Tag: Jewish

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
Imam Apologises For Remarks On Christians And Jews

An imam under police investigation for allegedly making remarks against Christians and Jews during his Friday sermons at a mosque has apologised.

His lawyer Noor Marican said the imam made the apology at the Ministry of National Development building on Friday morning (Mar 31), in front of members of the Indian Muslim association and other religious council members.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugamhad said in Parliament religious preaching that encourages violence or pits one religion against another will not be tolerated in Singapore.

Video of the imam’s remarks uploaded to social media sparked widespread debate, with some criticising the uploader for whipping up tensions between religious groups, and others saying he was right in bringing the matter to light. Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim called for calm in the Muslim community and said “on such sensitive matters, it would be better to go to the authorities in the first instance, rather than online”.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

March 31, 2017
Pergas Wrote Letter To Lee Hsien Loong, Expressed Concerns On Israeli-Palestine Conflict

The Singapore Islamic Scholars and Teachers Association (Pergas) has written to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to highlight the Muslim community’s concerns about the “situation in Palestine”, saying the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “regrettable and worrying”.

The letter, written in Malay and dated 17 February, expressed Pergas’ hopes that Lee would bring up the matter during the two-day official visit to Singapore by Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday and Tuesday (20-21 February).

In the letter, the President of Pergas, Ustaz Hasbi Hassan, said, “Israel’s occupation has lowered the value of human lives. It has caused the lives of children, women and the elderly.

Pergas has expressed our concern and the Singapore Muslim aspiration to the Singapore government on the Palestine situation. Alhamdulillah, our concern has been conveyed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to the Israeli’s Prime Minister during his two-day Singapore visit earlier this week.

“The blockage and control of Gaza has ravished the basic human rights for protection, housing, health, education and more. The upholding of these rights has been agreed upon by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which urge Israel to stop illegal housing on Palestinian land,” he said in the letter.

Ustaz Hasbi stressed that as Muslims and citizens of Singapore, Pergas stands by the values of harmony and justice and, like any other community, rejects any form of tyranny, invasion and repression.

“Violence will only beget violence, and peace could never be achieved as long as discrimination, tyranny and repression still exist,” he said.

Pergas understands the Singapore government’s policy on such matters, which has been affirmed by the appointment of former Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Hawazi Daipi, as Singapore’s new non-resident representative to the Palestinian Territories. Hawazi assumed the position in November last year.

“We support the government’s policy and hope that Israel and Palestine can work together towards peace and harmony. We also hope that all forms of repression and violence will cease with justice prevailing for both parties,” Ustaz Hasbi said.

Prime Minister Lee’s reply to Pergas

In a letter addressed to Ustaz Hasbi dated Tuesday (21 February), Lee thanked Pergas for expressing its concerns about the situation in Palestine and the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Lee said he fully understands these concerns. Singapore is friends with both Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, and many Arab countries, he added.

“While the situation is complex and progress is difficult, Singapore has always urged Israel and Palestine to resume direct negotiations and work towards a just and durable solution to this longstanding conflict,” Lee said in the letter.

Lee also reiterated Singapore’s position in the letter, saying that the Republic is convinced that “a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, however hard to achieve, is the only way to bring peace and security to both peoples.”

The prime minister has stated Singapore’s position and concerns to Netanyahu during his visit here and last year. In the letter, Lee said he has explained to the Israelis that the Middle East matters to Singapore.

“People all over the world are seized with the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and with the plight of the civilians caught up in the conflict. For Muslim communities particularly, it is an emotional matter.

“Singapore is in Southeast Asia, surrounded by Muslim-majority countries. And we ourselves have a substantial Muslim population, who are an important part of our harmonious multi-ethnic population,” Lee said.

He added that “Singapore fervently hopes for peace between Israel and the Palestinians”, which will contribute to a more stable Middle East and a safer world.

“I thank you for supporting Singapore’s position, which reflects the interests of our nation,” Lee concluded in the letter.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

February 25, 2017
Osman Sulaiman: It Is Imperative That Israel Should Know The World Is Not With Them When They Violate International Law

As the international community condemns and protests against Israel on its controversial law legalizing the building of settlements on West Bank, in Singapore, we are reduced to just handing a letter to its embassy.

We’ve tried applying for a protest of Netanyahu’s visit to Singapore. Although we received a confirmation from NParks to proceed with our event, a day later, a police officer called me up to say that my event requires a police permit.

We were told that such permits would take 2 weeks to process. This effectively disqualifies our event from taking place as we had applied to hold the event less than 14 days.

Not wanting to be daunted by the setback, we decided to write a letter and send it to Israel’s embassy.

Today, a few of us went down to Israel’s embassy to hand deliver the letter to their representatives. While walking up to its perimeter, we were greeted by a few police officers. Two of them were the same officers I met when I went to Myanmar’s embassy during Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit.

They were professional and understanding. They politely asked for our identifications and we obliged. One of the officers started videoing us while the screening was done. We also had a small talk with the officers reiterating the purpose of our visit.

After some time, a man was seen walking out of the embassy’s compound speaking to the guard and the officers. We were then told that its representative is not able to accept our letter. We were told to send an email instead. I almost laugh at the suggestion.

I then asked if there is anywhere I can post the letter to their letterbox but were told there is none. I then insist that there must be an avenue for mails to come through but again we were denied. In the end, we decided to leave the letter at the guard house and left the place.

When I told some friends that I will be handing a protest letter to Netanyahu, some of my friends were concerned. They told me to stand down and not put myself in trouble. I sincerely appreciate their concerns but politely told them that they have nothing to worry as I’ll work within the perimeters of the laws.

It is imperative that Israel should know the world is not with them when they violate international law. The burden is upon us to voice out against atrocities. If we take light of humanitarian issues, cruelty will prosper and we will then fail ourselves as a human being.

Below is the letter that we sent to Israel’s embassy verbatim.

———————————-

20 Feb 2017

Embassy of Israel
22 Steven Close
Singapore257963

Prime Minister of Israel
Mr Benjamin Netanyahu

Dear Mr Netanyahu,

RE: ILLEGAL SETTLEMENT ON PALESTINIAN LAND

We read with disgust that Israel’s Parliament passed a provocative law that would legalize Jewish settlements on privately owned Palestinian land. This new law is making stealing an official policy of Israel.

Despite UN’s resolution demanding on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem,” Israel has shamefully passed laws that undermine a two-state policy.

The latest act by your parliament shows the hypocrisy of Israel that it is committed to a two-state solution. It is incongruous when a leader of your stature, endorsed such atrocious law to seize private Palestinian land but play the victim on the international stage.

We would like to strongly register our condemnation of your administration for jeopardising the fundamentals of the peace process by disregarding the international community’s disapproval of Israel’s illegal settlement.

Peace cannot prevail when Israel continues to act with aggression.

Regards,
Concerned Citizens of Singapore

———————————-

Source: Khan Osman Sulaiman

February 21, 2017