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Tag: Malaysia

  • Former Malaysian Minister: Muslims Must Speak Out Against Unilateral Child Conversion

    Former Malaysian Minister: Muslims Must Speak Out Against Unilateral Child Conversion

    Former minister Zaid Ibrahim today appealed to Muslims, urging them to speak up in kindness and fairness against unilateral child conversion.

    “I don’t know if I’m going to heaven, but those who have no heart will go nowhere. How can anyone condone a unilateral child conversion?

    “It’s not too late for good Muslims to speak up. We need to have capacity for kindness and being fair to others, even if not a Muslim.”

    The lawyer turned politician declared on Twitter that “we have lost our soul” if Malaysia did not prohibit the conversion of a child to Islam by one parent at the expense of the other.

    “Is being a Muslim more important than being human?”

    He asked whether the pain of a mother deprived of her child had no bearing in Islam.

    To resolve interfaith custody conflicts between Muslim and non-Muslim parents, a bill to amend Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (Act 164) was tabled in Parliament last November.

    It was to be debated at the present sitting of the Dewan Rakyat but has been pushed back to No 8 in the order of proceedings.

    Once passed, the amendment allows only the civil courts to rule in matters pertaining to civil marriages, even if one spouse converts to Islam.

    However, Muslim legal experts have argued that the bill is “null and void” as it contradicts Islamic jurisprudence, which states that when a parent converts to Islam, his or her child (if the child has not yet reached puberty) automatically becomes a Muslim, too.

    Former chief justice Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim said any law which contradicts Islamic jurisprudence, derived from the Quran and Sunnah, was null and void.

    On these grounds, Haniff Khatri Abdulla, who is legal aide to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has challenged the validity of the bill that seeks to end unilateral child conversions.

    “In Islam, there is jurisprudence dealing with issues that arise when a person converts to Islam.

    “These include disputes over what happens to the convert’s previous union, to the child from that union, the religion of that child, the matrimonial and custodial rights.

    “On that basis, any amendment to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (Act 164) which does not comply with Islamic jurisprudence, in that situation, would be null and void. That’s what I’ve been arguing for the last 12, 13 years,” Haniff Khatri said.

    Zaid, however, has expressed empathy for those embroiled in custody battles for their children, who along with their spouses, had converted to Islam.

    Among the better-publicised cases is that of kindergarten teacher M Indira Gandhi, who challenged the conversion of her three children after a protracted court battle for custody.

     

    Source: www.freemalaysiatoday.com

  • Malaysian Celebrity Criticises Racist Stereotyping Question In Moral Examination

    Malaysian Celebrity Criticises Racist Stereotyping Question In Moral Examination

    A primary school was today criticised by a celebrity over its decision to typecast the country’s ethnicities in a moral examination question.

    In a post on the Instagram photo-sharing service, actress Sarah Lian shared a picture of a moral test paper apparently from a national school in Petaling Jaya that asked students to associate names to different houses of worship.

    The names were Devi, Hock Lee, Kamal, and Steve. Students were required to write the appropriate name under pictures of a church, a Hindu temple, a Chinese temple, and a mosque.

    In the photograph, the student — a daughter of Lian’s friend — linked Devi to the church, Steve to the Hindu temple, Kamal to the Chinese temple, and Hock Lee to the mosque.

    The examiner marked all four answers as wrong.

    “My friend’s 7yr old daughter apparently scored badly. And you wonder who makes kids racist and stereotypical???

    “Well, here’s your answer! A horrible approach to stereotyping people into names races and religions. I’m so furious at this form of racism. How archaic and racist! This is so sad! #shame,” Lian wrote on her Instagram post.

    Malaysian naming conventions, particularly the patronymic system used for Malay names, are regularly used to infer a person’s religious identity.

    Such assumptions have led to problems, particularly in East Malaysia, where non-Muslim natives who use “bin” and “binti” are sometimes wrongly documented as Muslims by authorities.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • PM Najib Razak Courts Middle-Class Muslim Votes With Welcome From “Controversial” Preacher, Mufti Menk

    PM Najib Razak Courts Middle-Class Muslim Votes With Welcome From “Controversial” Preacher, Mufti Menk

    KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has rolled out the red carpet for controversial Islamic scholar Ismail Musa Menk, a move that analysts have suggested could be part of efforts by Prime Minister Najib Razak to burnish his Islamic credentials to appeal to middle-class Muslim voters ahead of the general election.

