Rilek1Corner – Page 778

5-Year Jail Time For For Anyone Who Celebrates Christmas In Brunei

Earlier in April, the rest of the world condemned monarch-ruled Brunei after announcing the introduction of the Sharia penal code that would include penalties such as the severing of limbs and death by stoning.

The tiny but prosperous state on the island of Borneo that is ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, has now made international headlines once again after the state announced a ban on Christmas.

The ban was declared on the internationally celebrated Christian holiday because the religious affairs ministry said that publicly marking non-Islamic rituals or festivities could be seen as propagations of religions other than Islam.

Roughly 20 per cent of Brunei’s residents comprise of non-Muslims, including sizeable Buddhist and Christiancommunities.

‘Believers of other religions that live under the rule of an Islamic country – according to Islam – may practice their religion or celebrate their religious festivities among their community, with the condition that the celebrations are not disclosed or displayed publicly to Muslims,‘

‘Muslims should be careful not to follow celebrations such as these that are not in any way related to Islam… and could unknowingly damage the faith of Muslims.‘ Said the government of Brunei in a statement.

The statement also noted that businesses that publicly displayed Christmas decorations would be asked to take them down– to which the businesses had given their ‘full cooperation’ in the matter.

The penalty for celebrating Christmas in Brunei is punishable with a jail term of up to 5-years.

Brunei’s latest decision to ban Christmas officially will no doubt, attract more international criticism- following the harsh Sharia penal code that was announced to be implemented in the state in April by Brunei’s 68-year-old Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Source: http://thecoverage.my

December 21, 2015

Suspected Terrorists In Indonesia Planned To Detonate Bombs In Java, Sumatra

Indonesian police have arrested nine suspected Islamic State supporters who were allegedly preparing terror attacks for later this month.

Police said members of the terrorist cell may have been planning a New Year’s Eve attack in Jakarta.

In a series of raids across the island of Java, Indonesia’s special anti-terror unit uncovered bomb-making materials and a black IS-style flag.

The arrests followed a tip-off from the Australian Federal Police and coincide with meetings to be held today in Jakarta between Australian Attorney-General George Brandis, counter-terrorism minister Michael Keenan and senior Indonesian politicians.

Those arrested include a teacher at an Islamic school and one of his students.

National police chief Badrodin Haiti said anti-terror police from unit Densus 88 acted after information received from the Australian Federal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He said the men appeared to have prepared imminent attacks in Java and Sumatra.

The first arrest was made on Friday in the West Java city of Banjar.

That led to more raids across Java, including one on Saturday night in central Java, where police said they found bomb-making materials including fertiliser, ball bearings, nails and electronic switches.

Police would not say where the attacks were intended, but they noted they found a map of greater Jakarta with the bomb-making materials.

Authorities warned Indonesians to be wary of a likely terror threat over the next 10 days, even after the weekend raids.

Children ride a bike past a house with police tape around it.

Security stepped up to safeguard churches

Indonesia saw a spate of militant attacks in the 2000s, the deadliest of which was a nightclub bombing on the holiday island of Bali that killed 202 people, many of them Australian tourists.

Police have been largely successful in destroying domestic militant cells since then, but officials now worry about a resurgence in militancy inspired by groups such as Islamic State and Indonesians who return after fighting with the group.

Authorities plan to deploy more than 150,000 security personnel and several religious organisations to safeguard churches and public places around the country during Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, the country’s military chief said on Friday.

Security and surveillance had already been stepped up in some areas following the attacks in Paris last month that killed 130 people and for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

Indonesia is home to an estimated 25 million Christian people, roughly 10 per cent of the total population.

They live mostly on smaller, more remote islands, not on the two most populated islands of Java and Sumatra.

Source: www.abc.net.au

December 21, 2015

Needy Families Affected By Umrah Postponement

He emptied his savings account to fund his and his wife’s umrah pilgrimages at the end of the year.

The man, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ahmad, 51, was very disappointed when he heard that his trip had to be postponed to March due to accommodation issues.

Mr Ahmad had engaged the services of Mr Suwandi Marchuke from Bil Hikmah Consultants LLP in April to arrange for his umrah pilgrimage as the consultant company had designed a package that catered to the less fortunate. (See report on right.)

