Muslims Banned from BEP gig: ST

KUALA LUMPUR - MUSLIMS in Malaysia have been barred from attending a concert by US hip hop band the Black Eyed Peas sponsored by Guinness which is owned by the world's biggest spirits group Diageo.

The move comes after a Malaysian Islamic court sentenced a 32-year Muslim woman to be caned after she was caught drinking beer in a hotel and at a time when an opposition Islamic party has moved against beer sales.

>> Only Muslims from Malaysia?

10 reasons why Anwar denied meeting PM

By BigDog

Banning Concerts Again

Here we go again, another Youth Chief, same old story. PAS is condemning Cabinet's approval to allow performance by international rock band Michael Learns To Rock.

Syed Akbar Ali clearly opines that PAS has clearly lost the plot. The move was said to be "insulting to all Muslims in the country", according to newly elected PAS Youth Chief Nasruddin Hassan.

It's good that Nasruddin made that statement to give him some cheap publicity. I was not updated in the new hierarchy of the organization. Nasruddin's predecessor and his band of young turks were champions of boycotting concerts (have yet to see them boycott Dato' Siti's concerts). Let's see the young turks march in the cold winds of Genting Highlands.

Nik Aziz Dituduh Sesat?

Era Baru 21/08: Menteri Dalam Negeri Dato' Seri Hishammuddin digesa mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap Mursyidul Am PAS yang kebelakangan ini dikatakan sudah membimbangkan diatas tingkah laku beliau. Mereka mahu Hishammuddin berani untuk menyiasat diatas tuduhan2 beliau terhadap UMNO apatah lagi Nik Aziz tidak menafikan kenyataan beliau Isnin lalu bahawa orang UMNO tidak akan masuk syurga. Ini bermakna Nik Aziz membuat tuduhan itu dalam keadaan sedar dan waras.

Akibat tuduhan terbaru itu, Nik Aziz dikatakan cuba menghidupkan semula "Fatwa Haji Hadi" yang sedikit masa dahulu menjadi pegangan pengikut PAS yang taksub untuk mengkafirkan sesama Islam khususnya ahli-ahli UMNO kerana memenuhi agenda politik mereka.

Kenyataan yang dianggap karut itu telah menimbulkan kemarahan dan kekesalan banyak pihak termasuk golongan agama dan ulamak yang beranggapan bahawa Menteri Besar Kelantan itu semakin nyanyuk dan dihanyutkan oleh arus politik yang dibawa oleh PKR dan DAP.

Ketika Nik Aziz lantang membuat tuduhan yang membayangkan bahawa orang UMNO akan masuk neraka manakala pengikut PAS pula dijamin masuk syurga, orang ramai pula mempersoalkan kenapa Nik Aziz begitu takut untuk mengkafirkan DAP yang sebelum ini telah terbukti begitu memusuhi orang Melayu dan umat Islam di negara ini. Dan Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh begitu berani dan lantang bersuara dengan berkata, "langkah mayat saya dahulu sebelum tubuhkan negara Islam"..............

Beberapa tahun lalu, fatwa atau amanat Haji Hadi di Rusila, Terengganu telah menyebabkan orang Islam berpecah belah terutama di negeri Terengganu dan Kelantan. Akibat fatwa itu, berlaku sembahyang dua imam, pernikahan anak orang UMNO dengan orang PAS terbatal, kenduri orang UMNO tidak boleh dimakan, mayat orang Islam yang tidak menyokong PAS tidak boleh disembahyangkan, malah untuk masuk syurga, lambang atau simbol PAS harus diletakkan di bawah bantal tidur......

Sementara itu bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad menyifatkan Nik Aziz sebagai orang yang "lebih dari manusia biasa" kerana kebolehan Mursyidul Am PAS itu yang boleh menentukan siapa orang Islam yang bakal masuk syurga atau neraka. Dalam masa yang sama, Dr Mahathir berkata secara sinis, "kita pun tidak tahu sama ada Nik Aziz akan ke syurga atau neraka".

