Jazz - HipHop

Strange, but I thought that hip-hop used to be into jazz. I remember the group Jazzkantine. They're from Germany, and they fused jazz with hip-hop. That came up with some pretty cool stuff, which I must sadly say is not available in Malaysia. Does this justify downloading MP3's and file-sharing programs then? I would say that if the file downloading acts as a "teaser" and whets audience appetite, it would follow that demand for the music would increase around the globe. The problem is, music stores do not have the confidence to import obscure acts from other nations to be sold in a country with "conservative" music tastes... or, in the case of Malaysia, one with more "ethnic" tastes. Dangdut would succeed, but jazz would take a little more effort to make a dent on the music scene.

I'd like to buy albums from...

1. Roupa Nova - Brazilian
2. Jota Quest - Brazilian
3. Calegero - French
4. K-Maro - French
5. Jazzkantine - German

On the other hand, Malaysia's got some good homegrown stuff as well. In this category... for the singer-songwriter I admire but have never supported (yet)... I nominate Amir Yussof.

Music is universal. Just look at the video below. You don't need to understand the language or the lyrics for *that* song, do you?

Perhaps a Little Caution

Perhaps Malaysians should exhibit some caution when discussing issues today.

I stumbled onto an article on Seah Chiang Nee's LittleSpeck.com website, written by Raja Petra Kamarudin, that once upon a time debonair UMNO gentleman, now debonair Opposition gentleman. He says three things:

#1:

May 13 was engineered.

#2:

The prelude to Operasi Lalang was also staged.

#3:

Twenty years on and we are seeing a repeat of the days before Operasi Lalang, except it is now more serious than the era of Operasi Lalang.

Serious allegations, those. But, who knows what discussions and agreements take place behind closed doors? We would, for sure, be loathe to be part of the political game. What befits us average human beings, what games these great moguls play? We are but ordinary human beings. But let us be not pawns in a selfish game, nor prawns in the ocean's drain. We should exercise caution when speaking up for human rights.

There is a tendency amongst people to read beyond the facts of a certain case, and imply greater importance unto insignificant matters. These people speak for the mere delight of watching others flinch; possibly, they are no better than mere provocateurs, and should instead take jobs as stand up comics, for they relish the sound of their own voices.

There are others who would quickly suggest the controversial, hoping that others would agree with them; and if these innocents should but merely nod, in vague agreement, these foxes would fain be quick to point the finger at them, and exclaim, "Here he is! The man who spoke the damned words!" -- all the while knowing, maliciously, that they are the real perpetrators of the poisonous thought.

One cannot but wonder, why the media must play up certain issues, long after the issue has been put to rest? If the parties involved are not at war, if the parties have closed the door on the past, if the matter involved is delicate -- does the media think that it is a "champion of human rights" by drumming up the issue, egging society on to the brink of explosive bloodshed? I suppose it is instead sales and advertisements, audiences and readership, that drives the heartless media machine!

A Good Ending

Nyonya Tahir seems to have had a good ending. The Shariah Court ruled that the old lady had committed "riddah", and she had become "murtad". In effect, this meant that she could not be buried in a Muslim cemetery, amongst others. The court was of the opinion that "riddah" was wide in scope.

This means that Nyonya Tahir can be buried in a Buddhist cemetery.

The front page Utusan Melayu today covered the matter.

Nyonya Tahir bukan Islam -- Mahkamah Syariah benarkan si mati disemadi cara Buddha

Oleh TARMIZI ABDUL RAHIM


SEREMBAN 23 Jan. - Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah di sini hari ini memutuskan bahawa Nyonya Tahir, wanita Melayu beragama Islam tetapi didakwa mengamalkan cara hidup orang Cina dan ajaran Buddha sejak lebih 80 tahun lalu, bukan beragama Islam semasa kematiannya.

Hakim Mohd. Shukor Sabudin dalam keputusannya juga membenarkan mayat Nyonya yang disimpan di rumah mayat Hospital Tampin sejak kematiannya Jumaat lalu, diserahkan kepada keluarga wanita itu untuk disemadikan mengikut agama Buddha.

Beliau berkata, keputusan itu dibuat berdasarkan bidang kuasa Mahkamah Syariah untuk mendengar dan membicarakan kes-kes berkaitan dengan kepentingan orang Islam termasuk masalah akidah di negara ini.

Katanya, keputusan itu juga berdasarkan afidavit anak bongsu Nyonya, Chiang Ah Fatt, 40, dan keterangan bersama kakak Ah Fatt, Kwang Ying, 43, di mahkamah hari ini.

``Mahkamah yang berpuas hati dengan keterangan-keterangan tersebut memutuskan bahawa Nyonya yang memegang kad pengenalan bernombor 180425-04-5054 @ 02033418 adalah bukan beragama Islam semasa kematiannya.

``Mahkamah juga membenarkan keluarga dan warisnya menguruskan pengebumian Nyonya. Hospital Tampin juga diarahkan supaya menyerahkan mayat ini kepada keluarganya,'' kata beliau.

