Two Brothers Jailed

Muslim brothers jailed for torching Christian church in Malaysia

Firebombing took place at height of a dispute over whether non-Muslims could use the word Allah to refer to God.

A Malaysian policeman at the damaged church the two men have been found guilty of settting fire to. Photograph: Stringer/EPA

A Malaysian court sentenced two Muslim brothers to five years in prison today for torching a Christian church during the height of a dispute over whether non-Muslims could use the word Allah to refer to God.
The firebombing was the first in an unprecedented string of arson attacks and vandalism at places of worship last January that threatened to undo decades of religious harmony in the Muslim-majority country. Eleven churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer rooms were assaulted before the tensions abated.
Two ethnic Malay brothers in their 20s were arrested and placed on trial for the 8 January attack, which partially gutted a Protestant church. The attack, which did not injure anyone, came days after some Muslims were angered by a court verdict that allowed Christians to use the word Allah in Malay-language publications.
Komathy Suppiah, a Kuala Lumpur district court judge, convicted both suspects of "mischief by fire" with the intention of destroying a place of worship. They had faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, but Suppiah sentenced them to five years each.
"You have shamed the society and country ... The message from this court must be loud and clear: Don't play with fire," Suppiah told the men.
However, she allowed them to remain free on bail until their appeal could be heard.
Both men had pleaded innocent. They testified that they were at a restaurant when they heard people planning to attack the nearby church. They said they went to the church and saw unidentified men smashing its window and setting it ablaze.
One of the suspects, Raja Muhammad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, 25, was detained by police after he sought medical treatment for burn injuries. He told investigators that he suffered the burns at a barbecue gathering after he and his brother, Raja Muhammad Idzham, 23, left the church area.
Judge Suppiah ruled that their testimony was riddled with inconsistencies.
The Reverend Hermen Shastri, an official with the Council of Churches of Malaysia, praised the court's decision.
"This serves as a reminder to all citizens of the country that violence against religious places – be it whatever religion – will not be tolerated," Shastri told The Associated Press. "This is a clear signal that basically the majority of Malaysians are peace-loving."
Several other suspects have also been arrested in connection to various attacks last January that caused mostly minor damage at places of worship nationwide.
The attacks subsided after the government bolstered security and urged people not to undermine amicable ties between Malay Muslims, who account for nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 28 million people, and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who mainly practice Buddhism, Christianity or Hinduism.
Tensions initially rose after The Herald, the newspaper of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia, challenged a government ban on the use of the word Allah in its Malay-language publication.
A court ruling granted the paper the right to use the word. Some Muslims insist that using Allah in Christian literature might confuse Muslims and tempt them to convert. The government has appealed the verdict.
Minorities sometimes complain their religious rights are not respected by the government, which denies any bias.
Guardian UK

Dinar Emas Kelantan

TINGGALKAN DOLLAR - BELI EMAS UNTUK LEBIH SELAMAT




KELANTAN MAHU GUNA MATA WANG SYARIAH BAYAR GAJI KAKITANGAN -minsider

Selepas empat tahun Dinar Kelantan dilancarkan, kerajaan negeri itu memperkenalkan mata wang syariah — emas dinar dan perak dirham.

Menteri Besar Kelantan Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berkata adalah menjadi hasratnya untuk melihat Kelantan mempelopori penggunaan mata wang syariah dalam semua urusniaga, termasuk membayar gaji kakitangan kerajaan negeri.

Bagaimanapun, kata beliau masih banyak soal teknikal yang perlu diatasi oleh kerajaan negeri sebelum dapat melaksanakannya.

“Kita bercadang mengamalkan semua urus niaga dan membayar gaji kakitangan menggunakan mata wang syariah iaitu dinar emas dan dirham ini secara menyeluruh tidak lama lagi,” kata beliau kepada pemberita selepas majlis pelancaran dinar emas di sini, hari ini.

Dinar emas dan dirham itu dikendalikan oleh Kelantan Gold Trade (KGT) iaitu anak syarikat Perbadanan Menteri Besar Kelantan (PMBK).

NOTA:
ini langkah paling tepat.
tinggalkan mata wang yang tidak bersandarkan dengn emas.
ringgit bersandar kan dollar – dollar adalah fiat money
fiat money ialah duit yng nilainya dipaksakan ke atas dunia
oleh federal reserve. Paksaan ini dapat dijalankan kerana jual beli
minyak wajib menggunkan dollar.

awas – salah satu sebab saddam di serang kerana saddam telah
meninggalkan dollar dan menjual minyak dengan menggunkan
pelbagai mata wang.

