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  • Time’s Up For Jalan Besar’s King George’s Stand

    Time’s Up For Jalan Besar’s King George’s Stand

    After scoring the LionsXII’s first-ever goal in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) in 2012 against Kelantan, defender Baihakki Khaizan hurdled over the advertising boards and celebrated with the home fans in a packed King George’s Stand behind the goal atthe Jalan Besar Stadium.

    It was a memorable moment cherished by the Singapore international and everyone in the local football fraternity.

    Football celebrations in the King George’s Stand will be no more, though, after the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) confirmed yesterday that the 1,500-capacity facility, which had cost sponsors Kingsmen more than $250,000 to build, will be dismantled in November.

    This will reduce the stadium’s capacity from 8,000 to 6,500.

    Speaking to The New Paper yesterday, FAS deputy director of development and planning Benjamin Tan said: “We appreciate the understanding and approvals of the relevant authorities in granting extensions for the continued use of the King George’s Stand at Jalan Besar Stadium over the past three years.

    “We are also thankful to our partners, including Kingsmen and Sport Singapore, for their support towards our continuous efforts in bringing more fans together.

    INCREASE

    “With an approximate capacity of 1,500, the King George’s Stand enabled us to increase the seating capacity of the stadium, which in turn allowed more fans to turn up and support our teams in action over the past few years.

    “The final extension for the use of the temporary seating structures expired on Aug 29, and the dismantling and reinstatement works will commence in November.

    “We will continue to work with our stakeholders and partners and explore various ways of enhancing match-day and viewing experience for our fans.”

    The last time the King George’s Stand was used in an MSL match was on Aug 8 against Pahang, when the LionsXII won 4-2.

    It has since been sealed off for the last few home games.

    While it has seen better days, such as capacity crowds in 2012 and 2013 when the LionsXII finished MSL runners-up and champions, respectively, attendances at the Jalan Besar Stadium have declined in recent years, with an average of 5,000.

    Even though the grandstand and gallery would be packed for certain games, the King George’s Stand was regularly a huge swathe of emptiness, although it did enjoy a turnaround during the SEA Games football tournament held here in June.

    While a Sport Singapore spokesman said that it is open to similar arrangements in the future, there are no current plans to further increase the capacity at Jalan Besar Stadium.

    “The final extension for the use of the temporary seating structures expired on Aug 29, and the dismantling and reinstatement works will commence in November.”

    – FAS deputy director of development and planning Benjamin Tan

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Despite Obstacles And Hardships, I Finally Graduated From Medical School

    Despite Obstacles And Hardships, I Finally Graduated From Medical School

    Alhamdulillah. I have finally graduated from medical school. Finally. 5 years which felt like forever. 5 years of blood, sweat and tears (Yes. all, literal).

    Tears that came out when I found out that I passed were tears of relief more than happiness. Like finding an oasis in a desert, that kind of feeling? Rather than a story of success, mine is actually a story of one failure after another and how Allah helps me and sends people into my life to help me overcome my failures.

    5 years ago, I was contemplating whether I should give up on my dream of becoming a doctor because the fees were too expensive. But I applied anyway after deciding that I shouldn’t deny myself an education just because of family circumstances. Nobody should. I didn’t qualify for any form of help from Mendaki so I applied to a lot of scholarship bodies and went for one interview after another. Being rejected by Mendaki was probably my biggest blessing in disguise because I wouldn’t have found the OCBC bond-free scholarship which covers some of my fees and allowance. Thank you so much OCBC Scholarship committee. Thanks to you, I was able to travel for study and for leisure, to places such as Brunei, Turkey, Korea, Japan and perform my Umrah. Some kind strangers who heard my story even contacted me and reached out to me and some wrote in to newspaper forums. May Allah reward all of you.

    To my family, I’m sorry I took so long to graduate, but I did it now. I will always remember how my uncles and aunts took us in when we had no place to stay. Will I ever get to repay such kindness? And who says my family is incomplete? They are enough for me.