Beliau berkata demikian dalam penghakiman lisan selepas mendengar permohonan sebelah pihak (ex-parte) oleh Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan (MAINS) dan Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan (JAINS) serta pengarahnya berhubung pengisytiharan agama Nyonya.

Jumaat lalu, plaintif memohon keputusan mahkamah bagi menentukan status agama Nyonya dan permintaan keluarganya bagi dikebumikan mengikut adat Cina dan agama Buddha.

Plaintif-plaintif diwakili oleh peguam syarie, Siti Harlina Shahran manakala peguam syarie, Koo Chin Nam yang dibantu oleh Kevin Koo S. K. bertindak sebagai peguam pemerhati bagi keluarga Nyonya.

Sementara itu, peguam syarie, Muhamad Burok yang juga Presiden Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia bertindak sebagai peguam pemerhati bagi pihak persatuan itu.

Terdahulu, Hakim Mohd. Shukor memetik tulisan ulama Islam, Sheikh Abu Sujak dari Kitab Kifayatul Akhyar yang bermaksud: ``Barang siapa yang keluar daripada Islam, ia diminta bertaubat tiga kali. Jika bertaubat, dan jika tidak dia dibunuh, dan tidak boleh dimandikan, tidak boleh disembahyangkan dan tidak boleh dikuburkan di perkuburan orang Islam.''

Pada prosiding pagi ini, Siti Harlina memaklumkan kepada mahkamah bahawa Ah Fatt mengemukakan afidavit bagi meminta supaya mayat ibunya itu disemadikan mengikut adat Cina dan agama Buddha.

Antara lain kandungan afidavit itu ialah keputusan laporan penyiasatan Pejabat Agama Islam Alor Gajah, Melaka pada 7 Mei 1986 mengenai laporan bersekedudukan antara Nyonya dan suaminya, Chiang Meng.

Dokumen penyiasatan itu ditulis oleh Pemeriksa Hal Ehwal Agama 1 Daerah Alor Gajah, Melaka, Ab. Azit Abdullah melalui kadi daerah yang dialamatkan kepada Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Melaka.

Sementara itu, Kwai Ying berkata, ibunya membuat wasiat dalam akuan bersumpah bahawa dia tidak akan kembali kepada agama Islam dan meminta disemadikan mengikut agama Buddha.

Dalam pada itu, Pegawai Agama Alor Gajah Melaka, Kamarul Saman Yaacub, 42, yang turut dipanggil memberi keterangan, mengesahkan laporan yang dibuat oleh Ab. Azit itu.

Beliau turut mengemukakan salinan asal dokumen itu kepada mahkamah.

Nyonya, 89, meninggal dunia kerana sakit tua kira-kira pukul 4 petang, Jumaat lalu di rumahnya di Taman Indah, Tampin dekat sini.

Status agama Nyonya disedari oleh anggota polis di Balai Polis Tampin apabila anak dan cucunya datang membuat laporan kematian.

Ini kerana dalam salinan kad pengenalan Nyonya jelas menunjukkan dia Melayu dan beragama Islam sedangkan anaknya menggunakan nama Cina dan beragama Buddha.

The news was also covered by Bernama, Malaysia's national news agency.

Syariah Court Decides Nyonya Tahir Not A Muslim

SEREMBAN, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- The Syariah High Court, here Monday decided that an 89-year-old Malay woman, Nyonya Tahir, was a non-Muslim when she died last Thursday and allowed her family to bury her according to Buddhist rites.

Judge Mohd Shukor Sabudin made the decision after hearing the ex-parte application by the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Council (MAINS), Negeri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department (JHEAINS) and the JHEAINS director.

He also took into consideration an affidavit submitted by Nyonya's youngest son, Chiang Ah Fatt, 40, as well as the evidence adduced by Ah Fatt and his elder sister, Chiang Kwang Ying, 43.

"The court permits the next-of-kin of the deceased to conduct her burial. The court orders the Tampin Hospital to hand over the body to her next-of-kin," he said.

MAINS and JHEAINS had applied last Friday for the court's decision on the religious status of Nyonya and the request of her family to bury her according to Buddhist rites.

The plaintiffs were represented by Syariah lawyer Siti Harlina Shahran while Syariah lawyer Koo Chin Nam, assisted by Kevin Koo S K, held a watching brief for Nyonya's family.

Syariah lawyer Muhamad Burok, who is chairman of the Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia, held a watching brief for the association.

Also present during Monday's proceedings were JHEAINS Director Datuk Zaharudin Mohd Shariff, Repah State Assemblyman Datuk Gan Chin Yap, Temiang State Assemblyman Datuk Lee Yuen Fong, Rahang State Assemblyman Datuk Yip Chee Keong and Chuah State Assemblyman Foo Ming Chee.

Ah Fatt's affidavit, among other things, referred to the report of an investigation by the Alor Gajah Islamic Affairs Office in Melaka on May 7, 1986 on Nyonya and her husband, Chiang Meng.

The report stated that Nyonya was born in 1918 in Alor Gajah, Melaka, and had been raised by her grandmother, who was a Malay married to a Chinese convert of Hailam descent.

