Category: Singapuraku

Rally At Hong Lim Park Calling For The Release Of Amos Yee

A day before teenage blogger Amos Yee returns to court, where he could be sentenced for posting an obscene image online and posting content intended to hurt the religious feelings of Christians, a rally was held at Hong Lim Park today (July 5) calling for his release.

The rally was organised by Community Action Network, a group of individuals describing themselves as “concerned about freedom of expression in Singapore”.

The group had also started a petition on change.org two months ago to drop charges against the 16-year-old. As of 10pm today, there were more than 6,300 signatories.

Source: www.todayonline.com

July 6, 2015
Hilang Daya Penglihatan Bukan Halangan Ambil Diploma

Dunia Cik Masayang A. Samad menjadi gelap lapan tahun lalu apabila beliau kehilangan daya penglihatan akibat penyakit kencing manis.

Namun, Cik Masayang, 43 tahun, tidak membiarkan dirinya terus diselubungi kegelapan.

Beliau bangkit mempertingkat diri dan baru tamat mengambil kursus dua tahun sijil psikologi dan kaunseling Islam di Institut Pengajian Tinggi Al-Zuhri.

“Apabila saya jatuh sakit, saya telah menghadapi kemurungan dan pernah terfikir hendak membunuh diri kerana tidak mahu menyusahkan orang lain.

“Tetapi saya teringat kata-kata arwah ibu saya bahawa saya harus berdikari dan selalu berfikiran positif,” ujar Cik Masayang yang kini tinggal seorang diri di flat satu bilik.

Beliau juga mendapat sokongan moral daripada ayahnya, seorang warga Malaysia yang menetap di Johor Bahru.

Cik Masayang, anak tunggal, pula memilih tinggal di Singapura kerana lebih mudah menjalani dialisis di sini. Lulusan diploma dalam jurusan pengurusan perniagaan daripada Politeknik Nanyang itu bakal meneruskan diploma psikologi dan kaunseling dalam Islam pula di Al-Zuhri pada Ogos ini.

“Saya ingin guna ilmu itu membantu orang lain pula yang senasib dengan saya,” ujar Cik Masayang.

Beliau merupakan antara 552 keluarga yang menerima zakat daripada Darul Arqam tahun ini.

Tahun ini, persatuan itu mengagihkan sejumlah $179,400 daripada kutipan zakat dan fidyah, dengan setiap keluarga menerima $255 tunai dan baucar bernilai $70.

Seorang lagi penerima ialah Cik Nur Madiah Hidayah Lim Othman, 34 tahun, yang dilahirkan tanpa tangan dan kaki.

Sejak beberapa tahun lalu, beliau mula berdikari dengan menjual pakaian wanita menerusi Facebook.

Bergerak menggunakan kerusi rodanya, Cik Nur Madiah akan ke pejabat pos bagi menghantar barangan yang dibeli pelanggan.

“Saya fikir ini cara terbaik bagi saya mencari rezeki. Saya berpegang kepada prinsip agar sentiasa berfikiran positif dan tidak berputus asa,” ujarnya.

Majlis penyampaian zakat semalam itu turut dihadiri Menteri Pendidikan, Encik Heng Swee Keat, dan Presiden Darul Arqam, Encik Faiz Edwin Ignatious.

Dalam ucapannya, Encik Heng berkata pemberian zakat memaparkan semangat gotong royong dalam masyarakat.

“Acara hari ini mengingatkan kita bahawa kita semua memainkan peranan membangun sebuah masyarakat berihsan dan penyayang, yang membantu mereka yang memerlukan.

“Semangat membantu sama lain dalam Islam juga sesuatu yang semakin kita lihat di masyarakat Singapura yang lebih luas,” ujarnya.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

July 6, 2015
Bekas Pelajar Madrasah Kecapi Ijazah Pujian Kelas Pertama Dalam Bidang Kerja Sosial Di NUS

Daripada madrasah ke menara gading.

Namun bukan itu sahaja, Cik Siti Nur Diyanah Hardy, 23 tahun, kini menempa sejarah sebagai anak Melayu pertama yang lulus daripada jurusan kerja sosial di Universiti Nasional Singapura (NUS) dengan ijazah kepujian kelas pertama.

