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Tag: Muslims

  • Ethnic Chinese Embrace Islam, But Keep Names To Resist ‘Becoming Malay’

    Ethnic Chinese Embrace Islam, But Keep Names To Resist ‘Becoming Malay’

    Chinese Muslims converts are baulking at taking Malay or Arabic names upon embracing Islam, claiming the discriminatory practice forces them to abandon their culture and traditions.

    Several Chinese Muslims in Malaysia are fighting for the right to keep their original names, in defiance of the convention of replacing their surname with ‘Abdullah’, in a bid to keep their culture alive.

    “I will not change my ethnicity. I was born Chinese and I will die Chinese, I will not become Malay.

    “I did not want to change my name to show that Islam is a universal religion for all nations, not just for the Arabs or Malays only,” the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA) Malacca president Lim Jooi Soon told the BBC in a recent interview.

    Like Lim, several other Chinese Muslims view changing their names to include Arabic or Malay names to be unnecessary as they were adopting a new faith, not a new race.

    “My name may change but my face remains the same. Here, Malaysians say that if someone converts to Islam it means they’re becoming Malay. If I did not change my name, then I remain Chinese,” Ting Swee Keong said, also having kept his Chinese name after converting to Islam.

    Even the practice of celebrating Chinese festivals are at risk, Muslim convert Nur Caren Chung Yock Lin said, despite celebrations like Chinese New Year or Mooncake Festival not being rooted in faith.

    “This cultural celebration does not go against Islamic law; the Mooncake Festival, the Dumpling Festival, the Chinese New Year celebrations, these are more cultural than religious.

    “Judging from history when Ibn Waqas preached in China, he easily accepted the culture since Islam did not kill the culture; the faith changed, not the culture,” she said.

    Although the convention of changing an individual’s name when converting into Islam is not in Malaysian legislature, it is commonly practised by all Islamic authorities, the BBC reports.

    Lim was the first Chinese Muslim in Malaysia allowed to keep his original name, a right he earned after battling Islamic authorities for five years.

    “Five years to talk, debate and discussion, as well as showing strong evidence in favour of me keeping my Chinese name. After that, it made it easy for many people to embrace Islam,” he said.

    “If he gets rid of his surname, it’s as if there is no contact with his family. My second name indicates which generation I belong to and my last name, which is my own, means headed for greatness,” he explained.

    Although MACMA president Muhamad Thaufiq Loi Fui Liang opted to change his name upon entering Islam, he urged Islamic authorities to do away with this practice so that those choosing to embrace Islam can still keep their cultural identity.

    “I have also asked the parties related to the registration of the religion that this practice be changed so that the ethnic Chinese are still able to maintain their personal name and their surname if they convert to Islam,” he said.

     

    Source: TheMalayMailOnline

  • Parliament: New Committee To Help Malay/Muslim PMETs

    Parliament: New Committee To Help Malay/Muslim PMETs

    Malay/Muslim professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) can soon turn to a new committee for help to weather the headwinds from an uncertain economy.

    Its focus is to help this growing group to retrain, and rebound from employment setbacks, said Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim on Thursday (March 9). The committee will be chaired by Parliamentary Secretaries Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Amrin Amin.

    Dr Yaacob also said in Parliament that the community’s take up of the national SkillsFuture initiative has room for improvement. As of December 2016, out of the 126,000 Singaporeans who have used their SkillsFuture credits, only 8.4 per cent are Malays.

    “More can be done to explain and link them to SkillsFuture and other national schemes. We will push hard to encourage more to try, and for those who do, we want to support them,” he said.

    He was responding to Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang GRC), who flagged lower-middle income PMETs as a group in need of greater support.

    Mendaki’s training arm, Mendaki Sense, will step up its efforts to provide good employment opportunities, said Dr Yaacob.

    “But at the same time, more must be done to make continual learning and training a social norm or a natural impulse of our community,” he added, pointing to Mendaki’s efforts to empower the community through education.

    The self-help group, which turns 35 this year, has been tapping on technology.

    For instance, it last month piloted its Digital Learning@MTS initiative to heighten the learning experience of students in its flagship Mendaki Tuition Scheme, said Dr Yaacob. This involved 150 students at three centres, but will be expanded into a full-fledged programme for all if successful.

    Mendaki is also working to get the community ready for the challenges of the future.

    Its Future Ready Unit, launched last year, has reached out to more than 1,000 students and young adults to promote SkillsFuture, particularly among students and parents.

    This year, it will launch a new Future First programme to help Malay/Muslim students in Higher Nitec courses develop IT skills and competencies, like critical thinking.

    Dr Yaacob also laid out moves to strengthen and safeguard families. Vista Sakinah, which was launched in 2011 to provide specialised marriage education and support programmes for remarrying couples and step-families, has helped more than 1,600 couples through its remarriage preparation programme, and more than 1,200 families through its post-marriage support, he said.