The investigation had shown that Nyonya had been raised as a Buddhist and that at the age of 18 years, in 1936, she married a Chinese man, Chiang Meng, and they had 13 children. Nyonya practised Buddhism and her husband never embraced Islam. The report stated that Nyonya had declared that she wanted to remain a Buddhist and that upon her death she wanted to be buried according to Buddhist rites.

Ah Fatt, when asked by the court, said he had submitted the affidavit because he wanted to ask the court to hand over his mother's body for burial according to Buddhist rites.

He said his mother had never practised Islam and had consistently adopted the Chinese way of life and had been a loyal Buddhist.

"I lived with my mother until she died and all the while she had only practised Buddhism and never Islam," he said.

Kwai Ying said that when her mother fell ill recently, she had asked to be buried next to the grave of her husband.

"My mother's Chinese name was Wong Ah Kiu. We went to the National Registration Department in 1986 to change her name but the application was rejected," she said.

Nyonya had died of old age at her Taman Indah home in Tampin. The status of her religion became a point of contention when her children and grandchildren came to report her death at the Tampin police station.

Eight of Nyonya's 13 children were at the Syariah Court as early as 8 am to wait for its decision. Kwai Ying said the family was relieved upon hearing the decision of the court.

JHEAINS Director Datuk Zaharudin handed over the court order to Ah Fatt at the Tampin Hospital at about 5.50 pm. Tampin District Police Chief Supt Zull Aznam Haron also handed over the death certificate and burial permit.

Nyonya's body was taken by the family from the Tampin Hospital mortuary straight to the Simpang Ampat Chinese cemetery in Alor Gajah for burial.

I've put my comments in tooltips. You'll have to put your cursor over the underlined phrases.

I found a comment that was quite interesting.

Mengapa mayat orang mati perlu direbut untuk ditanam?.
Mengapa semasa ia hidup tidak ada dakwah yang dilakukan? (ada ke?).
Adakah orang Islam yang tidak dikuburkan di perkuburan Islam akan hilang keislamannya?
Adakah orang Melayu mesti ditanam di perkuburan Islam?
Adakah orang yang dilahirkan Islam mesti dikuburkan cara Islam?

About that Memo

Dear Reader,

Rozmal Malakan views that the recent memo submitted by the nine non-Muslim ministers in the Prime Minister's Cabinet has been a uniting force for the Malay community. I think he views it as a positive thing. Malay show of unity has taken place at many times in the past, but frequently the factor which spurs such unity has been "threats" against the community. Take for example, The Malayan Union, 1946:

The Malays opposed the creation of the Union. The opposition was mainly due to the way Sir Harold MacMichael acquired the Sultans’ signatures, the erosion of the Sultans’ powers and the offering of citizenship to recent immigrants mainly the ethnic Chinese because their economic dominance was seen as a threat to the economic development of the Malays.

Now, in my mind, the nine Cabinet ministers are representatives of the people. Who else can raise issues in Parliament on behalf of the Rakyat? Framing the matter in a Muslim - non-Muslim context, or a Malay - non-Malay context, is character assassination. This memo is shot down even before it is considered on its merits -- an unfortunate turn of events, because the matter will continue to lodge itself in the Malaysian multi-cultural, multi-religious, landscape.

The Reader may wish to look at the case of PP v Mark Koding, where a Member of Parliament was convicted of sedition for suggesting the abolition of Chinese and Tamil vernacular language schools. This situation is different, because Chinese/Tamil vernacular language schools were part of the social contract when the inhabitants of the Federation of Malaya proclaimed Merdeka on 31st Aug, 1957. In this situation, Article 121(1A) was not part of the Merdeka social contract. Instead, it was hoisted upon the public, some twenty plus years after Merdeka, and made a reality.

Oh well... What would *you* have done if you were a non-Muslim minister in Parliament? Mr. Kayveas of PPP has called for the nine Ministers to resign.

The Nyonya Tahir case

Dear Reader,

Recently, a lady passed away, and her family members want her to be buried according to Chinese rites. The problem is that she was born a Malay, but married a Chinese in 1936.

Here in Malaysia things sit in uneasy equilibrium, with the possibility of name calling and mud slinging exploding at any time. The recent case of Moorthy and his widow Kaliammal's petition for the burial of her husband according to Hindu rites, has made the situation delicate. A sort of compromise was reached when Moorthy's brother relinquished all claims on his pension funds, etc. and gave them up to his brother's widow. Perhaps, this is an indication of how stare decisis is quietly set in Malaysia while at the same time making sure that those who have the locus standi do not stand up to upset the decision of the deciding court. (It is similar to when companies negotiate "out-of-court" to avoid setting stare decisis, which could "open the floodgates" to hundreds of liability claims.)

The Shariah Court of Negri Sembilan will hear her family's petition tomorrow. The story has been covered by multiple newspapers in Malaysia. For the benefit of the public, here is the article from the New Straits Online.

Another tussle over religious status

TAMPIN, Jan 20: The death of an 89-year-old woman, who was born a Malay Muslim, has sparked off a controversy as the family wishes to perform her burial rites according to the Buddhist faith.

