Pembela looking for an "Omega Watch" to hurt Christians?

When Pembela protests that adhering to the Article 11 of the Federal Constitution is an "Insult to Islam", isn't he actually the one insulting the founding fathers of Malaysia or Islam for that matter - through their ignorance?

Never mind that one moron thinks that it was the Brits who brought Christianity to Colonial Peninsular States or that Malaysia is "Tanah Melayu" (without acknowledging the existence of Sabah/Sarawak which were instrumental to the creation of Malaysia) - but when an unthinking law lecturer misses the trees for the woods and stands with those who threaten violence, you wonder what kind of education these imbeciles provide at the International Islamic University Malaysia- that too in law!!

I'd be ashamed of the Christians, had the situation been reversed and one of them uttered the words Pembela did .... to me, it's unthinkable to have such moronic "intellectuals" among the Christians- I wonder if there are any Muslims who feel the same ....
But then again I seriously doubt that it has anything to do with "Islam" as such- the stench of the Umno rat using Islam to create the siege mindset among the faithful seems to be quite overpowering .....

So that brings us to the lingering question- Do you think Mr 1-Malaysia, Ghani Patel, Krismudin and/or PDRM have the guts to do anything about it?
I don't think so.
Going by the many scandalous events (Altantuya/RPK/Bala/Kugan/TBH/Sarbaini/Aminulrasyid/Scorpene/Sukhoi/1MDB/Taib Mahmud etc etc etc) in recent years- they'd probably go for the victim who made the police report instead- and probably find an "omega watch" to find him guilty!!

Good try anyway, Mr. Xavier.

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Catholic lawyer lodges police report against Pembela

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

April 20, 2011

Annou Xavier says he lodged the police report to protect the rights of other religious groups. — Picture by Jack Ooi

KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — A Catholic lawyer called on the police today to act against an umbrella coalition of Muslim groups, Pembela, for making seditious statements against the Christian community.

Annou Xavier said that the threats by Pembela were highly provocative and could result in a backlash against Christians in the country.

Last Friday, Pembela held a protest at the National Mosque against Putrajaya’s release of Malay-language bibles and declared they are willing to shed blood against ‘extremist’ Christians that insult and ridicule the position of Islam in the country.

“The statement made by these groups (Pembela) and its members are insidious and seditious in nature as it is highly provocative so as to mean that the said group and/or its followers are willing to disrupt harmony and cause hatred, contempt, and raise disaffection with Christians and among other peace-loving citizens of Malaysia.

“The Federal Constitution states that other religions may practise in peace and harmony and that each and every religious group has the right to manage its own affairs, maintain and manage its own property and practise his own faith under Article 11,” he told reporters after lodging a police report at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters.

During the protest last week, Pembela spokesman, Dr Yusri Mohamad, asked Christian groups to stop their confrontational approach and apologise to Muslims for wounding the community.

“We ask all Muslim leaders to unite against extremist Christians that challenge and insult Islam,” said Yusri, who is also a law lecturer at the International Islamic University Malaysia.

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia’s (ISMA) secretary-general, Aminuddin Yahaya, added that the country has been soiled by foreign elements.

Pembela’s protest in front of the National Mosque last Friday. — file pic

“Malaysia was tanah melayu, tanah Islam. But when British colonialists came to our land, they also brought Christianity with them … We must unite and not compromise with those that insult our religion. We are willing to die for Islam and our country!” he said.

Xavier said that he has lodged a police report to enable an investigation into the matter and to protect the rights of other religious groups, especially the Christian community.

He stressed that Islam is not disputed as the religion of the federation but all other faiths may also be practised in peace and harmony without threat.

MORE....

Mixing politics with religion

Mixing politics with religion

April 19, 2011

APRIL 19 — “Never mix religion with politics. There is nothing more volatile, nothing more provocative than mixing the two. Inevitably, we will quarrel if we try to politicise religion … also racial issues as well.”

So said Tan Sri Taib Mahmud, newly sworn in as the Chief Minister of Sarawak.

