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Respect them a lot. Can act, sing, and present themselves so well….
January 20, 2010
January 20, 2010
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Funny and nice to watch….
January 15, 2010
Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/49684-friday-sermons-urge-muslims-to-unite-over-allah
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — Friday sermons in Selangor mosques today reminded Muslims to unite over the “Allah” controversy, and described the use of the word by Christians as an attempt to undermine the position of Islam in the country.
According to the text of the sermon — prepared by the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) — allowing Christians to use the word “Allah” would create religious tension. It also called on the Muslims to set aside their political allegiance on this matter.
“Although some [of] us may have [a] different ideology, it should not compromise the sanctity of the religion just for the sake of position and power,” according to the sermon, in an apparent reference to Muslim politicians who are deeply divided over the issue.
Earlier this week, the Sultan of Selangor issued a directive to uphold the stance that the word “Allah” may not be used by non-Muslims when referring to God in the Malay language.
“The decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Thursday, Dec 31, allowing the Herald – The Catholic Weekly to use the word ‘Allah’ was shocking to Muslims nationwide,” said the sermon, which was meant for delivery before the start of Friday prayers.
“The use of the word ‘Allah’ by the Christians, especially in writings, must be stopped by the government. According to Islamic principles, the government has the right to take pre-emptive measures to stop [the] expected damage,” it added.
It also reiterated the stand made by Muslim groups opposed to the High Court ruling — that the move would create confusion among Muslims.
“We are worried that all churches will be renamed Baitullah (House of God), the Bible will also be renamed Kitabullah, and more confusion will arise if all religions in the country use the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God.
“Their aim is to equate Islam with other religions in the country. In fact, Islam is the religion accepted by Allah, there is no other religion but Islam. Islam came from Allah, while other religions were man-made,” it added.
The sermon also cited the Cabinet decision in 1986, banning the use of four Arabic words — including “Allah” — by non-Muslim as well as the state enactment which restricts the use of the word. The enactment was meant to prevent the word from being used for propagating other religious views to Muslims.
The first part of the sermon, which discusses the issue, ended with a reminder to Muslims to respect the rule of law, as the authorities are taking action according to the available legal process.
The row over the use of the word “Allah” has been linked to attacks on nine churches, a mission school and one Sikh temple over the last week.
Both the government and the opposition have moved in to defuse tensions, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announcing financial aid of RM500,000 to the worst hit church, the Metro Tabernacle in Kuala Lumpur. Opposition leaders have also been holding regular meeting with leaders and members of the Christian community.
Meanwhile, the Friday sermon prepared by the federal Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) did not touch on the issue. The body prepared two versions of sermon to be chosen by mosques in the Federal Territories today.
One version of the sermon urged the Muslims to control their sugar intake in an attempt to justify the government’s decision to reduce sugar subsidy, while another version discusses the solar eclipse which takes place this afternoon.
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Can someone explain to me what is happening now in Malaysia? Christians are asked not to give comments while the churches are “abused”….
Lord, have mercy….
January 15, 2010
If everything run smooths, I will be accepted as MOT (Minister on Trial) under CAC (Chinese Annual Conference) starting end of this year.
For those who do not know CAC ordination process. Let me give some of the briefing. After graduating from any seminaries, you will be given at least 2 years as Lay Preacher before you will be recommended to be accepted as MOT. After roughly 2 years as MOT, then you will be ordained as Deacon. If the person overall performance is okay, after roughly 2 years, then the individual will be ordained as Elder. Altogether to be as ordained minister in CAC, we need 6 years.
Why I put “roughly”? It is due to strict and discipline rules before any acceptance of ordination, in which it is good.
MOT is a step before the ordination as Deacon, and thereafter Elder in Methodist setup.
While, I have few questions for myself:
a) Am I ready for MOT? Am I mature enough to be a minister?
b) Where does ordination comes from? Is it from God or other ministers? Some denomination did not practice ordination but their churches keep on growing.
c) How fair is the ordination? In Methodist setup, we need 2/3 of Elders to support your ordination as Elder too. How many of the elders know the individual?
d) Is ordination important for God’s ministry?
Lord, in your mercy. Help me to understand Your Ministry and Your Kingdom.
November 27, 2009
Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/44775-btn-taught-me-the-chinese-are-the-jews-of-asia
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 — I am one of the privileged few to have attended a local public university and learned the meaning of hate, thanks to the ever popular Biro Tata Negara.
All undergraduates were forced to attend this programme or else they would not be eligible for graduation.
The BTN under the Prime Minister’s Department brought in “intellectual” speakers who were supposed to enlighten the students about the meaning of being a Malaysian but instead it felt more like a communist propaganda camp brainwashing those attending about the importance of “Ketuanan Melayu”.
