Tag: Muslim

Sultan Of Johor ‘Declines Offer To Be Next King’

Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has said he declined an offer to be the next Malaysian king because “he wants to strictly adhere to the rotation system”.

He disclosed this in a Facebook post late on Friday night, hours after the Conference of Rulers ended a three-day meeting by choosing the Sultan of Kelantan, Muhammad V, as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Under Malaysia’s unique monarchy system, the hereditary rulers from the nine states on the peninsula take turns to be the country’s head of state for a five-year term.

The Johor ruler said in his Facebook posting that, contrary to social media reports, he declined the offer to become the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong because he wanted to strictly adhere to the rotation system set by the Conference of Rulers.

He added: “Under this time-tested succession pattern, the Sultan of Kelantan is next in line, followed by the Sultan of Pahang. Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar respects and understands the rule of succession by rotation and wishes to abide by this.”

The Johor Sultan’s Facebook post raised some eyebrows.

“It is very rare for details of discussions in a Rulers’ Council meeting to be disclosed to the public,” said Mr Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of think-tank the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.

The British-educated Muhammad V, 47, who is the current deputy king, will be the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong since Malaysia’s independence. He succeeds 88-year-old Kedah ruler Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, whose reign as king officially ends on Dec 12.

There was a surprising turn of events in the selection of the next deputy king, according to The Star newspaper.

Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, 59, was chosen as deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong although Pahang ruler Sultan Ahmad Shah was next in line for the post, the newspaper said. Sultan Ahmad, who will soon turn 86, was seen being driven in a yellow buggy inside the palace to attend the meeting on the first day of the rulers’ conference.

For the first time, both the newly selected king and his deputy are a generation younger than most of the other rulers, The Star noted.

Under the federal Constitution, the role of Yang di-Pertuan Agong is mostly ceremonial. He acts as the head of Islam and appoints Cabinet ministers and senior judges on the advice of the prime minister.

The chairman of this year’s Conference of Rulers was the Johor Sultan, but the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, chaired the final day’s special meeting to select the king and his deputy, according to The Star.

Voting for the new king is usually done via a secret ballot handed out by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal during the special election meeting. A majority of five votes is required before the chairman presiding over the meeting offers the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to the nominee.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

October 16, 2016
Bahas: Masyarakat Islam Tidak Proaktif Tentang Radikalisme

Masyarakat Islam di Singapura tidak proaktif dalam menentang radikalisme.

Inilah mauduk peringkat akhir satu pertandingan bahas yang dianjurkan siang tadi (15 Okt).

Pertandingan tahunan itu dianjurkan oleh cabang belia Persatuan Darul Arqam.

Ia bertujuan untuk menyediakan satu wadah bagi perbincangan secara mendalam di kalangan belia.

Para mahasiswa dari Universiti Nasional Singapura (NUS) membentuk pasukan pencadang.

Mereka membentangkan hujah bahawa masyarakat Islam bersikap reaktif dan bukan proaktif dalam menangani radikalisme.

Satu sebab utama adalah, masyarakat tidak melibatkan diri dalam perbincangan secara mendalam tentang isu tersebut.

Oleh itu, mereka tidak mempunyai pemahaman yang baik mengenainya.

Namun pasukan pembangkang dari Politeknik Ngee Ann menyangkal hujah-hujah tersebut.

Menurut mereka, masyarakat Islam sudah melaksanakan pelbagai inisiatif untuk menangani radikalisme.

Satu contoh adalah semakan ke atas Skim Pengiktirafan Asatizah, untuk memastikan masyarakat Islam menerima pendidikan Islam yang betul.

Di akhir pertandingan, pasukan NUS muncul sebagai juara.

“Saya rasa kami mungkin akan berbincang tentang topik ini dalam kumpulan masing-masing, di setiap institusi masing-masing tetapi tidak ada satu wadah yang kami boleh gunakan untuk berbincang di antara kumpulan-kumpulan dan institusi masing-masing,” pembahas NUS, Aaeshah Ng memberitahu BERITAMediacorp.

