Usianya kini sudah 49 tahun dan pengarah dan pelakon terkenal, Rosyam Nor tidak segan silu menjelaskan bahawa dia tidak pandai mengaji sehinggalah dirinya berusia 45 tahun malah turut menjelaskan bahawa hanya menghafal tiga surah – al-Fatihah, an-Nas dan al-Ikhlas.
“Saya baru tahu selama 45 tahun usia saya ini, saya baca ‘bismillah’ pun salah. Saya tak malu mengaku ini di hadapan anda semua. Biarlah saya malu dengan anda daripada saya malu dengan Allah,” katanya yang dipetik melalui Sinar Harian.
“Ketika ini saya rasa seorang Rosyam Nor tertunduk malu dan sedih sebab tidak tahu mengaji. Kadang-kadang bila jadi imam di rumah, anak-anak saya pun tahu surah apa saya akan baca. Sebab itu saya tak berlakon cerita agama,” jelasnya yang terkesan setelah pemergian ayahnya.
Tambahnya, dia turut memasang angan-angan untuk belajar mengaji sehinggalah didatangi seorang lelaki ketika penggambaran akhir filem KL Gangster 2. Mengakui rimas kerana diganggu lelaki tersebut pada mulanya, akhirnya ada sinar baru buat Rosyam.
“Semasa penggambaran itu, ada seorang insan muncul dan pada awalnya saya anggap beliau hanya seorang peminat biasa. Kemudian beliau minta nombor telefon dan setiap minggu beliau hubungi saya ajak berjumpa”
“Selama empat bulan beliau hubungi saya sampai saya rimas dan akhirnya saya setuju untuk bertemu di kawasan rumah saya,” katanya yang akhirnya belajar mengaji dengan lelaki tersebut.
“Ini masalah paling besar bila dah tua.Tapi jangan kita malu. Alhamdulillah usia 45 tahun saya mula belajar mengaji mula dengan alif, ba, ta,” jelasnya. Syukur buat Rosyam, dia akhirnya berjaya khatam al-Quran di hadapan Kaabah pada usia 48 tahun.
KUALA LUMPUR: Sebuah mahkamah di Kuala Lumpur memerintahkan Vivian Lee, iaitu bekas teman wanita blogger kontroversi Alvin Tan, supaya membela diri terhadap pertuduhan mempersenda umat Islam dan bulan Ramadan.
Ini setelah dia menerbitkan penerbitan menghasut dalam laman sosial Facebook, tiga tahun lalu.
Hakim Abdul Rashid Daud membuat keputusan itu selepas mendapati pihak pendakwaan berjaya membuktikan kes prima facie terhadap Vivian Lee atau Lee May Ling, 27 tahun, di akhir kes pendakwaan hari ini (14 Apr).
Mahkamah menetapkan 10 dan 11 Mei untuk Lee, membela diri dengan memberi keterangan secara bersumpah terhadap pertuduhan tersebut mengikut Akta Hasutan.
Mengikut pertuduhan, Vivian Lee dan Alvin Tan didakwa menyiarkan gambar mereka menikmati hidangan dengan kapsyen bertajuk ‘Selamat Berbuka Puasa (with Bak Kut Teh…fragrant, delicious and appetising (‘Selamat Berbuka Puasa (dengan) Bak Kut Teh, Wangi, Enak dan Menyelerakan’ yang mengandungi logo halal.
Mereka didakwa bersama-sama melakukan kesalahan itu melalui laman sosial Facebook pukul 9.00 pagi pada 12 Julai 2013.
Bagaimanapun, Abdul Rashid melepaskan dan membebaskan Lee daripada pertuduhan menyiarkan gambar lucah di Facebook.
Ketika ditanya wartawan di luar mahkamah, Timbalan Pendakwa Raya, Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin mengenai pertuduhan terhadap Alvin Tan, beliau berkata: “Pada hari ini keputusan hanya terhadap Lee bagaimanapun pendakwaan terhadap Tan masih diteruskan meskipun tanpa kehadirannya di mahkamah”.
Mereka turut didakwa atas tuduhan menyiarkan gambar lucah dalam laman Facebook yang sama, antara 9.00 malam pada 6 Julai 2013 dan 2.00 pagi pada 7 Julai 2013.
Pada 6 Mac tahun lalu, pendakwa meneruskan perbicaraan terhadap Lee meskipun tanpa kehadiran Tan, 28 tahun, yang disyaki melarikan diri ke Amerika Syarikat bagi mengelak menghadiri prosiding perbicaraan.
– The writer of “Why Does Gay Sex Scare Modern Muslims?” conflates the clear teachings of Islam with the actions of some Muslims. This is what Islamophobes do all the time too.
– To the author Truth is true only when it conforms to the demands of the context, no matter what the context is.To him if Muslims want to be accepted in Europe, Islam must not reject Homosexuality. This is to say that truth is nothing but the product of the context and is subservient to it. In Islam, what is real (reality) is not necessarily true. It is truth that must be made into reality, not the other way round. We should not confuse what is with what ought.
– Fundamentalism in the sense that we should return to the fundamentals of Islam is nothing but good.
– When God said he created this for that purpose, this is what Muslims mean by natural, any kind of action that strayed away from that purpose is considered as an unnatural act, a transgression. Therefore, the very act of consciously turning away from the opposite sex for the same sex to satisfy one’s sexual need – in any way – is explicitly prohibited in The Quran :
“Of all the creatures in the world, you approach the males? And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, you are a people of transgression.” (Quran 26:165-166)
How explicit than this do you want the Quran to be?
– The verses quoted above is enough to debunk the “rape theory”.
– Yes, The Quran does not condemn those men who are not in need of women (24:31), but the Quran also does not say that they are in need of men or sanction homosexuality. This is a clear fallacy of Non Sequitur.
