Monday 18 January 2010

UNLESS OF COURSE YOU'RE "PEKEMBAR".....

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The majority of the Christians and
the rest of the world is wrong in using "Allah"

-Yusri from ABIM on 101 East
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"Ignorantia juris non excusat" :- ignorance of the law does not excuse

"nemo censetur ignorare legem":- nobody is taught to ignore the law

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One of the first things I learned from primary school was that I didn't have to know that I did wrong, for me to be reprimanded. When I had once shared stolen food unknowingly, I was punished by Mr. Foo (my Std 1 teacher) - even though, I was unaware of the "crime" of my classmate who wanted to be my friend. It was something which stayed with me ever since - to be careful of those bearing gifts.
In high school
"literature", there was a story of a thief who stole bolts from the railroad for weights and he was prosecuted - he was guilty despite his ignorance of the law. I didn't need to go to law school or have Shad Faruqi lecture me for me to know that.

The law in any state would like us to believe that, as would any government that is worth its salt.
Politicians, Law enforcers, the Judiciary and Intellectuals too wouldn't make excuses for ignorance. Where the clergy is concerned - it becomes all the more imperative that they abide by this dictum in arriving at opinions/convictions.

In Malaysia though, all it takes is a word to fuddle and muddle the minds of these so-called "pillars of society" (at least most of the time) - and it isn't "Allah", mind you .....
That's how "good" they are. This much dreaded word (an English acronym, actually) is non other than "UMNO" - the Pertubuhan Melayu Bersatu Kebangsaan [Pertubuhan Melayu Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu atau PEKEMBAR (UMNO)].

It is a malady that seems to affect most quarters who dance to the tune of Pekembar (aka UMNO). Let's forget Nazri or his racist nemesis Mahathir for now.
Let's take that Sabahan (Malakun) JP guy who asked Christians to give up their constitutional right or even Shad Faruqi the "constitutional expert" (Shad Saleem Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of Law at UiTM and Visiting Professor at USM)- they both ask Christians (and Muslims too, actually)to pander to Ignorance and cowardice, so the the federal constitution may yet again be undermined by thugs in "holy" garbs - who claim to "defend Islam".
All these, when Islam itself doesn't condone such behaviour!!

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The Herald’s new found love for Arabic words is indeed very touching
but one cannot fail to note that the import of Arabic words is rather selective.....

All in all it can be said that in relation to the Herald case,
the general Muslim reaction is too emotional and is based on lack of knowledge....
Emotions must be regarded. Sometimes rights must give way .......
-Shad Faruqi, Finding The Middle Path
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Shad takes it a step further as he asks us to abandon "reason", and cater to emotions of madmen!
He even unapologetically displays his ignorance of "The Herald’s new found love for Arabic words"! Here we have a "man of law", abandoning The Law in favour of thuggery! Yes - Shad calls subscribing irrational emotions and conduct of madmen who see no reason (drum roll please ...) - "Finding The Middle Path"!!!

While appearing to be neutral and reasonable in asking for Bibles to be allowed to be printed locally, he demolishes all the reason he speaks of with one sentence - "Emotions must be regarded. Sometimes rights must give way .......", which many may unwittingly ignore. As an academic and intellectual, instead of condemning terrorists without prejudice, he seems to defend the thuggery promoted by these mindless men!!

What Shad subscribes to despite his lengthy article under the guise of an intellectual essay on "finding the middle path" is simply one word - Ignorance. His "middle path" is the Umno path - and that cannot be denied. Maybe you can add hypocrisy, double standards and bigotry to that.
He even seems to know a lot about the Malay language - by quoting a graduate of pharmaceutical sciences (Prof Dzulkifli of USM)!! The reason why this foreigner (Pakistani, I think) now becomes apologist for irrational conduct of thugs, and has become an expert in matters "of local context and of religious sensitivities" - as he puts it - is UMNO, and nothing else.

What "Professor" Shad Faruqi does is no different from the conduct of thugs who have no regard for the Federal Constitution or even the scripture, and wish to hold the country at ransom through their ignorance and threats of violence.

"Very Impressive" conduct for a Professor of Law and a Constitutional expert!! As impressive as your earlier assertions (aka spin) that the Mentri Besar can be "fired", and that the social contract (as defined by Umno) is IN the Federal Constitution (and not that the Federal Constitution IS THE Social Contract).