Sejajar dengan itu, tetamu terhormat Setiausaha Parlimen Kementerian Dalam Negeri Amrin Amin berkata meskipun bahas sudah berakhir, para belia patut terus membincangkan tentang isu radikalisme.

“Saya menjemput anak-anak muda kita untuk menyahut cabaran ini dan sama-sama berbual dan memikirkan apakah langkah-langkah yang boleh diambil, apakah kegiatan yang boleh dianjurkan untuk kita sama-sama menangani masalah ini,” kata Encik Amrin.

Beliau juga menekankan bukan setakat perbahasan idea, masyarakat Islam juga katanya perlu menunjukkan apa yang mereka maksudkan melalui perbuatan dan tindakan.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

October 16, 2016
Owners Of T Bob’s Corner Donating Some Earnings To Help Autistic 11 Year Old Boy

The owners of a Western food restaurant are donating part of its proceeds to help an 11-year-old boy who has autism.

Miss Nurul Jannah Saharuddin, 23, and Miss Indah Nabielah Zulkarnain, 24, who run T Bob’s Corner in Bedok, are giving up 30 per cent of the eatery’s takings from Oct 18 to 23 to help the boy, Akid, after hearing about his plight from a musician who performed at their restaurant recently.

Earlier this year, The New Paper reported on how Akid had become more aggressive and violent because of his condition. (See report below.)

The women bought over the business at Block 527, Bedok North Street 3, two months ago with the help of their fathers.

Miss Indah said that donating a sizeable chunk of their week-long revenue would hit their take-home income, but both of them shrugged it off.

Miss Jannah told The New Paper: “We thought 30 per cent was a good number. If you want to help, it has to be a substantial amount, even if it hurts a little.”

Miss Indah said: “Well, businesses come with risks, right?”

Miss Indah Nabielah Zulkarnain TNP PHOTOS: AHMAD FARUQ ROZALI

Only their income will be affected as their staff of two chefs and three part-time waiters will continue to draw their full wages.

Miss Jannah, an RMIT University business management graduate, said: “It would demoralise them otherwise. So we both decided we would make the sacrifice so Akid can benefit from it.”

They estimate that they will lose about 15 to 20 per cent of their take-home income for that week.

It’s their way of giving back, they said.

VOLUNTEER WORK

Miss Indah, a life sciences graduate, became involved in fund-raising activities while studying at the National University of Singapore.

Her experience in volunteering at an orphanage in Indonesia five years ago also played a part in making her want to help Akid.

“Five years later, the children (at the orphanage) are still messaging me on Facebook, asking me when I’m returning to visit. The fact that these kids remember us means that they treasure every little bit we do, even if we didn’t do much,” she said.

Agreeing, Miss Jannah said: “My parents told me, ‘You don’t need money to be nice’.

“(Indah) didn’t have to fork out a million dollars to have the kids remember her. It’s just the things we do that matter.”

Miss Jannah’s path to volunteering was more personal.

A decade ago, she was a beneficiary of a South East Community Development Programme financial aid programme.

Her mother, who has fought thyroid cancer for close to two decades, was also a source of inspiration.

“She never saw her condition as something to hold her back. She still gave back by volunteering on weekends,” Miss Jannah said.

She plans to ask her musician father, Mr Saharuddin Jalil, to invite some bands to perform at the restaurant next week in the hope of attracting more customers.

Asked if they are worried about coping with the expected crowd, Miss Indah said with a smile: “That will be a good problem.”

Source: www.tnp.sg

October 16, 2016
PERGAS Suarakan Keprihatian Berkenaan Perjudian Online

Persatuan Ulama dan Guru-Guru Agama Singapura (Pergas) menyuarakan keprihatinan ke atas perjudian online yang diluluskan pemerintah baru-baru ini dan kesan-kesan negatif kegiatan tersebut terhadap rakyat Singapura, tidak mengira latar-belakang agama mereka.

Pergas bagaimanapun menyatakan, ia memahami, langkah pemerintah meluluskan perjudian online adalah untuk mengawal kegiatan itu dan juga perjudian secara haram.

