Tag: Islam

Penang Technician First In Malaysia Imprisoned For Terror-Financing Offences Related To Terrorist Muhammad Wanndy

KUALA LUMPUR — A technician from Penang became the first man in Malaysia to be sent to prison for a terror-financing offence.

Judge Paduka Azman Abdullah, in sentencing father-of-two Bukhori Che Noor to seven years’ jail, said the accused should have known better than to get involved with terror activities.

“You should have known better because you are 35 years old and should know what is good or bad. The government is fighting the threat of Islamic State (IS) which is a new threat to the country, after communism in the early years.

“Anything related to terror is bad. What is it that you hope to get by getting involved in a terror-related offence? Do you want to go to heaven and do you want to help Islam?”

Bukhori pleaded guilty to providing financial services by allowing a bank account to be used for withdrawal and deposit purposes which benefited Syria-based militant Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi.

Bukhori committed the offence at a Maybank branch in Jalan Chain Ferry in Penang between November 2015 and June 30, 2016. He was charged under Section 130O(1)(bb) of the Penal Code, which carries a minimum jail term of seven years and a maximum custodial sentence of 30 years.

Bukhori, who was unrepresented, in mitigating for a lenient sentence, told the court that he earned RM2,000 (S$634) a month and had a wife and two children to support.

“I regret my actions and will never get involved in such activities again. I appeal to the court to impose a very lenient sentence for my offence.”

Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Fadzlan Mohd Noor, who sought a deterrent custodial sentence for Bukhori, said the fact the accused had pleaded guilty should not be considered a mitigating factor.

“The court should take into consideration the seriousness of the offence and public interest. The IS (Islamic State) terror group is a global threat.”

A 20-year-old student, Hasrianto Matan, has also been charged with two counts of knowingly managing terrorist property by managing Bukhori’s bank account, and allowing deposits and money transfer from that account for the benefit of IS and Bukhori.

The offences were allegedly committed between March and June last year, through Telegram application under the name “Gagak Hitam”.

Last October, Malaysian police said they had arrested 16 suspected IS militants in six states, of whom 14 were believed to be part of a terror cell called “Gagak Hitam” led by Malaysian IS recruiter Muhammad Wanndy.

Source: www.todayonline.com

April 13, 2017
In Indonesia, Pious “Punks” Promote Islam

“Prophet Mohammad forever,” chant the young Indonesian Muslim musicians. But instead of a mosque, the men are singing at an outdoor concert with a mosh pit full of followers of the country’s first Islamic punk movement.

The movement is the first of its kind in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and has hundreds of members in three of the country’s biggest cities – Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung.

Sporting mohawks, leather jackets and baggy jeans, members of the “Punk Muslim” group claim that they, like the original British punk rockers, are still defined by rebellion and an anti-establishment ideology. But they express it by singing about Islamic values, freedom for Palestine, and other social issues facing the global Muslim community.

Ahmad Zaki, one of the movement’s founders, believes the genre of punk is often associated with a “tendency towards misbehaviour” but he wants to change that.

“We can redirect ourselves to better, more positive things,” he said.

Many of the group’s members used to be street performers, and say they have changed drastically since joining the movement. They are now encouraged to form their own bands and write their own songs.

Reza Purnama, a member and a former alcoholic, says others like him are slowly quitting alcohol and their lyrics are becoming more positive.

“People aren’t looking down on us anymore,” he said, referring to a stigma against punks in Indonesia’s largely conservative society.

After every concert, the head-banging audience bow their heads in prayer and listen to sermons – something the movement’s founders hope will redirect their fans on to a more pious path.

Muslims make up nearly 90 percent of Indonesia’s 250 million people and the vast majority of them practise a moderate form of Islam.

Source: www.reuters.com

April 13, 2017
What Are Religious Leaders Doing To Promote Pluralism?

I applaud Dr Yap Kim Hao’s call for “religious pluralism” ( Need for those who can teach religious pluralism; April 11).

It is a reality that religious communities, even in Singapore, remain in their silos.

It is not uncommon for religious organisations and businesses to place emphasis on recruiting those who are of the same faith, even for roles not directly religion-related.

Of course, it is their prerogative to do so.

But it is sad that instead of living and working side-by-side with non-religious affiliated parties to forge mutual understanding and friendships despite their differences, these groups choose exclusivity and isolation.

I have seen it even in charity and volunteer organisations, where one can overhear remarks like “this person will not have genuine compassion because he does not share our faith” or “he is an outsider, so he cannot fully understand our religious goals”.

Rhetoric like this from any religious organisation or individual is disconcerting. Such comments are dangerous and not to be accepted here.

With the City Harvest case and the one in which an imam made insensitive remarks, it is clear that religious leaders have a big influence over their followers.

