Can common sense prevail?

Have a bit of read into this to catch up on the reading. Views expressed are different, depending on what a person's value system and line of sight is. I have been championing integrity and unity in my sphere of influence and be let down by the very government that I support. No wonder many are considering to move out of the country.

1. Understand the modern ( last 5 yrs ) Malaysian 'persecution' ( http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/global.php?id=910262)

2.The Malay-Islam thoughts about protecting what they have. (http://myislamnetwork.net/portal/modules/smartfaq/)

Still better than the threats like this( http://itsmy.blogs.friendster.com/here/2006/08/gambar_lina_joy.html)

Gambar Lina Joy @ Azlina Jailani yg sangat FAKAP! ( Photo)

p/s: Kalo jumpe org tua kutuk yg sungguh kasihan ini kat mane2 jgn lupe nasihatkan lah dia.

Translation - This is the picture of F*** UP

p/s: If you see this despised old hag anywhere, don't forget to advice her.

Or should it be 'advice' her?

And definately a hot issue for those concerned.

Meeting in Ampang for 50 Islamic NGO with concerted effort to 'pressure the government". Full of people and subsequent lobby activities. Good job guys!

For Full story ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ifs_news/hi/newsid_6150000/6150340.stm )

Maria - not her real name - is a young Malaysian woman who has lived a secret and sometimes fearful life since she converted from Islam to Christianity.
Apostasy, as it is known, has become one of the most controversial issues in Malaysia today.
Maria became a Christian over a decade ago when she was 18. She says no-one forced her to convert, that she made the decision after studying different religious texts.
Conversion is deemed so sensitive in Malaysia that even the priest who baptised her refused to give her a baptismal certificate.
And, even now, the church she attends asked her to sign a declaration stating the church is not responsible for her conversion.
"My church says if the authorities come, they are not going to stand up for me. I have to stand up for myself," she said.
Not even Maria's family know she has converted.
"If my family find out I am no longer a Muslim they will completely cut me off. That means my name in the family will be erased.
"I could migrate, but the problem is I want to stay in Malaysia, because this is my country. And I love my family. I just want to live peacefully."


But at the end of the day, I agree with Maria that she just wanted to " live peacefully". Can common sense prevail?

Its back to Bahasa Malaysia

Today, Bahasa Melayu is again to be called Bahasa Malaysia to incalcute patriotism and one-ness. The move comes after 21 yrs when Anwar Ibrahim changed the name for his vision of patriotism. Am just not sure if it is too late for the reversal....

But will remember MGF- Dtk Zainudin Maidin's word today

“The Malays, for example, must not see Bahasa Malaysia as a language used (solely) by themselves. If Malays truly want to promote the language regionally or globally, they should not be worried if others use it for religious reasons such as their books and sermons.


Perhaps should un-ban the Kitab Injil?

Oh ya, something fishy about Allantunya's murder investigation. There is now a new 'persecution' team onboard and not much prosecution evidences have been given to the defense lawyers. Sounds funny to me. Hope that for once, we get credible/ competent/ dedicated officers who can nail down the case. Been too long since the government has won a high profile case. Except Lina Joy's case, which is not unexpected. The judges maybe pressured by the potential rioters out of the court. Hurrah to Malaysian rule of Law!!
I just want fairness la ... this has become a religion slant..

Allah-u akhbar!!!

Federal Constitution on the status of MalayArticle 160(2)

"Malay" means a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and -(a) was before the Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or was on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore;or(b) is the issue of such a person

Article 11

(1) Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject to Clause (4), to propagate it.

(2) No person shall be compelled to pay any tax the proceeds of which are specially allocated in whole or in part for the purposes of a religion other than his own.

(3) Every religious group has the right -(a) to manage its own religious affairs;(b) to establish and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes; and(c) to acquire and own property and hold and administer it in accordance with law.
(4) State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Lubuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.

(5) This Article does not authorize any act contrary to any general law relating to public order, public health or morality.

Lina's Response

This is a serious degradation of our rights. Kudos to CJ Sabah/Sarawak Richard Melanjum for spotting the many mistakes of the defence case. There is no point if majority decision is again used as both other Judges would not want to stir up problems and drive down their popularity vote. Since the assault on Judiacy in 1988, the Malaysian legal careers are more interwined with politics. How sad.

