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Tag: Buddhists

  • Damanhuri Abas: High Time Government Treats Madrasahs More Fairly

    Damanhuri Abas: High Time Government Treats Madrasahs More Fairly

    Four of my five children are in Madrasah. They spanned 3 out of the 6 remaining full-time Madrasah still providing valuable service to the Muslim community. The Madrasah is a vital educational institution serving both iconic and strategic value to the interest and identity of the local Muslim community. The recent adjustment to allow Madrasah students to get Students yearly per capita grants for extra-curricular programs are overdue but nonetheless welcomed and helpful.

    Yet decades on, the government is still only making baby steps towards acting as they should to provide equal share of aid to all educational institutions that serves the arduous task to the public of providing learning for our next generation. Just because it is a religious institution that is privately owned do not in any way justify an exclusion from its rightful entitlement for public aid when it is crystal clear that the Madrasah have no profit motives in doing their selfless work for the Muslim community.

    It was only like yesterday when the Muslim community had to rally behind these 6 full-time Madrasah when changes to the education act were made imposing compulsory secular education upon them. By the Grace of God, far from wrapping up, the Madrasah raised up their game and vigorously struggled and came up to speed in meeting the conditions imposed upon them. Backed by a very strong united collective community-driven action, they continued to move forward under severe duress straining and testing them tremendously along the way.

    It was never a level playing field for the 6 surviving full-time Madrasah. Some had to struggle under enormous circumstances to keep the listing institution alive and floating believing in their relevance and value to the community. Financially, the Madrasah were severely tested having to cope with burden of staff salary, operational cost from maintenance, upkeep, etc., to ensuring educationally robust infra-structure within severe spatial constraints to meet the ever changing challenging new educational needs for their students.

    It was nothing short of a miracle that with only the heavily subsidized fees paid by parents which barely covered not more than 30% of operational cost, the deluge of donations from the community became the vital lifeline for the Madrasah over the last few decades until today. But surely this is a great affront to justice, fairness and equality that the 6 Madrasah continue to be denied the equivalent financial support they should have been entitled to like other similar religiously based schools that runs in Singapore providing selfless services to their communities.

    Why does the Government choose to discriminate against the Madrasah by denying their full right to be fully funded as a legitimate educational institution in this country serving the public with no profit motives?

    We can see religious based schools among them the Buddhist based schools such as Manjusri and Maha Bodhi operating in spanking buildings paid for by taxpayers money. We have even huge buildings for Christian based schools from convent schools such as CHIJ to St Andrews, St Joseph and many more with some even sitting on prime sites in various parts of this Island. We then have the race based Chinese schools with its strong Confucious ethics and Chinese identity with the label of SAP schools endowed with even more glorious infra-structure. The only exceptions are our Hindu brethren as the second biggest minority without any religious or ethnic based school.

    The Government must answer for its refusal to give equal treatment like what is accorded to the other religious or ethnic based schools but not to the Madrasah. The past excuses are really unacceptable when we think of the severely imbalanced provision given to the examples of the list of religious and ethnic based schools mentioned above.

    Here the Muslim community had never asked for special provision, it is simply equal, fair and just treatment that we are asking from the Government. There is no justification for the Government not providing all the material support needed by the Madrasah like any other educational institutions that serves the people albeit a designated group in society, the Muslim families who chooses to school their children in the Madrasah.

    The selective arguments that Madrasah is a private school do not hold water. The Madrasah is a private school categorised as Islamic schools in the Ministry of Education apart from other private schools in general and directly under the purview of the Islamic Council of Singapore, MUIS.

    This demarcation shows the unique position of the Madrasah as an essentially Muslim community based school and not a strictly private school with profit motives. How can the Government choose to place the Madrasah on the same status as other profit-driven private schools knowing fully well that they never functioned today as a strictly private entity but exists only as first an Islamic educational service provider for the Muslim community and now fully running national curriculum too?

