Category: Agama

Bryan Kwa: Stop Stigmatising Sexual Minorities

Last Friday’s letter (“Distinguish between helping gays and supporting an agenda” by Mr Leo Hee Khian) cautioned against affirming same-sex attraction.

Mr Leo wrote that in Denmark, where there is same-sex marriage, “married homosexuals have been found to die at an age about 20 years younger than their heterosexual counterparts”.

This statistic is disputed. It is drawn from a paper published by the Family Research Institute, a partisan organisation associated with the Christian right and branded as a hate group.

Its founder Paul Cameron has been censured by numerous professional organisations. He was also dropped from membership in the American Psychological Association for violating its ethics code.

The American Journal of Public Health published a study of mortality among Danes in same-sex marriages, which concluded that “claims of drastically increased overall mortality in gay men and lesbians appear unjustified”.

In fact, supporting gay rights improves public health.

The New England Journal of Medicine published an editorial last month supporting same-sex marriage.

The doctors highlighted that “a fundamental tenet of all medical care is the acceptance of patients as they are, for who they are, with respect and without prejudice or personal agendas” and posited that “same-sex marriage should be accepted both as a matter of justice and as a measure that promotes health”.

Make no mistake, this is not about ideological standpoints. This is a public health issue; homophobia kills.

A study by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, found that LGB (lesbian, gay, bisexual) individuals who lived in communities with high levels of anti-gay prejudice have a shorter life expectancy, compared with their peers in the least prejudiced communities. The same study also found that the rates of suicide, homicide/violence and cardiovascular diseases were all substantially elevated among sexual minorities living within high-prejudice communities.

Considering such findings, how may the Government reconcile its heteronormative and heterosexist policies with the stated vision and mission of the Ministry of Health?

The science is clear. It is imperative that we stop stigmatising sexual minorities and start upholding their rights.

For all the moral grandstanding, surely we can agree that literally driving people to their death is unquestionably amoral.

Bryan Kwa Jie Wen

Source: www.straitstimes.com

May 19, 2015
Dari Madrasah Ke Poly, Kini Ke NUS Ikuti Pengajian Perubatan

Dua lulusan madrasah yang memilih laluan politeknik mencipta sejarah apabila ditawarkan tempat di Sekolah Perubatan Yong Loo Lin, Universiti Nasional Singapura (NUS) baru-baru ini.

Encik Ahmad Abdurrahman Hanifah Marican, 20 tahun, lulusan Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah, ialah pelajar cemerlang kursus Diploma Sains Bioperubatan daripada Politeknik Singapura.

Lulusan Politeknik Temasek, Cik Amalina Ridzuan, 22 tahun, pula bekas pelajar Madrasah Al-Maarif Al-Islamiah yang meraih Pingat Emas Sysmex Asia Pacific bagi kursus Diploma Sains Bioperubatan.

Tahun lalu, lulusan sains bioperubatan Politeknik Republic, Cik Noor Ahmed Alkaff, merupakan pelajar politeknik Melayu pertama diterima masuk ke Fakulti Perubatan NUS.

Mengulas pencapaian ini, Cik Noor berkata: “Saya teruja kerana kejayaan mereka menunjukkan bahawa latar belakang pengajian bukan hambatan asal kita bermotivasi berusaha.”

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

May 18, 2015
Masjid Mujahidin Kini Miliki Galeri Al Quran Baru

Secuah galeri Al-Quran yang baru merupakan kemudahan terbaru yang dapat dinikmati para jemaah di Masjid Mujahidin.

Ia memaparkan keindahan khat atau kaligrafi Islam beserta maklumat tentang pembelajaran Al-Quran menerusi kaedah Qiraati serta alunan merdu ayat-ayat suci Al-Quran menggunakan pelbagai gaya tarannum.

Dua kios i-Pad juga disediakan di galeri digital itu bagi membolehkan orang ramai memuat-turunkan maklumat yang terdapat di galeri itu.

Galeri yang terletak di ruang masuk masjid tersebut merupakan inisiatif pihak masjid mendekati orang ramai serta mengenalkan keindahan Al-Quran menerusi seni, pembelajaran dan pembacaan.

Ia dilancarkan semalam di MeQar, yang merupakan nama baru Pusat Al-Quran di masjid itu yang terletak di Stirling Road.

Pengerusi Eksekutif Lembaga Pentadbir (LPM) Masjid Mujahidin, Encik Mohd Khairul Jameel Yahya, berkata:

“Mungkin tidak ramai yang mengenali pembelajaran Al-Quran kaedah Qiraati dan galeri ini akan memberi maklumat ringkas tentang kaedah tersebut.”

Menjelaskan penjenamaan baru MeQar, beliau berkata: “Dengan tema Jelajah Ilmu Al-Quran, perubahan nama itu bertujuan meluaskan kegiatan-kegiatan yang ada hubungan dengan pembelajaran Al-Quran yang telah dimulakan di masjid sejak awal 1990-an.”

Pusat ini mula mengenalkan kaedah Qiraati, iaitu kaedah cepat pandai baca Quran dengan tartil (tersusun). Kaedah ini diasaskan oleh Allahyarham Kiyai Haji Dachlan Salim Zarkasyi dari Indonesia, sejak 1963.