    Plans are afoot to expand its outreach efforts and enhance its services. One strategy involves working with asatizah to engage these families, said Dr Yaacob: “We want to encourage our asatizah to broaden how they can serve the social needs of the community, and remarriages and step-families are one group who require support.”

    He also spoke of changes in the Syariah Court, which administers Muslim family law relating to divorce and inheritance matters.

    Two new presidents – Ustaz Muhammad Fazalee Jaafar and Ustazah Raihanah Halid – came on board last year, he said.

    Both are on secondment from Muis – part of a broader collaboration between Muis and the Syariah Court to ensure a robust talent pipeline is in place to lead Muslim statutory institutions.

    The duo’s are mentored by Senior President Ustaz Mohamad Haji Rais and President Zainol Abeedin Hussin, both of whom will retire on June 30.

    Between them, they have served for close to five decades. Dr Yaacob thanked them for their long years of service, adding that the Syariah Court will continue to tap on their services even after they leave.

    In the next two to three years, the Syariah Court will have a new system to boost efficiency. It will include new e-services, like being able to make appointments online, and a new case management system.

     

    Source: ST

  • Commentary: Don’t Take The Meaning Literally!

    Commentary: Don’t Take The Meaning Literally!

    You know what I find funny?

    Almost everyone assumed and equated the word triumph with violence and hatred. But have they really check or even bother to check the arabic word for that supplication and in what context it is used?

    And even more funny all these people who decide that its violent do not even have the slightest background and knowledge in arabic to even know what the word exactly means in its original language source and the context.

    Its like an english teacher who do not possess malay language tell a native malay teacher that his or her malay is wrong. LOL.

    Even I who have limited arabic knowledge do not dare to assume the arabic words in its translation because the moment you translate a word to another language such as english, it has slightly lost the actual essence of the original meaning.

    And thats why we cannot take the meaning literally.

    If you want to be a fair judge, then you must know your arabic, and understand islamic context deeply only then you can judge fairly who is wrong and right otherwise the judgement is one-sided and not just. 

     

    Source: Siti Kate

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  • NUS Suspends Academic While It Investigates His Involvement In Case Of Imam’s Remarks

    NUS Suspends Academic While It Investigates His Involvement In Case Of Imam’s Remarks

    The National University of Singapore (NUS) has suspended the academic who had openly criticised another man who made public an imam’s comments.

    The university told The Straits Times on Wednesday (Mar 8) that it had suspended Associate Professor Khairudin Aljunied from his duties on Monday (March 6).

    This “follows from (his) purported comments made in relation to insensitive remarks about Christians and Jews allegedly made by a religious leader”, a spokesman for the university said.

    During this time, the university will internally investigate Dr Khairudin’s involvement in the matter, though he will still receive his pay, the spokesman added.

    “As part of due process, NUS will launch an internal investigation into Assoc Prof Khairudin’s involvement in this incident. Assoc Prof Khairudin will continue to be paid his full salary during his suspension,” the university said.

    When contacted, Dr Khairudin said he was unable to comment due to the ongoing investigations.

    Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam told Parliament last week that the police are looking into the conduct of everyone involved in the case.

    Last month, investment associate Terence Nunis posted a video online of an imam at Jamae Mosque who, after a sermon, reportedly recited a prayer in Arabic that said “God grant us victory over Jews and Christians”, among other things.

    The video gained traction online and offline and, as part of due process, the imam has been placed on leave while investigations, which the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) is assisting in, are ongoing.

    The case sparked a storm in the community, and many felt the postings could be used to cast aspersions on Islam and religious leaders. Some also felt the imam’s recitation had been taken out of context.

    Dr Khairudin, a tenured academic at NUS’ Malay Studies department, had posted on his Facebook page a fictional conversation between an imam and a “silly convert”.

    In the post, Dr Khairudin described the convert as being stupid for getting upset over the verses.

    Mr Shanmugam had said that Dr Khairudin “encouraged vilification” of the whistleblowing individual. He said: “Mr Khairudin’s position and actions are quite unacceptable… He supports a position that is quite contrary to the norms, values and laws in Singapore.”

    On Saturday, the minister added that police will investigate the case thoroughly and interview all parties involved, including those who filmed and publicised the video.

    “Whether there is a case for further action against any of the parties, will depend on the outcome of investigations,” he added.

    “The Government does not take sides in this issue – if anyone is found to have committed an offence, action will be taken.”

    NUS added on Wednesday that it “takes a serious view of any actions or speech that condone the promotion of hatred, ill-will and enmity that targets specific faith communities”.

    “Members of the NUS community must observe standards and policies on staff conduct, which include respecting different views and communicating responsibly,” it said.

     

    Source: ST