    The recent news of the merger of JCs leaving potentially unused infra-structure should be good news for the 6 full-time Madrasah as they should have first right of refusal to occupy the premise under subsidized or even rental free occupancy since they were not given any funding or privileges for decades before to build on any land provisioned with the luxury of space conducive and ideal for an educational institution comparable to other national ones or the religious/ethnic based ones mentioned earlier.

    It is overdue that the Government be just and fair to the 4% or less of Muslim students who chooses Madrasah as their choice of school so that the constitutional demands that each Singaporean child be given equal opportunity to access the best education in sufficiently provided space for full holistic learning of the mind and physique be met. This grotesque marginalization of Madrasah and the education it offers must end as it goes against the spirit of our beloved country’s constitution that guarantees equal rights and access to quality education regardless of race, language or religion.

     

    Source: Damanhuri Bin Abas

  • Youths In Singapore Shunning Religion

    Youths In Singapore Shunning Religion

    The Department of Statistics’ General Household Survey 2015 report released earlier this month found that those who said they had no religious affiliation constituted 18.5 per cent of the resident population last year – up from 17 per cent in 2010.

    Of this group, many were young. About 65 per cent were aged between 15 and 44, and about 23 per cent between 15 and 24, compared with 14.6 per cent among residents aged 55 and above.

    The religious composition as a whole remained relatively stable – 43.2 per cent of the resident populace identified as Buddhists or Taoists, 18.8 per cent as Christians, 14 per cent as Muslims and 5 per cent as Hindus. The number of Christians increased marginally, while other religions experienced slight declines.

    FACTORS BEHIND GROWTH IN THE NON-RELIGIOUS

    Academics and religious leaders The Straits Times spoke to said the trend of non-religious affiliation is in tandem with an increasingly educated populace, some of whom might move away from religion if it does not connect with their lives and needs.

    The Institute of Policy Studies’ senior research fellow Mathew Mathews said this is more common for individuals who grew up in families where religion was already nominally practised.

    The Catholic Church said traditional religions have also been slow to engage young people and help them appreciate their faith.

    Singapore Buddhist Federation president Seck Kwang Phing believes the youthful face of the non- religious group ties in with a change in attitudes among the young, who have become more independent in their thinking.

    He said: “They ask and argue and do not simply allow their parents to select their faiths on their behalf.”

    Young people today are also exposed to a range of ideologies, which results in a spectrum of views within the non-religious category. The segment therefore includes atheists and agnostics; humanists and secularists; as well as free-thinkers and other individuals who might not necessarily be anti-religion.

    National University of Singapore political science undergraduate Bertrand Seah, 21, grew up Christian in a Methodist school environment, but began doing his own research on religion in junior college.

    He became influenced by religious critics and scientific scepticism advocates such as American Sam Harris.

    Like the other youth The Straits Times spoke to, Mr Seah said he believes in a “rational” approach. “I don’t think I need divine guidance to make a right or wrong decision. Reason alone can guide such decision-making,” he said.

    Experts said the relative stability of a country also means there is less concern about the future because the present is “non-threatening”.

    When this is the case, there is less incentive to look to religion for divine intervention or for security.

    Young people might also be doing their own research before eventually committing to a particular faith, experts said.

    Some suggested that the multi- religious make-up of Singapore and the open-door policy of religious institutions here facilitate “shopping” for a religion.

    Some young people could also be identifying more with liberal ideologies that clash with religious teachings on topics such as homosexuality.

    Social anthropologist Lai Ah Eng of the National University of Singapore (NUS) said this group might therefore find religions “variously limiting, irrational, oppressive, unreasonable and unscientific”.

    Youth and religious experts interviewed noted the high-profile failures of institutional religions to uphold their credibility as a moral voice, which may also have turned some people away from religion.

    Some cited high-profile incidents such as the City Harvest case, where church leaders were found guilty of misusing around $50 million in church funds.

    POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS

    Several religious leaders said they are concerned about the shift.

