Tag: Muslim

Independent Preacher: Archaic Jurisprudence Behind Swine Kerfuffle

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 ― Swine products are only “haram”, or forbidden, when ingested, according to all Muslim schools of jurisprudence except for the Shafie school widely practised in Malaysia, independent preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin said today.

The PKR Islamic Council leader said “archaic jurisprudence” has resulted in the sensitivity regarding the issue, and that it would never have happened if there was more openness in interpreting Islamic laws.

“All school of jurisprudence except Shafie states that pigs are only haram when eaten. When touched, not haram,” Wan Ji said in a public post on his Facebook profile.

“This thing became sensitive, only because of the archaicness of jurisprudence. Therefore, the issue of swine leather shoes is not an issue in societies with jurisprudence openness. The ones where it is sensitive, is with societies that are archaic in jurisprudence.”

Muslims are strictly forbidden from eating pork and products derived from pork, with the origin coming from a Quranic verse 2:173 which prohibits “dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah”.

The same verse states that there is no sin for those who do so when forced by necessity.

In Malaysia, only the Sunni denomination of Islam and its Shafie school of jurisprudence are considered official.

Wan Ji, however, contended that despite the claim that Malaysia follows the Shafie school, it does not follow that school in other matters, such as the issue of zakat, or alms, where the Shafie school specifies that it is invalid to use cash for alms.

For example, the Shafie school specifies that the “zakat fitrah” paid during the holy Ramadan month, should be made in the form of staple food within the specific community.

The national fatwa council has since decreed in 2003 that the payment can be made with cash equivalent to a specified value of local rice.

“My reminder is for Malaysia to not play sentiments on these issues. Instead, they have to educate the society on the openness, not the archaicness, of jurisprudence,” said Wan Ji.

“Parties who brought this issue up, I remind them that their actions will cause non-Muslims to hate Islam, they will be cynical towards Islam.”

National news agency Bernama reported Tuesday Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin saying that his ministry seized 2,003 paintbrushes made with pig bristles worth almost RM11,000 in a nationwide “crackdown”.

He reportedly said the brushes were confiscated under the Trade Descriptions (Goods Made from any Part of Pig or Dog) Order 2013, which states that such products must be labelled and separated from other goods.

Punishments for violations of the minister’s order are RM100,000 fines, three years’ jail or both for individuals, while corporations face fines of up to RM250,000.

Subsequently, Muslim Consumer Association of Malaysia (PPIM) called for a logo to differentiate items containing pig-derived parts to inform the “not that smart” Muslim consumers.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

February 10, 2017
Singaporean Malays Must Reflect On PAP’s True Intentions For The Reserved Elected Presidency

1.PAP says Singapore is a sworn Meritocracy. We are not like Malaysia with its affirmative action policy of helping the indigenous people of the land. Malays in Singapore are not like that! Malays in Singapore do not need handouts or any help. They can self-help!

2. Lee Kuan Yew determines that the national reserves of Singapore must be secured with two keys: The Parliament and an Elected President (not a lame duck President like Sheares) even when GIC for which he heads which handles the biggest Sovereign fund of Singapore is absolutely controlled by him and is not required to publish any accounts. What is the dollar worth of our wealth? Only he and God knows. So such a move is really to shore up his absolute control over the Nation’s reserves. He thinks that an elected President from his own ranks will co-operate with that.

3. Enter the Elected President who does not play ball, Mr. Ong Teng Cheong. First thing he did was to ask for a full audit of the National Wealth – He wants to know what is in the safe for which he is holding one key. The stone-walling and delay was legendary. Lee Kuan Yew does not want Ong Teng Cheong to know what is in that vault.

4. The next elected President played ball to a tee and reap a million dollar salary without any incidents in a period when GIC made all sorts of investment blunders including investing in CitiBank which later got into trouble. But Nathan cannot live forever…

5. And then there are others who dare to challenge and try out for the Presidential elections. One or two of these are mavericks that PAP cannot control. For as a Chinese elitist political party, no one can threaten the Chinese PAP but other Chinese. The Malay “leadership” have been unashamedly castrated and are little more than house-niggers to the Chinese PAP masters.

