Tag: Muslim

Grabhitch Nightmare: Stuck With Obnoxious Driver, Male Muslim Passenger Also Gets Bitten By Driver’s Chihuahua

Hello everyone, I have a personal story to share with you. It’s an extremely important one if you are a frequent user of apps such as Grab or Uber.

On 25 Dec, after my work had ended during my shift during X’mas eve, in the wee early morning of about 2am, I decided to take on Grabhitch (cos you know 50% off). Within minutes, my booking was accepted, and I received a call directly from the driver. But during the call, these were messages that he had conveyed to me:

1) Firstly, he does not know where Harbourfront Centre taxi stand is, and insisted that I walk to him. He was all the way at the other side of Vivocity (near to St James Powerhouse). Mind you, I have been on my feet for the past 9.5 hours.

2) Secondly, during the tele-conversation, he also mentioned that he is not driving the stated Mercedes-Benz car (plate number: SJV6527Z) in my booking screen. Instead, he was driving a silver Cheverolet.

Eventually, the driver and I decided to make a compromise, and picked me up at the bus stop in front of Vivocity, which is somewhat far from where I was. But I didn’t want to waste time further as I was so exhausted. As I walked to the car, I saw a dog, which initially I thought was a soft toy. As I got closer, I realised the driver had a REAL LIVING DOG (It was a small chihuahua as I got to know later) with him inside the car! While I was shocked, I didn’t want to kick up a fuss out of it. I really wanted to just get home.

I mean I know it’s Grabhitch but it is just plain unprofessional to do that. I know there are many animal lovers out there who wouldn’t mind this. But I thought it’s just very basic courtesy to at least inform your passenger especially with a muslim-sounding name if he might be okay with it?

So many lines crossed here; safety issues, health related issues, religious and cultural issues etc. Yes, I’m very much Muslim. However, at that point of time, I thought to myself that it’s just a dog, and the driver should probably have the dog well tamed to be comfortable with strangers. But I later realised that the driver is the one that needed taming.

Throughout the entire trip, the driver didn’t stop being obnoxious. He lectured me about the ‘hitch culture’, and remained adamant about how he thought his way of “educating” me about the hitch culture was appropriate. He claimed that as passengers taking the Grabhitch option, it isn’t right to sit at the back and treat the owners of the car as our “cheapest drivers to get to our destination”.

He further said that he was “doing a service to the community by allowing people to sit in his car at a very small fee and helping people reach their destinations”. He added on saying that many people don’t want to perform Grabhitch because of people like me. Like seriously?!!

When I asked him if his dog is generally okay with strangers, he defensively lashed back at me and said,”My dog never disturb you, why you so concern about the dog?!!

As I was trying to unbuckle the seat belt, the sound I made probably riddled the dog. The DOG THEN JUMPED AND BIT ME!

I immediately told the driver I’m leaving, opened the door and slammed it shut. He didn’t even apologised or offered to take a look at my arm. I walked away quickly as I wanted to get away from the possible danger – like getting mauled by a ferocious dog.

This all happened in the wee hours of Sunday morning after a tiring day at work. Like I said, all I wanted was to go home and get some sleep. And such luck had to strike me. Nevertheless, I have taken necessary steps to this whole issue and have approached the proper authorities.

I have gone to the doctor at NUH who was very caring and concern while I was consulted by her. She even ensured that I ascertain if the dog is approved by the authorities by allowing me to call the Grab customer service hotline in the room, and patiently waited before making a decision to give me a rabies shot or not. It was not administered as we found that the dog was certified healthy, according to the driver who admitted that there was his dog in his car but denied that it has bitten me. Come on la, the mark is on my arm already. Whatever it is, his pet has already caused harm and injury to me.

I have also gone to the police who have referred my case to Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA). Officers on both sides had handled the matter professionally and quickly. I even received a phone call from AVA the very afternoon, which was after Sunday and on Christmas.

