Tag: Singaporeans

Stop Judging Secular Students

We are where Allah wants us to be. We do what Allah wants us to do.

Never have I once feel ashamed of the background I had. But never have I felt that we deserve to be laughed at or belittled. You will never truly understand our plot and position if you have never been in our shoes. You will never truly understand the little hardships we face trying to be good Muslims. And you will never truly understand the sacrifice that we made sometimes.

Is there regret on my end? Yes.

If there is one thing I regretted most was putting a distance between me and my friends last time. I distanced myself in order to be a “better Muslim”. And when I left secondary school, I left everything behind. Friends, best friends, buddies. Everything.

There was no “guide” to be a good Muslim in a secular school then. I thought I had to distant myself and put everything aside. I left them all behind and went to trod on the “better path” alone. And now when I look back, sometimes I wish I had been wiser, more matured with my decisions.

I DO NOT REGRET WHERE I AM NOW.

But I regret not having certain people with me. Friends, where we once called ourselves family. So it hurts when I see people, “better” and non secular-people judging us. Laughing at us when we do certain deeds. When we try to be better.

You have no idea what some of us went through just to do our 5 prayers daily. You have no idea how hard we try to speak nicely and without the occasional swearing. And you have absolutely no clue how much effort we put to attend a religious class.

So please, if we get over-excited religiously sometimes, forgive us and don’t mock us. We were just trying to enjoy and feel like a better Muslim. We acknowledge that we might not be as fluent as you in reciting the Qur’an or memorising the texts. But we are trying and we hope you don’t judge us when we do.

Because I remember when I decided to leave that “secular path”, nobody came with a helping hand nor a piece of advise from the other side. I was judged, criticised and laughed at. So now when I look back at the people I left behind, who is going to reach out to them and show them Allah’s mercy and my Prophet’s love?

We did not start our day in school last time with wirdul latif. Nor did we have a time to pray in congregation. Allah did not place us there to be mocked and laughed at. He placed us there, so you may take our hands and guide us to the beautiful path of Islam you learnt in school.

If there is one thing I regret, is to have left all my friends behind.

But Allah work wonders. And He have met me with new friends that I cherish so much right now. And new opportunities for me to amend my faults and unwise decisions.

To my friends, we got more work to do. The journey just began. The fun has only just started. People are going to judge us, criticise us, and bring us down. But Allah is with us. We’re here to make friends. To make new friends and patch up with old ones. Take blessing in where we are and where He have placed us.

Our message is love.

Wassalam,
Muhammad Harith
Guest Writer, JOM.sg

Source: http://jom.sg

April 13, 2016
Chee Soon Juan: Said Zahari Was A Gentleman

Just learned that Said Zahari has passed away. Said was a journalist and led the fight for press freedom in Singapore before he was detained under the ISA in 1963. He remained imprisoned for 17 years.

I met Said on a couple of occasions. He was every bit the erudite gentlemen that people said he was, never the dangerous communist the PAP said he was.

My condolences to the family.

Source: Chee Soon Juan

April 13, 2016
Flat Damaged By Fire But Owner Counts His Blessings

His family lost almost everything after his flat was destroyed in a fire. Yet, Mr Mohd Rafi Basiran still feels blessed.

Dozens of his neighbours have rallied to help his family get back on their feet.

From cooking for them to helping to clear the debris, the residents around Block 110, Pasir Ris Drive 1, have shown what kampung spirit is all about.

At about 9pm on March 27, a fire that started in Mr Rafi’s master bedroom ripped through the rest of his four-room flat on the eighth storey of Block 110.

Only some clothes, furniture and cupboards could be salvaged and have been temporarily stored in a room at the residents’ committee (RC) office.

Mr Rafi, a manager at Changi Airport, told The New Paper earlier this week: “I will now think twice about selling my flat or moving out of this estate. My neighbours extended their help without my asking.

“Money cannot buy this type of ‘kampung’ spirit.”

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, said Mr Rafi, 49, who has lived there with his wife, also 49, daughter, 22, and son, 18, since 2008.

No one was home when the fire broke out. But the blaze killed seven of Mr Rafi’s 10 birds.

He said his biggest regret was not buying fire insurance.