The burial of Nyonya Tahir, who died of old age at her house in Taman Indah here about 4am yesterday, is scheduled to take place on Sunday.

The family reported her death to the police who then referred the case to the Negri Sembilan Religious Affairs Department (JHEAINS).

According to family members, the woman married a Chinese man of the Buddhist faith, named Chiang Meng in 1936, who has since died, and had 13 children.

Nyonya is alleged to have lived according to the Buddhist faith since her marriage.

Meanwhile, JHEAINS director Datuk Zaharudin Shariff said investigations revealed that Nyonya was a Malay and was from Simpang Ampat, Alor Gajah in Malacca.

He said JHEAINS obtained a Syariah court order yesterday to postpone Nyonya's burial according to the Buddhist faith until the case was heard in the Syariah high court on Monday.

"After discussing the matter with her family, they have agreed that Nyonya's body be placed at the Tampin Hospital mortuary while waiting for the court decision."

Nyonya’s son, Chiang Ah Fatt, 40, said the family would accept the decision of the court.

Preliminary questions:
1. Her actions predate the establishment of even the Federation of Malaya (1948) and the Malayan Union (1946). Is there a question of genuine legitimate expectation?

2. Besides that, in Islam, there is no retrospective application of laws.

3. Another important question is the status of her offspring: If she was Muslim, would her children have to be also viewed as Muslim? Under previous Malaysian laws, paternity of a child below 18 years of age follows that of the father. (Ref: The Susie Teoh case, aka Teoh Eng Huat's case.) However the recent decision of the family High Court (Justice Faiza Thamby Chik) in Shamala Sathyaseelan v Dr Muhammad Ridzwan Mogarajah has changed that equation. (Read more)

4. Does the Syariah Court have power to issue an order to postpone the burial? What section or power is the Syariah Court acting under?

5. What is the locus standi of the Religious Affairs Department?

Further from the same article, it is stated:

In Putrajaya, the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) is coming up with a system enabling conversion particulars of non-Muslims who embrace Islam to be documented at the Federal level.

Its director-general Datuk Mustafa Abdul Rahman said this would be discussed at the state Religious Department heads forum in March.

He said there would be a re-look at existing administrative procedures at the state- level and efforts to streamline them would be discussed.

This, he said, included the transfer of converts’ details to Jakim, that would help in the event of doubts and problems surrounding converts.

At present, he said as Islamic matters were under state governments’ jurisdiction, Jakim did not have records of converts unless it requested for them.

A move for the automatic documentation of converts’ details by the Islamic Affairs Council and the National Registration Department is also on the cards.

Under the plan, those who embrace Islam through Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim) or Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Islam Malaysia (Perkim) will have to make known or register their conversion with the Islamic Affairs Councils in their states.

When the conversion is formalised, council officers are required to inform their counterparts in the NRD for immediate documentation.

Mustafa said this could provide a clearer picture about one’s religious status and also avoid conflicts, which could arise if documentation of conversion of faith was not done.

The problem is that the NRD is actually sidelined in the quest for non-Muslim status, as has been shown in the recent case of Lina Joy. At the Court of Appeal, only Justice Gopal Sri Ram was able to say for certain that the National Registration Department ( NRD ) has no right to pass the onus of determining a person's religious status to the Syariah Court.

The other problem is that a convert might have genuinely embraced another faith, or might have reverted to his/her original faith. Such reversion or re-conversion is genuine. But the NRD will transfer the registration of the matter to the Syariah Court for its adjudication. The Syariah Court will put the matter on hold and drag its feet about it. So, in the eyes of the law, the convert's faith will remain Islam. The problem affects property rights, because the property of a Muslim cannot be inherited by a non-Muslim.

We have to ask ourselves if the convert has already converted out of Islam, will the NRD even make documentation of his post reversion / re-conversion lifestyle? This is in view of the Federal government's plan to "avoid conflict" by going solely on the documented status by the National Registration Department. In fact, taken together, the National Registration Department can be viewed as a tool to stall the re-conversion process, effectively getting converts stuck without an avenue out by submitting the matter to the Syariah court. The Syariah courts will, in the process of adjudicating conversion cases, refer to documentation by the National Registration Department. It is a merry go round, and ultimately one can be assured that all reversion cases (to original religion) submitted to the National Registration Department stand a good chance of being put "on hold" indefinitely!

The same story is documented at Berita Harian Online.

Waris dakwa ada bukti Nyonya Tahir keluar Islam

TAMPIN: Keluarga seorang wanita berusia 89 tahun yang meninggal dunia Khamis lalu dan mencetuskan kontroversi berhubung pengebumiannya mendakwa mempunyai bukti bahawa ibu mereka, Nyonya Tahir sudah keluar daripada agama Islam.

Bukti yang didakwa mereka ialah ibu mereka sudah membuat surat akuan sumpah sudah keluar dari agama Islam di hadapan Pesuruhjaya Sumpah, Chong Yong Mok bertarikh 19 Julai 1991.

Dalam surat akuan sumpah itu juga, Nyonya mengaku sejak kecil dipelihara mengikut asuhan dan didikan orang Cina. Dia juga meminta sekiranya mati, dia hendaklah dikebumikan mengikut adat istiadat agama Buddha.

