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Tag: Sultan Johor

  • Sultan Johor: Such Practices Will Result In Suspicion Among Non-Muslims, Wrongly Portray Muslim Life As Extreme, Intolerant And Unjust

    Sultan Johor: Such Practices Will Result In Suspicion Among Non-Muslims, Wrongly Portray Muslim Life As Extreme, Intolerant And Unjust

    Discriminating against non-Muslims on the pretext of religion will ultimately be detrimental to all Malaysians, Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar explained on Saturday (Oct 14).

    In his speech during the convocation of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia on Saturday, he expanded on his decision to order a laundry in Muar to discontinue its Muslim-only policy.

    Sultan Ibrahim said such practices would not only result in suspicion among non-Muslims, these would also wrongly portray Muslim life as extreme, intolerant and unjust.

    Citing currency notes as an example, he said money was handled by all manner of society, including those who would clearly be considered ritually unclean in Islam.

    “The same money may have been touched by pork butchers, bartenders and may even have come into contact with heavy filth.

    “Must the government then come up with Muslim-friendly notes? Think for yourselves, ladies and gentlemen,” he said.

    Sultan Ibrahim previously ordered the laundry in Muar to stop the discriminatory practice, saying Johor was not a Taliban state and that the laundry operator was free to move to Afghanistan if he disagreed.

    Preacher Zamihan Mat Zin later criticised “a sultan” over the matter, resulting in his arrest for sedition.

    Mr Zamihan later denied that he was referring to Sultan Ibrahim, but the Johor ruler called the preacher a “liar” on Saturday for the attempted denial.

    Sultan Ibrahim also directed the Johor Islamic Religious Department to cease all dealings with the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) that employs Zamihan.

     

    Source: http://www.todayonline.com/

  • Sultan Johor Response To Muar’s Muslim-Only Laundrette: ‘Nonsense, This Is Not A Taliban State’

    Sultan Johor Response To Muar’s Muslim-Only Laundrette: ‘Nonsense, This Is Not A Taliban State’

    Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has ordered the Muslim-only laundrette in Muar to stop its controversial policy or risk being shut down.

    “I cannot accept this nonsense. This is Johor, which belongs to Bangsa Johor and it belongs to all races and faiths. This is a progressive, modern and moderate state.

    “This is not a Taliban state and as the head of Islam in Johor, I find this action to be totally unacceptable as this is extremist in nature,” the visibly upset Johor ruler said, as quoted by The Star.

    He has since ordered the state Islamic religious affairs committee chairperson Abdul Mutalip Abd Rahim, the religious council and the district council to investigate the matter.

    The ruler also confirmed that he had spoken to the state’s mufti, Mohd Tahrir Samsudin, as well as state executive councillor for religion Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim over the matter.

    “I want the owner to apologise to me and the people of Johor. He has made Johoreans very angry and embarrassed because this is not the Johor we want.

    “The owner has gone against the vision of a united, harmonious, moderate and tolerant Johor. If he still insists on carrying on the Muslim-only practice, he can leave Johor.

    “I suggest he set up shop in Afghanistan. His thinking is sick and goes against everything that Johor stands for.”

    Confirming that he and his family members were “deeply appalled” by the action of the laundrette owner, the Johor ruler said it would lead to more narrow-minded actions in the name of Islam if such actions were not stopped.

    On the owner who, in the wake of the controversy, has since put up a new sign to say it was “Muslim-friendly”, the sultan said: “Don’t try to be clever. It’s still the same. The owner needs to have his brains cleaned up.

    “I want to put a stop to such extremism. Extremism has no place in my state. We take pride in being Bangsa Johor and I want to know where the owner of this launderette learn his Islam?

    “Islam teaches the faithful to be tolerant and respect other people and faiths,” he said at Istana Bukit Serene yesterday.

    Pointing out how mosques in Johor were open to non-Muslims as long as they were properly dressed, the sultan said he could not imagine non-Muslims being banned from entering mosques, saying he was concerned over rising religious extremism.

    “I wonder where this launderette owner washes his clothes when he is overseas? Is he saying only the clothes of Muslims are clean and those of non-Muslims are unclean? That’s what he means, I believe.