Ultimately, this is a story of how my $6 Grabhitch ride became into $123.40 matter as I had incurred $117.40 worth of medical bill, that included a tetanus shot and antibiotics. This story is very much real, and has happened to me. It is no joke. So please be safe.

Source: Rushdan Eilyaas

December 27, 2016
Indonesia’s Elite Police Turning Tide On Militants

JAKARTA (Reuters) – As the world battles a spike in assaults and plots by Islamist militants, Indonesia’s anti-terrorism unit is drawing praise for stemming a wave of bloody attacks in the sprawling Muslim-majority nation.

Indonesia has foiled at least 15 attacks this year alone and made more than 150 arrests, disrupting plots ranging from suicide attacks in Jakarta to a rocket attack from Indonesia’s Batam island targeting Singapore.

Going back to 2010, a Reuters analysis of data shows the elite unit, Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88), has prevented at last 54 plots or attacks in the nation of 250 million people, the world’s fourth largest.

“Densus 88 has become better than pretty well any other counter-terrorism group in the world,” said Greg Barton, a terrorism export and research professor in Global Islamic Politics at Alfred Deakin Institute in Melbourne.

“They have had an incredible workload and they have become remarkably good at what they do.”

In the last six years, there has been only one major attack in Indonesia that caused civilian deaths, when assailants hit a Jakarta mall and police post with gunfire and bombs, resulting in the deaths of three Indonesians and a dual Algerian-Canadian national. All four attackers were also killed in the January 2016 attack.

Between 2002 to 2009, there were nine major attacks by militants, leaving 295 dead and hundreds of others wounded.

Since its formation in 2002, the unit has put a premium on clandestine intelligence gathering. Now much of that intelligence work is done online, by infiltrating and monitoring chat rooms, social media and messaging apps popular with militants.

SELF-SUFFICIENT

Few details about Densus 88 are publicly available.

“We built our organization to learn from the enemy,” said a senior counter-terrorism officer who provided some insight into the working of the unit but spoke on condition of anonymity.

Created in the aftermath of the deadly 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, Densus 88 has about 400 to 500 members, state-of-the-art weaponry and training, said another official. It has received more than $200 million of funding from Western allies such as Australia and the United States.

The unit is headed by a task force, a core of 30 or so senior members, said the Indonesian law enforcement source.

“Many of them possess doctorates and have specialties like psychology and social behaviour,” the source added. “They are not like regular police.”

The black clad, heavily armed members of Densus 88 sometimes seen during raids on suspected militant hideouts make up a small proportion of the unit, officials say.

Far more personnel are dedicated to gathering intelligence in the field and monitoring communications and online activity. There is also a large team of investigators analysing that intelligence and forensically examining explosives and other evidence.

Sidney Jones, the director of Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), said the key to Densus 88’s success lies in its intelligence gathering.

“They know the radical networks and have a good set of informers,” she said. “It is unparalleled in terms of its ability to understand the sources of possible threats.”

Despite Densus 88’s recent successes, the worry is that the militant threat to Indonesia is mounting as Islamic State fighters return battle-hardened from Syria and Iraq. The ultra-radical group also commands support from some Indonesians who have stayed at home.

About 800 Indonesians have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State and 169 have been stopped en route and deported, according to Indonesia’s national counter-terrorism agency.

In the past two months alone, there have been 40 arrests, and at least six attacks foiled, according to the Reuters study, which collated data with the assistance of IPAC staff. At least two of the attacks were planned for New Year’s Eve, police said.

Many of these plots have been linked to Islamic State, with police alleging they were inspired, if not directed, by Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant who fled to Syria about two years ago.

“These new homegrown terrorists and the local jihadists have never gone abroad. But with the advent of the Internet age and technologies like social media, it’s easier to make bombs and explosives to do operations,” said the law enforcement source.

Authorities remain deeply worried about an attack during the holiday season.

In the longer term, the worry is the possible return of hardened Islamic State fighters like Naim to the region.

“They will be a different type of terrorist and the police are going to have a lot more problems,” said Indonesian analyst Rakyan Adibrata.