The day after the fire, about 30 neighbours from nearby blocks helped the family to clear debris from the blackened flat.

For seven days, the volunteers worked tirelessly from 9am to about 7pm, sweeping the floors, folding clothes, collecting hangers and chipping away small damaged tiles. Even their children helped out.

Stripping the walls and floors of soot was made easier with the use of a borrowed water jet machine, said Mr Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar, a neighbour from an adjacent block.

He took four days’ leave to head the clean-up. The delicate cabinets in Mr Rafi’s kitchen were scrubbed by hand.

Several women cooked dishes like curry, assam pedas and nasi goreng, and placed the food and refreshments on tables at the void deck to ensure the volunteers did not go hungry.

Their efforts made MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Zainal Sapari proud when he and RC members visited the family. (See report, right.)

Mr Rafi said some irreplaceable items like his school-leaving certificates, birth certificate and NRIC were lost in the fire.

He was also saddened by the loss of personal “treasures” such as photos of himself posing with his late father at their former Simpang Bedok village.

His wife’s watch collection was also destroyed. While inexpensive, they held special meaning for the couple as Mr Rafi had bought them to mark her birthday or their wedding anniversary.

A neighbour, a driver who wanted to be known only as Mr Rahman, said: “It is heartbreaking to remove pieces of memories damaged by the fire. We told Rafi that we could only offer our effort and sweat.”

Several residents used their washing machines to clean the family’s clothes that had been stained with soot.

GOOD NEIGHBOUR

Two neighbours told TNP they had offered help because Mr Rafi is a good neighbour.

One of them, Mr Iskandar Muhammad, 41, an offshore risk inspector, said: “I’m always overseas for work, but I’m thankful he checks on my family and offers them food.

“Whenever he returns from fishing, he will distribute the catch to some residents in the estate.”

Mr Iskandar is looking after Mr Rafi’s Merbah Jambul bird – one of three birds that survived the fire.

Another neighbour has Mr Rafi’s two parrots.

Mr Iskandar’s wife, Madam Mashitah Aman, 39, said the fire could have happened to anybody.

She said: “As neighbours, we can’t leave anybody behind when they’re suffering a calamity. If there’s a lesson for all of us, it’s to check if we have adequate fire insurance.”

After the fire, some residents upgraded their fire insurance policies, she said.

On Monday, the couple set up an online donation drive on generosity.com for Mr Rafi’s family. At 6pm yesterday, only $206 had been raised out of the targeted $40,000.

At 10am today, a garage sale will be held in front of Mr Iskandar’s home at Block 111.

Clothes, jewellery, shoes, kids’ wear and household items will be on sale, with all proceeds going to Mr Rafi’s family.

“As neighbours, we can’t leave anybody behind when they’re suffering a calamity.”

– Madam Mashitah Aman

MP, Town Council chip in to help

Blaze put out in less than 10 minutes

A garage sale among Mr Mohd Rafi Basiran’s neighbours to raise money for the family was a good idea, said Mr Zainal Sapari.

The Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC said a residents’ committee (RC) chairman had alerted him to the garage sale.

He told The New Paper over the phone on Wednesday: “The more we get residents to know each other, the easier it would be for residents to empathise with other residents should such mishaps happen.”

TNP understands that permission had been sought from the town council for the garage sale.

SURPRISED

After visiting Mr Rafi, Mr Zainal said he was surprised that Mr Rafi did not have any fire insurance coverage.

He said: “I tried to get whatever resources within town council means to help him… I told my town council people to deploy some of our outsourced workers if he needs to move things.”

Mr Rafi said workers from the town council helped him remove furniture from his home.

He was also able to borrow a water jet machine.

The town council will also help Mr Rafi with repairs to the exterior of the flat, including the repainting of the burnt walls, Mr Zainal said.

After speaking to HDB, the MP said the family has been temporarily housed in a nearby one-room rental flat.

The RC also allowed Mr Rafi to keep some of his valuables in its office.

Mr Zainal advised Mr Rafi, who is an NTUC member, to apply for a hardship grant.

The one-off grant worth $1,000 is meant to help low-income union members suffering from hardship arising from a chronic medical condition, death, fire or flood, among others.