Says a lot about the standards of education when mixed with Umno's politics .....
With academics & men of law advocating barbarism, is it any wonder why the country is sliding down the slippery slope of anarchy & chaos?

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"It will not do to cling to the cause and wish the result away.
Reality does not play mind games.
What is more, to anesthetize the mind in order to abort what comes to birth
when wrong ideas are conceived and borne in the womb of culture,
will only kill the very life-giving force of the nation that nurtures the idea."
- Ravi Zacharias
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7 comments:

  1. It is pretty obvious that Shad let his religion got the better of his intellect, law training and knowledge when he recommend that " Sometimes rights must give way to ....."

    And to think that the world misunderstood the practitioners of his faith! It's that frightening, isn't it?

    mycuntree

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is no doubt that Shad is definitely a thinker. However, he lacks faith in his own faculties. It is probably more of political affiliation rather than religion, that causes him to sell out.
    Yes - it is indeed a scary thought that these so-called "intellectuals" prostitute their minds to politicians .....

    ReplyDelete
  3. shaf the taff21/01/2010, 14:33

    For those of us who do not subscribe to this "SUPREME BEING" (who-made-the-tree?) nonsense, this current fracas over the name of the original arab moon diety, is mildly amusing.
    If this Being really exists it probably will be kicking itself in its holy arse for ever creating such an idiotic creature as Man

    ReplyDelete
  4. shaf,
    What you see isn't what you get - this is what most people don't get.
    It isn't about "God" - it's about your very liberties which are guaranteed in the Federal Constitution. It's about people being hoodwinked into giving up their rights in the name of "peace & harmony" to thugs & pirates in Gucci suits.
    Read Azmi Sharom's take on this in Star (to be published here later today), if you wanna know what I mean.

    Yes - if this Being exists, s/he will be kicking him/herself in his/her holy ass - not becos they are stupid enough to fight over it, but becos the rest don't see the real issue at stake.

    ReplyDelete
  5. shaf the taff21/01/2010, 17:16

    Dear Cruzy,
    So what's new? This (the erosion of liberties) started back when the MadHatter came to power, that was one of the reason I went into exile for more than 25 yrs. I can't even follow my conscience publicly in terms of my religious/spiritual beliefs - apostasy is a crime in this ridiculous country. We have Authorities to tell us what to believe or else. Wtf! If the very basic right to one's own conscience is controlled, other rights and liberties are secondary.
    Islam, like the other so-called Abrahamic religions, is a cult but more so that it wants total control over its adherents to the point of killing any of them if they want to leave. Therefore to a muslim (not me) rights and liberties do not exist. That's why democracy and modernity are anathema to a commited muslim. (Altho I believe that anybody who wants to be a muslim should be commited)

    ReplyDelete
  6. shaf the taff21/01/2010, 17:26

    Muslim Authorities not only control what you believe, they also control what you wear, what you eat, what you read, who you socialise with, so on and so forth ad infinitum. If that's not the characteristic of a noxious cult I don't know what is.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well said, shaf ... well said.
    Just as I assumed, you do see the point here- and the things that disgust you are what this fight is about.
    Now that isn't so amusing, is it?

    What you condemn here is the evil of "religiosity" and hypocrisy (not the "spirituality" of Islam) - which nothing to do with Islam, but is today propagated as political absolute truths. This is a phenomenon in all religious institutions that wield political clout - not just Abrahamic faiths. So don't single them out, although agree that they have the lions share of this phenomenon.

    You lament the erosion of liberties? Good for you - and you chose exile?
    Bear in mind that "for evil to succeed, all it takes is for good men to do nothing" to fight them.
    On which side do you stand now, shaf?

    Having said that, bear in mind that you have had the fortune being able to go into exile - many others around here don't have that luxury.

    Not that they/we begrudge your fortune, but the question remains - if you're willing to stand by the church as Good Muslims from PAS do, and fight for your rights. Are you willing to support the less fortunate who don't have the luxury of exile? Will you at least stand up and speak for the persecuted?
    Will you condemn apartheid, racism, bigotry and religious hypocrisy?

    Now - if a "cult" does teach me to fight for justice & the legitimate human rights of my brother (even if he be of different convictions), I wouldn't mind being party to it.

    You lament the erosion of liberties? Good for you - and you chose exile? It isn't so amusing, right?
    Bear in mind that "for evil to succeed, all it takes is for good men to do nothing" to fight them.
    On which side do you stand now, shaf?

    ReplyDelete

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