Rilek1Corner

Tag: religion

  • Confirmed That Malay Race Is Essentially Muslim, All Indian Muslims Are Malays But Christian Malays Are Not Malays

    Confirmed That Malay Race Is Essentially Muslim, All Indian Muslims Are Malays But Christian Malays Are Not Malays

    At the Institute of Policy forum yesterday (Sep 8), Minister of State Chan Chun Sing and Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary both confirmed that the Malay race is essentially Muslim and that all Indian Muslims are Malays, and Christian Malays are not Malays.

    The two Ministers were responding to a Malay Christian IPS professor Dr Mathew Mathews and NUS law professor Dr Kevin Tan. Minister Chan Chun Sing said it is “common-sensical” a person’s race is decided by the 16-member committee under Lee Hsien Loong:

    “A 16-member committee will certify a prospective candidate’s racial group. The very concept of race evolves and the system to determine one’s race should not take a definitive, restrictive, exclusive approach. The community must come to terms (with) who best represents them. If the community accepts someone… then who else outside the community will want to dispute that and who else in the community will want to dispute that? So it’s a very common-sensical way to allow the community to decide for themselves.”

    Senior Minister Janil Puthucheary told Dr Mathew Mathews that he might be a Malay but he will be denied the contest because he is Christian. The Minister then tell the Christian Malay to contest in an “open” election:

    “If the Malay community changes its aspirations and its sense of what makes a Malay five years from now, there should be a way to reflect that in the choice of candidate, without us having to go for a potentially very divisive Constitutional amendment. The hypothetical individual mentioned by Dr Mathew could feel excluded, but the individual could still contest in an open election.”

    NUS law professor Dr Kevin Tan confirmed that the government having the final call on what race a person is is unconstitutional:

    “That the decisions of the Community Committee— which also assesses minority candidates under the Group Representation Constituency system in General Elections — are final, is also a problem. That is probably unconstitutional… The basic fundamental principle about the separation of powers is that if the court has to interpret the constitution, no branch of the Government can tell the court what to do.”

     

    Source: https://statestimesreview.com

  • 2 Islamophobic Foreign Christian Preachers Barred From Speaking In Singapore For Inflammatory Comments

    2 Islamophobic Foreign Christian Preachers Barred From Speaking In Singapore For Inflammatory Comments

    Two foreign Christian preachers recently had their applications to speak in Singapore rejected, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday (Sep 8), as the preachers had made “denigrating and inflammatory comments of other religions”.

    They are required to have a Miscellaneous Work Pass (MWP) to preach in Singapore. In its media release, MHA said that the decision to reject the applications was made by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), in consultation with MHA.

    Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam cited the two cases at an Institute of Policy Studies forum earlier on Friday, when he spoke of how Singapore’s approach to terrorism should not be seen as a “knee-jerk reaction” to the global terrorist movement.

    Mr Shanmugam stated that he did not usually combine the words “Islam” and “terrorism”, as terrorism can exist in any religion.

    “Just as I have banned Muslim scholars or preachers from coming into Singapore, the most recent banning has been as regards to Christian preachers. They were very Islamophobic in their statements outside of Singapore and we decided that we will ban them,” he said.

    One of the preachers had described Allah as “a false god”, asked for prayers for those “held captive in the darkness of Islam”, and referred to Buddhists as “Tohuw people” (a Hebrew word for “lost, lifeless, confused and spiritually barren” individuals) who can be saved only by converting to Christianity, MHA said in its subsequent media release.

    The other preacher had variously referred to “the evils of Islam” and “the malevolent nature of Islam and Mohammed”, and called Islam “not a religion of peace”, “an incredibly confused religion”, interested in “world domination” and “a religion based on … adhering to uncompromising and cruel laws often focused on warfare and virtual slavery”, MHA added.

    “Such teachings are unacceptable in Singapore’s multi-racial, multi-religious society, and the Government will not allow religious preachers of any faith to run down other religions or spread ill-will among the religions,” MHA said.

    “This is to safeguard the social harmony and cohesion that have been painstakingly built up since Singapore’s independence.”

    A foreigner who wishes to deliver a talk in Singapore that is related to religion, race or politics, is required to obtain an MWP.

    In its media release, MHA said that the granting of an MWP was a privilege accorded to a foreigner and not an entitlement.

    It added that MOM consults relevant agencies in its assessments of MWP applications and that each application is considered on its own merits.

    POSSIBLE CHANGES TO LEGISLATION

    During the forum, Mr Shanmugam also said that Singapore was looking to strengthen the Maintenance of the Religious Harmony Act (MRHA).

    The minister said Singapore’s approach to social inclusion was “fundamental and central to the DNA and the thinking and workings of the Government for the last 50 years”.

    “We know that if we don’t get this right, nothing else will go right,” Mr Shanmugam said.

    Part of this was a legal framework that enacted strict laws on hate speech, which he said he was prepared to defend at “any forum anywhere in the world” and had done so.

    The MRHA, targeted specifically at clerics, would be strengthened in the context of “the experiences that we have seen in the region”, Mr Shanmugam said.