6. So something needs to be done. Enter Lee Hsien Loong the proverbial son to hatch a “brilliant” plan. Confine the Presidential elections only to Malays. If you are Chinese or Indian or anything else you are automatically disqualified. Never mind Meritocracy. Never mind Non-Communal politics. Never mind the fact that this is what Malaysia’s affirmative action looks like. But not any Mat, Dollah or Minah can qualify! Set a criteria that only well to do Malays within or those close to the establishment can ever qualify and PAP will be secured. No such Malay will pull an Ong Teng Cheong move!

7. Enter the foolish Malay who finds pride in all of these scheming political shenanigans. We are going to have a Malay president! How GREAT this is! What an achievement of the Malays of Xing Chia Poh!

***

Thinking Malay-Muslims should reflect properly and consider whether they should be proud of this or really be shameful of a Malay who is for all intents and purpose appointed by the PAP to be made a tool of. Maybe for the one who has sold his or her soul that million dollar salary is all worth it.

La hawla wa la quwatta illa biLlahil Aliy ul-Adzim!

Source: Abd’ Al-Halim

February 9, 2017
Leon Perera: Abandon Reserved Elected Presidency, Return To Appointed Presidency

We all want a President who can be a unifying symbol for all Singaporeans. But we disagree about the best means to achieve that end.

In Parliament on 6 Feb 2017, DPM Teo suggested that in November 2016, I had supported measures to depoliticise Presidential Elections (PEs). In fact all the Workers’ Party MPs and NCMPs, including myself, had argued in Parliament for not having an elected President at all and reverting to appointed Presidents.

DPM Teo alluded to my comments about a PAP MP who suggested political safeguards in PE campaigns. In fact, I said that it was to her credit that she attempted to address the politicisation risk issue, not that I agree with her proposed solution. I had argued earlier that day that Presidential elections inevitably become politicised.

DPM Teo went on to say that because I am “not shy” to speak in debate and since I had not challenged his characterisation of what I said, that means I agree with it. It does not. Nowhere did I say that I supported an elected President with politicisation safeguards. I did not raise my hand a second time to challenge his characterisation of what I said because my colleagues and I had already made our views emphatically clear during the three days of debate – we support an appointed Presidency, not an elected one, safeguards or no.

I reiterated my views in Parliament on 6 Feb 2017. For those who are interested, please scroll down below to read the excerpts, watch the clips and judge for yourself.
—————————————————————————————-

What I had said in Parliament on 9 November 2016 referring to a PAP MP’s speech was:-
“My second question pertains to a question we have repeated a few times – what are the strategies that the Government has to mitigate the risks of politicising the unifying office of the Presidency? No doubt, that politicisation may not have fully materialised for the past EPs that we have, but there is good reason to believe in future Presidential elections, if let us say there are 10 candidates, and let us say the winner gets 5% of the votes or let us say the campaign ends up becoming bitterly partisan, the Office of the President could be politicised. I have not heard any strategy from any Member of the PAP on how this can be managed. I think Ms Rahayu Mahzam came closest to that. To her credit, she talked about tightening up the rules for partisanship during the Presidential election campaign. So, what would be the Government’s strategy to mitigate that? That is my second question.”