Cik Diyanah merupakan antara lebih 10,000 lulusan yang akan menerima ijazah mereka dalam majlis konvokesyen di NUS yang berlangsung hari ini hingga Selasa depan.

Majlis konvokesyen bagi fakulti bekas pelajar Madrasah Al-Maarif Al-Islamiah itu akan berlangsung pada 14 Julai.

Meskipun beliau telah menghabiskan masa 13 tahun belajar di madrasah, Cik Diyanah berkata beliau tidak pernah mengalami kejutan budaya apabila melangkah masuk ke universiti.

“Pastinya kehidupan di universiti baru dan lain bagi saya tetapi saya rasa perkara ini tentu sama bagi ramai pelajar lain, sama ada mereka daripada madrasah atau bukan.

“Semasa saya membesar pun, saya tak fikir apa yang saya lalui di sekolah berbeza daripada pelajar lain di sini. Semakin saya membesar juga dan lebih tahu tentang perbezaan yang ada, saya tak mengalami cabaran masuk universiti,” katanya.

Sepanjang di NUS, Cik Diyanah turut aktif menabur bakti kepada bekas madrasahnya.

Anak kedua daripada empat beradik itu memulakan program Maarif Maths Mentoring tiga tahun lalu bersama temannya bagi membimbing pelajar Madrasah Al-Maarif yang mengalami kesukaran dalam mata pelajaran tersebut.

Program itu telah berkembang kepada 20 mentor kini berbanding enam mentor apabila ia baru dimulakan dan sejauh ini telah membantu sekitar 250 pelajar madrasah itu.

Sikap suka membantu itu juga mungkin antara sebab beliau terdorong menyertai sektor kerja sosial.

Cik Diyanah turut diberi Anugerah Angkatan Karyawan Islam (AMP) yang mengiktiraf pelajar Fakulti Sastera dan Sains Sosial (FASS) NUS yang menghasilkan tesis kepujian terbaik berkaitan isu yang relevan kepada masyarakat Melayu/Islam setempat.

Tesisnya meninjau bagaimana individu seperti ustaz atau bomoh menjejas cara orang Melayu yang mengalami isu kesihatan mental mendapatkan bantuan profesional.

“Topik ini menggabungkan minat saya dalam kerja sosial dan pengajian agama.

“Pengalaman ini mendatangkan kepuasan bagi saya dan saya dapat belajar banyak bukan sahaja dengan menulisnya (tesis), malah dengan mendengar sendiri daripada mereka yang mengalami isu kesihatan mental.

“Saya mahu suara mereka didengar menerusi tesis saya… dan saya harap hasil dapatannya akan mendatangkan manfaat kepada masyarakat,” kata anak pasangan guru dan pegawai logistik itu.

Cik Diyanah kini mengikuti program internship dengan Jawatankuasa Singapura bagi sayap wanita Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) dan antara lain terlibat dalam kempen Girls2Pioneers yang bertujuan menggalak lebih ramai golongan wanita menceburi kerjaya dalam bidang Sains, Teknologi, Kejuruteraan dan Matematik (Stem).

Presiden Tony Tan Keng Yam yang juga Canselor NUS akan merasmikan majlis konvokesyen utama NUS tahun ini di Kampus Kent Ridge hari ini.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

July 6, 2015
ISIS Video Shows Mass Executions In Syria’s Ruins Of Palmyra

BEIRUT (AFP) – The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group on Saturday released a video showing 25 Syrian government soldiers being executed by teenagers in the ancient amphitheatre in the city of Palmyra.

The video documented an execution that reportedly happened shortly after the militant group captured the city on May 21.

It shows the soldiers in green and brown military uniforms being shot dead on the amphitheatre’s stage in front of an enormous version of the group’s black and white flag.

The executioners all appear to be children or teenagers and are wearing desert camouflage and brown bandanas.

The killings are carried out in front of a relatively sparse crowd of men and some children watching from the ancient theatre’s seats.

ISIS reportedly carried out more than 200 executions, including of civilians, in and around Palmyra in the period when it captured the city.

The executions in the Palmyra amphitheatre were first reported on May 27 by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, less than a week after ISIS captured the city.

At the time, Syria’s antiquities director Mamoun Abdelkarim said he feared the killings could signal the start of “the group’s barbarism and savagery against the ancient monuments of Palmyra”.

