Tag: Muslim

Malaysian Asia’s Next Top Model Asks Critics – Why Now?

Malaysian model Tuti has responded to critics who said it was un-Islamic for her to compete in a modelling show on TV, BBC reported.

Tuti, whose real name is Nuraini Noor, was quoted as saying that she did not face such controversy before when she participated and won modelling competitions in Malaysia.

“Different people have different points of view and I am not in control of that. I respect each and everyone’s opinion.

“I don’t like to put labels on anything. I’m a citizen of the world. I’m that kind of girl who chases her dreams,” Tuti said.

Tuti is one of the 14 contestants in the latest season of Asia’s Next Top Model, scheduled to begin airing across the region on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old model is said to be one of the show’s first ethnic Malay contender.

Other Malaysians who have competed on the show was Shareeta Selvaraj and Melissa Tan Li Hsia in the third season, while Sheena Liam was the winner for the second Asia’s Next Top Model, The Star reported. – March 7, 2016.

Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

March 9, 2016
Starving Animals Up For Sale At Gaza Zoo

GAZA — A Gaza zoo owner is putting the last of his starving animals up for sale.

Mr Mohammad Oweida once hosted family and school outings at his zoo in Khan Younis in the southern part of the Palestinian territory. But war and economic hardship intervened to turn the venture into what is now a sad collection of 15 emaciated animals that he can no longer afford to feed.

“I have to sell them in order to save them,” said Mr Oweida, 24, sitting near the cage of a tiger who had not eaten for four days.

In all, he said, some 200 animals, many of them smuggled across the tightly controlled Egyptian border in tunnels, have starved to death in the zoo since a seven-week war between Israel and Palestinian militants in 2014 prevented him getting enough food for them.

Mr Oweida stuffed 15 of the animals he lost, including a lion, a tiger and a chimpanzee, and put them on display for children to pet. But the visitors now stay away.

He said he was negotiating to sell the hungry tiger for around US$23,000 (S$31,743) to a Gaza resident who used to raise lion cubs. Other animals on offer included an ostrich, a turtle and a pelican.

Source: www.todayonline.com

March 9, 2016
Kerjasama Bawa Berkat Buat Pelajar Cemerlang Al-Maarif

Usah mengejar ilmu hanya untuk mencapai kejayaan dalam bidang pelajaran, jika ilmu tersebut tidak diterapkan dalam kehidupan harian.

Itulah antara nasihat dan penekanan yang diberi ibu bapa pelajar terbaik Madrasah Al-Maarif, Cik Radiah Md Nizam, kepadanya dan masih dipegang erat sebagai pembakar semangat.

Cik Radiah, 19 tahun, muncul sebagai antara pelajar terbaik GCE Peringkat ‘A’ madrasah itu dengan meraih empat gred ‘A’ tahun lalu.

“Ibu bapa saya sentiasa memberi sokongan dan dorongan kepada saya dan sering menekankan peri pentingnya mendapatkan ilmu.

“Mereka juga selalu ingatkan saya bahawa ilmu itu bukan sekadar meraih keputusan cemerlang dalam peperiksaan, malah kita harus mampu ‘menghidupkan’ ilmu itu dalam kehidupan harian,” kata Cik Radiah.

Beliau telah meraih gred ‘A’ dalam mata pelajaran Undang-undang Islam, Teologi Islam, Bahasa Arab dan Melayu.

“Saya bersyukur dapat meraih keputusan ini dan ia adalah satu cerminan kerja keras yang telah saya lakukan sebelum menduduki peperiksaan ini.

“Dalam pada itu, ia juga berkat usaha padu asatizah di Madrasah Al-Maarif yang tidak berputus asa membimbing kami dalam perjalanan ini,” tambahnya lagi.

Sebagai ketua pengawas Madrasah Al-Maarif, Cik Radiah juga sentiasa memberi sokongan yang sama kepada rakan-rakannya yang menduduki peperiksaan itu.

Turut meraih keputusan empat ‘A’ ialah Cik Nur Diyanah Fatihin, 19 tahun.

Beliau mendapat gred ‘A’ bagi mata pelajaran Undang-undang Islam, Teologi Islam, Bahasa Melayu dan Sastera Melayu.

Anak keempat daripada keluarga lima beradik itu adalah anggota keluarganya yang pertama menduduki peperiksaan GCE Peringkat ‘A’.

Walaupun rasa tertekan mahu membanggakan keluarganya, Cik Diyanah tidak membiarkannya menjadi satu halangan baginya mencapai kecemerlangan dalam peperiksaan itu.

