Tag: PERGAS

  • An Open Letter to the Ministers of Singapore – Why are We Silent on Gaza?

    An Open Letter to the Ministers of Singapore – Why are We Silent on Gaza?

    https://www.facebook.com/mastura.noor
    https://www.facebook.com/mastura.noor

    Dear Leaders of Singapore,

    I was born in Singapore in 1990 – the year of great beginnings and start ups in Singapore.

    A country that prides in its diversity where race and religion is concerned. A country that has upheld and strove for racial harmony and multiculturalism in every sense of the word. A country that rose from the ground since it gained complete independence in 1965 to a world class nation that is comparable to super powers. A country where people use to joke about not being able to see on the map but holds one of the highest GDPs in the world.

    For the past 24 years I’ve lived in this country, I have felt grateful, blessed & safe. Except, right at this point, as a patriotic citizen of Singapore, I feel dispirited.

    As of July 16th 2014, the time I wrote this, 214 Palestinians have died with over 2000 wounded.

    These are unarmed civilians, most of whom, targeted by Israel at their own homes, places of worship, schools, hospitals etc.

    As a proud citizen of this country, I have always valued how our country remains unaffected by international issues which plaques other countries and affect the relationships of their citizens with each other, such as islamophobia in USA & Europe & ethnic cleansing in Africa, Burma & Bosnia. Of course there are hints of racism in our usually racially harmonious society but since the 1964 racial riots, we have made tremendous progress in strengthening trust between our ethnic groups. It is our National Pledge. Our laws charge those who dare incite hate speech or make disparaging remarks against any race or religion under the Sedition Act. My best friends since Secondary 1 is a Chinese Buddhist and an Indian Christian. This is normal for most Singaporean youths. We cant imagine it otherwise.

    Our values to and for humanity has been instilled in us since primary school across the nation. Since young, we were taught to stand up for what is right, for justice, for equality especially against bullies and…to say no to drugs. We were also pushed to strive for the best, to be number 1 in everything we do, to achieve as many A’s as we can, as many gold medals as we can. To be top in academics, sports, arts – you name it. Why not, when our country top the ranks in every possible index you can think of – best airport, highest gdp, most busiest port, best city to live in Asia, safest city, cleanest city, least corrupted, best education.. etc and even one of the top few countries with the best military.

    The people and leaders of our country are looked up upon and respected everywhere in the world. So please tell us dear Ministers, how can we be so great in almost every aspect a country should be but keep silent where a huge humanitarian crisis is ongoing? In the times where other countries have faced natural disasters and needed aid, Singapore has sent their civil defence, medics, monetary aid and made passionate pledges out loud and clear for the world to hear. That’s the Singapore we know. Why the silence now? Do we keep quiet out of fear? From who? Does the fear and insecurity of weakening bilateral relations win over innocent lives and blood spilled in vain? If there were Singaporeans in Palestine stuck in the crossfire will our leaders step up to bring them home? Does it have to go that far, for our own to be hurt for us to speak up against injustice? As your countrymen, we cannot facilitate a peaceful protest or campaign because your laws don’t allow us to and we respect that because we convince ourselves that our leaders will be the voice of our people. Except there is no voice. Just silence. Where are the strong statements that should come from our cabinet ministers the same way they stand up when Singapore was oppressed?

    There are comparable similarities between us and Gaza but the HUGE difference is this. We became free from the horror of our lands. We became free of the Military occupation. Our people no longer had to fear deaths when they walk the streets. Our leaders were free to decide the path we will take for our future, for the people of Singapore.

    It has been 8 days of intense firings and bombings which has murdered so many innocent women and children – the youngest being a 9 month old baby.

    The city goes dark even at night- except when the missiles strike- as the technicians in charge of vital infrastructures such as water and electricity are afraid to move to repair damages caused by the bombs. This obviously has consequences on hospitals which heavily depend on electricity especially right now.

    Unlike Israel, which holds its position as the world’s best military and most advance in defence technology with iron domes over their famed iron walls – Gaza is a tiny, over populated third world STRIP with every entrance and exit blocked with nowhere to run for cover.