    “From now on, I am directing the state executive council and all the councils to insist that any business owners who carry out such blatant discriminatory practices should have their licences revoked. Don’t mess around with your narrow-minded religious prejudices.”

    He said he could not keep quiet on the issue, as if this was allowed to go unnoticed, “then next we will have taxis for only Muslims or non-Muslims”.

    He added that he also did not want other races to carry out similar actions.

    Pictures of the Muar laundrette went viral last week, when it was reported that a sign on the premises reminded customers that only Muslims were allowed to use its laundry machines.

    Johor prince Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim had expressed shock over the laundrette’s policy while several others, including Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin and prominent banker Nazir Razak, criticised the move.

    The operator of the laundrette, however, denied being a racist and insisted that he only wants to ensure that cleanliness be maintained at all times

     

    Source: www.malaysiakini.com

  • Sultan Johor To Malays: Stop Trying To Be Arabs

    Sultan Johor To Malays: Stop Trying To Be Arabs

    he Sultan of Johor has called on Malays not to discard their unique culture, saying he was disturbed by those who want to stop Muslims from the salam practice despite it being a traditional way of greeting each other.

    Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar said he was sticking to “my customs and traditions as a Malay because I’m born Malay.”

    “If there are some of you who wish to be an Arab and practise Arab culture, and do not wish to follow our Malay customs and traditions, that is up to you.

    “I also welcome you to live in Saudi Arabia.

    “That is your right but I believe there are Malays who are proud of the Malay culture. At least I am real and not a hypocrite and the people of Johor know who their ruler is,” he said.

    He said, for example, he preferred to use terms like Hari Raya instead of Eid al-Fitr, or buka puasa instead of iftar.

    “I have been using these Malay terms since I was a child and speaking to my late father for the past 50 years.

    “I have no intention of replacing these terms with Arabic,” he said.

    His Royal Highness said religious faith was not based on external criteria such as clothing to display one’s relationship with God, saying “what is in the heart and mind is more important.”

    He stressed that it was wrong to judge someone.

    “God will judge you. If you want to advise someone, then call them to the side and whisper, do not embarrass them,” he added.

    Sultan Ibrahim said that during his annual Kembara Mahkota, he shook the hands of thousands of people including women.

    “Why must I change? You do not have to be fanatic. If they (women) are not sure, I ask if they want to shake my hands. If they do not want to shake my hands, there is no problem,” he added.

    Asked to comment on the recent controversy where Crown Prince Tunku Ismail was criticised by those on social media for shaking hands with JDT player Mohd Safiq Rahim’s wife, Sultan Ibrahim said that she approached him.

    “He only extended his hand out. Why criticise? I am sure this is the work of some sour grapes from other places who are jealous of JDT football team,” he added.

    Sultan Ibrahim said that this was the Johor way and his message to those who did not want to shake his hands is to simply stay away.

    Soon after the incident, Tunku Ismail posted a video on Facebook which showed him shaking hands, in a satirical way, with two women with an oversized glove.

    Sultan Ibrahim also expressed his displeasure at the Batu Pahat Public Works Department (JKR) for recently putting up a notice reminding Muslim women about the sin of not covering their hair, which was mounted on a signboard along a road here.

    “This is wrong. This is not their role. Since when is JKR involved in this?” he asked.

    State Public Works, Rural and Regional Development committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad later said the officer in charge of the matter was directed to take down the notice.

    “Since when is JKR, whether at state or district level, being put in charge of religious matters? Their main job is to make sure the roads are properly maintained and not worry about women’s hair,” Sultan Ibrahim said.

    The Sultan said he had confidence and faith in Malaysians because the majority of them were decent and religious people.

    Likewise, he said that “it is not the business of government departments to worry about people’s dressing. Just do what you are paid to do and mind your own business”.

    On a recent meeting with religious groups in UAE, Sultan Ibrahim said the Arabs were becoming more open nowadays.

    “They are opening up. Previously women in Saudi Arabia were not allowed to drive but they are gradually allowing it. Some women are even joining politics,” he said, adding that the situation was also the same in Iran.

     

    Source: www.thestar.com.my

  • Libya’s Ambassador To UAE: Southeast Asian Muslims Should Embrace Own Unique Cultural Traditions, Resist Arabisation And Still Be Good Muslims

    Libya’s Ambassador To UAE: Southeast Asian Muslims Should Embrace Own Unique Cultural Traditions, Resist Arabisation And Still Be Good Muslims

    Muslims in Southeast Asia should embrace their unique cultural traditions instead of adopting Arabic customs, according to Libya’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dr Aref Ali Nayed.