    To my friends who listened to all my frustrations and my worries, I wish I was a better friend to all of you. Sometimes when I get too caught up in school/hospital, I forgot to ask how you ladies have been doing with your lives. Thank you for praying for me and encouraging me to persevere. You all know who you are. I love all of you.

    To all the patients I’ve met, the makciks, pakciks, uncles and aunties, young and old that has cheered me on and even raised their hands to make du’a for me, thank you for reminding me why I chose this profession. To everybody else who has motivated me in one way or another, thank you.

    And lastly, to my mother Jamalia Shariff who is my biggest fan and kept all these newspaper articles from long ago, thank you…for everything. All these years that was painful for me must have been more difficult for you. I am especially sorry to you that you had to wait for so long for me to graduate. Ever since you became a single parent when I was 12, I’ve learnt to be independent with the intention of not wanting to burden you. But I didn’t realise that my independence is at times a source of worry for you, especially being the youngest and the only girl in the family. But it seems like I got my strength from you, right? I will be better in the future, InsyaAllah. Today, you turn a year older, so my graduation is my birthday present to you. Happy Birthday and I pray that Allah bless you with a long and healthy life. Ameen. Terima Kasih Mak. Selamat Hari Jadi. Sayang Mak.

    During my Medicine admission interview, my interviewers asked, “You’ve led such a hard life, if we accept you into Medicine, are you sure you can endure more years of hardships?”. So I said, “Precisely because I’ve had a hard life, which is why I think I’ll be able to endure what is to come. And I’m not going to go through it alone because I have so many people behind me.” And that was exactly what medical school was; hard. But when I fall, Allah brings me back up. He taught me humility through my failures. And I know that things will get tougher when I start working in one month’s time (you can look for me in CGH), but I have so many people counting on me that I have to keep going. I want to be the kind of doctor that everyone wants me to be. InsyaAllah. Please make du’a for me.

    (the articles was from 8 and 4 years ago.)

     

    Source: Mumtaz Yusoff

  • All Singaporean Haj Pilgrims Safe

    All Singaporean Haj Pilgrims Safe

    All Singaporean pilgrims who are on their haj pilgrimage are accounted for and are safe, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said.

    In a Facebook post on Thursday (Sep 24), Dr Yaacob said he was saddened by the news of the stampede in Mina, where more than 300 deaths have been reported so far.

    “I understand from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) that all our Singaporean pilgrims are accounted for and are safe,” Dr Yaacob wrote.

    “Our deepest condolences to the families of those who perished. Let us pray for the recovery of those injured, and may all pilgrims be able to complete their haj safely and smoothly,” he added.

    According to reports, the death toll from the tragedy continues to rise. As of 7.19pm, the Saudi Arabian civil defence said at least 453 have died from the stampede.

    MUIS TO WORK WITH MFA TO MONITOR SAFETY, WELFARE OF SINGAPOREANS

    In a statement issued on Thursday, MUIS said the Singapore Pilgrims’ Affairs Office confirmed that no Singaporeans were involved in the incident in Mina.

    “We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor the safety and welfare of all Singaporeans performing the haj,” MUIS said.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • More Than 700 Pilgrims Killed In Saudi Hajj Stampede

    More Than 700 Pilgrims Killed In Saudi Hajj Stampede

    At least 717 people have been killed in a stampede at the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia’s civil defence directorate said, as the death toll continued to rise.

    The directorate said at least 863 other pilgrims were injured in Thursday’s stampede, which took place in Mina, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca.

    The injured have been evacuated to four different hospitals in the Mina region, according to a civil defence spokesman.

    Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Prince Mohamed bin Nayef, ordered a probe into how the tragedy had occured.

    Nayef, who chairs the Saudi hajj committee, ordered the probe during a meeting with senior officials responsible for the pilgrimage in Mina, where the stampede took place.

    The findings of the investigation will be submitted to King Salman, “who will take appropriate measures” in response, the Saudi Press agency said.

    Mina is where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone walls. It also houses more than 160,000 tents where pilgrims spend the night during the pilgrimage.

