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Zulfikar Shariff: Racism Against Malay Community Finally Getting Attention

For the last 17 years…. PAP Malay MPs have blamed me for discussing how Malays are discriminated in Singapura.

I have been threatened, abused, attacked…

They said I should not raise these issues.

That we should compromise.

Give and take.

That I should encourage the community to support them so their party would see them as being relevant and they can do more.

That discrimination is isolated.

And now….we are starting to hear regular cases of discrimination.

These cases are becoming common not because society is becoming more racist.

But because the Malays used to accept being discriminated and kept quiet.

We did not have any avenue to raise it.

The media would not publish anything beyond government narrative.

The Malay MPs would reject, ignore and give platitudes when told of racism.

Malay organisations are powerless and (still) do not want to affect their standing.

But now with social media…we are beginning to see how Malays are actually treated.

And it is when we start to speak up, when we reject these discriminatory practices…

When we resist…

That we will finally be able to change the situation Insha Allah.

Racism has been ingrained in Singapuran society and institutions for years…

It finally is getting the attention it deserves.

Source: Zulfikar Shariff

May 1, 2016
Khairi Shah: Muslims Should Act & React In A Way Befitting Prophet Muhammad In Multicultural Singapore

The PrimaDeli “racist” fiasco, the condo secret prayer space getting thrown out, and many other issues being brought up in social media, are all indeed saddening to us Malay Muslims here in Singapore. We all know, racism/hate is real. Of course it is. It’s been around for decades. I’m not gonna pretend it’s not.

But, to see many of us dealing with the situation with threats and vulgarities, and rallying on one another with negativity towards other races.. Also saddens me. I mean, Islam doesn’t teach that. Our beloved Prophet wouldnt have approved of our behaviour. Like, take a step back and look. Arent we the same as them if we were to criticise a whole race for just several bad apples?

Chill my people. The company tells you to take out the tudung? Nvm, find a company with a boss that respects you and your religion enough, or one that actually allows tudungs. Condo prayer space thrown out? It’s okay, Allah will help you find a new one. Prima Deli saying if you cant speak Mandarin, dont work there? Its okay. Learn Mandarin. Or find a job that the people converse in English. To those people who treated you as such, may HE forgive them and open up their hearts.

We have to have patience, and chill. Show love, and lead by example. Even in bad times. God willing, it’ll move their hearts.

Remember, we don’t live in an Islamic country so we can’t expect ALL jobs and places to allow our Islamic practices, BUT however, we live in a multi-cultural country. So to everyone, have respect to one another. Understand one another. Have some teh. Come.

I give you free speech. Just gimme one teh-o peng, with prata. Multi-racial enough?

Source: Khairi Shah

May 1, 2016
Lee Hsien Loong: Good Character, Integrity First Requirement For Candidates

“Anyone standing for public office should be prepared to have his past actions examined, transparently and honestly,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement in response to comments by the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)’s Paul Tambyah on Saturday (Apr 30).

PM Lee said this is so that “voters can make informed, responsible decisions as to who is fit and best qualified to represent them in Parliament”.

“Character goes to the heart of the fitness of a candidate, whether to be an MP, or indeed to hold any public office. Is he honest? Does he have integrity? Is he loyal? Is he committed to serve the people? What are his basic motivations? These come first, before we even talk about how able he is, what experience he brings, or what policies he proposes,” PM Lee said.

The Prime Minister said the importance of character applies to People’s Action Party (PAP) candidates, although he said it was “understandable why SDP, and particularly Dr Chee Soon Juan, should wish it to be otherwise”.

“Good character and integrity is the first requirement, and it should be so for opposition parties too.”

Earlier on Saturday, PM Lee had questioned Dr Chee’s character and aptitude to be an MP for Bukit Batok.

In response, Dr Tambyah said later in a live Facebook video statement: “A person is not defined by his or her actions or words”, adding that an attack on Dr Chee’s character was “uncalled for”, and that “we need to debate the issues, not engage in character assassination”.

PM Lee’s comments were issued in a statement from his PressLee Secretary.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 1, 2016
New Counter-Terror Police Squad Operational By June

A new crack squad of police officers specially trained and armed to take on terrorists minutes after an attack on Singapore’s shores will be operational in June.

These officers of the Emergency Response Team (ERT), which Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam announced last month as part of a hardening of counter-terrorism measures amid heightened risks, will be trained in counter-assault. They will also wield more powerful firearms — the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun — than regular cops and be suited up in ballistic helmets and vests in full battle order.

Sharing details of the ERT during the Police workplan seminar yesterday, Mr Shanmugam said that “top of the list” of the new challenges the force will face is terrorism, which has become “a clear and present danger”.

The Police noted that, going by the Paris attacks last November and Jakarta attacks in January, the modus operandi of terrorists have shifted to trying to inflict maximum casualties as quickly as possible without any intent to capture hostages or negotiate for their reliease.

Mr Shanmugam added: “ERTs … will have to respond faster, more effectively and decisively to attacks. They will have more firepower and be given training to achieve this. They will get to the scene as quickly as possible to contain the situation and minimise casualties as far as possible.”

ERT officers will operate out of all six land division headquarters in groups of four to five, conducting patrols at places such as shopping malls as a form of deterrence. By going on these rounds, the officers will also be able to familiarise themselves with the local terrain and stakeholders so that they can respond swiftly during an armed attack.

The ERT will be followed by a second wave of forces — specialist teams from the Special Operations Command (SOC) called Rapid Deployment Troops (RDT). Mr Shanmugam said that around 300 officers will recruited by the time the RDT is fully manned by July 2017.

These troops will move around in convoys of armoured Tactical Strike Vehicles — still being developed — and Tactical Vehicles. When they are needed on a scene urgently, they will use Tactical Response Motorcycles so that they can weave through traffic, for instance.

Source: TODAY Online

April 30, 2016
Muslim Convert In France Refuses To Sell Clothes To Women On Weekdays

When Jean-Baptiste Michalon posted a notice on the outside of his general store last year, he hardly imagined that it would create a national outcry.

“Sisters on Saturdays and Sundays only,” the note read. Michalon’s message to customers in the French city of Bordeaux: Women were welcome only on weekends. Men could shop on weekdays.

On Tuesday, a court fined Michalon $560 for making such a distinction, despite his argument that he had posted the sign to protect his wife, who was also working in the store, and other women.

“We put this in place at the request of the sisters who preferred when my wife was behind the counter. It is a shop where we sell clothes,” Michalon, who converted to Islam four years ago, told the French news agency Agence France-Presse last year.

Following the outrage created by his note, the Frenchman closed his store and “admitted it was a blunder and tactless,” according to a statement from his lawyer.

Local politicians and Muslim leaders stressed that Michalon’s behavior did not represent mainstream opinions. The city’s mayor, Alain Juppé, a former prime minister of France, called the practice “discriminatory.”

Multiple studies have also found a growing problem with racism in France, mainly directed toward Muslims, who are believed to constitute about 7 percent of the French population. Muslims frequently complain that they have a hard time getting jobs, but conservative French commentators and politicians have emphasized that the country should not give up its founding promises of equality in order to please radical Islamists.

Source: The Independent UK

April 30, 2016