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Category: Politik

  • Kelantan’s Hudud Technical Committee Mulling The Use of Guillotine For Individuals Convicted Under Hudud

    Kelantan’s Hudud Technical Committee Mulling The Use of Guillotine For Individuals Convicted Under Hudud

    KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — After receiving rebuke from the medical fraternity over its proposal to amputate the limbs of criminals convicted under hudud, Kelantan is now mulling the use of the guillotine – an 18th century contraption used during the French revolution to carry out executions by beheading.

    Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah told The Star that the state-level hudud technical committee is contemplating introducing a “mini version” of the apparatus, which he said would no longer need the services of surgeons.

    Mohd Amar, who chairs the committee, conceded that medical practitioners are averse to the proposal of amputating limbs as it is in contrary to the Hippocratic Oath.

    The Hippocratic Oath states, among others, that doctors must never do harm to anyone, and must do what is best for their patients.

    “The surgeon must first agree to carry out the procedure but he is likely to face the wrath of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) for violating the Hippocratic Oath,” he was quoted saying in the local English daily.

    In April, the MMA warned that it will seek to disqualify surgeons who perform the unethical amputations on criminals convicted under hudud, reminding doctors that they are bound by their professional ethics to do no harm.

    The MMA represents 14,000 out of 37,000 doctors in Malaysia.

    With the guillotine, however, Mohd Amar said punishments could be meted out effectively as the method is fast; it requires only one individual to pull the lever; two to hold down the convict; the presence of the judge who ordered the sentence; and a doctor to ensure the offender “does not drastically suffer from the punishments”.

    “I will make extensive studies on the method used during the French Revolution in the 18th century when guillotines were used to sever the heads of those sentenced to death,” said Mohd Amar, adding that he will present his proposal to the hudud committee’s next meeting for feedback.

    Mohd Amar has been steadfast in his opinion that amputations under hudud is a far more effective penalty compared to the existing Penal Code’s jail terms, as it does not burden taxpayers.

    But the Kelantan state lawmaker added that due consideration would be given before sentences are meted out for offenders who steal due to hunger or other compelling circumstances.

    In 1993, the PAS state government passed the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment II, but the strict Islamic penal code has not been enforced due to conflicts with the Federal Constitution.

    The state formed the technical committee after state government announced in April that it is gearing up present two Private Member’s Bills to Parliament, hoping to remove all obstacles to its implementation of the hudud law in Kelantan by 2015.

    But PAS is facing unyielding resistance from its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners PKR and DAP, and has said it hopes to get the necessary votes from Umno MPs in order to get the bill approved. The Islamist party will need a simple majority of 112 votes for this.

    In Islamic jurisprudence, “hudud” covers crimes such as theft, robbery, adultery, rape and sodomy.

    Punishments for the crimes are severe, including amputation, flogging and death by stoning.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • Turkey PM: Muslims Discovered Americas Before Columbus

    Turkey PM: Muslims Discovered Americas Before Columbus

    Muslims discovered the Americas more than three centuries before Christopher Columbus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

    He made the claim during a conference of Latin American Muslim leaders in Istanbul, pointing to a diary entry in which Columbus mentioned a mosque on a hill in Cuba.

    Mr Erdogan also said “Muslim sailors arrived in America in 1178”.

    He said he was willing to build a mosque at the site Columbus identified.

    The Turkish president – whose AK Party is rooted in political Islam – gave no further evidence to back up his theory, instead stating: “Contacts between Latin America and Islam date back to the 12th Century.”

    Controversial article

    Columbus is widely believed to have discovered the Americas in 1492, while trying to find a new route to India.

    But in a disputed article published in 1996, historian Youssef Mroueh said Columbus’ entry was proof that Muslims had reached the Americas first and that “the religion of Islam was widespread”.

    However many scholars believe the reference is metaphorical, describing an aspect of the mountain that resembled part of a mosque.

    No Islamic structures have been found in America that pre-date Columbus.

    Mr Erdogan said he thought “a mosque would go perfectly on the hill today” and that he would like to discuss building this with Cuba.

    The first people to reach the Americas came from Asia. They are believed to have crossed the Bering Strait about 15,000 years ago.

    The first European visitors to North America are widely thought to have been Norse explorers, about 500 years before Columbus.

     

    Source: www.bbc.com

  • Potential New PAP Candidates Present At People’s Association Event

    Potential New PAP Candidates Present At People’s Association Event

    SINGAPORE: A People’s Association event celebrating senior citizens in the Aljunied Cluster, comprising Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC, was held on Saturday (Nov 15) evening.

    Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob graced the event, alongside former PAP leaders Lim Boon Heng and Zainul Abidin Rasheed.

    News faces touted as potential PAP candidates for Aljunied and Hougang were also present.

    They include:

    • Banker Chua Eng Leong, who is chairman of Eunos PAP branch
    • K Muralidharan Pillai in Paya Lebar; he is a lawyer by profession
    • Chan Hui Yuh in Serangoon, who works in a family business
    • Victor Lye in Bedok Reservoir-Punggol
    • Kahar Hassan, who took over the Kaki Bukit branch chairmanship from Ong Ye Kung
    • Lee Hong Chuang, who took over as chairman of the Hougang branch, replacing Desmond Choo

    Former PAP Chairman Mr Lim said it is still early to say if the new faces will be fielded as candidates as this depends on how they can work the ground. He said two key factors the party is looking out for are the ability to understand people and resolving problems.