– The author seems to necessitate sex in a love relationship between men, with his logic all men who love their fellow men passionately must be homosexuals, to stretch this faulty logic further, it will not be wrong to say that when there is love between a father and his daughter the relationship must be incestuous.
– Linking conservatism with ISIS’ atrocities is a clear example of slippery slope.
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We know that such brittle articles will keep on coming, because if your position is weak, you have nothing to strengthen it with but repetition and paraphrasing.
As can be expected, discussions of racism tend to elicit a variety of responses.
It is undeniable that institutional racism exists in Singapura. But we recognise that a lot of those who by virtue of their numerical advantage, do not suffer from racism, will assume that it does not exist.
And some others do not necessarily reject racism, but argue against its discussion.
We receive regular caution and criticism, especially from Chinese Singapurans against discussing racism. Some of them appear to be driven by good faith concern.
While others are simply trying to muzzle any discussion that may question their privilege.
We do not believe that those who promote the system, do so because they intentionally want to discriminate. But they believe in the system.
And for some, they take comfort in believing that their superiority is manifested in the outcome of the system. Because the PAP claims it is meritocratic, then if the Chinese community does better than the others, it is only because the Chinese are genetically or culturally superior.
To then point out how the system privileges them and discriminates against the other races, is to force them to reject an important part of their identity.
Their reactions tend to be from justifying racism to insults.
Such as PAP’s Jaro Gee’s claim that Malays are just looking for handouts
Or PAP’s Maydeline Tan’s association of Muslims and the ban on hijab with terrorism.
These are not isolated responses. Read the mainstream media comment section whenever Malays or Islam are discussed and we can see how much racism exists in Singapura.
Most Malays in Singapura have experienced racism. That many do not speak about it is testemant to the climate of fear whenever we discuss issues about race and religion and for some, the sense of resignation.
Does this mean only the Chinese are racist?
No it does not. There are racist Malays, Indians, Eurasians too. The difference between a racist non-Chinese and a racist Chinese is that the non-Chinese are not institutionally privileged.
And they do not create systems that perpetuate the racism.
Given that the political elites are Chinese, racism from among the Chinese community (which appears to be over represented among PAP members) become systemic and institutional.
Does this mean the Chinese in Singapura are necessarily and naturally racist?
Not at all. We know a lot of Chinese Singapurans who not only reject racism, but advocate against it.
There are some who are worried that discussions about racism may cause fractures in society. We recognise their concern.
Some of them try to understand and promote accomodation and respect.
And of course, there are also Malays who justify racism against their own community.
It is thus important to recognise that the problem is not the individuals.
It is not the Jaro Gee or Maydeline Tan who display their racism.
Or the Hawazi Daipi who justify it.
Our focus should be on the system that not only privileges one race over the others, but promote and justifies racism.
We believe most of the Chinese in Singapura, just like the Malays, Indians, Armenians, Jews, Sikhs, are good.
A lot of those who promote or justify racism do so because it affects their identity. Hawazi Daipi justify it out of his responsibility and loyalty to the PAP.
The same with Jaro Gee and Maydeline Tan.
To overcome racism, we need to keep the conversation going.
And remember that the problem is not the Ah Hui or the Ah Hiang that live next door or across the island.
It is the system that the elites have set up to privilege themselves and their community.
We are where Allah wants us to be. We do what Allah wants us to do.
Never have I once feel ashamed of the background I had. But never have I felt that we deserve to be laughed at or belittled. You will never truly understand our plot and position if you have never been in our shoes. You will never truly understand the little hardships we face trying to be good Muslims. And you will never truly understand the sacrifice that we made sometimes.
Is there regret on my end? Yes.
If there is one thing I regretted most was putting a distance between me and my friends last time. I distanced myself in order to be a “better Muslim”. And when I left secondary school, I left everything behind. Friends, best friends, buddies. Everything.
There was no “guide” to be a good Muslim in a secular school then. I thought I had to distant myself and put everything aside. I left them all behind and went to trod on the “better path” alone. And now when I look back, sometimes I wish I had been wiser, more matured with my decisions.
I DO NOT REGRET WHERE I AM NOW.
But I regret not having certain people with me. Friends, where we once called ourselves family. So it hurts when I see people, “better” and non secular-people judging us. Laughing at us when we do certain deeds. When we try to be better.
You have no idea what some of us went through just to do our 5 prayers daily. You have no idea how hard we try to speak nicely and without the occasional swearing. And you have absolutely no clue how much effort we put to attend a religious class.
So please, if we get over-excited religiously sometimes, forgive us and don’t mock us. We were just trying to enjoy and feel like a better Muslim. We acknowledge that we might not be as fluent as you in reciting the Qur’an or memorising the texts. But we are trying and we hope you don’t judge us when we do.
Because I remember when I decided to leave that “secular path”, nobody came with a helping hand nor a piece of advise from the other side. I was judged, criticised and laughed at. So now when I look back at the people I left behind, who is going to reach out to them and show them Allah’s mercy and my Prophet’s love?
We did not start our day in school last time with wirdul latif. Nor did we have a time to pray in congregation. Allah did not place us there to be mocked and laughed at. He placed us there, so you may take our hands and guide us to the beautiful path of Islam you learnt in school.
If there is one thing I regret, is to have left all my friends behind.
But Allah work wonders. And He have met me with new friends that I cherish so much right now. And new opportunities for me to amend my faults and unwise decisions.
To my friends, we got more work to do. The journey just began. The fun has only just started. People are going to judge us, criticise us, and bring us down. But Allah is with us. We’re here to make friends. To make new friends and patch up with old ones. Take blessing in where we are and where He have placed us.