This was DPM Teo’s reply to me at the time:
“Turning to the risk of politicisation and the possible tightening of rules for the Presidential Elections. The risk of politicisation is there. I have addressed it explicitly just now in my answer. But I think what Mr Leon Perera suggests, and what the Commission suggests also, is to look at rules and the way that the Presidential Elections are conducted. I think there is merit and I agree with Mr Leon Perera there.”

https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/topic.jsp…

In my earlier speech on the Bill delivered that very same day, I argued for reverting to appointed Presidents. Here is an extract from that speech:-

“Mdm Speaker, the Presidency, and I concur with Members who have talked about the importance of the Presidency, is the one precious unifying symbol of our national unity, above party politics. As a National Serviceman, I pledged my allegiance, as did many Members here, to the President and the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, proudly. When we elect this office, inevitably, it becomes a proxy General Election…The Constitutional Commission, the Menon Commission recognised this. They had the courage to do so, and suggested that we cast our eyes back to the time when Presidents were not elected.”

https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/topic.jsp…

Here is the video clip of that speech. It makes clear that I am not calling for rule changes to Presidential Elections but for a reversion to appointed Presidents.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/…/leon-perera-s…/3275492.html

On 8 November 2016, in responding to PAP MP and MOS Dr Janil Puthucheary, I said:

“Firstly, and most importantly, we have argued that subjecting the office of the Presidency to an election runs the risk that that election will inevitably become a proxy General Election, will become politicised. As a result of that process, the Elected President that emerges from there with a mandate that is less than 50% will be seen in a political light and will, therefore, have his or her ability to unify the entire country severely curtailed…Can the President be a unifying figure, after being subject to an election that is vulnerable to the tinge of partisanship? …Our proposal actually saves the Presidency from the risk of this kind of politicisation.”

https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/topic.jsp…

Here is the video clip of my exchange with DPM Teo in Parliament on 6 Feb 2017:

https://youtu.be/1Isvb5773MU

Source: Leon Perera

February 9, 2017
3 Myanmar Police Officers Found Guilty Of Abusing Rohingya Civilians, Sentenced To 2 Months Detention

YANGON — Three police officers have been sentenced to two months detention over a video showing them abusing Rohingya civilians, security sources told AFP on Wednesday (Feb 8), saying those involved had “no intention” to cause harm.

Authorities detained several officers last month for beating Rohingya villagers during operations in the north of Rakhine state, where security forces are hunting militants behind raids on border posts.

Nearly 70,000 Rohingya have fled to camps in southern Bangladesh since the lockdown started four months ago, bringing horrific stories of mass rape, murder, torture and arson.

A UN report released on Friday based on interviews with escapees said hundreds of people have likely been killed in a “calculated policy of terror” that may amount to ethnic cleansing.

Despite the mounting evidence, Myanmar’s government has largely dismissed allegations of widespread abuses against the Muslim minority, who most in the country consider a group of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The beating video, which appeared online in Dec, was a rare exception where authorities have taken action.

The footage showed police hitting a young boy around the head as he walked to where dozens of villagers were lined up in rows seated on the ground, hands behind their heads.

Several officers in uniform then start attacking one of the sitting men, beating him with a stick and kicking him repeatedly in the face.

Three junior police were handed down two month sentences over the video, police sources told AFP, including the officer who filmed it previously named as Zaw Myo Htike by state media.

However the officers are not serving their time in a civilian prison, but instead in a jail for police.

Three senior police including a major were also demoted and their service terms were reduced for failing to enforce discipline.

“They didn’t have any intention to hurt them,” a senior police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the treatment of the Rohingya villagers.

“During the operation, villagers said abusive words to security forces… such action was taken because they failed to follow police procedure.”

A local police officer in Maungdaw also confirmed the officers were sentenced last month, blaming the events on the stress of working in northern Rakhine.

“Police are dealing with many pressures on the ground and we have to risk our lives dealing with terrorists,” he said.

Source: www.todayonline.com

February 9, 2017
MUIS Should Be More Proactive In Providing Guidelines On Sale Of Products Manufactured Using Pig Derivatives

In Malaysia, when Muslims complain about pig hair paintbrush the government take action. Muslim consumers are protected.

Singapore how?

Here also you can find such pig-hair brush. Got shoes with pig-lining, wallet…..

Muis got advice? Can we touch or not. If cannot touch then Muis should advice sellers to warn consumers appropriately because some of the signs you cannot see until you already touch the shoe or what not

Zaid

Reader Contribution

February 9, 2017