Cahaya’s Rants

The Straits Times, Singapore
March 18 2006

By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Correspondent, in Kuala Lumpur

The opposition Islamic party is planning to table a private Bill in Parliament to forbid Muslims from leaving the religion as it is convinced that there are thousands who are on the verge of doing so.

Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) youth chief Salahuddin Ayub told The Straits Times that the party believes the situation is “very serious” and puts the number at more than 250,000.

The claim cannot be verified but last month, the Mufti of Perak, Harussani Zakaria, a government-appointed religious leader, also quoted the same figure.

An official from the federal Islamic religious department, when contacted, said it could be based on applications to the registration department for a name change in identity cards.

A name change is sometimes seen as a step towards conversion.

The official also said that there have been applications to the religious department to convert from Islam but insisted that the numbers are not very high.

But to Mr Salahuddin, “even if it is only one person, it is very serious”.

PAS decided last month that it was urgent enough to table a private member’s Bill in Parliament to make it an offence for a Muslim to leave the religion.

The proposed Prevention of Apostasy Bill will require apostates to be sent for rehabilitation, but it will not prescribe a punishment for those who do not repent.

Some Muslims believe that apostasy is punishable by death.

“The philosophy of the Bill is to preserve Islamic teachings, and it emphasises education,” said Mr Salahuddin.

The Bill will be tabled in the next parliamentary session, via a legal provision that allows any Member of Parliament to do so.

But it is likely to be doomed to disappointment as private members’ Bills have never gone in the past, given the overwhelming majority of the ruling Barisan Nasional in Parliament.

It will, however, stir up debate on a topic considered as taboo and also a political minefield, particularly for UMNO, with its Muslim constituency.

The existing religious laws are not clear on whether Muslims can leave the religion – there is also constant debate on this among Muslims themselves – but attempts to do so through applications to the Syariah Court have not been known to succeed.

Apostasy took on a high profile recently because of the government’s raid on the Sky Kingdom commune in Terengganu last year. Muslim followers of cult leader Ayah Pin have been charged under Islamic laws but some now say that they are not Muslims.

On top of that, a few Muslims have gone to the civil courts to argue that they have the right to freedom of religion. But the court has, so far, refused to hear these cases.

A typical case is that of Mr Yunus Kassim, a rubber tapper, who told the media last week that he became a Buddhist 50 years ago.

Now 62, he wants to make this official because “when I die, I want my funeral to be peaceful”.

Such incidents have spooked PAS, and Mr Salahuddin believes it is also of concern to other Muslim MPs.

“Apostasy is beyond politics. It is not a matter of PAS and UMNO, it’s a matter of Muslim integrity,” he added.

Yes, hang on to those Muslims even when they don’t want to remain Muslims any more! Rehabilitate them! If or all else fails, execute them?

War On Terror: In the wake of the cartoon jihad and mosque-on-mosque violence in Iraq, most Americans now think Islam has more violent believers than any other faith. Yet many still view it as a “peaceful religion.”

Psychologists might call this cognitive dissonance — a state of mind where rational people essentially lie to themselves. But in this case, it’s understandable. In our politically correct culture, criticizing any religion, even one that plots our destruction, is still taboo. And no one wants to suggest the terrorists are driven by their holy text.

Which explains a Washington Post-ABC News poll showing that Americans are becoming more aware of the broader threat (58% associate terrorists with Islam), but are still convinced terrorists are radicalizing Islam and not the other way around (54% don’t think Islam itself encourages violence).

The new poll, however, still doesn’t sit well with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group dedicated to improving public perceptions of Islam. It has denounced increasingly negative views as “Islamophobic” and vowed to redouble its “education” efforts.

Good. What better time for CAIR and other Muslim leaders to step up, cut through the politically correct fog and provide factual answers to the questions that give so many non-Muslims pause?