    “I think that it’s high time that Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei actually appreciated the traditions that have been taught in small schools and villages for several centuries now,” said Dr Nayed, who is also the founder and director of think-tank Kalam Research and Media.

    “Why should a Malay give up his way of dressing, or his way of talking or his language in order to somehow prove that he’s more Islamic by borrowing some Arabic words?” he said during an interview with Channel NewsAsia’s Conversation With that aired on Mar 28.

    Dr Nayed was in Singapore to deliver a seminar at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute on defeating Islamic State.

    Dr Nayed, who has been ranked as one of the top 50 most influential Muslims in the world by Jordanian think-tank The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, made his remarks as the “Arabisation” of Islam and cultural practices in Southeast Asia stir controversy.

    In similar comments made recently in an interview with Malaysia’s The Star, the Sultan of Johor last week warned Malays to stick to their own culture instead of imitating Arab trends. The ruler was responding to the tendency for some Malaysian Malays to lean towards Arab culture amid growing conservatism.

    NO NEED TO BE ARAB TO BE A GOOD MUSLIM

    Dr Nayed – an Islamic studies scholar who has lectured on Islamic theology, logic, and spirituality at universities around the world – also warned against mindlessly accepting religious teachings from Arabic theologians.

    He encouraged religious scholars in Southeast Asia to “not only appreciate what they have but to actually foster it and grow it with their own future generations”.

    “There is no need to send off kids to some Arab countries. (They) actually teach a flattened version of Islam that is quite foreign to what Islam is actually about,” Dr Nayed added.

    While Islamic studies scholars like Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah are doing good work in the UAE, according to Dr Nayed, the ambassador added: “Much of the literature coming off Arabic presses unfortunately has been highly politicised and the theologies have been reduced to a number of principles that are actually quite dangerous.”

    When asked if local cultures are standing in the way of achieving the belief of a universality of Islam, Dr Nayed dismissed the idea.

    To be a good Muslim, he said: “One has to first be a good Singaporean Muslim or a Malay Muslim or a good Indonesian Muslim.

    “Only then can you be a representative of the universal Islam. So respecting your locality does not mean giving up on the universality.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Remaja Singapura Menyamar Sebagai Cucu Sultan Johor, Mengaku Tidak Bersalah Di Mahkamah

    Remaja Singapura Menyamar Sebagai Cucu Sultan Johor, Mengaku Tidak Bersalah Di Mahkamah

    Seorang remaja lelaki warga Singapura mengaku tidak bersalah di Mahkamah Majistret hari ini (7 Dis) atas tuduhan menyamar sebagai cucu Sultan Johor di sebuah kedai di Plaza Angsana, Ogos lalu.

    Remaja berusia 15 tahun itu, didakwa melakukan kesalahan tersebut di sebuah kedai menjual pakaian di Plaza Angsana, Tampoi, pada 4.30 petang, 6 Ogos lalu.

    Prosiding di hadapan Majistret Salina Omar itu dijalankan secara tertutup kerana tertuduh merupakan pesalah bawah umur.

    Menurut Timbalan Pendakwa Raya Muhammad Syafiq Mohd Ghazali yang ditemui selepas prosiding itu, tertuduh berkenaan mengaku tidak bersalah selepas pertuduhan dibacakan oleh jurubahasa di hadapan majistret.

    Katanya, mahkamah membenarkan tertuduh diikat jamin RM4,000 (S$1,300) dengan dua penjamin warga tempatan dan menetapkan sebutan kes itu pada 5 Januari 2017.

    Sementara itu, peguam Muhammad Ashraff Mohd Diah yang mewakili tertuduh berkata anak guamnya merupakan anak ketiga daripada lima beradik dan merupakan pelajar di sebuah sekolah di Singapura.

    Tertuduh disiasat mengikut Seksyen 419 Kanun Keseksaan yang jika sabit kesalahan boleh dipenjara sehingga tujuh tahun atau denda atau kedua-duanya sekali.

    Source: Berita MediaCorp