    Israel has occupied Palestine for the longest time, rejected the United Nation’s partition plans, erased over 400 Palestinian villages and counting & forced the people of Palestine to live as second class citizens in their own country under military rule.

    Authored by Noor Mastura

    READ MORE ON HER BLOG POSTING HERE

    READ ON SINGAPOREANS’ TAKE ON GAZA/PALESTINE-ISRAEL CONFLICT HERE

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  • PKMS on Gaza: Letter of Protest to Israeli Embassy

    Our protest letter to the Israel Embassy in Singapore.

    The ceasefire must remain to alleviate humanitarian suffering and to keep alive prospects of peace negotiation which are the only hope to break the cycle of violence and devastation once and for all. 

    Authored by Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura – PKMS

    PKMS gaza palestine official statement

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  • LATEST: Chinese Man Call Malays “Stupid and Poor”, “Extremist”

    Thanks to a vigilant Singaporean, Rilek1Corner was alerted again on another racist and offensive comment by a male Chinese who goes by the name of ‘Issac Teck Shuean‘.

    Issac who stated on his Facebook profile to be residing in Singapore and born in Johor, had called Malays “stupid and poor” and “extremist“.

    Isaac teck Shuean racist malay

    Isaac teck Shuean racist comment malay

    isaac teck shuean racist malay

    issac teck shuean malay racist comment

    Last month, another male Singaporean Chinese man, Peter Hu lodged a police complaint to say that he did not post an offensive comment on Muslims. In his attempt to cover up his insensitive remark, Peter Hu claimed that his account was “hacked”. In another posting he claimed that the image was “doctored”. Later on, he said that he was unaware of the offensive posting existence until his friends had informed him about it.

    So which is the truth? One story, different information coming from the same guy.

    Rilek1Corner was informed that Peter Hu who is openly gay, an avid PinkDot SG supporter and an LGBT activist, had previously argued with several anti-PinkDot activists in a Facebook group called ‘We are against PinkDot’.

    The police are currently investigating this case.

    peterhu_racistchinese_1

    https://www.facebook.com/thepeterhu
    https://www.facebook.com/thepeterhu
    https://www.facebook.com/thepeterhu
    https://www.facebook.com/thepeterhu

    Another female Singapore Chinese woman named ‘Kim’ who has an Instagram account ‘@kimmeeoow’ also said offensive remarks on Muslims and Malays.

    She claimed her Instagram account was hacked. But preliminary investigations from netizens and tip-off from her friends have revealed that none of her social media accounts was hacked because she was posting as usual after she made those offensive comments. The police are also currently investigating this case.

    kimgoog malaysterrorists

    Also in the hall of shame, we have Amy Cheong who was an employee of NTUC was terminated due to her tactless insensitive remarks on Malays.

    Her insensitive comments have deeply hurt the Malay community and left a lasting impact thus far.

    Amy Cheong $50 void deck wedding
    Amy Cheong $50 void deck wedding

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    EDITOR”S NOTE

    Thank you Abdul Malik Mohammed Ghazali for the contribution.

    While we understand offensive comments made by non Malays/Muslims such as Peter Hu, Amy Cheong, Kimmeeoow, and now Issac Teck Shuean are not true reflection of majority, we the minority, cannot help but notice the increasing number of individuals who are unhappy towards both the Malay and Muslim communities.

    Our advice: Keep those thoughts to yourself. Don’t share it on social media because chances are, you will be featured here. And the rest will be history.

    Racism is not confined to one race – all communities need to join hands to end it. It is an issue ignored, downplayed and denied.

    Let’s move forward. Let’s end racial prejudice and religious discrimination.