Beliau turut menyatakan bahawa abangnya sering memberinya kepercayaan membuat yang terbaik dan memasuki universiti.

“Abang saya adalah antara anggota keluarga yang selalu memberi saya sokongan dan kepercayaan agar mencapai yang terbaik dalam peperiksaan ini.

“Beliau turut menaruh harapan agar satu hari nanti saya dapat masuk dan melanjutkan pelajaran saya ke universiti,” kata beliau sambil menguntum senyum.

Seorang lagi pelajar terbaik Madrasah Al-Maarif, Cik Nur Aida Poh Md Aizat Poh, 19 tahun, mendapat dua ‘A’ dan tiga ‘B’.

“Sebelum peperiksaan, kami sentiasa saling bantu membantu dalam mata pelajaran yang kami tidak begitu pasti.

“Kami akan belajar bersama dan berkongsi pengetahuan bersama-sama,” kata Cik Aida.

Seramai 21 pelajar Madrasah Al-Maarif telah menduduki peperiksaan GCE Peringkat ‘A’ tahun lalu dan menurut madrasah itu, kesemua mereka mendapat surat mengundang mereka memohon masuk ke Universiti Nasional Singapura (NUS) untuk melanjutkan pelajaran mereka di universiti itu.

Ketiga-tiga pelajar itu berharap dapat melanjutkan pelajaran mereka di institusi pengajian tinggi setempat.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

March 5, 2016
Sultan Johor: Pendakwah Yang Ingin Bereramah Di Johor Perlu Dapat Tauliah

MUAR: Penceramah luar yang ingin berceramah di Johor perlu mendapat tauliah daripada Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Johor (MAINJ) terlebih dahulu sebelum mengadakan ceramah agama di negeri berkenaan.

Sultan Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar berkata walaupun penceramah tersebut bagus kerana pandai berhujah dan sering berceramah di televisyen, namun apabila dia tidak diberi tauliah, pasti ada yang tidak kena dengan pengajarannya.

“Cermin dahulu muka sendiri sebelum nasihat kepada orang lain. Kita akan mengawal mana-mana orang daripada mengajar agama Islam tanpa tauliah kerana ajaran sesat dan ceramah berbaur politik yang menjadi medan untuk mengata, memfitnah dan mencaci orang lain akan hanya mengelirukan masyarakat Islam dan meruntuhkan perpaduan rakyat,” tegas Sultan Ibrahim.

Sultan Ibrahim berkata demikian pada Majlis Perasmian Tilawah al-Quran Peringkat Negeri Johor Ke-60 di Dataran Tanjung Emas, semalam (24 Feb).

“Dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan, jelas memperuntukkan agama Islam di bawah bidang kuasa negeri dan sultan adalah ketua agama di negeri masing-masing. Dalam Undang-undang Tubuh Kerajaan Johor 1895 diperuntukkan dengan jelas Sultan adalah ketua agama bagi negeri Johor Darul Takzim,” ujar Sultan Ibrahim.

“Tapi sejak kebelakangan ini, ada pihak yang suka mencampuri kuasa agama di negeri-negeri sedangkan mereka hanya mempunyai bidang kuasa di negeri masing-masing,” tambah beliau.

DITUDUH BIDAAH

Menurut Sultan Ibrahim amalan yang sekian lama diamalkan di Johor seperti Maulidur Rasul, bacaan doa awal dan akhir tahun, nisfu syaaban, bacaan Yasin dan tahlil pada malam Jumaat, membaca doa qunut dalam sembahyang subuh, membaca talkin dan sebagainya juga dipertikaikan dan dituduh sebagai bidaah yang membawa kepada balasan neraka di hari kiamat kelak.

“Saya ingin mengingatkan pihak tertentu yang mempunyai pandangan berbeza supaya tidak mencampuri urusan agama di Johor kerana perbuatan itu akan menjadikan umat Islam keliru dan berpecah belah. Umat Islam di Johor tetap dengan pegangan Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah,” tegas Sultan Ibrahim.

“Semua negeri mempunyai majlis agama masing-masing yang ada kuasa dan tanggungjawab untuk mengawal selia serta memastikan perjalanan hal ehwal agama Islam di negeri masing-masing supaya berjalan dengan baik, teratur dan harmoni,” tambah beliau.

“Peranan seorang mufti dalam sesebuah negeri adalah untuk mengeluarkan fatwa dan menjelaskan mengenai hukum Islam hanya untuk negeri berkenaan,” kata Sultan Ibrahim.