    “(Mufti) Menk is popular among middle-class Malaysian Muslims … and if this is to be read as a political motive, then this … will boost Najib’s popularity with that group,” Dr Norshahril Saat, a Fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute told TODAY.

    The Zimbabwe-born Mufti Menk has more than 2.3 million Facebook fans and 1.3 million Twitter followers who regularly share his positive quotes on life.

    However, the cleric has flirted with controversy: His strong stance against homosexuality led universities in Britain to cancel his speaking tours in 2013 and he had allegedly advised Muslims against wishing others Merry Christmas.

    He was due to give a talk at a religious conference in Singapore in 2015 but his segment was cancelled for “reasons the authorities did not disclose”, according to the organiser.

    Still, Mufti Menk was in Malaysia over the weekend for an Islamic conference where he was one of the keynote speakers.

    Mr Najib hosted a religious talk attended by the preacher at his official residence on Monday night after meeting the latter on Friday, an encounter that the Prime Minister wrote about in his blog. Photos of them were uploaded on both Mr Najib and Mufti Menk’s social media accounts.

    “Victory only comes to those who are most patient,” Mr Najib quoted the preacher in his blog, noting that those were the words that “struck me the most” in their meeting to discuss about Islam, extremism, as well as the plight and welfare of Muslims around the world.

    The Prime Minister referenced the trials and tribulations faced by Prophet Muhammad and said: “This is one of the reasons why that quote by Mufti Menk struck a chord with me. That has been the way of Rasulullah SAW, and must continue to be the way forward for us Muslims.”

    Malaysia’s national polls are not due until next year but Mr Najib is expected to call for snap polls this year after battling issues surrounding state firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad and overcoming efforts by former Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to remove him.

    Throughout last year, Mr Najib’s ruling party, United Malays National Organisation (Umno), increasingly played up the racial and religious cards in a bid to retain the support from the Malays and Bumiputras — a key voting bloc for his party.

    Mr Asrul Hadi Abdullah, a director with political risk consultancy BowerGroupAsia, told TODAY that Mr Najib’s association with Mufti Menk is in line with Umno’s political Islam narrative to capture the Malay community’s votes, as the scholar is popular with the Malay electorate.

    Mr Asrul’s views were echoed by Mr Adib Zalkapli, a political analyst at political risk advisory firm Vriens & Partners, who noted that any association with Mufti Menk is “definitely a vote winner”.

    “Najib is not the first politician to employ this strategy and he won’t be the last. (Former opposition leader) Anwar Ibrahim used the same strategy by getting support from Yusuf Qaradawi when he was on trial for sodomy in 2014,” he said in reference to the renowned Islamic scholar and the head of the Qatar-based International Union for Muslim Scholars.

    Anwar was convicted and jailed for sodomising a former aide, a charge he describes as a politically-motivated attempt to end his career.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Sultan Johor To Malays: Stop Trying To Be Arabs

    Sultan Johor To Malays: Stop Trying To Be Arabs

    he Sultan of Johor has called on Malays not to discard their unique culture, saying he was disturbed by those who want to stop Muslims from the salam practice despite it being a traditional way of greeting each other.

    Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar said he was sticking to “my customs and traditions as a Malay because I’m born Malay.”

    “If there are some of you who wish to be an Arab and practise Arab culture, and do not wish to follow our Malay customs and traditions, that is up to you.

    “I also welcome you to live in Saudi Arabia.

    “That is your right but I believe there are Malays who are proud of the Malay culture. At least I am real and not a hypocrite and the people of Johor know who their ruler is,” he said.

    He said, for example, he preferred to use terms like Hari Raya instead of Eid al-Fitr, or buka puasa instead of iftar.

    “I have been using these Malay terms since I was a child and speaking to my late father for the past 50 years.

    “I have no intention of replacing these terms with Arabic,” he said.

    His Royal Highness said religious faith was not based on external criteria such as clothing to display one’s relationship with God, saying “what is in the heart and mind is more important.”

    He stressed that it was wrong to judge someone.

