Because do you know what mass destruction really does? It brings people together. We are Boston strong and we are America strong, and choosing to mess with us was a terrible idea.”

DARK MEMORIES

Tsarnaev’s trial brought back some of Boston’s darkest living memories. Jurors saw videos of the bombs’ blinding flashes and the chaotic aftermath as emergency workers and spectators rushed to aid the wounded, many of whom lost legs.

Three people died in the bombing: Martin Richard, 8, Chinese exchange student Lingzi Lu, 26, and restaurant manager Krystle Campbell, 29. Three days later, Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, shot dead Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, 26.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died following a gunfight with police that ended when Dzhokhar ran him over with a car.

During the trial, federal prosecutors described the brothers as adherents of al Qaeda’s militant Islamist ideology who wanted to “punish America” with the attack on the world-renowned marathon.

Tsarnaev’s attorneys admitted their client had played a role in the attack but tried to portray him as the junior partner in a scheme hatched and driven by his older brother. The Tsarnaev family came to the United States from Russia a decade before the attack.

Boston has been on high alert since the attack and its aftermath. Police were out in force around the waterfront courthouse all day yesterday.

At midday, Boston Police arrested a man outside the courthouse, and said he had a meat cleaver in his possession.

“In today’s threat environment, you can’t overlook anything,” Mr Vincent Lisi, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s top agent in Boston, told reporters. He added that members of a joint terrorism task force were interviewing the man.

LONG PROCESS

Even after the sentencing, the legal wrangling over Tsarnaev’s fate could play out for years, if not decades. Just three of the 74 people sentenced to death in the United States for federal crimes since 1998 have been executed.

Krystle Campbell’s mother, Patricia, called Tsarnaev’s actions “despicable”.

“You went down the wrong road,” Ms Campbell said. “I know life is hard, but the choices you made were despicable and what you did to my daughter was disgusting.”

Tsarnaev asked forgiveness for himself and his dead brother.

“I ask Allah to have mercy upon me, my brother and my family,” Tsarnaev said. “I ask Allah to bestow his mercy upon those who are here today.”

The government’s chief prosecutor on the case, Mr William Weinreb, said he was unimpressed by Tsarnaev’s apology.

“He did this for political reasons. This was a politically motivated act,” Mr Weinreb said. “At no point during his statement did he ever renounce the motives for which he carried out this act. He never renounced terrorism.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 25, 2015
Muslim Women In Pahang Dressed Indecently During Ramadan Face Possible 1 Year Jail Term

KUANTAN – Muslim women in the state who fail to adhere to a “decent” dress code during the month of Ramadan can end up in jail for a year or fined up to RM2,000, a local English daily reports.

Pahang Islamic Religious Department (JAIP) head of investigation Mohd Anis Azmi said that checks done at a few local Ramadan bazaars have shown that many Muslim women were clad in dresses that were “too short or tight”, something he considers as “inappropriately dressed”.

“They should refrain from wearing revealing dresses in respect of the holy month,” Anis was quoted saying.

“This is a warning for the public before we start our operations against the offenders soon. JAIP cannot set a benchmark on what is decent attire, as what is decent to me may not be considered so to others,” he added.

“We also cannot be telling them what they should wear, but a rule of thumb is to dress decently even if you are only out to buy food in a Ramadan bazaar,” Anis explained further.

He revealed that once caught and deemed improperly dressed by the religious authority, the women will be counselled, and repeat offenders could face imprisonment or a fine.

Source: http://malaysiandigest.com

June 25, 2015
Masagos Zulkifli: Muslim Community Must Beware Of ‘Absolutists’

The Muslim community has to be wary of the growing presence of “absolutists”, who have a rigid way of interpreting Islam, said Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Second Minister for Home Affairs, on Tuesday (Jun 23).

Previously, religious teachers here came from Egypt, but now, they come from “all over” the world. The variations of Islam they embrace are “very cultural” and some of the conflicts experienced in other countries are brought to Singapore, said the minister in an interview.

He noted that Singapore has succeeded as its people can live with one another despite their differences.

However, “absolutists” believe there is only one way that Islam ought to be, and those who do not agree with them are considered “un-Islamic” for example, he added.

When asked what was being done to reach out to or engage the absolutists, Mr Masagos said there is a need to ensure the Muslim community is aware of this phenomenon. “When we hear something that is really out of the norm, be alert to it. We have to accept them for their freedom to express their religious variations, too,” he said.

However, he cautioned that Muslims should not easily “succumb” to the views of absolutists. “They may look attractive, they may look correct … but do not be gullible.”

ONLINE BATTLE AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE

On the issue of the online battle against the ideology of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Mr Masagos said religious teaching in Singapore is moderate and tolerant.

However, he noted that not every young person has gone through the structured way of learning Islam, such as doing so in a mosque or through accredited teachers.

“Some of them take lessons from the Internet not because they’re looking for religious guidance, but because something may have happened in their lives,” said Mr Masagos.

For instance, he cited M Arifil Azim Putra Norja’I, who has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for “terrorism-related activities”.

Mr Masagos said the 19-year-old’s father had died and the teen was trying to find “meaning in life”. “Unfortunately, he found the meaning in life through his conversation and engagement with … (a) radical.”

“He (Arifil) did not have references or background information about Islam to tell him these things are wrong,” Mr Masagos said.

On the other 17-year-old unnamed youth, who has also been arrested under ISA for further investigations into his radicalisation, Mr Masagos said there are no updates yet.

He said the teen’s views had “already (been) known” since he was 14. And now at 17, his parents “cannot somehow control” him and his views. “It’s important for him to know we are watching him. And that he has to behave and not do anything … to (affect) the safety and security of our country,” said the minister.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 24, 2015
Malaysian Muslim Man: Non-Muslims Should Not Have To Adjust To Accomodate Muslims’ Fast

This is exactly the spot where my daughter’s tutor sits when he comes to tutor her.

He is a pious Christian. His free times are spent on missionary works. And when he is at my house, he has to sit under those frames.

Did he complain that I was trying to convert him? Or that those Arabic names for Allah and Muhammad would lead him astray from his faith? Or that they would “rosakkan aQidah saya?”

Did he ever request that his sitting be changed? Or that those frames be moved away or at least be covered by a batik sarong?

Did he ask me to “respect” his faith? Or not to “insult” him or his faith?

Well, he never did. Not even a word about those.

That raises a question. Why is it that many Muslims in Mesia nowadays demand to be “respected” just because they are fasting? Why the need to close school canteens during Ramadhan? Why must non-Malay pupils be asked to drink behind closed doors and even in the toilet? Just because our kids are learning how to fast? Well, aren’t the non-Malay kids as well?

I don’t care whether the minum-air-kencing statement was a joke. That misses the point.

The point is why must non-Malay adjust their life to facilitate us, Muslims Melayoos, to fast?

If that was necessary, why don’t we ask our non-Malay brothers and sisters not to study too hard so that we the Melayoos could at least get respectable marks during exams compared to them? Ask them to “respect” our inability to get good exams results? (I am not saying ALL of us are unable lah…so please don’t get emo with me here).

Or ask them not to work too hard so that they don’t make too much more money than us.

I call it self-pity.

Which is, a pity, really.

Source: Azhar Harun

June 24, 2015