Rilek1Corner

Category: Sosial

  • Unjust Policies Against The Malay Muslim Community Perpetuate Misconceptions Against The Community

    Unjust Policies Against The Malay Muslim Community Perpetuate Misconceptions Against The Community

    Our law minister Shanmugam recently mentioned that Singaporeans are obliged to reach out to the Muslims to build social cohesion.

    While the government hopes to realise a society that can fully integrate in harmony, on the contrary it has unknowingly perpetuate misconceptions among Singaporeans, in particular towards the Malay/Muslims in Singapore by means of unjust policies.

    It would be better for Shanmugan to ask the government to take the lead and not passing the buck to the people and hope everything turns out fine.

    Although Singaporeans are obliged to reach out to each other, it is also the government’s responsibility to subserve social cohesion.

    A good start would be in school. Psychologist would agree that exposing children to diverse cultural practices at a young age would most probably remove prejudices and racial bigotry.

    1. Allow the tudung in school from kindergarten level – Children are naturally inquisitive. They learn and absorb much more in natural classroom settings. Exposing them to such occurrences will help these children to better understand the multi-racial society that we live in and leads to greater tolerance in future.

    2. Set up student exchange programme from the mainstream school with the Madrasah schools – We have overseas exchange programmes. So why not have it with the Madrasah schools? These students can benefit like any other overseas exchange programmes. It goes both ways. It helps both students from the mainstream and madrasah to understand our unique social settings.

    3. Remove discriminatory criteria for enrolling in SAP schools – We heard of how Malays are under represented in SAP schools. The criterion to speak Mandarin to be eligible for enrolling of one’s child, automatically exclude majority of the Malay/Muslims students to be eligible. This criterion unwittingly segregates the populace. There are students who went to SAP schools and study up to higher level without having the experience of associating themselves with other races and cultures except the one where they come from. How does that help to build social cohesion?

    4. Put an end to the unwritten policy that forbid the Malays/Muslim from entering certain restricted areas in the RSAF. We heard and read of many accounts even from the non-Malays of how they (Malays) were prevented from entering the premises just because they are of a certain race. At this level, continuing with such atrocious policies only seek to preserve the misconception the general masses have on the Muslims.

    5. Lift the ban on hijabs to be worn in uniformed groups – The narrative from the government is that allowing it will cause racial disharmony and harm social cohesion. On what basis does the Government has to support its claim? Policies that are discriminatory, when implemented must be of substantive reasoning else it runs the risk of creating ill-will between the people.

    I believe the above is a good start for the government to initiate in building greater cohesion among the people. Passing the buck to the populace is not going to help much when it actively maintain policies that prevents the society from integrating positively.

    The baton is now over to you Mr Shanmugam.

     

    Source: Khan Osman Sulaiman

  • Badan Amal Baru Agih 150,000 Makanan Percuma

    Badan Amal Baru Agih 150,000 Makanan Percuma

    MEMBERI 150,000 bungkusan makanan percuma kepada mereka yang memerlukan.

    Demikian matlamat murni yang sedang dilaksanakan oleh sebuah badan amal baru Free Food For All (FFFA), yang melancarkan kempen tersebut baru-baru ini.

    Dipanggil ‘150K Meals: For the Community, From the Community’ atau ‘150K Makanan: Untuk Masyarakat, Dari Masyarakat’, kempen tersebut dilancarkan di Blok 176, Boon Lay Drive.

    Dengan bantuan para sukarelawan masyarakat Boon Lay, FFFA menyediakan lebih 400 bungkusan makanan malam kepada mereka yang memerlukan di kawasan tersebut setiap hari, bahkan pengedaran tersebut telah pun dilakukan sejak 1 Mac lalu.

    Turut membantu mengedarkan bungkusan tersebut adalah para pemain dan pengurus kelab bola sepak Liga-S, Home United.

    Pengasas FFFA, Encik Nizar Md Shariff, berkata melalui penyediaan hidangan makanan halal itu sesama jiran tetangga, semangat kemasyarakatan diharap dapat dijalin dan disemai.

    “Satu program penghantaran makan malam telah dimulakan, memberi peluang kepada warga untuk memainkan peranan lebih besar, seperti mengirim makanan kepada jiran terutama warga tua,” kata beliau.

    Menurutnya, dalam tempoh setahun akan datang, FFFA berhasrat untuk mengedarkan 150,000 bungkus makanan percuma – lebih seganda jumlah yang diagihkan pada tahun sebelumnya.

    FFFA merupakan badan amal berdaftar yang menyediakan makanan secara percuma kepada golongan kurang bernasib baik tidak kira bangsa atau agama.

    Ia dimulakan pada November 2014 secara tidak formal dan menjadi badan amal berdaftar pada Jun tahun lalu.

    Sejak diasaskan, FFFA telah pun mengedarkan lebih 75,000 bungkusan makanan, tetapi kini ia berhasrat mengedarkan 150,000 bungkusan makanan di bawah kempen tersebut.

    Kempen itu dibiayai oleh para penderma individu dan korporat.

    Menu makanannya pula berubah-ubah setiap hari tetapi secara umum hidangannya termasuk nasi, sayur dan ayam atau ikan.

    Sebelum ini, FFFA juga telah mengedarkan makanan percuma itu di Marsiling, Chai Chee, Marine Parade dan MacPherson, kebanyakannya setiap minggu.