Bukti kedua ialah dokumen yang dikeluarkan Pejabat Agama Islam dan Mahkamah Kadi Daerah Alor Gajah, Melaka bertarikh 7 Mei 1991 yang ditandatangani Pemeriksa Hal Ehwal Agama 1, Ab Azit Abdullah.

Dokumen itu menyebut, siasatan dijalankan Pejabat Agama Islam dan Mahkamah Kadi Daerah Alor Gajah, Melaka mendapati Nyonya sudah berkahwin dengan Chiang Meng pada 1936 dan suaminya tidak pernah memeluk agama Islam serta mereka menjalani kehidupan bersama 13 anak dengan mengamalkan agama Buddha.

Dokumen itu turut menyebut Nyonya tidak berniat hendak kembali kepada Islam dan membuat perakuan akan terus hidup mengikut tradisi orang Cina dan jika mati hendaklah ditanam mengikut upacara Buddha.

Sehubungan itu, keluarga wanita itu meminta bantuan daripada Jawatankuasa Biro Agama MCA Pusat bagi membantu mereka menyampaikan dokumen itu kepada Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah Seremban, yang akan mendengar kes itu esok.

Timbalan Pengerusi Biro Agama MCA Pusat, Koo Chin Nam, yang juga seorang Peguam Syarie berkata, pihaknya akan menyampaikan segala dokumen yang dikemukakan keluarga wanita itu kepada mahkamah untuk dipertimbangkan dan diteliti.

Kelmarin, Berita Harian melaporkan kematian Nyonya mencetuskan kontroversi apabila keluarganya ingin menjalankan upacara pengebumian mengikut adat istiadat Buddha sedangkan wanita itu berketurunan Melayu dan Islam.

It seems that the Malay papers have given some information that the English papers have left out. The lady has evidence of her conversion out. Now she is dead, will the Court receive the evidence "as is" or will the Court decide otherwise? One must also remember that the Court will be in error if it applies today's laws (2006) in deciding whether she had indeed complied with procedure in 1991. More importantly, is it even possible for the Court to give an unbiased judgment? I submit that there has not been a single case when the Court has given judgment in favour of conversion out of Islam, or ruled that there is such right. It has always been given on technical grounds, never "as of right". Readers are welcome to prove me wrong by giving me citation of cases that have shown otherwise. As I have said before, it is one big conspiracy by the religious authorities.

Freeware Chinese Translators

If you've ever been labelled a banana, you'll know how embarassing that can be. Yes, you speak English, and English is the lingua franca for world trade. Yet the calls of culture and language beckons always. Being able to converse in Mandarin means that new doors are opened up.

A friend recently gave me a copy of Dimsum 0.7.8, which annotates entire pages of Mandarin text and can give pop-up definitions. It's freeware. I tried using it but it has tended to freeze on me, forcing me to shut it down by force. Click on the following links to download:

JAR File (JAVA based)
Windows Installer

I've also found certain other online tools very useful.

Rikai is able to convert Big5 text into GB format. Also, it has pop-up definitions for both webpages you choose and for daily Chinese news.

Rikai

AdsoTrans is also very useful. It provides pop up definitions for Chinese language web pages you define. But that's just one of the services it's got. There's many other useful bits.

AdsoTrans
Chinese News in English
Vocabulary builder

Well, regardless of that, Taiwan and Hong Kong still use Traditional Chinese writing systems (Big5 font). The following website will also provide pop-up definitions for Big5 fonts. But more notably it can create a separate list for further study. ^_^

Chinese Big5 Annotator

Do enjoy your Chinese.

Mat Skodeng Squads

Mat Skodeng squads have been in the headlines for the past two days. Mat skodeng, or the moral squad, have been organised by various state religious authorities, in order to spy against couples who "sin". The Malaysian Parliament has ordered that such morality squads cease operation, as it implies an invasion of privacy.

Spying is prohibited in Islam. Yet it is regularly carried out. The following explains the origin of the prohibition:

PRINCIPLE IX: Injunction against spying

Another law in verse 49:12 that have been traditionally narrowly interpreted as talking about personal conduct, when it does in fact have broad significance to government conduct is the injunction against any spying:

“… and do not spy…” (49:12)

The injunction against spying is general and is not limited to individuals. This means that government cannot conduct spying operations against its own citizens or for that matter against other nations, no matter how hostile they may be. The benefits of spying, if any, are highly suspect. The sort of people that are attracted to the so-called “intelligence” profession and form its leadership and cadres are, by the very nature of their job, untrustworthy and power-hungry characters. Moreover, in the absence of a real threat, they inevitably cause mischief to justify their ever-growing powers and budgets. Inevitably, at one point or another, they end up spying against and harming their own people.
Source

The following quote from the New Straits Times Online will also prove informative.

More than 10 years ago, the Selangor Religious Affairs Department set up Badar, a volunteer vice squad. The brigade proved to be so troublesome and riddled with abuse that it was forced to close down about a year after it was formed. A year ago, Jawi officials were at the centre of a controversy over the conduct of a midnight raid on a crowded nightspot.