The camp would usually take place during the weekends. Students would have to register early in the morning and the programme would last the whole day.
The organisers were always on their guard, asking participants to show their student identification cards each time they entered the hall, fearing the presence of outsiders.
In the hall, students were asked to turn off their mobile phones.
During the lectures, questions were planted among the audience and the students were advised not ask raise any questions.
One speaker began with the history of Malaysia and how much the country had gone through, always emphasising the May 13 riots.
He stressed the point of how much the Malays had sacrificed and how the community should be united especially from outside threat — the Chinese community.
He said that the Chinese community were “the Jews of Asia” and were just itching to take over when Malays were disunited and broken.
The speaker also revealed a greater Chinese conspiracy where the Chinese Malaysians were working together with Singapore to topple the Malay government.
“Do you want to become like the Malays in Singapore?” he asked.
He also went so far as to criticise Malay girls for dating boys from other races.
He added that they should not be cheap and embarrass their families.
Once, a student told the speaker that as Muslims, we should also respect other races who are also Muslims.
“All Muslims are Malays so it does not matter if they are Chinese or Indians. If they are Muslims then they are Malays,” the speaker replied.
This is why I was relieved when I learned that the Selangor government had moved to ban its civil servants, employees of state subsidiaries and students at state-owned education institutions from attending any BTN courses with immediate effect.
However I believe racism in varsities does not end at BTN because classrooms have also become victims of ignorant scholars.
My friend was verbally abused during his sociology class when he did not agree with the points made by his lecturer.
“You must be DKK,” the lecturer told him.
“What is DKK?” he asked.
“You must be darah keturunan keling (descendents of Indians),” the lecturer said, pointing to his dark skin.
My Saudi friend was also shocked by the comments made by his lecturer in his Islamic civilisation class.
“We should save our Orang Asli from the Chinese people. They are like the Palestinians and the Chinese are Israel. We must fight the Jews,” the lecturer told his students.
The lecturer even failed one of his students in his oral exam when he quoted a Western scholar in his presentation.
“You should be ashamed of yourselves. You are a Muslim and should only use Islamic scholars,” he scolded the student.
I was personally saddened when my Islamic law lecturer compared Christianity to Head & Shoulder’s 3 in 1 shampoo in referring to the religion’s Holy Trinity.
I feel that racism has been institutionalised in our country and that BTN is only the tip of the iceberg.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin defended BTN yesterday and claimed that it was not racist but is line with the 1 Malaysia concept.
I have to humbly disagree and would like to suggest maybe the ministers should bring their overseas children home and let them have a taste of what BTN is.
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How true is it??…Its up for us to discern….Personally, I have heard this kind of feedback before…If one people telling me this, I might not be convinced…But now…I might lo….What do you think??
November 17, 2009
Bob Geldof, Founder of LiveAid and Live8.
“If leaders do not respond to your ideas of change, then you must become the leader yourself”
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Sound interesting this remark. I believe that youth must like this speaker very much. The speaker speaks the mind of the youth today.
However, bear in mind that:
a) What is the message that being impliedly received today? Can I interpret as “if no one hears you, do it your way”?
b) Is it the message telling me, unity is not the most important at all, but individual’s opinion should prevail?
c) Why current leaders do not want to change? Change will great for improvement, but change is difficult (according to President Barack Obama) in some situation.
My opinion will be:
You can be an agent of change and unity. Be a influential leader rather than a leader who request for changes all the time.
November 5, 2009
Sorry, what is “1Malaysia”
Posted by desmondkok under Personal, Politic, UncategorizedLeave a Comment
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8343626.stm
The Malaysian government has refused to release 10,000 Bibles which it seized because they contained the word Allah to refer to God.
The government, which is dominated by Muslim Malays, claims that the word Allah is Islamic and that its use in Bibles could upset Muslims.
The Roman Catholic Church is challenging the ban in court.
Religion has become highly sensitive in Malaysia, where about two-thirds of the population is Muslim.
Religious minorities have accused the government of undermining their rights.
The government has impounded Bibles before, intercepting 5,000 in March as they were imported from Indonesia.
Church officials say that although the word Allah originated in Arabic, Malays have used it for centuries to refer generally to God, and Arabic-speaking Christians used it before Islam was founded.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia said the religious freedom guaranteed by the Malaysian constitution was meaningless if people were denied Bibles which used their own language.
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Mr. PM, explain to us what do you mean by “1Malaysia” please……do you mean “1religion” as well???…..