“Using the Roman theatre to execute people proves that these people are against humanity,” he told AFP.

The Greco-Roman ruins at Palmyra are listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the city’s capture by ISIS prompted international concerns for the fate of its spectacular ancient treasures.

So far, ISIS is not reported to have damaged the actual ruins, although it has blown up and desecrated Muslim graves in the city and destroyed a statue outside the Palmyra Museum.

ISIS has regularly released videos of its mass executions, with slick production and gruesome violence that experts say is a key propaganda tool for the group.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

July 5, 2015
Youth Radicalisation: Where Does It Stem From?

Youth radicalisation. The subject is once against in the news, especially after the arrest of two Singaporean teenagers.

It is worrying, to say the least. And what’s more distressing are the comments that accompany some of these reports. As a young Muslim, it is unsettling to read comments that condemned the religion as a whole. Even though they were few and far between, there were comments that hinted at Islamic education being one of the catalysts for the radicalisation of youths.

As someone who has spent most of her formative years studying at an Islamic Institute in Pakistan, this hit a nerve.
Let me elaborate. I gained admission to an Islamic Institute when I was just thirteen. I left for Pakistan after a year as a secondary school student in Singapore. The main reason why I decided to pursue my education in that particular institute was because I wanted to learn more about my culture and embrace a sense of spirituality. And this was with my parents’ blessing and support.

The next four years were a whirlwind of adventure.

Everything seemed so new and unique compared to what I was accustomed to in urban Singapore. The sights, sounds and smells were a positive assault on my senses. Well, mostly positive. (I found out quite quickly that I couldn’t get my fix of fast food as often as I would have liked.)
Adapting to a totally different culture and environment was definitely challenging but I was relieved to discover that one aspect of life remained the same. Here I mean the people and their company.

I had a preconceived notion that the biggest difficulty for me would be making friends with my classmates, as they would come from different walks of life. What a misconception that turned out to be. We mostly got along like a house on fire. The fact that we came from various backgrounds and cultures did not make a difference at all.

Throughout the four years that I spent there, I forged many friendships that last till this day. My friends have all moved on after graduating and some of them have even started families of their own. I guess the point I am trying to make here is that from my experience, studying at an Islamic institution or having an Islamic education does not automatically or invariably lead to radicalisation.

However, it would be an act of denial to say that youth radicalisation is not becoming a pressing issue. The recent case of two Singaporean youths who were radicalised by ISIS and arrested, with one detained for planning terrorist attacks and only recently released, proves that this is indeed a case for national security concern. The primary question on people’s minds is this: How do young people get radicalised?

The first avenue is through the Internet. Youths are increasingly exposed to various forms of online platforms such as social media, blogs, forums, YouTube videos and websites in general. Terrorist groups reach out to impressionable minds by seducing them into believing that their brand of ideology is right, and violence for the cause is therefore justified. Moreover, cyberspace also exposes young people to like-minded communities, as was the case with one of the teenagers who was arrested. Also, the promise of salvation may strike a chord with certain youths who are not familiar with the actual teachings of Islam.

So how do we combat youth radicalisation?

The Ministry of Home Affairs has articulated the following: “Religious institutions and teachers have an important role to play in engaging young Singaporeans when they have questions on religious matters, and steering them in the right direction.”

I agree with this wholeheartedly as young people should be taught to tell the difference between the actual teachings of Islam and the false promises that terrorist groups make.

Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), formed in April 2013, is an example of such a group whose primary aim is “countering the ideological misunderstanding of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members through counselling.

Their centre has five zones. Each zone elaborates on a different point like how extremists have distorted the meaning of Islam to advocate violence and the ways the RRG counters that. It also talks about how Singapore has been affected and the importance of promoting a vigilant society and expressing our commitment to peace.

Support and supervision from family and close friends make a huge difference as well in protecting these youths from the dangers of radicalisation.

Finally, I would like to say that when harrowing issues such as youth radicalisation are brought to the fore, the first course of action should be to protect the youths from further entrapment and provide them with all the assistance they need to free themselves from the web of radicalisation — instead of making assumptions about the religion itself.

Source: http://inconvenientquestions.sg

July 5, 2015