The Cabinet then decided that there was no need for morality police. The parliamentary Human Rights Caucus and groups such as Malaysians Against Moral Policing have also spoken out against rigid social controls of behaviour.

Incidentally, that incident involving JAWI was one that was a clear cut case of the JAWI volunteer acting beyond his powers, and could also be considered a violation of the rights of the detainee. A woman who was hauled up with her friends from a disco was denied permission to go to the washroom to ease herself. When she insisted that she had to go, he told her to ease herself where she was. Her friends formed a circle around her and she proceeded to ease herself. While in the midst of doing so, the JAWI volunteer took out a camera and snapped pictures of the unfortunate woman.

Question: What happened to that JAWI volunteer? Why was his case shut down just like that?

However, there are many who favour a greater role for the state in regulating behaviour and for even more restrictive laws in the name of defending morality. Notwithstanding the official rhetoric of a modern, moderate and tolerant Islam, the underlying ethos of Malaysian-Muslim society in the last 30 years has been decidedly conservative.

This is especially true of the religious bureaucracies who would like nothing better than the power to round up the wayward and the authority to punish sinners.

Underneath all that contemporary architecture in the federal administrative capital of modern Malaysia lurks a mediaeval mindset worthy of a remote provincial outpost in Central Asia.

There is therefore a constant need to watch out for moral vigilantes and to stand up against the Taliban wannabes in our midst.

Malay Mail reports that JAWI thinks otherwise:

Meanwhile, the Federal Territory Islamic Department (Jawi) said its recently-formed voluntary squad is not an anti-vice police squad but acted as an advisory body for those committing indecent acts in public.

Its public relations officer Idris Hassan said the body had no power to arrest Muslim couples committing indecency in public or vice but could only advise them.

"This squad is formed with a sincere wish to advise Muslim couples to be decent and not to commit anything that could smear the image of the religion," he told Bernama.

He said this when commenting on an English daily report over the concerns of certain people on the formation of the squad which they deemed as a "spying squad" and would be acting like the anti-vice police unit.

Dismissing such concerns as baseless, he said: "They (the squad members) would only be advising but if any couple refused to heed their advice, they could not take any action."

Idris said the formation of the squad was in line with a new approach adopted by the department in addressing vice activities involving Muslims by taking preventive measures through words of advice.

He said the squad comprised volunteers who were sensitive about social ills within the Muslim community especially among teenagers.

"The squad will report to the authority of any circumstances that require enforcement and they could not take any kind of action," he added.

Apart from handling social problems, the squad members would also be lending their hand to those in need during disasters or other emergencies.

"The public should not be confused or concerned with the formation of the squad as it is not the same as the 4B Youth Movement volunteers squad that had been directed to disband by the Cabinet before," he added.

Why don't our newspapers write on the 4B Youth Movement?


The following is Al-Qaeda's instructions on espionage:

Using Open Methods
Using Covern Methods

(Not really relevant, but...)



Finally, it may be noted that the sources of Islamic law have provided justification for a law giving privacy rights to Muslims. There is no need to bring out in the open what has taken place behind closed doors, etc.

PRIVACY IN ISLAM: SOURCES AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES

One must note that all religious texts from the Qur>ån or the Sunna lie at the highest level of authoritativeness as sources of law in Islam. This makes the implications of their language a ready material for legal principles to be devised based on them. Therefore, a modern Muslim jurist could infer from these texts as much as may reasonably be understood from their letter. It is to the Qur>ånic and Sunnaic texts relevant to the issue of privacy that we shall now turn.

Several Qur>ånic verses emphasize the individual’s right to privacy. The most prominent of these are two verses speaking of the privacy of the home, stating “O you who have attained to faith! Do not enter houses other than your own unless you have obtained permission—°attå tasta>nisú—and greeted their inmates. This is [enjoined upon you] for your own good, so that you might bear [your mutual rights] in mind. Hence, [even] if you find no one within [the house], do not enter it until you are given leave; and if you are told, “turn back,” then turn back. This will be most conducive to your purity; and God has full knowledge of all you do” (Q. 24: 27-8; Mu°ammad Asad’s The Message of Islam). The expression °attå tasta>nisú, rendered as ‘unless you have obtained permission,’ may be translated more precisely as ‘until you have made sure that your presence is welcome.’ The word isti>nås here means seeking to establish >uns or comfort, that is, making sure that the potential visit by the prospective guest would be received in a positive manner by the host and that the host is prepared for it at its proposed time.

The Qur>ån even establishes a right to privacy for people vis-à-vis their family members—that is, within their own home. The Qur>ån (24: 58) specifies three times at least when explicit permission has to be taken before people could enter into the private domain (room, etc) of their parents: before the dawn prayer, during the afternoon (possible time for napping), and after the night prayer. This Qur>ånic principle applies to all Muslims, but young adults who have recently reached the age of puberty are simply encouraged in this verse to get accustomed to the habit of seeking permission when they want to enter rooms other than theirs, so that such becomes second nature to all members of the family.

