Rilek1Corner

Tag: Muslim

  • “Experts” – Halimah Yacob May Be “Strongest” EP Candidate

    “Experts” – Halimah Yacob May Be “Strongest” EP Candidate

    Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob will be a front-runner for the highest office in the land if she decides to throw her hat into the ring, said political analysts interviewed by TODAY.

    Citing her long record of public service, they noted that voters of all races are familiar with her credentials, while the other two presidential hopefuls would have their work cut out seeking to appeal to Singaporeans outside of their community.

    Nevertheless, Mdm Halimah — who said on Sunday that she was thinking about contesting in the polls — could be disadvantaged by her ties with the ruling People’s Action Party, the analysts said, should voters look for independence from the Government in a candidate. Some, like former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng, have also questioned Mdm Halimah’s financial acumen, given that the Parliament Speaker does not have the responsibility of managing “huge billion-dollar budgets and hundreds to thousands of civil servants” like a Cabinet Minister.

     

    Starting out as a lawyer, Mdm Halimah, 62, has spent 40 years in the public service, including over three decades in the National Trades Union Congress. Before she became Speaker of Parliament in 2013, she had served as Minister of State at the then-Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Dr Singh pointed out that Mdm Halimah has enjoyed solid support from her constituents since she first entered politics in 2001, winning four successive General Elections along the way.

    Describing Mdm Halimah as a “warm, compassionate and humble” person who is “well-loved by her constituents”, Mr Cheng said she has also carried out her duties as Speaker of Parliament “with dignity”.

    However, if Mdm Halimah — who made history as Singapore’s first female Speaker of Parliament — were “deemed to have the necessary skill-sets to guard our financial reserves”, it would “detract from the credibility of recent changes to private-sector eligibility criteria”, Mr Cheng said.

    But other analysts pointed out that the Elected President would be supported by the Council of Presidential Advisers on issues relating to the country’s reserves.

    “I don’t think you will have a person who will check off all the boxes. I don’t think Singaporeans envisage someone who can be the symbol of multiracialism and be a top finance person,” said Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan.

    On Mdm Halimah still holding her cards close to her chest, the analysts said she could be waiting to see who her potential challengers are, as well as gauging public reaction to her potential candidacy before making her decision.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • PAP Supporter: Halimah Yacob Shouldn’t Contest Presidency

    PAP Supporter: Halimah Yacob Shouldn’t Contest Presidency

    By all accounts, Madam Halimah Yacob is a warm, compassionate and humble person, and a popular MP; she is well-loved by her constituents. Madam Halimah has also carried out her duties as Speaker of Parliament with dignity, as the first female Speaker of Parliament in Singapore’s history.

    However, I feel she should not run for the office of Elected President.

    Firstly, she has been elected not only as a Member of Parliament, but as the all-important minority candidate of Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. She owes a duty to those who elected her to stay on and fulfil her responsibilities as MP. It would also call the whole raison d’être of the GRC into question, if it is left without a minority representative. The role of Speaker of Parliament is also a vey important one. It shouldn’t be resigned from lightly.

    Secondly, although the position of Speaker is equivalent to a Minister in protocol, it surely isn’t in responsibility. One reason for raising the criteria for private sector candidates (chief executive role in a 500m company) was to benchmark it to the responsibilities of a Minister, who has to manage huge billion dollar budgets and hundreds to thousands of civil servants. The Speaker of Parliament has no such equivalent responsibility. It would thus detract from the credibility of recent changes to private sector eligibility criteria, if a former Speaker were deemed to have the necessary skill-sets to guard our financial reserves.

    Madam Halimah is already a highly respected MP. She has already cemented her place in history as being the first female Speaker of Parliament. Her services are arguably more needed amongst the constituents she loves, and who love her in return.

    I do hope Madam Halimah will seriously consider whether to run for EP, as she is doing, and decide eventually not to.

     

    Source: Calvin Cheng

  • Halal Butter Beer From Noosh Halal Noodle Bar & Grill

    Halal Butter Beer From Noosh Halal Noodle Bar & Grill

    When drinking butter beer, u need to do it with that froth on ur lips. Thats how you drink butter beer! There is no ice in this drink, its nicely chilled and we don’t give u straw.. u need to drink up.. But if you insist, you can inform us before placing ur order that you want the straw and ice. Enjoy our Halal Concoction of Butter Beer just like how you enjoy Root beer!