     

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  • Never Reject Yourself, You Are Born This Way

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    Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan
    10426533_10152507667454666_6998829938091957722_n
    Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan

    Yes there are these bunch of people whom always get treated badly because of their appearance / attitude / behaviours , because they are DIFFERENT. Yes , they are loud and party people and fun to hangout with . Yes , they SEEM to not know anything about stuff where the ” REAL ” Couple go through. Yes , they seem to go to a path differently from the “origins” path WHICH doesnt even EXIST  cause really , the path that each of us are walking will always  be the true one. Many people say , you are confused thats why you are like this , whereas we are’nt . We are the LBGT Community. IN FACT , I dun even wish to categories.We are the normal human beings that you also see everyday in your lives. We are the human being with feelings too , we are NEVER A TOY to PLAY. We Get Criticize Alot Thats True but we really don’t care about the things that they THE IGNORANCE were saying. We just play along with the words they say and act as if it never happened. Though sometimes it kills to hear those harsh words from them.

    DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHATS DISGUSTING?!! Seriously. The way we walk , talk , dress and our lifestyle are DIFFERENT. Yes  it is different. When we walk outside , dressing up as a Metrosexual , putting on Makeups to boost our confidence , there you go EYES STARES everywhere , and then came gossips here and there . The malay aunties will go preech the OMG , the uncles will just shaked their heads . The normal aunties will just brag about the way we dress and stuff. And the teens , they will just look at us as if we are some kind of FREAK. The friends that you are not close to / expose to , will give weird comments and even questions that you don’t even wish to hear. Will just have to pull it off and make fake smiles to them or in other words SLY. This is roughly the daily basis of our lifestyle which applies to those who aren’t comfortable with us or still not accepting us.

    WHATS THERE TO ACCEPT OR NOT TO ?!? IS THERE EVEN A CHOICE WHEN COMES TO ACCEPTING ANOTHER BEING? You ask yourselves that , in terms of LBGT , you can ask them why they become like this , or what made them like that , but really there is never a fixed answer to that , NEVER , cause they themselves are not sure of what to reply back to you cause really  , they are born that way or the lifestyle around them which helps them to shape up to what they have become now , and they have NEVER taken it for granted , they only can accept the fact of what they have done and accepting the reality and goes on in life to what they are. Yes we do have choices in LIFE  that you can’t deny  , but if we are comfortable with who we are and that people around us or our loved ones accepts the way we are , we will never hesitate to be more passionable and more fruitful in life than ever.

    Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan_3
    Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan
    Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan_1
    Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan

    THE FAMILY , its a tough tough situation when comes to this , and it will take years to get accepted or will NEVER be accepted. Its hard for people in LBGT to get accepted and love from families due to the status that they are in, even I myself am still stuggling to get my family accept the way I am. They would always ask why you have chose to be this way or that way  and that the fact is we don’t choose , we just feel ourselves when we are that and GOD loves each and every one of us.Though there are some parents whom still accepts their child for who they are and supported them. My mum supports for what I’m doing and stuff , but still there is always  a nudge sometimes .. I really hope she does. They were many obstacles that people like us have to think of besides thinking of how to feel or be accepted in the public.

    ASIAN OR AMERICANS , IT DOES NOT MATTER WHERE YOU ARE OR RELIGION YOU ARE?! Its the same everywhere or anyone, you will just feel disconnected from the society or sometimes feel not being socialize to your family members due to some circumstances. Firstly , you do not want to have an impression where they will just like hates the way you are , and being in that situation , you try to avoid them and spend more time with your friends . Secondly, sometimes going to your own worship places , you will feel uncomfortable due to stares received , and people whom are Homophobic / or people whom are noble . Though there will be some of the nobles that will come and talk to you and try to be understanding yet very rare to find those noble people these days. Which is why sometimes , its hard for us to go there .

    THE SOCIETY . Teachers , friends family members ,SAID JUST BE YOURSELVES AND NEVER LIE TO IT  , I’m not sure whether the things they say the MEAN IT. When we be ourselves , we get criticised , we get bad comments , we get haters , we get stares , we get teased , we get DEHUMANISED to the extend , some of us Commited Suicide due to overly depressed about not being able to get accepted for being themselves. Should we Discreet and LIE to ourselves the whole LIFE we live. Should we do dirty stuff and things that we should not do and make ourselves uncomfortable and “GET USED TO IT ” to the situation or the appearance of the people . Should “FIT IN ” to please or respect others people demand whereas they dont even respect and disgusted towards us? Should we?? Should we live a life with 2 faces ? or even deny the things that we like and rejects everything we love to and passionate about?