Generally speaking, those questions focus on whether the Quran does indeed promote violence against non-Muslims, and how many of the terrorists’ ideas — about the violent jihad, the self-immolation, the kidnappings, even the beheadings — come right out of the text? But even more specifically:

Is Islam the only religion with a doctrine, theology and legal system that mandates warfare against unbelievers?

Is it true that 26 chapters of the Quran deal with jihad, a fight able-bodied believers are obligated to join (Surah 2:216), and that the text orders Muslims to “instill terror into the hearts of the unbeliever” and to “smite above their necks” (8:12)?

Is the “test” of loyalty to Allah not good acts or faith in general, but martyrdom that results from fighting unbelievers (47:4) — the only assurance of salvation in Islam (4:74; 9:111)?

Are the sins of any Muslim who becomes a martyr forgiven by the very act of being slain while slaying the unbelievers (4:96)?

And is it really true that martyrs are rewarded with virgins, among other carnal delights, in Paradise (38:51, 55:56; 55:76; 56:22)?

Are those unable to do jihad — such as women or the elderly — required to give “asylum and aid” to those who do fight unbelievers in the cause of Allah (8:74)?

Does Islam advocate expansion by force? And is the final command of jihad, as revealed to Muhammad in the Quran, to conquer the world in the name of Islam (9:29)?

Is Islam the only religion that does not teach the Golden Rule (48:29)? Does the Quran instead teach violence and hatred against non-Muslims, specifically Jews and Christians (5:50)?

There are other questions, but these should do for a start. If the answers are “yes,” then at least Americans will know there’s no such thing as moderate Islam, even as they trust that there are moderate Muslims who do not act out on its violent commands.

(Investor’s Business Daily)

It is about time newspapers and magazines bring up pertinent questions regarding Islam. There is so much talk about Islam as being a religion of peace, and about how the majority of Muslims are not radicals, but the question remains: Is Islam a Religion of Peace?

Tolerance is a basic principle of Islam. Yeah, right.

KUALA LUMPUR: Non-Muslims should not interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims, as this will make the Muslims uneasy.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz warned that the Government would not hesitate to use the Sedition Act against those who insulted Islam.

“We will not think twice about using this law against anybody who incites,” he said, adding this was the reason the Act and the Internal Security Act was needed.

Expressing his concern about some recent articles written by non-Muslims, he said the tolerance level among Muslims was high.

“But you must remember the word amok comes from this country and there is a limit to everything,” he said, telling non-Muslims not to make comments or write articles on Islam that could be construed as belittling the religion.

“I want to remind non-Muslims to refrain from making statements on something they do not understand,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby after receiving a joint memorandum by a coalition of 43 Muslim non-governmental organisations yesterday.

“We do not want to take away your rights but religion is an important matter, especially to the Muslims,” he said.

The memorandum declares the group’s support for the Government’s stand that the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) (Amendment) 2005 does not contradict the Syariah Law and does not discriminate against women.

Nazri said present laws were sufficient to punish those who insulted Islam.

He said there was also no need to have a law to curb open discussions as the people could practise mutual respect, tolerance and understanding while taking into consideration religious sensitivities.

On whether non-Muslim journalists should not write about issues concerning Islam, Nazri said they should know what they could or could not write.

“However, there are some things which should not be touched on,” he said.

(The Star Online)

There is no compulsion in religion. (Al-Baqarah 2:256)  Yeah, right.

KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan man who allegedly converted from Islam to Christianity is being prosecuted in a Kabulcourt and could be sentenced to death, a judge said Sunday.

The defendant, Abdul Rahman, was arrested last month after his family went to the police and accused him of becoming a Christian, Judge Ansarullah Mawlavezada told the Associated Press in an interview. Such a conversion would violate the country’s Islamic laws.

Rahman, who is believed to be 41, was charged with rejecting Islam when his trial started last week, the judge said.

During the hearing, the defendant allegedly confessed that he converted from Islam to Christianity 16 years ago when he was 25 and working as a medical aid worker for Afghan refugees in neighboring Pakistan, Mawlavezada said.