    “God will judge you. If you want to advise someone, then call them to the side and whisper, do not embarrass them,” he added.

    Sultan Ibrahim said that during his annual Kembara Mahkota, he shook the hands of thousands of people including women.

    “Why must I change? You do not have to be fanatic. If they (women) are not sure, I ask if they want to shake my hands. If they do not want to shake my hands, there is no problem,” he added.

    Asked to comment on the recent controversy where Crown Prince Tunku Ismail was criticised by those on social media for shaking hands with JDT player Mohd Safiq Rahim’s wife, Sultan Ibrahim said that she approached him.

    “He only extended his hand out. Why criticise? I am sure this is the work of some sour grapes from other places who are jealous of JDT football team,” he added.

    Sultan Ibrahim said that this was the Johor way and his message to those who did not want to shake his hands is to simply stay away.

    Soon after the incident, Tunku Ismail posted a video on Facebook which showed him shaking hands, in a satirical way, with two women with an oversized glove.

    Sultan Ibrahim also expressed his displeasure at the Batu Pahat Public Works Department (JKR) for recently putting up a notice reminding Muslim women about the sin of not covering their hair, which was mounted on a signboard along a road here.

    “This is wrong. This is not their role. Since when is JKR involved in this?” he asked.

    State Public Works, Rural and Regional Development committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad later said the officer in charge of the matter was directed to take down the notice.

    “Since when is JKR, whether at state or district level, being put in charge of religious matters? Their main job is to make sure the roads are properly maintained and not worry about women’s hair,” Sultan Ibrahim said.

    The Sultan said he had confidence and faith in Malaysians because the majority of them were decent and religious people.

    Likewise, he said that “it is not the business of government departments to worry about people’s dressing. Just do what you are paid to do and mind your own business”.

    On a recent meeting with religious groups in UAE, Sultan Ibrahim said the Arabs were becoming more open nowadays.

    “They are opening up. Previously women in Saudi Arabia were not allowed to drive but they are gradually allowing it. Some women are even joining politics,” he said, adding that the situation was also the same in Iran.

     

    Source: www.thestar.com.my

  • Awas, Elakkan Letak Gambar Anak Sebagai Gambar Profil WhatsApp

    Awas, Elakkan Letak Gambar Anak Sebagai Gambar Profil WhatsApp

    Orang ramai disaran supaya tidak menjadikan gambar keluarga terutama anak-anak mereka sebagai gambar profil pada aplikasi WhatsApp kerana ia boleh mengundang risiko keselamatan.

    Penolong Pesuruhjaya Perlindungan Data Peribadi, Jabatan Perlindungan Data Peribadi Mohd Shazrol Mohd Shah berkata adalah dibimbangi pihak yang berniat jahat mengakses gambar itu seterusnya mengecam wajah anak-anak pemilik nombor telefon.

    “Gambar profil WhatsApp bertujuan mungkin untuk mengenal pasti kawan-kawan cuma kita sarankan agar mereka meletakkan satu gambar yang elok untuk diri sendiri.

    “Kita jangan meletakkan gambar anak atau gambar orang lain kerana perkara ini boleh menyebabkan penjenayah dapat mengakses gambar tersebut sekali gus mencetuskan kejadian yang tidak diingini,” katanya.

    Encik Mohd Shazrol berkata demikian kepada Bernama selepas Sesi Perkongsian Maklumat Industri 2017 anjuran Forum Pengguna Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia sempena Hari Hak-Hak Pengguna Sedunia di Ipoh semalam (22 Mac).

    Encik Mohd Shazrol berkata tidak menjadi masalah sekiranya orang ramai tidak meletakkan gambar profil pada WhatsApp kerana aplikasi tersebut tetap boleh digunakan.

    Terdahulu, dalam taklimatnya Encik Mohd Shazrol menasihati ibu bapa supaya tidak meletakkan gambar anak-anak mereka dalam laman sosial termasuk Facebook kerana ia juga boleh mengundang risiko jenayah.

    “Penggunaan Facebook amat berisiko kerana walaupun gambar dalam akaun sudah dipadam, namun ia masih tersimpan di luar negara kerana data laman sosial itu diproses di luar negara,” katanya.

    Source: Beritamediacorp