Tukar Tiub

Kelantan Dinar

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) -- A Malaysian state is
allowing people to use gold and silver coins at stores and
restaurants to revive a practice from early Islamic societies,
an official said Friday.
     The gold dinar and silver dirham coins provide an
alternative to Malaysia's currency, the ringgit, in
northeastern Kelantan state, which is governed by the
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, a conservative opposition group
that promotes religious policies in its rule.
     The gold dinar was the official currency of Muslim
societies for centuries. The value of the coins used in
Kelantan can fluctuate according to market prices, but
officials say it remains a better alternative to currency
affected by the U.S. dollar and other foreign currency.
     Kelantan authorities also say the use of such coins is
encouraged in the Quran.
     State officials have produced coins worth about $630,000
for use at about 1,000 outlets in Kelantan's capital, said Nik
Mahani Mohamad, executive director of Kelantan Golden Trade,
which mints the coins.
     "It's a great, great moment for Muslims," Nik Mahani said.
"We are providing an alternative means for the people to trade
with."
     The coins came into circulation Thursday and can be
purchased at various locations in Kelantan. Their worth is
currently about $180 per dinar and $4 per dirham.
     The state government also plans to give employees the
option of receiving part of their salary in this currency, as
well as introduce gold bars for large investments. Muslim alms
can also be paid with the coins.
     The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party has governed Kelantan since
1990. Some of its policies over the years include banning
gambling, nightclubs and rock concerts, and requiring Muslim
female state employees to wear headscarves at work.

DAP Putrajaya Promises

DAP lists promises in bid for Putrajaya

By Clara Chooi

August 13, 2010

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PETALING JAYA, Aug 13 — The DAP has embarked on what appears to be a quest to boost its popularity ahead of the coming 13th general election, with three promises to the people should the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) capture Putrajaya. The promises are — to abolish the saman ekor (postal summons) system, to provide annual payments of RM1,000 to each senior citizen aged above 60 and to provide free wi-fi or wireless broadband throughout Malaysia.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said that the party’s central executive committee had agreed yesterday to issue a blanket directive to all party leaders to work on publicising these three promises during all political functions.
“These are the three policy initiatives that will bring benefit to the people that we are confident will be carried out by the PR should we win Putrajaya.
“We do not just want to harp on the corrupt practices of the Barisan Nasional but we also want to talk about what we can do for the people,” he told a press conference at the party headquarters here.
Lim noted that the practice of blacklisting owners of vehicles was not only unfair but should also be declared illegal by the courts for it was in contrary to the principles of natural justice.
“We also want to provide this annual payments of RM1,000 to senior citizens as a sign of appreciation for their past contributions to the country,” he said.
He noted that the policy would merely cost the government RM2.1 billion annually.
“What is RM2.1 billion when the country squanders RM28 billion annually to corruption,” he pointed out.
The Penang chief minister also cited an article from the global weekly magazine The Economist, pointing out that even the internationally renowned magazine was agreeable to the concept of providing money for the poor.
“This is a number one capitalist economic magazine who does not believe in giving money. But it is true that if you help those in need, there is a multiplier effect. People will spend the money and this will in turn help to generate and liven up the economy,” he said.
Lim pointed out that such a policy was also implemented in Thailand.
“In Thailand, they believe that it is the responsibility of the government to give people money when they need it. They believe that if the government does not adhere to this, they should change the government,” he said.
On the third promise to provide free wi-fi to throughout the country, Lim noted that the country needed to change with the moving times.
“We must innovate and only when you do that, you are racing to the top. If not, you are racing to the bottom,” he said.
The DAP leader denied that the three promises were merely populist measures or a form of vote-buying.
“What vote-buying? We are not even having an election now. Why is it wrong to give money to the people? To the BN, giving money to themselves is not wrong but giving money to the people is,” he claimed.
He noted that Malaysia was behind for it does not adopt international practices such as attempting to empower the poor and the elderly.
Lim also claimed that the DAP’s policy suggestions had been accepted by all PR parties and would duly be implemented should the fledgling coalition wrest Putrajaya from the BN in the coming general election.
“I have spoken to the other parties and it is not a problem. In any case, it is not about objecting, only on how to implement these policies,” he said, adding that he had also spoken with PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Lim also said that the DAP, in introducing such promises, was showing its strong denial that it was anti-Malay and a communist party.
“Measures that we are taking now in Penang is to prove all these allegations wrong. We are distributing flyers to tell the people of these lies,” he said.
He said the flyers would explain the Komtar Ramadan bazaar debacle where the DAP state government was accused of banning the people from setting up stalls.
“The problem was on the money issue and how Komtar had not received the rental money from the stalls, but it turne dinto a racial one. We were also accused of being communists.
“But how can we be the communists when it is Umno who has ties with the communist party of China,” he said.
MI