    Reverend Father Jude David, co-chaplain of the Catholic Church’s Office for Young People, believes that without religion “Singapore would certainly lose a part of her soul or spirit”.

    Reverend Dominic Yeo, the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Singapore, agreed. He said religion teaches its followers to be moral, adding: “We need to guard our nation, our children and the next generation against moral decadence.”

    Others are concerned about solidarity in households where the parents or grandparents are deeply religious. NUS sociologist Paulin Straughan said disparities in religious ideology could result in intergenerational fault lines and a widening gap “because religion, when it is functional, pulls families together”.

    Ultimately, the consensus among the various groups is for the need for more dialogue to understand “mutual concerns and find ways to negotiate potential tensions”, said Dr Mathews. They said this should be backed by more research to understand the specific make-up of Singapore’s non-religious segment.

    Communication channels already exist. For instance, the Humanist Society – set up to represent Singapore’s non-religious population – has been involved in discussions organised by the Inter-Religious Organisation of Singapore and the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles.

    Executive committee member Pearl Lin said the society’s role is to provide a voice for the non-religious, whom she said tend to be excluded and forgotten.

    But the Buddhist Federation’s Venerable Seck is not worried about the growing pool of non-religious Singaporeans. To him, good values and morals are more important.

    He said: “As long as there is moral education and the ability to differentiate between what is right and wrong, there will always be common ground among the religious and non-religious.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Indonesian Buddhists Caned Under Syariah For First Time

    Indonesian Buddhists Caned Under Syariah For First Time

    Indonesia’s only province to impose syariah law caned Buddhists for the first time on Friday (March 10), after two men accused of cockfighting opted for punishment under the strict Islamic regulations.

    Alem Suhadi, 57, and Amel Akim, 60, both ethnic Chinese and members of the Buddhist minority, were whipped in front of dozens of local officials and residents in the city of Jantho, Aceh province.

    The two men grimaced as they received nine and seven lashes respectively on their backs, a sentence that was mitigated because they had spent over a month in detention since police nabbed them for cockfighting in Aceh Besar in January.

    “When they were arrested, two chickens and 400 thousand rupiah of betting money were confiscated by the police,” said prosecutor Rivandi Aziz.

    Caning is common in Aceh for breaking the province’s strict Islamic laws, for offences ranging from drinking alcohol, to gambling to gay sex.

    In the past, only Muslim residents could be caned but that changed in 2015, when Aceh’s regulations were overhauled.

    Non-Muslims who violate Islamic law can either choose to be tried under the national legal system or syariah.

    The two Buddhists would likely have faced jail under Indonesian nation law.

    “We live in Aceh, so we have to obey the regulation in our region,” Alem told AFP shortly after being caned.

    A Muslim was also lashed seven times for betting on cockfights on Friday, while another man accused of abusing three teenagers was lashed 112 times.

    Aceh, on Sumatra island, began implementing syariah law after being granted special autonomy in 2001, an attempt by the central government in Jakarta to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.

    Islamic laws have been strengthened since the province struck a peace deal with Jakarta in 2005.

     

    Source: ST

  • United Nations: Myanmar Seeking Ethnic Cleansing Of Rohingyas

    United Nations: Myanmar Seeking Ethnic Cleansing Of Rohingyas

    Myanmar is seeking the ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya minority from its territory, a senior UN official has told the BBC.

    Armed forces have been killing Rohingya in Rakhine state, forcing many to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, says John McKissick of the UN refugee agency.

    The government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been conducting counter-insurgency operations since coordinated attacks on border guards in October.

    It denies reports of atrocities.

    Burmese officials say Rohingyas are setting fire to their own houses in northern Rakhine state. The BBC cannot visit the area to verify what is occurring there as journalists and aid workers have been barred.

    The Rohingya, who number about one million, are seen by many of Myanmar’s Buddhist majority as illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

    ‘Collective punishment’

    Although Bangladesh’s official policy is not to allow in illegal entrants across the border, the foreign ministry has confirmed that thousands of Rohingyas have already sought refuge in Bangladesh. Thousands more are reportedly gathering on the border.