Check your fire insurance policy

Unsure about your flat’s fire insurance policy?

It’s best check with your insurer as your policy could have expired.

According to the HDB website, its Fire Insurance Scheme was introduced to help relieve flat owners of the financial burden of repair work when a fire occurs.

The scheme covers the costs of repairing damaged internal structures and fixtures, but not the contents of the flat.

HDB’s appointed insurer, Etiqa Insurance, charges between $1.50 and $7.50 for five years of coverage, depending on the size of the flat.

The sum insured varies from $19,300 for a one-room flat to almost $100,000 for an executive flat.

Other insurers such as MSIG can provide comprehensive home insurance coverage, which includes the home’s contents, personal belongings, and third-party liability in case a neighbour makes a claim against you.

An MSIG spokesman told The New Paper: “If your home becomes uninhabitable after the damage, a comprehensive policy like MSIG Enhanced HomePlus would pay for alternative accommodation, conservancy charges and emergency cash allowance.

“These things all add up and can be a lifesaver in such an unfortunate situation.”

Its premiums start from $119 a year for a standard plan.

Source: www.tnp.sg

April 13, 2016
If Malays Can Be In Navy In The Past, Why Not Now?

When Malays used to be in the Navy…

Maybe they also didn’t have halal kitchen then
but they can ‘tapao’ the food or use “mangkuk tingkat”.
Mangkuk tingkat can be recycled to store gunpowder.

When there’s a problem, you can always find a solution.
its a matter of if you really want to solve it.

(someone pointed out to me that the other Malay soldier is Lt Adnan, the famous Malay hero who fought the Japanese)

Source: Shahlan S Shahlan

April 13, 2016
Police: NSF Who Leaked Photo Of Dead SMRT Worker Investigated Under Official Secrets Act

A photograph of the body of one of the two workers killed in the SMRT accident that made its rounds online was a screenshot of a police computer terminal.

It was allegedly leaked by a full-time police national serviceman, the police said yesterday.

The picture, which showed a close-up of Mr Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari’s body lying on the MRT track, was circulated on social media websites, forums and messaging app WhatsApp earlier this week.

It was even seen by some of Mr Asyraf’s family members before they received news that he had died, The New Paper reported on Thursday.

The picture, which also revealed the 24-year-old’s full name and IC number, appeared to have been taken off a screen.

Yesterday, in response to media queries, a police spokesman told TNP that investigations revealed that the picture was a screenshot of a police computer terminal.

A police NSF is believed to have shared the photograph with his family and friends.

The officer is being investigated for an offence under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), the spokesman said.

The police are also investigating how the photograph was uploaded online.

“The police deeply regret the insensitive and illegal action of the officer and met with the family today to explain the circumstances surrounding the leakage,” the spokesman said.

“The police have strict rules on the management of official information and take a very serious view of any breach. Officers who commit any wrongdoing will be dealt with in accordance with the law.”

SERIOUS OFFENCE

Criminal lawyer Rajan Supramaniam from Hilborne Law said an offence under the OSA is a serious one, particularly so in this case when the sensitive photograph was allegedly leaked while Mr Asyraf’s family was still grieving.

He said that such photographs are taken and strictly used for investigation purposes, and are not meant for public viewing.

“If leaked, they could cause a public outcry, distort the impact of the case and affect the post-mortem findings by authorities,” he said.

Mr Asyraf’s cousin, Mr Muhd Kamal, 24, an undergraduate, told TNP last night upon hearing the news: “It was a very sensitive picture and we wanted to find out who did it. And now we know.

“But we would now leave it to the police to best handle it.”

He had earlier urged people not to circulate the picture, saying it was disrespectful to the deceased.

Mr Asyraf’s father, Mr Ahmad Buhari, 61, had told TNP that he saw the photograph when he was in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. ”I was very sad when I saw the picture,” he had said.

The maximum punishment for wrongful communication of information under the OSA is a two-year jail term and a $2,000 fine.

The police deeply regret the insensitive and illegal action of the officer and met with the family today to explain the circumstances surrounding the leakage.

– A police spokesman

Source: www.tnp.sg

March 26, 2016