    THERE GOES ,  they will then say , not that we don’t accept you or whatever you are doing BUT…BUT….BUT.. There will always be a BUT , …just stop SLY~ing we had enough of it. Appreciate us. We are Nevertheless The Same As You. If you think that we are that disgusting , think again , the worst and sick people are out there somewhere , you shall know when time comes…

    Lastly for the last part of this note , this goes to all those people whom you think you are having a hard time getting accepted just because you are Different . This note Is Especially For You Isaac Hasan<3 .

    NEVER REJECT YOURSELF, I WANT YOU TO REJECT ANYONE OR ANYTHING THAT EVER MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE AN OUTCAST OR MAKE YOU FEEL THAT YOU WILL NEVER BE GREAT OR YOU ARE NOT FIT ENOUGH , YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH OR YOU CANT SING WELL ENOUGH OR YOU CANT DANCE WELL ENOUGH  OR YOU WILL NEVER BE A STAR YOU JUST REMEMBER THAT YOU’RE GOD DAMN SUPERSTAR AND YOU WERE BORN THIS WAY – LADY GAGA – MY INSPIRATION.

    PLEASE SPREAD THIS NOTE

    Authored by Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan

    Contribution from Hj Ali Kassim

    Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan
    Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan

     

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  • Confession of an Ex-Muslim Lesbian

    murtad lesbian-muslim

    Greetings R1C,

    I have a confession to make. I was formerly a Muslim who was interested in girls. It starts because I was confused about myself. Ever since I was young, I know that I dun really like boys. I feel very strange when I look at the TV and see so many people kissing. I didnt understand why pretty girls would kiss boys. I never saw my mother kiss my father as they were divorced when I was very young.

    When I was growing up I also dun understand why my friends like to go out with boys. I felt very lonely and kept this to myself until later when I was in secondary school. In sec 4, I met this nice girl and that was when I had my first kiss with another girl. I felt at that time like I truly loved her. She meant a lot to me. I know that Islam says LGBT is wrong but nobody reminded me and all the religious teachers didnt really talk about LGBT. Most of the Muslim religious preachers were silent about the dangers of LGBT so I was not aware of how much sin and danger I was in.

    Anyway suddenly this girl disappeared and dun return my calls. I was so sad at that time. I saw her again 2 years later. I had been with a few other girls but broke up after another short term relationship. I asked her why she never returned my calls. She said that she had met this Pastor at her church. He was so wise and know so much about God and told her she was living in sin. I was at first unhappy and angry with him. When I first met him, I wanted to slap him. But he was very calm and listened to what I had to say.

    He then invited me to one of his sessions at his church. It was so different from the religious classes I went to in the part time madrasahs that I went to. They were so open and welcoming and loving and supportive. It was also quite fun and joyful with a lot of singing. When I saw him speak, I realized that I could actually love a man. I also met alot of new friends who pulled me away from the sinful LGBT lifestyle. I am forever grateful to him and the church for opening my heart to God and leading me away from my sinful lesbian lifestyle.

    Now I read about the wearwhite movement. Even though Ustaz Noor Deros may not be the pastor who converted me from my life of sin, I see that inside he is sincere, and this movement will attract people to turn away from homosexuality. Maybe if he was born earlier I could have left the LGBT lifestyle but remained a Muslim.

    I hope our Lord grant the Ustaz with the strength in battling the evils of homosexuality and unnatural lust, and grace him and his followers with the knowledge that the only true marriage in the eyes of God is between one man and one woman (I left Islam partly because of the fact that someone pointed out that they support polygamy, which is a slippery slope to gay marriage, bestiality and pedophilia.) But I am glad that there are church leaders like Pastor Lawrence Khong who are standing up together with the Muslims to protect our morality.

    Sincerely,
    Rebecca Maryam

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