Ilmu Membangkitkan Keberanian Bangsa

Syndicated from Tan Sri Sanusi's blog:

Itulah sebabnya Lee Kuan Yew dilaporkan telah berucap dalam majlis mera'ikan Presiden Chaim Herzog dari Israel dengan kata-kata yang bermaksud - 'Kamu telah berjaya mengajar Umat Islam di padang pasir, ajarlah kami bagaimana menghadapi Umat Islam di hutan belantara'.

Dr M to Malays: Don't hang too much on Hang Tuah's famous words

KUALA LUMPUR – Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Malays should give much thought to the predictive words of the legendary Hang Tuah that the race will never be wiped out from the face of the earth.

“His words should make us ponder if the Malays that will be left in the world of the future are the positive types. Or, are they going to be the types that are slaves, beggars or drug addicts?

“If those are the kinds of Malays that will continue to exist, then we are in trouble,” he said at a press conference after launching an exhibition at the National Art Gallery here on Friday.

Another Brick In The Wall: On LKS

If Unker Kit doesn't mind answering, how does he differentiate his own Government paid travelling expenses to visit his constituency in Ipoh and the convenient stopovers for party purposes? Or did he return to Kuala Lumpur first before pursuing his trips to other places?

Outsyed The Box: Keep your money, MCA has RM2B in assets

KUALA LUMPUR: There is no sign of the purported RM10mil “loaned” by Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd CEO Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing in the MCA coffers, treasurer-general Tan Sri Tee Hock Seng said.

“I do not see any donation from outsiders. There is no proof of the RM10mil donation,” he said. Tee said all donations to MCA must be accounted for.

Tee became the treasurer-general after the party election last October, taking over from Tan Sri Lau Yin Pin.

“The whole year’s budget for the party must go through the presidential council,” he said.

On the sources of the party’s income, Tee said it received revenue from the rental of Wisma MCA and Megan Avenue buildings.

“We have assets of RM2bil and do not need donations,” said Tee during a press conference after attending the special briefing chaired by president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat at Wisma MCA yesterday.

French pool bars Muslim woman for 'burquini' suit

PARIS -- A Muslim woman garbed in a head-to-toe swimsuit - dubbed a "burquini" - may have opened a new chapter in France's tussle between religious practices and its stern secular code.

Aspiring Politicians Should Not Have Skeletons In Their Closets - Mahathir

TRONOH, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Aspiring politicians or leaders should not have skeletons in their closets, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

He said the people would get to know about them sooner or later.

"If any wrong has been committed, the people will get to know about it. We cannot hide it. That is why, if we want to be in politics or a leader, we must not get involve in anything that is bad," he told reporters at the 9th convocation of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) here on Sunday.

KL Foundation to Criminalize War

Efforts to raise Fund for Gaza at this stage is with the specific intention of buying vessels to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza which is currently in a choke hold by the Tel Aviv regime’s illegal blockade.

The blockade has been imposed since 2006. Then in late 2008 through January this year, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) broke the ceasefire and launched a military aggression on Gaza causing over 1400 deaths and massive destruction to homes and buildings.

Following immense international pressure and its inability to subjugate the valiant Palestinians, the Israeli Government ended the aggression.

However, the blockade continued and these resulted in a stranglehold on Gaza, depriving the devastated population of medicine, food and materials to rebuild their homes.

If the act of war by the IDF earlier this year saw lives of thousands of Palestinians, mostly civilians including children lost within the short period of time, this blockade is equally cruel if not worst.

The children, the sick and elderly are subjected to a slow but sure death.

The ongoing genocide of the people of Palestine in Gaza being committed silently by the Tel Aviv regime is largely ignored by the international community either due to their lack of awareness or not wanting to see the ugliness.

But a group of concerned people from the Free Gaza Movement was not about to let the injustices and cruelties by the Israeli Government inflicted on the people of Gaza go unnoticed.

Boarding small boats which they could barely afford to buy, the Free Gaza Movement embarked on its first trip to Gaza from Larnaca, Cyprus on August 2008 carrying much needed aid.

To the Free Gaza members, their efforts were not merely to provide aid to the people in Gaza but more than that, it was an act of defiance, a committed protest to break the illegal siege.

To them, the siege needs to be challenged and if enough people came forward, the siege will be broken.

And that is what the Palestinians want – their freedom and not charity.