Moreover, the Prophet of Islam is reported to have stipulated that potential visitors may not cast curious gazes into the inside of people’s houses when they draw near these houses in order to seek permission to enter them. The Prophet said “If one’s eye has entered a private place, the person her/himself has entered.” According to another report, the Prophet stressed this point by saying “If one’s eye has entered a private place, why should any permission to enter the place be needed?” Furthermore, the Prophet has stipulated that a person who attacks an intruder to prevent that intruder from spying on his/her private home is not liable for punishment for his/her attack.

These texts are sufficient samples of the textual basis for the protection of the privacy of a particular place exemplified by people’s private homes. But this is not all. There are texts that establish people’s right to endow privacy on meetings they attend in settings that are not seen as private in natura. Prophetic reports emphasize that, if a gathering was meant by those who attend it to be a private one, the privacy of those present therein must be respected—irrespective of where the meeting occurs. The Prophet Mu°ammad is reported to have said “Private encounters result in entrustment (al-majålis bil-amånåt).” This entrustment, according to Muslim jurists, must inhibit people from conveying any information about actions and sayings that occurred in private settings.

In addition, the Prophet of Islam has emphasized the duty of protecting the privacy of people’s correspondence and communication whether or not they take place in a private place. The Prophet is reported to have said “He, who looks into a letter belonging to his brother, looks into the hellfire.” This establishes that, even if a private communication is conveyed outside of a private environment, the nature of the correspondence creates a right to privacy that must be applied to the correspondence.

Even those involved in shameful and sinful acts do not completely forgo their right to privacy, according to the Prophet, who commanded that Muslims not dishonor their brothers and sisters who had been secretly involved in disgraceful acts by revealing their secrets. The Prophet said that a believer should provide a cover (sitr) for another believer who fell in the disgrace of sin.

Source

MCA Putrajaya will be having its Chinese New Year charity dinner this Friday, 20th of January 2005, 7.30pm at Lee Wong Kee Restaurant. The restaurant has been in business for 80 years and will close soon. In a sense, the dinner will be a historic one for many parties incl, but not limited to, MCA Putrajaya and the restaurant. The Sun Online has written up on Lee Wong Kee restaurant in an article. 

malaysian mother teresa

it is good to see what the opposition thinks,
as this country ever downward sinks,
malaysian propaganda and the nudge-nudge-winks,
tell me: how do you lie and don't blink?

visit some of the hardest working people in malaysian politics today:

1. teresa kok
2. lim kit siang
3. fong po kuan
4. tan seng giaw
5. chow kon yeow

Rejected

37 pages for an assignment I did,
But it was rejected and now I'm freed
From the doubt that perhaps the tact I took
Was one not sanctioned by any book.

Blogger's UI

Dear Reader,

This page will tell you how Adaptive Path was engaged by Blogger to revamp their user interface.

Interesting Read.

My mom in Burma, 2005 

is lying permitted?

that depends on you, really.

but let's see what islam says about it.

1. write up from a christian point of view

2. write up from a muslim point of view

the shi'ite principle of takeyya is the root of it. the following is an extract from investigateislam.com:
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The principle of Al-Takeyya

The Arabic word, "Takeyya", means "to prevent," or guard against. The principle of Al Takeyya conveys the understanding that Muslims are permitted to lie as a preventive measure against anticipated harm to one's self or fellow Muslims. This principle gives Muslims the liberty to lie under circumstances that they perceive as life threatening. They can even deny the faith, if they do not mean it in their hearts. Al-Takeyya is based on the following Quranic verse:

"Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution (prevention), that ye may Guard yourselves from them (prevent them from harming you.) But Allah cautions you (To remember) Himself; for the final goal is to Allah." Surah 3: 28

According to this verse a Muslim can pretend to befriend infidels (in violation of the teachings of Islam) and display adherence with their unbelief to prevent them from harming him.

Under the concept of Takeyya and short of killing another human being, if under the threat of force, it is legitimate for Muslims to act contrary to their faith. The following actions are acceptable:

* Drink wine, abandon prayers, and skip fasting during Ramadan.
* Renounce belief in Allah.
* Kneel in homage to a deity other than Allah.
* Utter insincere oaths.

A Violet Fairy Tale

Dear Reader,

Today's Reading Assignment:

Andrew Lang's The Three Princes and Their Beasts, from The Violet Fairy Book.

Parent Hacks

Parent Hacks - A blog with tonnes of tips about parenting. It will come in handy one day...

Found via Crazy Bob. (I think he works in Google.)

Hacking seems to have become more widespread than the mere confines of computing. I surfed by some other interesting hacking websites:

1.
Hack-A-Day
Technologically slanted blog on hacks. Geared towards hacking gadgets.

2.
Life Hacker
A personal blog.

3.
Steve Rubel's Wikipedia hacks
(The author also details his other "social media hacks")

4.
Hacking Friendster Pt 1
Dangerous in a way.

Anyway, I've decided to pay homage to my own parent. Check out the cute smile on my old mom.

