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Tag: Zaid Ibrahim

  • Former Malaysian Minister: Muslims Must Speak Out Against Unilateral Child Conversion

    Former Malaysian Minister: Muslims Must Speak Out Against Unilateral Child Conversion

    Former minister Zaid Ibrahim today appealed to Muslims, urging them to speak up in kindness and fairness against unilateral child conversion.

    “I don’t know if I’m going to heaven, but those who have no heart will go nowhere. How can anyone condone a unilateral child conversion?

    “It’s not too late for good Muslims to speak up. We need to have capacity for kindness and being fair to others, even if not a Muslim.”

    The lawyer turned politician declared on Twitter that “we have lost our soul” if Malaysia did not prohibit the conversion of a child to Islam by one parent at the expense of the other.

    “Is being a Muslim more important than being human?”

    He asked whether the pain of a mother deprived of her child had no bearing in Islam.

    To resolve interfaith custody conflicts between Muslim and non-Muslim parents, a bill to amend Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (Act 164) was tabled in Parliament last November.

    It was to be debated at the present sitting of the Dewan Rakyat but has been pushed back to No 8 in the order of proceedings.

    Once passed, the amendment allows only the civil courts to rule in matters pertaining to civil marriages, even if one spouse converts to Islam.

    However, Muslim legal experts have argued that the bill is “null and void” as it contradicts Islamic jurisprudence, which states that when a parent converts to Islam, his or her child (if the child has not yet reached puberty) automatically becomes a Muslim, too.

    Former chief justice Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim said any law which contradicts Islamic jurisprudence, derived from the Quran and Sunnah, was null and void.

    On these grounds, Haniff Khatri Abdulla, who is legal aide to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has challenged the validity of the bill that seeks to end unilateral child conversions.

    “In Islam, there is jurisprudence dealing with issues that arise when a person converts to Islam.

    “These include disputes over what happens to the convert’s previous union, to the child from that union, the religion of that child, the matrimonial and custodial rights.

    “On that basis, any amendment to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (Act 164) which does not comply with Islamic jurisprudence, in that situation, would be null and void. That’s what I’ve been arguing for the last 12, 13 years,” Haniff Khatri said.

    Zaid, however, has expressed empathy for those embroiled in custody battles for their children, who along with their spouses, had converted to Islam.

    Among the better-publicised cases is that of kindergarten teacher M Indira Gandhi, who challenged the conversion of her three children after a protracted court battle for custody.

     

    Source: www.freemalaysiatoday.com

  • Zaid Ibrahim: The Rise Of The “Neo-Malays”

    Zaid Ibrahim: The Rise Of The “Neo-Malays”

    The neo-Malays are the “new Malays”. They are younger than me and the members of G25, and some are seriously wealthy, although we don’t know how they earned their money or whether it was inherited. They also have a serious mission in mind, which is to change the world and to do it as Muslim warriors. But to do that, they first have to take power.

    This past New Year’s Eve some 50,000 of them gathered at Dataran Merdeka. Led by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and other well-known personalities such as Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, they held what I believe was a prayer session and sang praises to God Almighty and the Prophet Muhammad.

    My liberal (and religious) Malay friend Datuk A sent me a photograph of the event. The men were dressed in robes, serban and skull caps, and they were all doing a salute with their clenched fists, not unlike how the Nazis used to salute their Fuhrer.

    Now that was something else, and it worries me.  Is this a new brand of Malay power?  It certainly is different from Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s brand.  Najib loves to celebrate New Year , just like you and me , except that he does it in his inimitable style ( he is after all seriously wealthy).

    I guess the Dataran celebration by Zahid marks a new path for the country. It shows that when he comes to power, most probably our politics and our New Year celebrations will drastically change as well. The very idea of it should send a chill through all our spines.

    Why were the neo-Malays celebrating a Gregorian New Year in the first place? Why did they gather at Dataran Merdeka for an event that had no Islamic element or historical significance?

    My guess is that these Malays wanted to celebrate the New Year like everyone else, but because of their image and their brand of politics, they had to be different.

    They probably wanted to enjoy the new year but were worried they would be accused of mimicking the West. Enjoying themselves, they thought, would make them unislamic. They had to be different because that is the new world they wanted to create. They wanted to send a new message.