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

December 27, 2016
Indonesian Militants Planned Machete-Attack On New Year

JAKARTA — Indonesian militants supporting Islamic State (IS) planned to attack a police post on New Year’s eve with machetes and knives, the authorities said on Monday, as the country’s elite anti-terror squad foiled yet another attack.

The latest incident has underlined how the militants are determined to carry out attacks over the festive season, despite a massive nationwide security crackdown.

National police spokesperson Rikwanto said four militants were preparing to attack a police post in Purwakarta, a city in West Java on New Year’s eve.

“They had surveyed a few places and in the end they chose the police post as their target … because it has only a few security personnel as compared to the police station and police base,” said Mr Rikwanto, who goes by one name.

The plot was foiled as Indonesia’s Special Counter-Terrorism Detachment 88, also known as Densus 88, arrested two of the would be attackers (only identified as Ivan and Rizal) on Sunday morning who led them to their hideout.

Several hours later, police shot dead their two co-conspirators (identified as Abu Sofi and Abu Faiz), after they tried to attack officers.

“They were told to surrender, but they refused and tried to attack officers with machetes, so we fired warning shots. When they still approached, we shot them,” said Awi Setiyono, another national police spokesman.

The pair which was arrested on Sunday were taken to a police hospital in Jakarta.

Mr Rikwanto said that the group is part of the Jamaah Anshor Daulah, an offshoot of the IS in Indonesia. However, he could not confirm the group’s link with Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian from Central Java who is now believed to be fighting for the IS in Syria.

“We’re still investigating the group’s link with Bahrun Naim. However, they are affiliated with the IS,” he said yesterday (MON).

Mr Rikwanto said the authorities seized several machetes and documents from the suspects’ house, including a will in which they stated that they had pledged their allegiance to the IS and wished to take part in suicide attacks.

The latest incident came amid a security crackdown in several cities on Java after police arrested a would-be suicide bomber and other suspected Islamic militants who were allegedly planning a holiday season suicide bombing earlier this month.

The government has stepped up security across the country, deploying 150,000 security personnel to safeguard churches, airports and other public places.

Three suspected militants who were allegedly planning a New Year’s Eve suicide bombing were killed in a gunbattle last week on the outskirts of Jakarta.

Police said the holiday season plot was uncovered during the interrogation of militants arrested on Dec 10 who were planning a suicide bomb attack on a guard-changing ceremony at the presidential palace in Jakarta the next day.

Police have said the foiled plot planned to take place on Dec 11, in which a woman — who had worked in Singapore as a nanny — was to be the suicide bomber, was orchestrated by Naim.

Naim is believed to have masterminded several terror plots, including a terror attack in Jakarta in January and a rocket attack against Singapore.

On Christmas day, the authorities detained three Indonesian nationals deported from Syria for allegedly joining militants in the war-torn country.

The three men were identified as Tomi Gunawan, 18, a resident of Pekanbaru in Riau; Jang Johana, 25, from Bandung, West Java; and Irfan, 21, from Jakarta.

On the same day, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry noted that since Jan last year, there have been 220 Indonesian citizens deported by the Turkish government for being suspected of crossing the border to join IS.

Those deported from Turkey were brought to the Densus 88 headquarters for investigation upon entering Indonesia.

Source: www.todayonline.com

December 27, 2016
Syed Danial: A Message To Conservatives – Smile More Please

There is method in the madness.

The ‘jubah sado’ (traditional Arabian attire for the muscularly-built) posting serves as an effective (methinks) preamble to the point I wish to make.

Friends, in this ‘post-truth’ era, I think there’s a certain assumption that if one has conservative views, then he is not in touch with modernity. He is somewhat backward. Worse still, he is somehow linked to ‘extremism’.

This is of course not true. I can’t believe I’m typing this. It’s worth makin it explicit. One can have views steeped in conservatism and still be in touch and quite adept with modernity – be it in embracing technology, being in the forefront of entrepreneurship, academia etc.

Bringing me to my main point.