Pergas menyuarakan demikian dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini (15 Okt), menyusuli laporan-laporan media pada 30 September 2016, berhubung langkah Kementerian Ehwal Dalam Negeri (MHA) meluluskan permohonan oleh Singapore Pools dan Singapore Turf Club (STC) untuk mengecualikan perjudian online daripada Akta Perjudian Terpencil (RGA).

Laporan-laporan tersebut juga menyatakan bahawa jika dua pengendali perjudian didapati melanggar syarat-syarat tertentu, ia boleh didenda sehingga $1 juta bagi setiap syarat yang tidak dipatuhi.

Pergas menyatakan, sebagai sebuah pertubuhan yang bertanggungjawab membentuk kepimpinan agama, menjadi tugas Pergas untuk menyediakan panduan dari sudut agama buat masyarakat Islam.

Oleh itu, Pergas bertegas bahawa tidak ada tolak ansur dalam hal-hal berkaitan perjudian dan kegiatan itu jelas mendatangkan kesan-kesan negatif terhadap individu yang terlibat serta masyarakat.

Memandang ke hadapan, Pergas mengingatkan masyarakat Islam supaya menjauhkan diri daripada terlibat dengan sebarang kegiatan perjudian, yang dilarang agama Islam.

Mereka juga perlu menahan diri daripada mengambil bahagian dalam sebarang kegiatan sedemikian kerana ia menjadi lebih mudah setelah perjudian online diluluskan.

Pergas menambah, menerusi semangat menasihati antara satu sama lain untuk melakukan amalan-amalan yang baik serta menyebarkan kebenaran, ia dapat membantu mengingatkan masyarakat supaya menjauhi perjudian dan juga pengaruh-pengaruh negatif lain.

Semalam (14 Okt), menerusi khutbah Jumaat di masjid-masjid Singapura, masyarakat Islam turut diingatkan supaya menjauhi tabiat berjudi serta kesan-kesan buruk yang bukan sahaja menjejas individu yang terlibat secara langsung, malah anggota keluarga mereka.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

October 16, 2016
New Fears Of Communal Violence In Myanmar

NINE police officers were killed early on October 9th in a series of apparently co-ordinated attacks on border-guard posts in the troubled state of Rakhine in Myanmar’s west. The attackers were armed with knives, slingshots and only a few guns—and reportedly made off with dozens more guns and thousands of bullets. The Buddhist majority in Rakhine has long oppressed the state’s Muslim Rohingyas. Now the victims may be starting to fight back.

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility, but police say the attackers—at least two of whom were captured and eight killed—were Rohingyas. One local official blamed the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation, a militant group that has been dormant for decades. The two who were detained reportedly told authorities that they planned the raids with fellow locals.

The central government’s response has been reasonably level-headed. On the same day it held a press conference to appeal for caution and restraint. Two days later it dispatched high-ranking officials to talk to local leaders in the Muslim-majority townships where the attacks took place. Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de facto leader, did not cast blame, but reiterated her commitment to “peace and stability”. “Rakhine State’s problem is Myanmar’s problem,” said the information minister.

Since the attacks in northern Rakhine, however, clashes have broken out there leaving at least a dozen people dead—including unarmed civilians, according to locals. The government has beefed up an already heavy military presence. Some worry that the stolen guns will be used in future attacks on security forces, or that in trying to retrieve the weapons, the police will target innocents.

By far the biggest concern is that unrest could spread, as it did in 2012, when communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims killed scores and displaced tens of thousands. Many outside Myanmar have criticised Miss Suu Kyi for failing to speak up for the Rohingyas. Anti-Muslim sentiment runs deep among the Burman Buddhist majority. Wirathu, a virulently nationalist monk and master of social media, posted a video on his Facebook page this week that he claims shows the attackers calling for Rohingyas to join the jihad.

In August Miss Suu Kyi invited Kofi Annan, a former UN secretary-general, to head a commission investigating human-rights abuses in Rakhine. Buddhist nationalists protested, and the Rakhine parliament passed a resolution condemning the commission. But as this week’s events have shown, efforts to bring about a just and durable peace in Rakhine are more urgent than ever.

Source: www.economist.com

October 15, 2016