Turut hadir di majlis itu ialah ketiga-tiga anak Allahyarham Kiai Haji Dachlan termasuk Ustaz Abu Bakar, Ketua Pengurusan dan Pedtabiran Pusat Qiraati Luar Negara Indonesia.

Di Singapura, khususnya di Masjid Mujahidin, kaedah Qiraati diperkenalkan oleh Ustaz Mohammad Masruh Ahmad yang mempunyai pusat Qiraati di Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Sempena majlis tersebut, seramai 100 orang guru Al-Quran kaedah Qiraati turut diberi pentauliahan. Sejauh ini, lebih 800 guru Al-Quran telah menerima tauliah dari Masjid Mujahidin.

Pusat MeQar turut menganjurkan kursus tarannum dan penulisan khat.

Turut dilancarkan semalam ialah majalah MeQar dan kios cenderahati yang membolehkan orang ramai membeli produk berkaitan Al-Quran seperti buku, papan logam dan tulisan khat.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

May 18, 2015
Hundreds Of Rohingya Migrants Stranded As Malaysia Turns Boats Away

Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are continuing to turn away boats carrying hundreds of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants, despite reports that 10 people have died after a boat became stranded in the Andaman Sea.

Two large boats carrying hundreds of migrants were stranded after Malaysia turned both vessels away, the AP reports. Another boat carrying around 350 Rohingya migrants was kept at bay by Thai authorities. Those on the boat, which is stranded off the coast of Indonesia, told the BBC the crew abandoned the ship and 10 people had died. Some are drinking urine to survive as there’s no food or water, they said.

A boat carrying journalists in the Andaman Sea got close enough to hear cries of “Please help us! I have no water!” and “Please give me water!” coming from the fishing boat, The New York Times reports. The migrants said they had been on the boat for three months and the crew had abandoned them six days ago.

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group who have for decades been ill-treated and persecuted in Myanmar, have been taking to the seas in ever-larger numbers to escape deplorable conditions in the camps where many are forced to live in Myanmar and in Bangladesh. Myanmar’s 1.33 million Rohingya population is not recognized by Thein Sein, who refers to them as “Bengalis,” implying that they’re in the country illegally.

“We have to send the right message that they are not welcome here,” Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jafaar told the AP. He also said the country has been humane to the migrants, but they “cannot be flooding our shores like this.”

Around 25,000 Rohingya migrants took to trafficking boats between January and March this year, twice as many as the same period in 2014. Around 1,600 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants were rescued off the coast of Indonesia on Sunday and detained in Malaysia on Monday; Thailand is the usual destination for smuggling boats, but since it closed its borders to the boats, Malaysia and Indonesia have become hot spots.

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern about the crisis and urged countries to “keep their borders and ports open in order to help the vulnerable people who are in need.” Ban also said the root causes of the exodus—human rights violations—need to be addressed.

Source: www.newsweek.com

May 15, 2015
Woman Told Off Man For Physically Abusing Tudung-Clad Wife But Victim Played Down Incident

I will tell you why the Asian mentality is extremely hopeless sometimes.

Boarding on a Malindo Airlines flight from BKI to KUL on OD1003.

This man on the right repeatedly slapped the lady in tudung on her head a few times over – I heard about 3 smacks and turn around to see his hand moving towards her head again. It was a loud smack that we all could hear and shocked me enough to turn around. Lady was crying as they walked to board the plane.

Many others including myself saw it and no one seems to care or was too busy staring at their phones to notice! There’s these two big burly looking men walking right behind the couple and myself and I am positively sure they saw it too.

When I told him off and raised my voice – the two men told me to hush and not to create trouble. They then pat the man in red on the back and told him to just calm down, bincang nanti and looked over to the girl and said Sudah, Sudah. Girl looked at me and told me “no no it’s ok. Sudah biasa takpe masalah sahaja”

They then also turned around and told me that people have troubles and don’t worry about it. They also asked if I really did see it?

And also here we are in an airport about to board the plane – you would think that security and staffs are constantly alert and observant.

No one else said a thing. No one.

How have we as a society – and unfortunately I see this much more in an Asian society, turn a blind eye even when something that is obviously wrong happening right in front of you?

All these bunch of people standing around us – I am so sad and disappointed to be living amongst you. I am so sad that we let a man hit a woman in public and let him get away with it. I am sad that when confronted this woman who was hit, think it’s ok for her partner(which I am assuming he is) to treat her like that in public. I am annoyed that Malindo staff standing right at the door of the plane said nothing and allow this man to board the flight.

For every time that you say nothing, do nothing and not speak up when someone use aggression onto you or another person – you are silently encouraging and applauding this person’s action.

Violence against women is never right. Violence against men is also never right. Violence against anything will never be right.

It is an even bigger problem when you as a victim choose to brush this off and let your aggressor get away with their actions. I am extremely sad because it clearly shows our education and society has failed to create a safe environment for victims to feel safe if they are attacked. I am sad because our education system (if there is any…) has failed to raise strong independent women. We have failed to raise men to have respect.

There is nothing right about this situation at all.

Source: Bea Meow

May 15, 2015