October 5, 2009
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8286939.stm
Young adults are suffering from “anxiety overload”, a UK charity warns.
A survey of 18-24 year olds found 66% feel stressed or anxious at least once a week, with money and job worries being the main cause.
Almost a third of respondents said they did not tell anyone of their worries, raising the need to teach young people “coping strategies”, said Rethink.
Women seemed most badly affected, with one in three suffering frequent anxiety, compared with one in 10 men.
The YouGov poll of 2,000 adults, 250 of whom were aged 18-24, found 33% of young women felt stressed or anxious most days or every day.
Money worries were given as the main reason by 45% of respondents, followed by 33% having concerns about job prospects and 29% worried about pressures from school or university.
Some said they would seek advice or support from a partner or friend, but almost one third (31%) say they kept stress and anxiety to themselves.
Pressures
James Gorman, Rethink National Young Persons’ Programme Manager said the pressures on young people were “huge”.
“With the number of young people not in education or employment rising, it’s no wonder many are feeling the strain.
“It is extremely important that we teach young people strategies for coping with stress and protecting their mental health.
“Failure to get the right help at the right time can have lasting consequences.
“The longer people suffer in silence, the harder it is to help them recover.”
Lucie Russell, Young Minds campaigns director, said the survey suggested young people felt really stressed much of the time.
“It is worrying that young people are unable to speak openly about their anxieties.
“Young people should be taught coping strategies early on at school and at home, so they can deal with difficult feelings and situations.
“But there must also be readily available support both at school and in the community, so that young people don’t have to suffer alone.”
Paul Farmer, chief executive at Mind said young people were bearing the brunt of the recession.
“Employment is scarce and without a job, anxiety, low self-esteem and unhappiness can set in.
“Unfortunately, stigma around mental health is particularly bad amongst adolescents, which means they tend to bottle things up rather than seek support.”
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More and more young adults are facing depression, stress and anxiety every day. What can the church offer to them?
October 3, 2009
Link: http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/39244-umno-losing-faith-in-barisan-partners
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — Umno’s patience and confidence with the current power-sharing agreement with its partners in Barisan Nasional is wearing thin, judging by sentiments expressed during a closed-door retreat in Janda Baik.
During this rare three-day gathering of Umno divisions, which ended yesterday, a common refrain heard was that Umno should be less generous in giving up Malay-majority seats to representatives of MCA, MIC, Gerakan and other component parties.
The general view among division chiefs was that the component parties were much weaker than Umno and would not be able to swing votes from the non-Malays or the Malays.
In contrast, a strong Umno was better placed to win in Malay-majority seats.
The Malaysian Insider understands that party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak and senior party officials who attended the retreat — aimed at boosting the morale of grassroots leaders — were non-committal on the request for Umno to be less charitable in seat allocation with BN component parties.
If they do agree, it would represent a major departure from the power-sharing agreement that has been the hallmark of the BN coalition, and could be the death knell of MCA, MIC, PPP and Gerakan — political parties which have been allowed to field candidates in Malay-majority seats across Peninsular Malaysia.
Several Umno officials who attended the retreat told The Malaysian Insider that the most important consideration should be to field a candidate who can enhance the possibility of victory at the next general election.
“If a seat has 55 or 60 per cent Malay voters, it makes sense to field an Umno candidate. In the last election, we gave seats in Perak and Selangor to other parties and they were not able to deliver.
“These parties still have internal issues and will not be able to deliver the votes from the non-Malays. So it will be better if an Umno candidate is fielded to try and get the maximum possible support from Malay voters,” said an official, who requested anonymity due to the retreat being a closed-door affair.
During the retreat, officials were also in agreement that Umno’s/BN’s fortunes rested on the ruling party strengthening its standing among Malay voters — a backhanded acknowledgment that it was not pinning much hopes on getting support from non-Malays at the next general election.
This sentiment is consistent with the growing right-wing tendencies that party officials have exhibited in recent months.
There was little substantive discussion on how the party can reach out to Chinese and Indians who Umno officials have alienated in recent months.
Still, the mood during the retreat was one of optimism with Kelantan Umno declaring that it would be able to snare the state from PAS at the next polls. PAS has been helming the state since 1990 but Umno officials from Kelantan believe that the momentum is swinging their way.
Also confident was Perak’s Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir. Beneficiary of a power grab, he was certain that Umno/BN would be able to hold on to the state.
Less hopeful about their future prospects were Umno representatives from Penang and Selangor.
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I’m sorry, Mr. PM. What is 1Malaysia? What is “bangsa” and “negara”? Satu bangsa dan satu negara. 1Malaysia???…..
September 30, 2009
Matthew 11:30
“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