Since their first trip, the Free Gaza Movement had launched seven other trips and the last two was aggressively challenged by the Israeli authorities.

The sixth trip which had US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was rammed by the Israeli Navy while en route to Gaza on December 2008.

Recently on June 2009, McKinney together with Nobel Laureatte Mairead Macguire were on board the eighth trip when their vessel was stopped by the Israeli forces in international waters while again en route to Gaza to send aid and supply.

Together with other members of Free Gaza, McKinney and Macguire were taken to an Israeli prison before being deported.

KLFCW & PGPO chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who met Free Gaza leader Huwaida Arraf in Kuala Lumpur in early July was convinced that Malaysians should assist in the breaking of the siege on Gaza.

Dr Mahathir then went to Larnaca, Cyprus on July 16 to see for himself how the Free Gaza Movement had operated from the port and what kind of vessels they had in order to carry out their future trips to Gaza.

It was then decided that Dr Mahathir and PGPO will take up the efforts to raise funds to help purchase a 300-500 tonnes cargo ship to be used to transport aid to Gaza.

There is an urgency in raising the funds to enable the pruchase of the vessels. Winter is drawing near and the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza will worsen.

Dr Mahathir is hoping that the PGPO and the people of Malaysia will be able to raise enough funds to launch the vessels before winter hits the already depressed population.

Today marks the launching of the Fund for Gaza and all proceeds will be utilised towards purchasing the vessels and humanitarian aid for the Palestinians.

August 12, 2009


>>>

Feel free to donate:
Account Name: KLFCW (Gaza Fund)
Number: 5123 3430 6634
Bank : Maybank

Maybank Berhad
SECTION 14, PJ SSC
18A, Jalan 14/14,
46100 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia

Swift Code: MBBEMYKL

or Send your cheque/Bank Draft/Money Order/Postal Order to:

Suite 2-4, Level 2, Tower Block Menara Milenium,
Jalan Damanlela Pusat Bandar Damansara,
50490 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Fax: +603 2094 2992
Email: info@criminalisewar.org

All donations are tax-exempt under S.44 Of The Income Tax Act 1967. Ref LHDN 01/35/42/51/179-6.6183 Government Gazette: 11643 Dated 30.08.2007

>>>

For more details please email: ram@perdana4peace.org

ST: KL raps Maybank board, orders changes

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's central bank has directed a sweeping overhaul in the board of directors of the country's largest banking group Maybank, in an unprecedented government censure on a board of a financial institution.

Forbes: Gov 2.0

Over the past 15 years, the World Wide Web has created remarkable new business models reshaping our economy. As the Web has undermined old media and software companies, it has demonstrated the enormous power of a new model, often referred to as Web 2.0.

Shahrir: Anwar Traitor to Malay Race

After branding Anwar Ibrahim as a traitor to the Malay race and the nation, Dato' Shahrir Samad, Johor Bahru UMNO chief has called on the PKR advisor to sue them as they are prepared for any legal action.

Datuk Kadir Jasin on "Pulling Malaysian Equity Back"

"Mohd Najib must also ensure that non-Bumiputera companies that benefit from his liberalization policies increase their Bumiputera employment meaningfully - not limiting to employing Bumiputera as drivers, bodyguards, tea ladies, dispatch riders, sales persons and guest relations officers as they often do today."

"If Mohd Najib and his Cabinet saw it fit to form a Royal Commission in response to the death of one Chinese political operator, I see no harm in them ordering the Economic Planning Unit or the Manpower Department to do a comprehensive census of Bumiputera employment in non-Bumiputera and non-GLC companies. The results may not reflect the Prime Minister's 1Malaysia lofty ideals."

"BN leaders must have the courage to acknowledge and restate that the BN is a coalition of parties representing the various Malaysian races and ethnic groups, and frame its policies and programmes accordingly."

"There is a world of difference between the various Malaysian races making demands through their race-based parties and outright racism."

"But lately, the BN parties are being cowed by the Pakatan Rakyat to treat such demands as racist, while the PR parties themselves are not beyong stoking racial sentiments."