    Badan amal itu kini berharap untuk mengumpul wang sejumlah S$300,000 bagi membiayai kempennya dan berharap penderma tampil memberi sumbangan yang boleh dilakukan melalui derma dalam talian menerusi laman Giving.SG ataupun tin derma rumah.

    Satu acara mengumpul dana bagi kempen tersebut juga akan diadakan di Pasar Geylang Serai, dari 9 pagi hingga 5 petang, Sabtu ini (2 April).

    FFFA turut akan mengadakan klinik bola sepak untuk para belia masyarakat Boon Lay awal bulan depan.

     

    Source: Berita Harian SG

  • Mufti S’pura Utus Surat Kepada Paderi Besar Katolik

    Mufti S’pura Utus Surat Kepada Paderi Besar Katolik

    Sebagai bukti semangat berbilang agama di Singapura, Mufti Negara Singapura, Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram mengutus sepucuk surat kepada Paderi Besar Katolik, William Goh.

    Dalam surat tersebut, Dr Fatris melahirkan rasa sedih di atas serangan pengganas di Lahore Pakistan kelmarin, yang membunuh lebih 70 orang.

    Mufti Dr Fatris menegaskan bahawa tindakan mengebom itu adalah tidak berperikemanusiaan dan satu penghinaan bagi para penganut agama yang berpegang pada nilai-nilai ihsan dan keamanan.

    Beliau menambah tindakan mengebom di sebuah taman yang sesak dengan kaum keluarga yang sedang menyambut Easter bukan sahaja bercanggah dengan ajaran Islam, malah ia juga merupakan serangan ke atas manusia secara keseluruhannya.

    Serangan pada Hari Easter itu menyasarkan orang Kristian, walaupun sebahagian besar korban merupakan orang-orang muslim.

    Mufti Dr Fatris juga menekankan kepada Paderi Besar William Goh bahawa MUIS mengutuk keras serangan tersebut, sambil menjelaskan bahawa menyerang orang lain hanya kerana mereka menganuti agama lain, adalah suatu perbuatan yang tidak diterima Islam.

    Source: Berita Mediacorp

  • Zulfikar Shariff: A Racist Will Insult Islam Because He Is Racist, Not Because Of Media Influence

    Zulfikar Shariff: A Racist Will Insult Islam Because He Is Racist, Not Because Of Media Influence

    One reaction by the Muslim community that annoys me…

    is when they see some racist insulting Islam….they assume that person insult because of what they see in the media.

    Lets be clear…a racist will insult Islam because he is racist.

    It is not because of the media.

    It is simply because he is a racist.

    Stop apologising.

    Stop trying to explain that “Islam is not what you see on TV” or “ISIS is not Islam”.

    Stop making excuses for them as though they would have been fair minded if not for the media.

    A lot of non-Muslims watch TV and read about ISIS and do not insult Islam.

    Racists refer to the media to justify their racism.

    Stop making excuses for them.

     

    Source: Zulfikar Shariff

  • Shanmugam: Singaporeans Have Obligation To Reach Out To Muslims, Prevent Islamophobia

    Shanmugam: Singaporeans Have Obligation To Reach Out To Muslims, Prevent Islamophobia

    Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam has called on Singaporeans to reach out to their Muslim neighbours and build social cohesion, saying they are obliged to do so as the recent string of terror attacks threatens to fray the trust between communities here.

    He underlined the need to thwart Islamophobia from developing on Wednesday, after a closed-door meeting with 60 students from the six full-time madrasah, or Islamic religious schools, in Singapore.

    “Whatever it is, we are Singaporeans together and that trumps everything else,” he told reporters, adding that “the 85 per cent who are non-Muslim have an obligation to reach out to the Muslim community and make sure the bonds are strong”.

    He noted that after each of the recent terror attacks in Europe and the US, the number of attacks against Muslims shot up three-fold.

    While there was no immediate threat of such violence erupting in Singapore, he warned that non-Muslims could start developing negative attitudes towards Muslims.

    “People will be too politically correct to express them, but internally they will start looking at Muslims differently,” he said, adding that feedback from Muslims indicate they are concerned about rising Islamophobia in Singapore.

    Before the dialogue, Mr Shanmugan visited the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) and later, the adjacent Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri.

    Muis chief executive Abdul Razak Maricar and Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Amrin Amin also took part in the dialogue.

    Mr Shanmugam said the students raised the topic of Islamophobia in Singapore, adding that it was an issue the Government recognised as a significant risk to the country’s social fabric.

    If Singaporeans become prejudiced against Muslims, terrorists will find it easier to recruit them, he said.

    “If 85 per cent of the population that’s non-Muslim starts developing Islamophobia, that’s precisely what the terrorists want you to do… When the minority Muslim community feels marginalised and discriminated, that’s when you get fertile ground for recruitment.”

    “We’ll be playing right into their hands,” he added.

    A student at the dialogue, Madrasah Al-Maarif Pre-U 1 student Afifah Shameemah, recounted to reporters an incident at a school camp two years ago when a participant from another school made a joke about Muslims being terrorists.

    The 17-year-old said it hurt her feelings, but she did not speak up at that time.

    But if it were to happen today, she would, she said. “It may be a joke, but beause we are in a multi-racial country, we really have to be careful of what we say and make sure we aren’t hurting anybody with our words.”

    Madrasah Al-Arabiah Secondary 3 student Kasyful Azim, 15, who also took part in the dialogue, suggested including madrasah schools in more national sports and academic competitions so that their students can better integrate with their peers in mainstream schools.

     

    Source: Straits Times