    Efforts to resolve the issue must focus on “the root cause” inside Myanmar, Mr McKissick, head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR in the Bangladeshi border town of Cox’s Bazar told BBC Bengali’s Akbar Hossain.

    He said the Myanmar military and Border Guard Police had “engaged in collective punishment of the Rohingya minority” after the murders of nine border guards on 9 October which some politicians blamed on a Rohingya militant group.

    Security forces have been “killing men, shooting them, slaughtering children, raping women, burning and looting houses, forcing these people to cross the river” into Bangladesh, Mr McKissick said.

    “Now it’s very difficult for the Bangladeshi government to say the border is open because this would further encourage the government of Myanmar to continue the atrocities and push them out until they have achieved their ultimate goal of ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority in Myanmar,” he said.

    On Wednesday, the Bangladesh foreign ministry summoned Myanmar’s ambassador to express “deep concern” over the military operation in northern Rakhine state.

    It said “desperate people” were crossing the border seeking safety and shelter and asked Myanmar to “ensure the integrity of its border”.

    Authorities in Bangladesh have been detaining and repatriating hundreds of fleeing Rohingya.

    Map showing Maungdaw's location in Rakhine State© BBC Map showing Maungdaw’s location in Rakhine State

    Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch released satellite images which it said showed that more than 1,000 homes had been razed in Rohingya villages over the past six weeks.

    What is happening in Rakhine state?

    A massive security operation was launched last month after nine police officers were killed in co-ordinated attacks on border posts in Maungdaw.

    Some government officials blamed a militant Rohingya group for the attacks. Security forces then sealed off access to Maungdaw district and launched a counter-insurgency operation.

    Rohingya activists say more than 100 people have been killed and hundreds arrested amid the crackdown.

    Soldiers have also been accused of serious human rights abuses, including torture, rape and executions, which the government has flatly denied.

    It says militants have attacked helicopter gunships providing air support to troops.

    Who are the Rohingya?

    The estimated one million Muslim Rohingya are seen by many in mainly Buddhist Myanmar as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. They are denied citizenship by the government despite many having lived there for generations.

    Communal violence in Rakhine state in 2012 left scores dead and displaced more than 100,000 people, with many Rohingya still remaining in decrepit camps.

    They face widespread discrimination and mistreatment.

    Is the government to blame?

    Myanmar held its first openly contested election in 25 years last November, with Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy winning a landslide victory.

    Though she is barred from the presidency due to a constitutional rule, Ms Suu Kyi, who serves as State Counsellor, is seen as de-facto leader.

    But her government, led as it is by a former human rights icon, has faced international criticism over the dire situation in Rakhine state.

    Rights groups have questioned why journalists and aid workers are not being allowed to enter northern Rakhine.

    Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay says the international media is misreporting what is going on.

     

    Source: www.msn.com

  • Here’s How You Can Help Our Fellow Muslim Rohingyas – Through Pergas

    Here’s How You Can Help Our Fellow Muslim Rohingyas – Through Pergas

    Assalamu’alaikum Wr Wbt,
    Brothers and Sisters,

    Referring to the plight of the Muslim Rohingya community, insyaAllah Pergas will be conducting Hajat Prayers this Sunday 9am at Masjid Alkaff Kampung Melayu. All are welcome to join us.

    Donations can also be made via bank transfer or cheque to :
    Pergas (OCBC Current: 629-704537-001)
    Please indicate “ROHINGYA”.

    Cut off date for bank transfer:
    05 June 2015

    Kindly email Ustaz Izzam at [email protected] with your transaction reference number (found on the receipt), bank account number and amount of donation for our verification.
    All proceeds will go directly to BAPA.

    Thank you for your kind contributions. May Allah be with the victims, lift their affliction and adversity, reward them for their patience and perseverance. Ameen.

     

    Source: Singapore Islamic Scholars & Religious Teachers Association – Pergas