But what are they doing to promote religious pluralism?

In this age of heightened consciousness of one’s religious identity and of religious diversity, Singapore can never deviate from our pledge of “regardless of race, language or religion”.

Wong Lai Chun

Source: www.straitstimes.com/forum

April 13, 2017
Marvel To Discipline Indonesian Marvel-Gold Artist For Hidden Political, Religious Reference

Marvel Comics is planning to take disciplinary action against an Indonesian artist who sneaked several controversial references into his artwork for the first issue of X-Men Gold, according to reports citing a statement by the comics giant.

X-Men Gold #1, which was published on Wednesday (Apr 5), was illustrated by Indonesian artist Ardian Syaf.

His artwork allegedly contained several hidden religious references and sparked an outcry by comic book fans on social media.

In one scene, Jewish mutant Kitty Pryde is seen standing in front of a crowd of humans. Her head is adjacent to a sign saying “Jewelry”, which some took to be a reference to her heritage.

In the same panel, there is a building with the numbers “212” on it – a reference to a mass rally by Indonesian Muslims on Dec 2 last year against Jakarta’s Christian Chinese governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. Ahok is on trial for blasphemy over accusations that he insulted the Islamic holy book, the Quran.

Another scene in the issue shows Colossus wearing a t-shirt with “QS 5:51” on it, a reference to a verse in the Quran used by some in Indonesia to support their view that non-Muslims should not lead the government.

Ardian shared artwork for the issue on his Facebook page on Thursday, in a post that has since been taken down. By Sunday evening, the post had drawn almost 200 comments.

Many criticised him for the alleged political messages. “The X-Men message at its core is integration, not division,” Facebook user Zauri Severino Junior wrote.

“It’s shameful to see (an) Indonesian artist make a fool of himself worldwide just because of his impaired religious views and racism,” another commenter, Nuri Agustiani Setiawan, wrote.

In a statement published by ComicBook on Saturday, Marvel said the artwork “was inserted without knowledge behind its reported meanings”.

“These implied references do not reflect the views of the writer, editors or anyone else at Marvel and are in direct opposition of the inclusiveness of Marvel Comics and what the X-Men have stood for since their creation,” the statement said.

Marvel added that disciplinary action would be taken against Syaf, but did not give further details.

It added that the artwork would be removed from subsequent printings, digital versions, and trade paperbacks.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Apr 11), Syaf said his career was “over now”.

He added: “It’s the consequence (of) what I did, and I take it. Please no more mockery, debate, no more hate. I hope all in peace.”

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

April 13, 2017
Abu Sumaiyah Al-Jawi: A Response To Haji Mohammad Alami Musa

The attached article is symptomatic of the confusion and inferiority complex that has infected the Muslims, which has been succinctly described by the eminent Muslim thinker Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas in his 1970 work entitled Islam and Secularism.

In the article, the major premise is “doctrinal basis” upon which ideas are rendered acceptable or rejected. The writer, a bureaucrat, stated that with regards to enmity towards non-Muslims, there is no doctrinal basis and therefore such an idea is rejected. Of course, to an unsuspecting mind, there are no problems in that statement; any sane and matured Muslim can accept that. But when he rambles on about all religions sharing the same roots like the “roots of a Banyan tree”, without evaluating that idea to the same premise he had established for himself which is “doctrinal basis”, he contradicted himself. This kind of thinking, known as the transcendental unity of religions, is already effectively refuted by Al-Attas in his Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam.

Furthermore, to limit the meaning of the term “fansurna” used in the Imam’s prayer to connote the act of vanquishing and enmity is already against doctrinal basis. Fansurna is derived from “nasara”, which the authoritative linguist Ibn Manzur in his Lisān al-‘Arab already explains as “rendering assistance to the oppressed”. In other words, the condition for asking God who is the Lord (Mawla) and Helper (Nāsir) is that oppression exists. So we can ask the question, is there oppression coming from those who claim to be Christians and Jews?

In 2005, George Bush claimed that his Christian god told him in his dream to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. The current administration of the United States are filled with people like this too. The Zionists of Israel still justify their atrocities using their Jewish scripture. In other words, extremists who are Christians and Jews, just like how there are extremists who are Muslims, exist. And the prayer is specifically directed at these extremists and not all Christians and Jews, some of which are our friends and family.

In our bid to preserve and enhance racial and religious harmony, we don’t have to sweep these facts under the carpet or make sweeping statements about religion and Banyan trees that have absolutely no doctrinal basis. Just as how we can talk openly about Muslim extremists without thinking that such discussions are based on enmity against Islam, there is no reason to be offended when we talk about Christian and Jewish extremists.

Source: Abu Sumaiyah Al-Jawi

April 13, 2017