KJ's Rejoinder to LKS

Statesmen and opportunists: A rejoinder to YB Lim Kit Siang — Khairy Jamaluddin

August 13, 2010

AUG 13 — There are statesmen and there are opportunists. We learnt yesterday the shocking news that Petaling Jaya Utara MP YB Tony Pua received a bullet threat in the post. Immediately a chorus of condemnation ensued, and rightly so. At some point the politics and politicking need to take a backseat in favour of humanity and caring for each other's fundamental right to physical safety. It was in such spirit that I, as Leader of Umno Youth, expressed outrage against the threat to YB Tony and his family, as well as urged the police to ensure their safety. It matters not that YB Tony is a DAP leader, or that we have our numerous disagreements politically, and it certainly does not matter that he is an ethnic Chinese. All that should count is that he is a Malaysian citizen who was threatened by an individual or individuals and that no justification exists for such a threat.
But as is often the case here, in times of shock or crisis, some politicians find ways to exploit sentiments and score political points against an opposing political party. A matter, to which sensible Malaysians can gravitate, suddenly becomes all about how Umno or Barisan Nasional is at fault. In the minds of such politicians, the politics never stops; in their actions and statements they insist our entire social lives be governed by narrow, belligerent partisan logic, 24/7.
One such politician who tends to do this is YB Lim Kit Siang. We shan't go through history here to see how often he has exploited tensions, conflicts and unease for partisan gains. His recent blog post suffices.
In it, YB Lim Kit Siang implies that the threat was a result of "communal hatred against YB Tony". He precedes this insinuation by stating the police reports and warnings made against YB Tony made by Umno Youth Selangor and the Umno Information Chief. He is careful to avoid blaming Umno outright on his blog, but we all know what he's trying to say.
Was the bullet threat motivated by discontent in parts of the Malay community about YB Tony's position on the Bumiputera housing discount? Likely, though we cannot rule out any possibility until the police conclude their investigations, hence the call I made earlier for speculations to be kept at bay. For the sake of argument, was Umno at the forefront of this Malay discontent? Sure. But instead of trying to empathise with such disgruntlement, YB Lim Kit Siang dismisses it with adjectives like 'irresponsible', 'ugly' and 'vicious' - because he'd like very much for people to believe that Umno manufactured the discontent, and that in doing so Umno similarly created a "communal hatred" against an individual resulting in a bullet threat. Talk about generalising and piling one assumption over another.
Nevermind that many Malays who have nothing to do with Umno feel strongly about the issue of Bumiputera housing discounts, it is what YB Lim Kit Siang omits from his statement that interests me most. If he is going to assume that the threat was racially motivated, then I say bravo, Captain Obvious. But especially so being a veteran politician, YB Lim Kit Siang should follow that up with calls for calm, join Umno Youth and others in rallying all Malaysians of all races to stand in solidarity against extremism. He could have stated that even if the threat was racially motivated, it was not representative of any community. These are exactly the things YB Lim Kit Siang should say if he has the country's interests at heart. But true to form, instead of defusing the situation, YB Lim Kit Siang sought to worsen it by fanning the very "communal hatred" he is convinced exists — provoke Umno, ridicule the aforementioned discontent and hope people see it through his partisan eyes.
But I have more faith in Malaysians than YB Lim Kit Siang does. Just as Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans and all the various ethnicities in this great country rose up against the arson attacks early this year, I believe we will do the same whenever anyone receives death threats for stating their views, even if there are racial or religious dimensions involved. We are a resilient lot; push comes to shove, we know to put our differences aside and stand together. Well, most of us, anyway. There are statesmen and there are opportunists. — www.rembau.net.my
* Khairy Jamaulddin is Umno Youth chief and the Member of Parliament for Rembau