2005 Best Web Software

Dear Reader,

It's just one of those posts that you bookmark "just in case". I thought I'd share it with you. You can also bookmark it "just in case" -- or just come back here.

Click to jump to the page:

CLICK .......... HERE <-- there!

TQ.

Free MP3 Ringtones

Dear Reader,

Google is amazing.

That's a short way of saying that Google is able to trawl the Internet for many things, stored on computer servers. In today's instalment, we look at how Google is able to search for MP3/Midi ringtones.

The following URL will do the job:
http://www.google.com.my/search?q=-inurl%3Ahtm+-inurl%3Ahtml+intitle......

But you can get to the same page by clicking HERE.

Let's see... I got this idea off of Tech-Recipe.com... Not really my cup of tea, but it's OK. Admittedly, not every hit is an MP3 ringtone page. But it's workable.

Just as you've seen, you can tailor the search terms to suit what you seek. Google is capable of coughing up (or should I replace that with "enthusiastically hounding out"?) otherwise hidden gems: 3gp MMS clips, video files, PDF files, ZIP archives et al.

Hopefully, your mobile phone is capable of supporting MP3 ringtones.

Another thing about MP3 ringtones -- 128kbps is the rate for acceptable CD burning. 160 kbps on the other hand is the rate equivalent to CD quality. But since you're hard pressed for storage space, and you're not exactly listening to the music as a connoiseur... and you wish to store as many MP3 ringtones on your 10mb limited mobile phone... I'd say either reduce the quality to 64kbps or go for those with 64kbps. The size of the MP3 file would drop significantly. (Or you could go for 96kbps, if you're "kiasu" enough -- trying to strike a balance btw 64kbps and 128kbps.)

That is all for now.

When The Last Is Gone

The Last One who speaks His language is gone:
Fled like the Night in the face of Dawn;
And fading, so gently, into Oblivion,
He lights a Cigarette and plays Guitar til morn.

The First Week Hath Passeth

One week has passed since the fireworks blast;
A new year has dawned since the old was gone.
The few friends you meet may be not discreet:
And tell all your tales to the man on the street.

The shivers of hope when star-cross'd lovers elope;
Sliding across timbers, climbing down a rope.
If thou'rt truer than the truest suitor,
Give to her Love, and not any Lesser!

A Testimony I Hope To Give

Someday I hope to Live
A Life Much Less Imagined;
More Real than Vague Things;
More Lucid than Pallid Dreams.

Click_Here_To_Visit_The_Testimonies

new year reflection

One day you see a man, the next day you see a corpse. The man who spoke with you, laughed with you, had a cup of coffee with you and impressed you with his jovial laughter is gone. He's turned to dust. Worm food, so they say. Where has the life gone? Is there a battery within each of us, that one day just runs out of power, and the body stops operating? Are we all just corpses, walking around, with our batteries just waiting to expire?


The new year is ushered in with a sense of solemnity. Amidst the ruckus and the merrymaking, some people are aware of their own human frailty. The years that have passed us by, they continue to trail behind. Just like the lamp poles and lines on the road, while we pass them by. They come from afar, and for a brief fleeting moment, they are near to us. And yet one blink later, they are far behind us, going further and further out into the horizon. We move on. We anticipate new things. Yet we hope not to forget the things which have happened, those things which mean deeply to us. It is because of our experiences that we improve, and we continually keep learning about Life. Regardless of the bitter and the sad, it is because of those times that we realise, how lucky we are. And we learn, having moved on, that life is all too fleeting, and must be cherished.


Every moment in the embrace of the unending cacophony of Life -- gives a giddying joy, that we are alive. We must be aware of the Life that happens all around us. Indeed we are strange creatures, urbanites who choose to remain alone, aloof, and estranged from the potential many hundreds of friends that we could make! Life is meant to be shared, not journeyed alone. Life is meant to spread happiness, and it is only when we live Life meaningfully that we are able to look back at all our non-successes and say, "Yes, I did not make it at times, but at least, I tried."


For one day, we will be that man. Laughing, talking, chatting with friends; having a smoke after a sumptuous dinner, and thinking that this is the Life: and yet, in the night when we sleep, an angel comes and pulls away the soul from the body, and says, "Your time is up, it is time to go elsewhere." Where is that place? It is hard to say for sure, as nobody has gone and come back with pictures and recordings. Yet we believe, strangely, that something as beautiful as Life cannot end abruptly; we long to believe that Life must go on, even though Death must come. But that is strange, because we accept our mortality and yet deny that Death is the end-all.


Surely then, the best way to live with this is to accept our mortality, and remember, daily, that we are nothing if our lives suddenly ended at the very next moment; and so, we should live our lives to the fullest, knowing that each day is a blessing; and the blessings that we have are meant for us to cherish. We cannot expect our children to carry on our lives; nor do we hope to be the living embodiment of our parents' continued, undying lives. We must live, we must move on, we must embrace the reality of our mortality, and seek the happiness that goes along with it.


Happy New Year 2006.... Goodbye 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002... and 2001. May you ever live in my heart. I will not forget what joy and happiness we have shared. I will not forget the pain that I've caused. I will not forget. But I must move on. As must you.