I couldn’t agree more. Now that the great battle for Sarawak is over, perhaps Tan Sri Taib could start propagating his advice amongst his colleagues in the Federal government, and other state governments?

If so, I fear he has a struggle of truly Sisyphean proportions.

Perhaps I never quite realised it as a child growing up in Malaysia, but increasingly I find myself thinking that religion in Malaysia is becoming ever more and more politicised. In some ways it’s perhaps inevitable — after all, when it comes to Muslims, the State knows best.

As a Muslim, should I be living in KL right now, my religious belief would in fact be governed by what JAWI deems is right. Now, in most cases this wouldn’t be a problem. However, there are times when what JAWI thinks is right could come into conflict with what I think is right.

Take Ramadan, for instance. As far as JAWI is concerned, I cannot eat in public during fasting hours. Not a problem, usually. However, as a woman you and I know that there are times when I am actually prohibited from fasting. What if I was amongst a group of other non-fasting Muslim women (or non-Muslims, for that matter), and we decided to have a bite whilst watching a movie in the cinema?

That’s a fairly innocuous example, actually. What is of far more concern is our religious authorities’ penchant for arresting those who practise the “wrong” type of Islam (actually, the Federal government is guilty of the same). Last year, JAIS arrested about 200 people in Gombak, for the “crime” of being Shia (rather than Sunni, as practised by most Muslims in Malaysia).

Some of you may even remember the Memali Incident of 1985. Was there a real threat to the nation’s security then? Possibly. Does that excuse the deaths of 14 villagers and four policemen? Well, we’ll never know, will we, given our aversion towards discussing anything controversial in a calm and rational manner?

Not mixing politics and religion? Oh, please. PAS and Umno are the masters in mixing it all up. Whisper it: vote for PAS, and you’re a kafir. Or conversely, vote Umno and you’re a kafir. PAS is more Islamic than Umno. No, no, Umno is more Islamic than PAS. Both parties fight to out-Islam the other. Actually, PAS can’t be all that Islamic because they’re working with DAP. Ahh, but Umno has always been in bed with MCA and MIC. And so it goes on.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the religious authorities merrily go on their religious crusade, raiding nightclubs and then leering at the sexily-dressed young girls that they “catch.” Or better yet, video the young couples that they bust in khalwat raids and then broadcast such videos in programmes like Imam Muda.

Who speaks up for these people? Nobody — after all, they’re getting what’s due having indulged in promiscuous behaviour. But what about the unIslamic and frankly degrading practice of heaping humiliation upon these people? Who cares — Islam is what the religious authorities say it is, and none of the political parties will do anything to upset the likes of JAWI or JAIS because that could be seen as being unIslamic!

Well, we Muslims are used to having our religion intertwined with our politics. Ahh, but pity you Christians who are now finding out what might we wield! Our intellectual prowess is such that, not content with politicising our own religion, we now seek to politicise your religion too. After all, what is the AlKitab furore about if not the flexing of the collective religious authorities’ muscles?

I will probably be dismissed as a liberal, pluralistic Muslim when I say this, but with all due respect, I could not care less if Christians want to use “Allah” in their prayers and their bible. I know and you know that we are praying according to our respective religions, so what does it matter what words we use in our prayers?

My faith isn’t so weak that I would find myself wanting to change my religion should I inadvertently read the Malay bible (as it happens, I have read parts of the Bible – in English – when, as a child, I found a bible in a hotel room and feverishly looked up the passages pertaining to the Beast, thanks to the influence of "The Omen"!).

The government should have more faith in Malaysians’ faith but actually, this is a heaven-sent opportunity to burnish one’s Islamic credentials, so a non-issue becomes one of grave national interest. You can dismiss my views of course, but before you do so, think: if the bibles hadn’t been impounded and no fuss made by all quarters, would anyone have actually been hurt?

So yes, Tan Sri Taib, let’s stop mixing politics with religion. Let the AlKitab be distributed without any restrictions throughout Malaysia. Let Muslims read it if they wish. Stop persecuting Muslims and non-Muslims with our brand of official Islam.

Ah well ... and pigs might just fly, one day in our country.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.