TIDAK BOLEH HANYA RUJUK KEPADA GOOGLE, YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK SEMATA-MATA

Sultan Ibrahim turut menegaskan al-Quran hendaklah ditafsirkan oleh mereka yang pakar dan mahir dalam bidang tafsir kitab suci itu bagi mengelakkan ia disalah tafsir sewenangnya.

“Kita mestilah belajar dengan guru agama atau alim ulama yang diiktiraf oleh pihak berkuasa agama yang sudah menyiasat latar belakang guru dan penceramah yang betul berdasarkan tauliah yang diberikan,” ujar Sultan Ibrahim.

“Untuk mendalami al-Quran dan ajaran Islam, kita tidak boleh hanya merujuk kepada Google, YouTube dan Facebook semata-mata atau menerima bulat-bulat maklumat yang disebarkan di media social.”

“Memang benar urusan dakwah itu boleh dilakukan sesiapa sahaja, tetapi di Johor ini, kita ada undang-undang untuk mengawal pendakwah yang boleh mengelirukan dan tidak sehaluan dengan cara kita,” tambah beliau.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

March 4, 2016
Almakhazin: Removing Malay Political Strength – The Ethnic Quota Policy

One of the ways the PAP has removed the political strength of the Malay community is through the implementation of the ethnic quota policy.

This policy was supposedly enacted to stop the development of ethnic “enclaves” in Singapura.

According to PAP Minister Masagos Zulkifli, the ethnic quota policy is one of the successes of the PAP.

However, he admitted that the quota has caused difficulties to some but justified it by saying it helps promote racial harmony. He further claimed that harmony in Singapura is not natural.

His justification that the ethnic quota policy was created to help develop racial harmony is mistaken at best. An analysis of the policy reveal that its main purpose is to weaken the Malay community’s political power.

Even though quotas were set for the different races, this policy was directed at the Malay community. As discussed by Chih Hoong Sin,

“Attention must be given to the general political discourse in Singapore. The identification of Bedok new town as a `Malay enclave’ has to be set in the context of the wider political discourse surrounding the `Malay problem’. While the Chinese and the Indians are certainly over represented in certain new towns (The Straits Times, 19 February 1989), it has been the Malays who have borne a disproportionate amount of government and media attention.”

Chih quoted former PAP Minister Dhanabalan’s comments about Bedok New Town to illustrate how the PAP’s focus was actually on the Malays and not the other races. Dhanabalan had in 1989, referred to a “Malay problem” in Bedok. He stated “that if present trends continue, the Malay population in Bedok will reach 30% in 1991 and 40% in 10 years”.

But why is 30% or 40% a problem? We do not refer to any constituency with 40% Chinese as indicative of a “Chinese problem”.

But for the PAP, a constituency with 30% Malays makes it a problem.

Malays do not support PAP

Contrary to popular claim, Chih argued that the Malays do not support the PAP. In fact, Lee Kuan Yew admitted that most Malays do not support his party.

Chih quoted Kuan Yew as saying, “If we were less skillful, (a Malay opposition party) would have emerged…I know we did not win more than fifty percent of the Malay votes; we never did…”

PAP support in constituencies with large Malay population tend to be much lower than the national average.

The PAP has seen how the Malays have continuously rejected them. In fact, from the 1960s onwards where they almost lost several constituencies( if not for internal problems in SMNO) until the 90s where they almost lost Eunos GRC (currently Aljunied), they know the Malays do not support them.

As Chih argued, “Malay disenchantment with the ruling party has been well-publicized, and the PAP has certainly blamed its narrow wins in certain constituencies in recent elections on the Malay vote…

The call for dispersal has certainly been interpreted as an attempt to undercut the perceived growth and consolidation of Malay anti-PAP votes in existing Malay ‘enclaves’, and to prevent the emergence of new centres of Malay resistance.”

Kuan Yew’s Press Secretary, James Fu admitted “in a letter to the Straits Times Forum page…: `Today with resettlement, every constituency is racially integrated. PKMS can no longer win anywhere in Singapore’ (The Straits Times, 4 March 1988).

The policy was ultimately designed to disperse the Malays so that they will never have the numbers to be politically significant.

Because as Chih noted, “The PAP quickly realized that as long as Malay strongholds persist, their electoral victory in such seats can never be assumed.”

Sin, C. H. (2003). The politics of ethnic integration in Singapore: Malay ‘regrouping’as an ideological construct. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 27(3), 527-544.

Source: Almakhazin SG

March 4, 2016