We live in an era of so much fasaad. Right has become wrong and vice versa.

Like it or not, that’s the environment we operate in. I feel in such an environment it really doesn’t help that a person whose views are conservative and steeped in the more than fourteen centuries of Islamic scholarship…. Also look severe and unsmiling. In a nutshell unapproachable.

Again it may not be true. The person could be very friendly and kind.

Fair or not, its the image of the conservative chap.

In the interest of furthering the Dawah (invitation) why can’t we appear less ‘severe’? I bring up the ‘jubah sado’ to illustrate this point. Bear in mind we live in an age where it’s ok to be half naked in a foam party or dancing on bar tops. But wearing the jubah or thoube is considered ‘Arabism’ and somehow backward.

Let’s celebrate our conservative values. If we are comfortable with it wear the jubah. Heck u don’t have to look so ‘severe’. I think it’s fine to jazz it up a little. There’s the jubah sado. Or the hooded Moroccan thoube. You get the idea.

And very importantly let’s Smile more. I think we can all agree that’s the Sunnah (way) of Prophet Muhammad. And prophet Jesus, too, for that matter.

So even in our dressing InshaAllah let dawah be our niyah. Wear cool stuffs. Smile more. And engage in meaningful conversations, putting across our principled stances with mauithatun Hasanah – beautiful preaching.

Yeah and by the way, I see nothing wrong with the jubah pahlawan. ??Even the pink ones. Real men wear pink. They Juz don’t subscribe to the ideology of Pinkdot.

Wallahualam.

Source: Syed Danial

December 27, 2016
Hattan Tidak Mahu Undang Fitnah, Tiada Akaun Media Sosial

PETALING JAYA: Penyanyi Hattan tidak berminat untuk membuka akaun Facebook atau Instagram kerana merasakan ia penuh dengan perkara negatif berbanding positif.

Hattan atau Mohd Shukri Shahabuddin, 52 tahun, berkata beliau juga tidak kisah sekiranya dikatakan tidak mengikut perubahan zaman kerana itu adalah pendiriannya.

“Saya memang tiada Facebook atau Instagram walaupun ramai beranggapan seorang artis perlu ada akaun media sosial.

“Jika ada kata saya kolot dan tidak mengikut perkembangan semasa, itu adalah hak mereka kerana keputusan itu adalah pendirian saya,” katanya kepada mStar Online.

Menerusi pemerhatiannya, Hattan berkata media sosial pada hari ini dilihat bukan untuk menyatukan masyarakat secara maya sebaliknya menjadi medan pergaduhan dan tempat menyebarkan fitnah.

“Apa yang saya lihat, media sosial sudah menjadi tempat untuk menyebarkan fitnah sehingga kadang-kala mampu membuat orang panik dan bimbang.

“Lihat sahaja berapa ramai artis yang menjadi viral dan dikatakan sudah meninggal dunia oleh fitnah pihak tidak bertanggungjawab?

“Jika hendak viralkan sesuatu perkara pun biarlah benda yang betul dan mendatangkan manfaat dan bukannya main muat naik status atau kongsi apa yang orang lain tulis,” ujarnya lagi kepada mStar Online.

Laporan mStar Online menambah Hattan turut menasihatkan golongan artis agar tidak terlalu taksub dengan media sosial sehingga memudaratkan diri.

Menurutnya, golongan artis sepatutnya menjaga nilai eksklusif diri mereka dan menggunakan teknologi dengan bijak.

“Saya kadang-kadang tidak faham, nak pergi ke tandas pun hendak beritahu semua orang dan muat naik gambar.

“Pada saya, kuasa media sosial itu memang penting untuk artis tetapi mereka juga perlu menjaga nilai eksklusif diri mereka.

“Saya faham ada ramai di antara mereka yang terikat sebagai duta produk yang memerlukan mereka sentiasa mengemas kini perkembangan tetapi jangan keterlaluan sehingga mampu merosakkan reputasi sendiri,” katanya.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

December 26, 2016