Umrah is a minor pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and can be performed at any time of the year.

On Nov 7, more than a month before they were set to leave for Mecca, more than 200 pilgrims were gathered by Mr Suwandi at Hajjah Rahimabi mosque to be told the bad news.

REFUND

Said Mr Ahmad, a father of four: “I’m only a despatch rider and my wife is a housewife. We scrimped to make ends meet and managed to save enough for the both of us to go.”

Mr Ahmad paid a registration fee of $300 for both of them and later paid the remaining $3,996 in full.

“We just hope that our refund will be processed as soon as possible,” he said, adding that he will be looking for another organiser.

The package that the Bil Hikmah consultant offered also allowed pilgrims to pay the amount in instalments.

That was the main reason Madam Salbiah Idris, 49, engaged its services to arrange for her and her husband’s pilgrimages end of this year.

“It was my first time going overseas, so I put my full trust on Suwandi. Especially since I saw that he successfully organised the pilgrimage last year,” said the mother of four.

The housewife said that the first sign of trouble was when Mr Suwandi called them together.

“It was close to the time when we were supposed to apply for our visas, but I felt something was wrong when Mr Suwandi told us not to bring our passports,” said Madam Salbiah.

When Mr Suwandi said that the trip was going to be postponed, she was initially afraid that she would lose the money she had deposited.

“It wasn’t easy saving up money. My eldest daughter, who is only 23, works full-time so she gives me money every month. I used that money to pay for the instalments,” said the mother of four.

Madam Salbiah paid a registration fee of $300 and then a sum of $3,996 for her and her husband.

“I’m not that angry about the situation. I understand that mistakes happen and I take it as a test from god,” she said.

Madam Salbiah said she will continue to trust Mr Suwandi.

“I’m willing to give him a chance and wait till March. I hope he can get everything sorted out by then,” she said.

I’m only a despatch rider and my wife is a housewife. We scrimped to make ends meet and managed to save enough for the both of us to go.

– Mr Ahmad, 51, who hopes for a refund soon

I have no intention to cheat anyone: Organiser

The package by Bil Hikmah Consultants was specifically designed to give pilgrims from low-income families a chance to fulfil their pilgrimages in Mecca, said organiser Suwandi Marchuke.

It includes food, accommodation and transport for pilgrims and it cost $1,998 per person, a vast difference from the market rate of about $3,000.

The difference in the prices is sponsored by a consortium of oil and gas companies across the Causeway as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility programme, claimed Mr Suwandi, who said he has links with the consortium.

Last year, Mr Suwandi arranged 64 pilgrimages under the package.

Following that success, the consultant, who is also an owner of a scaffolding company, was approached by veteran singer Aziz Ahmad to organize a pilgrimage for his fans.

Mr Aziz, who could not be contacted yesterday, told Berita Harian that his role was only to gather his fans for the trip and he had nothing to do with the planning of it.

In the end, 218 people signed with Mr Suwandi.

“I was very optimistic that everyone will be able to go,” he said.

After collecting money from the pilgrims, he engaged a pilgrimage service in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and paid more than US$300,000 ($420,000) in deposits for the pilgrims’ transport and accommodation.

However, two months before the group was supposed to depart, the consortium, whose members declined to be named, could not confirm the amount that they could commit to.

Mr Suwandi told The New Paper that because of the delay, he could not confirm his accommodation booking.

“When I confirm the booking for the accommodation, I already need to pay the full amount.

“How can I do that if the consortium hasn’t got back to me about how much they are sponsoring?” said Mr Suwandi.

Unfortunately, the consortium could sponsor only an amount of $360 each for 150 pilgrims. By then, most of the accommodation was fully booked and pilgrims had to be scattered into different hotels.

ADDITIONAL COST

“It will be so inconvenient for the pilgrims if they are separated. We will need to engage different caterers and it would also mean additional transports costs,” he said.

Mr Suwandi immediately consulted Mr Aziz in Johor Baru, where the latter is residing.

The pair decided to postpone the trip so that they could accommodate all the pilgrims in the same hotel.

Mr Suwandi said: “I have no intention to cheat anyone of their money. I gave them an alternative to postpone the trip to either March, May or December next year, that’s all.”

He said that at least 128 pilgrims have decided to postpone while the rest asked for a refund.