    As “good Muslims”, they believed they could not allow themselves to enjoy or celebrate the New Year; even if in their hearts they would have much rather preferred watching Siti Nurhaliza, Zainal Abidin or the Blues Gang perform and let loose some fireworks – but politics had to come first.

    I hope the Chinese, American and European ambassadors living comfortably in the Ampang precinct take a more serious view of our politics. Stop being naive. Enough of the nice brand of diplomacy.

    Just because our leaders wear Brioni suits does not mean they are the usual types found in the world’s capitals. If you care enough about freedom and democracy, you must take the time to understand their thinking.

    The Chinese (and by that I mean those from Beijing and not the DAP Chinese) are taking a strong hold of the economy by making huge investments in our country.

    They must therefore be careful that our burgeoning fascist ideas—does not destabilise the other communities or the country’s stability.

    The Americans and the Europeans must also stop taking things at face value. Many of the neo-Malays here are different from those in Indonesia and Iran.

    They are closer to the Taliban and Isis in their values and outlook. Make some effort to understand this new Muslim mindset. Countering these dangerous ideas now will be less costly and better for world peace and stability. – zaid.my, January 5, 2016.

    * Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is a lawyer turned politician and a former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of legal affairs and judicial reform.

    * This is the personal opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

     

    Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

  • Former Malaysian Minister Zaid Ibrahim: Can’t Wait for Malaysian Malays To Become Like Singapore Malays

    Former Malaysian Minister Zaid Ibrahim: Can’t Wait for Malaysian Malays To Become Like Singapore Malays

    KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 ― Calling it “absolute nonsense”, former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim rubbished claims that Malays in Malaysia were marginalised, saying the race formed the biggest demographic group in the country and have “full control” of the government and its machinery.

    The lawyer-turned-politician compared Malaysia’s treatment of Malays to those in Singapore and said those in the island republic did not receive any “special treatment” but seemed to enjoy a better qualify of life because their leaders practised transparency and meritocracy.

    “In Malaysia, Malays are happy to let their leaders make all the money as long as they promise to ‘defend’ bahasa, bangsa and agama,” he said in a blog post yesterday, using the Bahasa Malaysia words for “language, race and religion” respectively.

    “I can’t wait for Malays here to be like Singaporean Malays,” he added.

    Zaid’s latest post was in response to a report by a news portal which he said had incorrectly interpreted his tweet last week suggesting that he did not mind Malays here being marginalised like in Singapore, as long as they do not become extremists like the Taliban.

    He clarified that he meant Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is making Malays to be like the Taliban, but if Malays here grew to become like Malays in Singapore, then Zaid said he would be happy to support the embattled prime minister.

    Zaid also said that Malays here are “first-class citizens at least on paper” but many have not been able to reap the benefits of first-class treatment because they do not have a good government with honest leaders.

    “Our leaders are free to sell government assets cheaply or expensively depending on how they have arranged the ‘take out’.

    “If discovered, they can say it was for the party, for elections or even fisabilillah (“for the sake of Allah”),” he said.

    He conceded that in some ways Singaporean Malays are “worse off than” their counterparts in Malaysia as they are not accorded “special treatment.

    However, he said their leaders are clean and the transparent system of government there means it is a lot more difficult to siphon off public money for private use.

    “That’s what Malays here need. Good government with good, clean and honest leaders,” he said.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • Zaid Ibrahim: Under Najib, Malays Will Become Like Talibans

    Zaid Ibrahim: Under Najib, Malays Will Become Like Talibans

    KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — If Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak remains in office, the Malays here will become like those living under the repressive rule of the Taliban and not like Singapore’s Malays, former Umno minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said.

    Zaid, who was disagreeing with Dr Mahathir’s claim that Najib’s leadership would force the Malays here to become as marginalised as Singapore’s Malays, told the former prime minister that if his assertion were true, he would gladly support Najib.

    “Sorry Tun if under Najib Malays here will become like Spore Malays; I will give him full support. Malays under Najjb will be Talibans,” the former minister wrote on Twitter today.

    “Malays under Najib and Hadi will abandon their culture, traditions and values. Tun M must read my new book Assalamualaikum out in Sept,” he said in another post on the microblogging site.