    Al Jazeera’s Basma Atassi, reporting from Mina, said the incident took place in a street between pilgrim camps.

    “The street where it happened is named Street 204. This stampede did not happen at the site of the ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual, which was happening today,” she said.

    “During and after the stampede the pilgrims continued to flock into Mina to perform the devil stoning ritual.”

    Amateur video shared on social media showed a horrific scene, with scores of bodies – the men dressed in the simple terry cloth garments worn during Hajj – lying alongside crushed wheelchairs and water bottles.

    The head of the Central Hajj Committee, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, blamed the stampede on “some pilgrims from African nationalities,” Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV channel reported.

    Iranian authorities have said that at least 43 Iranian nationals were killed in the stampede.

    Survivors assessed the scene by standing on the top of roadside stalls as rescue workers in orange and yellow vests combed the area.

    About 4,000 people from the rescue services were participating in the operation to help the injured and about 220 ambulances were directed to the scene, a civil defence spokesman said.

    Photos released by the defence directorate on its official Twitter account showed rescue workers helping the wounded onto stretchers and loading them onto ambulances near some of the tents.

    Al Jazeera’s Omar al-Saleh, reporting from Mecca, said the number of deaths could rise.

    “This is only the initial number … The Hajj season was already overshadowed by the crane accident that killed 107 people and wounded more than 200,” Alsaleh said, adding: “The area has turned to a big massive construction site to allow more pilgrims to visit Mecca during Hajj.

    “Mina has more than 160,000 tents divided over several camps, and with the 1.9 million people taking part in this year’s Hajj, you will understand the logistical nightmare that the Saudi authorities are facing.

    “I’ve seen some footage and it’s really sad. I’ve seen piles of bodies on top of each other.”

    Deadly Hajj incidents

    Saudi authorities take extensive precautions to ensure the security of the Hajj and the safety of pilgrims. But tragedies are not uncommon.

    In 2006, more than 360 pilgrims were killed in a stampede, also in Mina.

    The day before the 2006 Hajj began, an eight-story building being used as a hostel near the Grand Mosque in Mecca collapsed, killing at least 73 people.

    Two years earlier, a crush at Mina killed 244 and injured hundreds on the final day of the pilgrimage.

    And, in 2001, a stampede at Mina killed 35 people.

    The worst hajj-related tragedy, which happened in 1990, killed 1,426 pilgrims in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.

     

    Source: www.aljazeera.com

  • Walid J. Abdullah: Muslims Must Repond To Provocations In A Way That Helps The Ummah

    Walid J. Abdullah: Muslims Must Repond To Provocations In A Way That Helps The Ummah

    Muslims must really learn not to let ourselves get provoked so easily; sometimes there is no need to glorify provocations with even a response. And when a response is needed, it must be done in a way that helps the ummah; not in a way that hurts it, and definitely not a response that is designed just to vent one’s frustrations. No doubt, we must feel angry about certain, or rather, many, things, but being angry does not mean we do not react intelligently.

    Additionally, we must be fair in dealing with others. I really do not buy the idea that we must respect every single belief that differs from ours: there are many beliefs that we argue to be false, so it is ridiculous to say that we must ‘respect’ those beliefs.

    Rather, a more appropriate call would be for us to respect the right of others to believe in whatever they wish to believe, even if we think their beliefs are ludicrous. Remember, many of our own beliefs are regarded as absurd by others, and we should not demand they respect our beliefs (if they did, they would be Muslim already); but we must demand they respect our right to believe in whatever we do.
    By the same token, we must respect the right of others to disagree with us.

    (How that disagreement should manifest itself, is clearly dependent on the social, political and cultural context of a nation/society.)

    We must also remember one thing: if we do not display maturity in responding to differences and/or provocations, we are essentially giving the state fodder to justify its interventionist and muscular policies.

    ‘See, we told you religion can be a divisive force, that is why we must constantly keep a lid on it.’

    If we persist in doing that, then we should not really complain when we witness the strong arm of the state everywhere.

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

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