    “We have now seen what can happen with clerics all over the world and how, when they move in the political sphere wearing their robes, it becomes very dangerous of any religion. We don’t allow that in Singapore … You stick to religion, you don’t get involved in the sphere of politics.”

    In response to queries, MHA said that it was reviewing the need to enhance Singapore’s legislative provisions to safeguard racial and religious harmony in the country.

    The ministry added that it would give details when the review is completed.

     

    Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Yaacob Ibrahim: Halimah Is Consistent And Never Shy To Speak Her Mind, I’ve Known Her For A Long Time

    Yaacob Ibrahim: Halimah Is Consistent And Never Shy To Speak Her Mind, I’ve Known Her For A Long Time

    I’ve known Halimah for a long time. We first met in 1976 when I was an undergrad at the University of Singapore and she was in her third year of law school. We were at the University of Singapore Muslim Society orientation camp, where she was a senior shepherding the starry-eyed freshmen into the intricacies of Islam and its meaning in our lives. I was one of the freshmen.

    Though we went our separate ways after graduation (occasionally meeting at weddings of mutual friends and at community events), I would often hear stories about her commitment to the struggles of low-income families and vulnerable workers.

    If there’s one word to describe the Halimah I’ve known all these years, it is Consistency. Over the years, she has consistently shown her devotion to helping those in need, especially vulnerable women. She is never shy to speak her mind if it means getting more attention for them. Even when she became a parliamentarian in 2001 and later as Speaker of Parliament, Halimah never departed from her causes. I believe this consistency, as well as her dedication to helping our Muslim community navigate and integrate fully into the Singaporean family, will remain a lasting legacy.

    I would like to thank Halimah for all her contributions and wish her the very best in her future endeavours. As she embarks on her new journey, I hope that in the years to come, in whatever capacity she finds herself in, she is able to convince the wider community to look beyond her race, to assess her beyond her gender, and to judge her beyond her religion, into becoming fully one with Singapore and Singaporeans. #yaacobibrahim

     

    Source: Yaacob Ibrahim

  • Presidential Candidates Halimah Yacob And Salleh Marican Shook Hands At Event (Boleh?)

    Presidential Candidates Halimah Yacob And Salleh Marican Shook Hands At Event (Boleh?)

    Presidential hopefuls Halimah Yacob Salleh Marican met at the launch of Singapore’s first milk bank yesterday and they exchanged a few words. Halimah Yacob was there as the guest of honour at the launch whereas Salleh Marican is the treasurer on the foundation’s board of directors.

    When asked, Salleh told some reporters that he is planning to submit eligibility forms to the Elections Department a week from today. He also has several interviews lined up and is preparing mentally. Halimah, on the other hand, declined to make any comments in relation to the upcoming reserved elections.

    Not surprisingly, a photo captured them shaking hands with big smiles on their faces. Is this a problem? As Muslims, one would know that Islam forbids men to touch women who are not mahram, including shaking hands for acquaintance, forgiveness, gratefulness or other reasons (even political).

    So why did they shake hands? Are political causes more important than our religious values and beliefs?

     

    Rilek1Corner

  • Islam Keeps Me Calm, Says Johor Princess’ Future Hubby

    Islam Keeps Me Calm, Says Johor Princess’ Future Hubby

    The Dutch-born future husband of Johor princess Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskan­daraiah, who embraced Islam in 2015, says the religion keeps him calm.

    Dennis Muhammad Abdullah (pic) said he started getting close to Islam in 2014 when he was in Amsterdam.

    He said that was when he started to receive advice and views from Muslim friends residing there about the religion. He even asked them to take him to the mosque.

    Dennis said he was curious about Islam and wanted to experience how they prayed at mosques, and began learning about the religion in Dutch.

    “My heart is open to accepting the religion and I am grateful to Allah for being able to catch up on all the knowledge that has been given to me, without any obstruction.

    “Even my parents have given me their support to embrace the religion,” he told the Royal Press Office in an interview at Istana Bukit Serene.

    He said he had become a calmer person since embracing the religion.

    Dennis, who embraced Islam on May 31, 2015 at Pejabat Kadi Johor Baru, said he was an avid reader of reference materials related to the religion on the Internet besides visiting the mosque frequently to pray.

    “After obtaining the blessings of Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar to have his daughter’s hand in marriage, I was told to gain deeper knowledge about the religion,” he added.

    Dennis said he began attending Fardhu Ain classes and tried to memorise the shorter surah passages in the Quran since the beginning of the year.

    “I also managed to fast throughout the whole month of Ramadan since 2015 and performed the terawih prayers at the mosque,” he added.

    Born Dennis Verbaas on May 1, 1989, in Lisse, a town near Amsterdam, he said he had also learned Jawi.

    “I was advised by religious experts not to rush into the religion and take it slow to gain deeper knowledge,” he said, adding that he would take heed of the advice to become a good Muslim.

    Tunku Tun Aminah and Dennis are set to marry on Monday.

    The public can follow the royal wedding “live” from Istana Besar on video screens at Dataran Bandaraya and the Johor Baru City Council building.

     

    Source: http://www.thestar.com.my