    “Any lesson that I would learn from the past or the trend in the past few elections is that people want to have representatives in Parliament who are close to them. In terms of ability, of course it’s good if a person can make it beyond an MP to become an office holder,” said Mr Lim. “But what is more important to residents is: ‘Is he close to me, does he understand me? Can he effectively bring my issues before the government and get those issues redressed?’”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Activist Doctor Mads Gilbert Denied Access to Gaza Indefinitely

    Activist Doctor Mads Gilbert Denied Access to Gaza Indefinitely

    Mads Gilbert, an outspoken Norwegian doctor and activist who treated patients at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital during Israel’s assault on the Palestinian territory this summer, has been denied access to Gaza “indefinitely” by Israeli authorities.

    Gilbert told Al Jazeera on Friday that he was turned away from the Erez border crossing when attempting to return to Gaza in October, despite having all the legitimate paper work.

    “To my surprise I was denied access by the Israeli military,” he said. “When I asked the reason they informed me that it was a security issue.”

    Gilbert said that when he asked for a fuller explanation, he was told to “leave the premises or the police would be called”.

    Telling the world about the burdens of the Palestinians in Gaza is considered a security risk.

    The 67-year-old, who has been involved in solidarity work with Palestinians for decades and volunteered at al-Shifa during three wars, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s military campaigns and its occupation of Palestinian territory.

    During the seven-week conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement that left more than 2,000 Palestinians dead, Gilbert frequently spoke to international media, including Al Jazeera, about the situation at al-Shifa hospital, which was overwhelmed with civilian casualties.

    However, a spokesperson for the Coordination of the Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli authority that coordinates all traffic between Gaza and Israel, told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang that the refusal of entry was related to security reasons and had “nothing to do with Gilbert’s anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic remarks”.

    Gilbert told Al Jazeera he was informed that the ban was “infinite without any time limit”.

    He said he had been invited by the Gaza Health Ministry which had requested his assistance to research the the impact on healthcare of the Israeli bombardment and to follow up on work done during that time.

    The Norwegian embassy in Tel Aviv has made numerous inquiries to the Israeli government about the ban.

    Bard Glad Pedersen, state secretary at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, told Verdens Gang, “we have raised Gilbert’s exclusion from Gaza and asked Israel to change their decision. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is still difficult and there is a need for all health workers.”

    Medical Aid for Palestinians, a UK-registered charity which has been working in the occupied West Bank and Gaza for over 20 years and supports al-Shifa hospital called the ban on Gilbert “deeply concerning” and reiterated that, “following the recent conflict, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza require specialised surgical treatment and it is imperative that the right to health is unimpeded.”

    Denouncing his entry ban as a limitation of freedom of expression, Gilbert said it appeared the Israeli government “doesn’t want the effects of their continuous attacks on the civilian population in Gaza to be known to the world.”

    “Telling the world about the burdens of the Palestinians in Gaza is considered a security risk”, he said, adding that in a larger perspective, the ban was not about him but about the Gazans’ right to international assistance.

    “The Israeli authorities are, in my opinion, in no position to deny the Palestinian people support from the international community,” he told Al Jazeera.

    He vowed to continue to challenge Israel and called for political pressure to be exerted to lift the “long overdue” siege of Gaza.

    “There is no way we’re going to accept that medical and humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza shall be denied just because the Israeli government has decided so. I will not give up travelling to Gaza as long as they have medical needs,” he said.

    Israel launched “Operation Protective Edge” following firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza.

    According to UN figures the Palestinian death toll was 2,131, of whom 1,473 were identified as civilians, including 501 children.. On the Israeli side, 77 people, mostly soldiers, were killed.

     

    Source: www.aljazeera.com

  • PM Lee: More Talking At “Deradicalisation Symposium” Can Help Tackle ISIS

    PM Lee: More Talking At “Deradicalisation Symposium” Can Help Tackle ISIS

    Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the East Asia Summit on Thursday that more should be done to prevent religious extremism in the region especially given the threat posed by ISIS.

    PM Lee said that there is no purely military solution to such “non-traditional security threats” but it is still necessary to fight and weaken the group.

    He suggested that the ideological roots of the group should be tackled instead and in rlation to this, he said that de-radicalisation Symposium may be helpful.

    He said that such a symposium could benefit the region as experts could share best practices.

    For example, in Singapore, PM Lee boasted that we have dealt with detainees who have planned terror attacks in Singapore before and Singapore strongly condemns ISIS’ actions.

    PM Lee also praised the US’s firm leadership on the issue and said that Singapore is ready to support where it can.

    Mr Lee also said at the summit that the global economy also has to remain open and keep protectionism at bay.

    He also emphasised that global leaders should quickly work to conclude negotiations on the various trade pacts such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

    Moving forward in this, PM Lee said that one of the most important aspects was the relationship between USA and China as this will determine stability in the world.

    He also commented that there have been signs of a thaw in relations, after a period of friction over historical issues and territorial disputes among China Japan and South Korea and this is good.

    PM Lee will soon be heading to Australia for the G20 summit in Brisbane which starts on Saturday.

     

    Source: http://therealsingapore.com