     

     

    Source: Noosh Halal Noodle Bar And Grill

  • Malaysian, Indonesian Muslim Groups Calls Starbucks Boycott Over LGBT Stance

    Malaysian, Indonesian Muslim Groups Calls Starbucks Boycott Over LGBT Stance

    A prominent Muslim group in Malaysia has joined calls by Islamic conservatives in Indonesia for a boycott of Starbucks to protest against the international coffee chain’s support of gay rights.

    Perkasa, a group with about 700,000 members that campaigns for the rights of ethnic Malay Muslims, said it agreed with calls this week by Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim group, for a boycott of Starbucks over its pro-LGBT stand.

    Perkasa also agreed with the Indonesian group’s call for Starbucks’ operating license to be revoked, it said.

    Amini Amir Abdullah, who heads Perkasa’s Islamic affairs bureau, said Starbucks’ position challenged Malaysia’s constitution, which recognized Islam as the country’s official religion.

    “Our objection is because they are promoting something that is against the human instinct, against human behavior and against religion. That’s why we are against it,” Amini told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

    Muhammadiyah’s call for a boycott has gained support from the Indonesian Ulema Council, its top clerical body.

    The religious groups’ opposition to Starbucks came after a video from 2013 circulated online of pro-LGBT comments made by the company’s chairman and former chief executive, Howard Schultz..

    PT Sari Coffee Indonesia, which holds the license to run the Starbucks chain in Indonesia, said in a statement it was not affiliated with any political or ideological groups.

    “We are grateful and proud to have been a part of local communities in Indonesia for 15 years, always maintaining the deepest respect for, and adherence to, Indonesia’s local laws, culture and beliefs,” said Fetty Kwartati, a director at PT MAP Boga Adiperkasa, the parent company of PT Sari Coffee Indonesia.

    Some Muslims in Indonesia, however, said the boycott call would not stop them from buying Starbucks coffee.

    “I love their products, not their CEO,” said Jakarta resident Kornelius Kamajaya.

    The boycott call got a similar response from some in Malaysia.

    “Don’t make it such an issue that we have to boycott a company because of one small statement,” said Muhammad Azril Maridzuan, an assistant bank manager in Kuala Lumpur.

    Muslim groups should not “be so extremist” even though gay rights was against their religious beliefs, he said.

     

     

    Source: http://www.reuters.com

  • You Can Support LGBT Friends But Wearing Hijab And Participating In Pink Dot Is Not Cool

    You Can Support LGBT Friends But Wearing Hijab And Participating In Pink Dot Is Not Cool

    So I recently chanced upon a photo of two hijab women at a Pinkdot event. People wanna be confrontational about things these days, that’s why they have PinkDot. Let me be confrontational about it too.

    Go to Pink Dot all you want. But with a hijab over your head, know that you have a religious+social+moral responsibility. Of course they will love it – who says outward Muslims can’t be supportive of LGBT right?

    The way Islam views LGBT is with respect, I feel. We see it as a test and recognise it as an inner struggle that God wills to give to some people. We are to respect people who disagree. We are to agree to disagree. But to paint a false picture of our principles and beliefs is wrong. We respectfully disagree with LGBT and we don’t need anybody going around conflicting it. We don’t need the impression and confusion that non-Muslims might get from seeing the photo. We don’t have a strong enough reason to drop by the event to show some love when clearly the motive of the campaign is to support LGBT.

    There is a reason why when we sin, our duty is to not reveal our sins. In fact it is God’s form of mercy when He does not reveal our sins – so why reveal it ourselves? It is another sin on top of another to reveal your sins to others. Thus what they did, if they were actually gay, is to reveal themselves. Similar concept with how wrong it is to openly eat in public during the fasting month.

    Now I wish people would respect my religion as much as we are to respect the existence of their campaign and all. Gay or not, I hope the sisters are given hidayah.

    Ps. I still love my gay friends but like I said, I am firm on agreeing to disagree.

     

    Source: Nasyiba Sahari