“I am definitely willing to refund their money back, but these processes take time, so all I need is a bit of patience from pilgrims,” he said.

Source: www.tnp.sg

December 19, 2015

Amos Yee Threatened By ISIS?

Is Amos Yee’s life in danger? A person commenting on Amos’ FB post shared a link to a reddit post where a Mohammad Hussein claiming affiliation with ISIS, threatened Amos for insulting Islam.

See for your self. Legit or troll?

Whatever Amos has said, reacting with violence will only make people look down upon us.

***

my name is Mohammad Hussein and I am affiliated to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS. Please do not call us Daesh, that is a name for pussies like you.

We noted how Amos Yee, a teen from Singapore, insulted our almighty God Allah. We are very displeased about this. As the representative of my group, I would like to warn you against committing such future acts or saying words anywhere remotely close to what you did.

Even though it is out of character, we will give you a chance. You can either apologies to all the Muslim brothers and sisters whose religious feelings you have wounded. Otherwise, you will feel our wrath.

Yes, don’t be fooled. This is a death threat. We know where your parents live. We know what they do. We will not relent in our pursuit of you. You are not safe anywhere, even in police custody or in jail. We will find you. We will burn your hair. We will gouge out your eyes with pitchforks. We will cut off your tongue. We won’t cut your jugular because that is too quick a death for you. You deserve a slow and painful death.

We will rip your abdomen open and fill it with ants and maggots. We will watch as these creatures which are infinitely better than you eat your heart out. We will then mutilate your body and slice off your penis and testicles, feeding to the dogs. Lastly, we will burn your body so that it will be condemned forever to hell.

Amos, this is your last and final warning. Do not think that we are joking. We will hunt you down till the ends of the earth. When you offend the holy followers of Allah, even the FBI and CIA will not be able to save you.

Al fateha, Amos.

Allahu Akbar!

Source: Amos Yee

December 18, 2015

More Financial Help Disbursed To Poor In 2015

A record sum of $116 million in social assistance payments were made to the poor in the last financial year, ending March 2015.

This was a 14 per cent jump from the previous year and almost double the $61 million given out five years ago.

This money was used to help 91,093 individuals last year, up from 54,041 five years ago.

ComCare is a key social safety net for low-income Singaporeans and it provides three broad types of assistance: long-term help, largely for the elderly poor; interim as well as short-to-medium term help for those facing crises, such as illness or retrenchment; kindergarten and student care subsidies for children.

A portion of the money – $68.5 million – came from interest generated by the Community Care (ComCare) Endowment Fund, set up by the Government in 2005 to help needy families get back on their feet.

The rest came from the budget of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).

The biggest jump last year was in short-to-medium-term payouts, which rose from $55.7 million in 2013 to $68.7 million last year, said the latest ComCare annual report. Five years ago, such payouts amounted to $16.6 million.

One reason could be the rise in the number of people who live alone and therefore need more support.

Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin noted that one- and two-person households under short-to-medium term assistance rose from 51.4 per cent in 2012 to 55.8 per cent last year.

Households given such an assistance can receive vouchers for transport and rent, monthly cash grants, medical assistance and help in job search or training.

Spending on long-term help grew to $18.7 million last year, up from $17.3 million the year before. Data from the report showed that 65 per cent of households on such assistance are the elderly who live alone.

They receive cash handouts for daily expenses and those with children get help with school expenses.

In a newly created blog called MSF Conversations, Mr Tan wrote: “The increase (in ComCare financial assistance) is not too surprising because we have increased our efforts in the last few years to bring help closer to those in need.”

The 24th Social Service Office (SSO), that completed Singapore’s social services network, was officially launched in Taman Jurong earlier this week. SSOs administer ComCare assistance and plan social services in their neighbourhoods.

Mr Tan added: “We have also adjusted some of our income criteria thresholds so that more can be assisted.”

Since July last year, the household income cap for short-to-medium-term aid was raised from $1,700 to $1,900.

National University of Singapore’s Irene Ng noted that economic disparity has “improved somewhat” over the past two years.

But “we are still not past the problems of high income inequality, bottom wage stagnation, high costs of living and fast pace of growth that makes it harder for the less able to catch up”, said the Associate Professor of Social Work.

Source: http://news.asiaone.com