    In a video of a Wednesday forum released online today by blogger Din Turtle, Dr Mahathir was recorded saying that if Najib stays in power, the Malays here could become marginalised like their Singaporean brethren.

    The former prime minister also remind his audience that the struggle for the country is not for the personal goals of one man but for the survival of the nation, its race and its religion.

    “I think we are smart people. Do we want to protect Najib? Or do we want to protect the Malays and the country?

    “This is what we have to ask ourselves,” he said in his speech during the forum with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at the Perdana Foundation.

    Dr Mahathir has been at the forefront of attacks against the Najib administration and has been actively campaigning for the prime minister’s resignation, believing the latter will lead BN to doom in the next federal polls.

    Among others, Dr Mahathir has attacked Najib over his handling of the controversy surrounding 1MDB, the troubled state-owned firm that has racked up a debt of RM42 billion since its inception in 2009.

    Najib, however, has refused to step down and has responded to Dr Mahathir’s accusations — several times via his blog and once through a pre-recorded interview on TV3.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • Zaid Ibrahim: Malaysian Malays Must Stop Voting Among Race Or Religious Lines To Improve Government

    Zaid Ibrahim: Malaysian Malays Must Stop Voting Among Race Or Religious Lines To Improve Government

    KUALA LUMPUR — Malays can be strong, but they must stop voting along race or religious lines and instead choose a political party that will improve the government, former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said today (Dec 21).

    The Malay community could not work in isolation and needed other races for it to strengthen itself, Mr Zaid said in a rebuttal to Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s claim that Malay political power was weak that they had to “beg” from other races to win support.

    “If they can make that quantum leap and embrace a political party which will make the government better, instead of choosing the defender of race and religion, that will further their cause.

    “They must be willing to abandon the comfort of their own race or religious-based political party. That will mark a new beginning for us all,” said Mr Zaid in a post on his blog today.

    He added that Malays would only weaken themselves if they took the cue from their leaders and pitted themselves against the rest of Malaysian society. The notion that Malays could be stronger without the other races “is the idea of UMNO”, he added.

    “A nation’s progress is predicated on unity of purpose and optimising its people’s collective strength. This means that excluding non-Malays from the national agenda – as is practised today – actually weakens the Malays more than the non-Malays.

    “Superficially, the Malays may be seen as the ones in control, but the reality is far different. The decision-makers who frame national policies may be Malays but they do not have the financial and economic tools to empower other Malays to succeed on their own.

    “Consequently, future economic conditions will have to depend on Chinese money and human capital for it to be sustainable. If this analysis is proven correct, the only way the Malays can succeed is to collaborate and remain united with the rest of the Malaysian community.”

    Yesterday, Dr Mahathir said Malay political parties had turned the Malay community into beggars to the Chinese, as they had to woo the non-Malays to secure enough support to win elections.

    Dr Mahathir also claimed the divisions in the Malay community were to blame for its lagging economic performance.

    He said the country’s aim to become a developed nation by 2020 would bring little benefit to the Malays because of their weakness and disunity.

    However, Mr Zaid said today that the Malays’ economic performance depended on how united they were with other Malaysians, and not just among themselves.

    “There is no evidence to suggest that people of the same group or ethnicity can ever be united and strong just by being on their own.

    “They will just end up being insular and paranoid. In fact, there are many examples of communities growing stronger when they are united by diversity and a common purpose.”

    He added that the situation in Malaysia could change if the moderates, especially the Malays, became more assertive and not allow right-wing groups, such as Isma and Perkasa, dominate the limelight most of the time.

    “They must not expect that authoritarian rule to disappear without sacrifice and courage. Freedom, like breakfast, has a price.

    “Indonesians have paid that price for democracy with their lives, the least we can do is to be prepared to be hauled up to police lock-ups once in a while.”

    But he conceded that this was “easier said than done”, as Malays in business and in the government were hesitant to speak out and risk destroying their livelihood.

    Soon after Dr Mahathir’s remarks yesterday, Mr Zaid has also tweeted a response: “Tun, Malays are supporting DAP because UMNO is no longer relevant and PAS more suited in Baluchistan”. THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com