>> Thinking about those "multinationals" in the country with employees conducting meetings in Mandarin whilst presence of non-Mandarin speaking colleagues, discriminating employment criteria. If MCA opines that liberalization would enhance economic activity, would that change the status quo of cartels running major businesses in the country, both legit and vice?

Tanah Wakaf Untuk Perkuburan Islam

From DS KT's blog:

12. Kerajaan negeri juga belum menyelesaikan isu tanah perkuburan Islam di Kampung Kebun Bunga, Shah Alam.

13. Terdapat tapak perkuburan muslim dan kaum cina yang berada sebelah menyebelah di kampung kebun bunga ini. Namun masalah mula timbul apabila sebuah Dewan telah dibina oleh persatuan kaum Cina di situ di atas tanah wakaf untuk perkuburan orang Islam.

14. Pada 2007, Kerajaan Selangor telah membuat keputusan agar Dewan Orang Ramai Kaum Cina yang didirikan secara haram atas tanah perkuburan orang Islam dipindahkan segera ke Tanah Perkuburan Cina di sebelahnya dengan sebahagian kos pemindahan ditanggung kerajaan.

15. Malangnya, apabila kerajaan bertukar pada tahun 2008, kerajaan Pakatan di Selangor enggan melaksanakan keputusan tersebut. Saya difahamkan ada usaha-usaha untuk membenarkan Dewan "haram" ini terus kekal di tanah wakaf untuk perkuburan Islam tersebut.

Economist: Sex Laws, Unjust & Ineffective

ONE day in 1996 the lights went off in a classroom in Georgia so that the students could watch a video. Wendy Whitaker, a 17-year-old pupil at the time, was sitting near the back. The boy next to her suggested that, since it was dark, she could perform oral sex on him without anyone noticing. She obliged. And that single teenage fumble wrecked her life.

Her classmate was three weeks shy of his 16th birthday. That made Ms Whitaker a criminal. She was arrested and charged with sodomy, which in Georgia can refer to oral sex. She met her court-appointed lawyer five minutes before the hearing. He told her to plead guilty. She did not really understand what was going on, so she did as she was told.

Malay Mail: PAS vs Ronnie

PAS Hassan Ali pressures the state government to strip Ronnie's position as exco member.
Mixed reviews from Exco members. What is brewing up in Selangor? No synchrony in policies with regards to alcohol sales, no co-operation in pretty much anything/everything.

Azmin Ali earlier expressed a similar position. So what is Ronnie Liu's position?

Bernama - 7 wasiat Raja-Raja

KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Ogos (Bernama) -- Raja Muda Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah pada Khamis mengingatkan rakyat khususnya orang Melayu mengenai tujuh wasiat Raja-Raja Melayu yang menjanjikan kesejahteraan, kedamaian dan keamanan jika mereka bersatu dan berpegang teguh kepadanya.

Menurut baginda, wasiat yang disampaikan semasa Raja-Raja Melayu menurunkan tandatangan persetujuan pembentukan Perlembagaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu pada 5 Ogos 1957 ialah :

* Kami namakan dan kami panggil dia, bumi yang kamu pijak dan langit yang kamu junjung PERSEKUTUAN TANAH MELAYU (sekarang dikenali dengan nama Malaysia);

* Kami isytiharkan dan kami simpan untuk kamu dan kami benarkan kamu isytihar dan simpan untuk anak cucu kamu, selain gunung-ganang, tasik dan hutan simpan, TANAH SIMPANAN MELAYU sehingga nisbah 50 peratus, selebihnya kamu rebutlah bersama-sama kaum lain;

* Bagi menjaga kamu dan bagi melindungi anak cucu kamu serta harta hak milik kamu, kami tubuhkan REJIMEN ASKAR MELAYU selain untuk membanteras kekacauan dalam negara dan ancaman dari luar negara;

* Kami kekalkan dan kami jamin Kerajaan dan Kedaulatan RAJA-RAJA MELAYU memerintah negara ini;

* Kami isytiharkan ISLAM adalah Agama Persekutuan;

* Kami tetapkan bahasa kebangsaan ialah BAHASA MELAYU;

PKR teams up with PAS to slam Ooi

PETALING JAYA: Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi came under fire for wanting to get rid of a PKR councillor on grounds that he was linked to Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM).

PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan said Ooi had shown his prejudice by calling Penang municipal councillor Mohd Razali Abdullah a ‘religious extremist’.

“He has proven his ignorance as he is making sweeping statements without thinking rationally,” he said.

Bingung Rakyat... Demo Pro Dan Anti Semalam Untuk Apa? - Akhram

"Malah, warga KL dapat membandingkan sendiri aksi lebih sopan kumpulan pro-ISA, yang dipelopori gabungan MAGARAN, yakni NGO-NGO GGMM, Pewaris dan Perkasa. Mereka berkumpul di Pasar Seni untuk menunjukkan sokongan, kemudian sedia bersurai apabila digesa oleh Polis. Para pemimpin pro-ISA kemudian ber * kereta ke Istana Negara dan berjaya menyerahkan memorandum menyokong ISA dan usaha kerajaan merombaknya kepada Istana".

An Outsider Commenting On TDM's posting

As an Israeli and a Jew, it is not really my business in the internal politics of Malaysia and it is an issue to be dealt by Malaysians solely.

May be I don't understand well the whole Malaysian political processes, but I would like to post my opinion as an "outsider".

Any political leader or any public or national servant must understand that when he/she joins the public role, he/she will be exposed to criticism. It is not a regular criticism. It is criticism using a magnifying lens. A mouse size of a mistake would look now in the size of an elephant. No one can escape of that political drama. This is also even your destiny when you entered the political life.

Where is the difference? There are two kind of politicians. Those who enter into politics for selfish ambitions and pretending to be working for the people and the other are those who enter into politics with the pure intention to serve the people.

Both types are making mistakes. The selfish are making their mistakes because of their narrow viewing angle. Looking always for their own and selfish promotion while the people are last priority. Those will be also the first to jump from the ship if it will sink. Criticism of those leaders by the people and the media is a MUST. The people must understand that this was a wrong choice. These kind of mistakes of the selfish leaders cannot be forgiven and must not.

The true people's political servant may also be mistaken. But this mistake is different, it is not done intentionally and not for selfish purpose. Because that type of leader is motivated for the good of his own people and view a wider angle, he/she may have mistakes due to the huge amount of data to be analyzed. Now he/she have a big dilemma to make a choice of several options. It is not an easy task and mistakes are part of the process. Of course those mistakes must be criticized by the people and media. But this must be with the intention of improvement and learning the lesson for the future. In this case if the leader is a honest servant, he/she will listen to the criticism, internalize the lesson and learn how to avoid similar mistakes in the future. Those mistakes can be forgiven by the people and a second chance can take place. In cases when honest politicians are committing severe mistakes, they are self resigning their position. A selfish leader wouldn't do that.

Dear Dr. Mahathir, I tend to believe that you are the second type of politician and this is why you have so many supporters even you are not leading Malaysia for almost 6 years. People are not forgetting the good things and the bad things leaders did for them. Having so many supporters is speaking for itself.

When people are criticized, it must be done in a way such that the criticized object will not be pushed against the wall. Pushing the criticized to the wall may react opposing to the intention of the criticism. So, criticism must have the proper approach and timing if the intention is to get improvement. If the criticism is in the intention to smear mud on the face of the leader, it will not achieve a thing since mud can be smeared on the face of the criticizer since he/she is not pure of mistakes. Everyone bears a Pandora box that maybe opened.

Now, Malaysians need to understand themselves who is a real leader and who is a false leader and criticize him/her accordingly.

Dear Dr. Mahathir, I’m continuing reading your posts even I'm not commenting on the internal issues of your country. Since "criticism" is a more generic issue, I felt that I may comment.

Dear Dr. Mahathir, I wish you all the best and good health.

Wassalam.

Hanan, Jewish,
Israel.

PM: Time to help capable bumiputra companies instead off handing out shares

"Najib, who touched on the topic when opening the Pagoh Umno delegates meeting here Sunday, elicited laughter when he pointed that those who received shares were not ordinary folk but mostly influential people who sat in the front rows at functions such as Tan Sris and Datuk Seris".

>> PM must not forget the small and medium enterprises as well.