Nation Thursday May 31, 2007
Lina unhappy with decision
KUALA LUMPUR: Lina Joy is extremely unhappy with the Federal Court judgment.
“I am disappointed that the Federal Court is not able to vindicate a simple but important fundamental right that exists in all persons; namely, the right to believe in the religion of one's choice and equally important, the right to marry a person of one's choice and to raise a family in the Malaysia context.
“The Federal Court has not only denied me that right but to all Malaysians who value fundamental freedoms,” she told The Star, through her solicitor Benjamin Dawson.
“I am hoping that my case would have made a difference to the development of constitutional issues in the plight of many others.”
Asked whether she would leave Malaysia for good, Lina, who is believed to be overseas at present, said: “It would extremely difficult to exercise freedom of conscience in the present environment.”
Lina, 42, was born Azlina Jailani to Malay parents. She was brought up as a Muslim but at the age of 36 became a Christian.
In 1999, she managed to change the name in her identity card to Lina Joy but the National Registration Department retained her religion in the card as Islam.
On April 23, 2001, the High Court refused to decide on her application to renounce Islam as her religion on grounds that the issue should be decided by the Syariah Court. It also dismissed her application for an order to direct the department to drop the word “Islam” from her identity card.
On Sept 19, 2005, the Court of Appeal, in a majority decision, also rejected her appeal.

The day Islamic Law is higher than Malaysian Constitution

Apalling!! My rights are taken away just like that! With the line of argument that Islamic law was here earlier than British Laws, the lawyers for government and both consenting Muslim judges forgot that our country .. Malaysia .. was build with the integrity and respect of the law of the day. If this set of law did not help us to come to our state yesterday, which set of law did? The Syariah law? Untill year 2000, the syariah law is on par with traditional courts of Sabah and Sarawak. And today, Syariah seemed to supercede our Constitution.

Islam has higher status in Malaysia
PUTRAJAYA: Islam has a higher status than other faiths in Malaysia, said a lawyer holding a watching brief for the Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association.

Pawancheek Marican said Article 11 of the Constitution restricted propagation of other religions to Muslims.
“Our Constitution favours Islam. Islamic law is part of the law of our country,” he said.

Another lawyer, Zulkifli Nordin, who is holding a watching brief for the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), said there were rules for Muslims to follow before they could renounce Islam.
“These rules are the Quranic law and the sunnah,” he said.

And again, the argument that something earlier is better and correct. If that is so, i guess the Hindu and Buddhist law should be even earlier. Or the traditional coursts in Sabah /Sarawak should have the same weightage.

“We have to take into account that Islam was here from the 13th century. The Malay Sultanate became Muslim and, later, its people,” he said, adding that the system was interrupted with the intrusion of colonial powers.
“The law that was applied then was Islamic law and several centuries later, Malaysia became a fully Islamic country.”
He said everything about the Malays then was governed by Islam and Malay customs. On the other hand, British law was limited and based on Christianity.
“Unfortunately, the British were the stronger party and had their way on what should be Malay customs and Muslim law,” he said, questioning the need to conform to the British legal system after the country’s independence.

Sulaiman said the Malaysian Constitution was unique in that it had a special place for Islam.
He added, however, that Muslims could not declare their renunciation of Islam without the involvement of religious authorities because there would be Constitutional repercussions.
“For instance, one may declare himself a Muslim in the morning and by the evening he is not a Muslim. Or, he is a Muslim when it’s time for zakat and not a Muslim during the fasting month,” he said.
This prompted Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim to ask: “Are you saying that a Buddhist can be a Buddhist in the morning and a Christian in the evening?”
Sulaiman answered there was nothing to stop anyone from doing so.

So, should there be something that stop people from doing so ? Either other religions have their own courts but fundamentally, stopping someone from doing the thing that they decide is already against the spirit of freedom. And in specific to religion, it is against article 11. CJ Ahmad is not wise enough to spot that.

He said several legal representatives of non-governmental organisations had, in their submissions last week, made attacks on the position of Islam.
“That is a total reversal of what the Government had set out to achieve,” he said.
The NGOs had supported the view of Justice Gopal Sri Ram, who gave his dissenting judgment in the Court of Appeal, that the NRD’s refusal to make the amendment in Lina’s identity card without an order or certificate from the Syariah Court was null and void.

I believe it is not attacks on Islam as the respect on the constitution requires it.The challenge is the arbitary changes that happens , deviating from the original intent of it. It is a defense against a system designed to do so. So, is Sulaiman admitting that the government has a hand in this?

Anyway, i believe this is the best 50th year Merdeka gift that all non- Muslims receive from our government. The court is not only leaking water this year.