Afghanistan’s constitution is based on Shariah law, which states that any Muslim who rejects their religion should be sentenced to death.

“We are not against any particular religion in the world. But in Afghanistan, this sort of thing is against the law,” the judge said. “It is an attack on Islam. … The prosecutor is asking for the death penalty.”

The prosecutor, Abdul Wasi, said the case was the first of its kind in Afghanistan.

He said that he had offered to drop the charges if Rahman changed his religion back to Islam, but the defendant refused.

Mawlavezada said he would rule on the case within two months.

Afghanistan is a deeply conservative society and 99 percent of its 28 million people are Muslim. The rest are mainly Hindus. (Associated Press)

When Dr. Wafa Sultan made her appearance on Al Jezeera, (click here or here for video clip) it caused quite a stir among the muslim and the non-muslim world. The non-muslims thought she was courageous to speak out against the babarism of a religion she had forsaken. Some muslims acknowleged the truth in Dr. Sultan’s words while others villified her by calling her names.

It is interesting to read some of the reactions of muslims at this forum. One can learn a lot about the mindset of a muslim from their contributions at this forum.

This one called her stupid. Stupid for having the guts to stand up to a religion that oppresses and encourages violence?!

don’t worry about that…….her opponent in the debate was a scholar from Al Azhar and he proved once again that she is a fool

you know why the Islamic Al-Jazeera pick her and no one else from the enemies of Islam to the debates about Islam which is live on air??……because she is the most stupid among them…..she talk like robot…..like she is brainwashed or sth……surely not the person to bet on in a debate

According to this person, Dr. Sultan is a political prostitute.

are all men/women who work to feed their families are prostitutes and drug dealers?…..no……..there is honorable men and women who have decent jobs to feed their families………and the prostitute work too…and she work to feed her family……..but unlike the honorable woman she would sell her honor for money….but the honorable woman prefer starvation if the alternative is prostitution

and Wafa Sultan is a political prostitute

Do not imitate the kaffirs!

brave woman?

i give mangy ratshid more points in courage (ands stupidiity)

though the woman may make sense in a secular world (what doesnt make sense in a secular world, with the right PR, you can justify sodomy)

so she says no buddhist rioted when the idols were destroyed, no jews attacked germany, etc etc etc

these comparisons are good for what? to teach the muslims that we should imitate the kuffar?

destroying idols is a good thing

if muslim nations had muslim leaders, then a lot of this vigilante reactionism would not exist, because people would feel they have someone to speak up for the muslims

but since no one is, each muslim is doing his own thing

and alhamdulillah, muslims are doing something, because there are so many muslims not doing anything thing, but yappin at the jibs

And if all else fails, threaten her life.

>>>>another Kaffir added to the hitlist i hope they beef up her security she >>>> is gonna need it

The following is a letter to the editor at Malaysiakini . It was in response to two other letters also published at the same news site. The content of this letter is what I want to highlight here - the way Israel is portrayed by the government’s mouth organs.

I write in response to Abdul Rahman Koya’s International Jew: Apologies won’t undo the truth and Abdul Rahman Abdul Talib’s Hamas democratic choice of Palestinians.

There are some very peculiar things about Malaysia and one of these peculiar things is the venom that most Muslim Malaysians seem to have towards Israel. Dr Mahathir Mohamad with his famous anti-Jew remarks, Chandra Muzaffar with his anti-Israel rhetoric and views expressed in the above letters seem to indicate that Malaysians top of the list of people with the most venom towards the Israelis alongside militant groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hizbollah and the Iranian government.

The background to the publication of The International Jew is incredible. I can’t imagine that fellow Malaysians have that much venom towards the Jews to publish a book that denigrates the Jews based merely on fiction and far fetched imagination rather than truth as some would want the world to believe. This was also done against the wishes of its original writers who have since apologised for their work.

One wonders why Malaysians of all people should have this sort of venom towards Israel and the Jews in general. We are after all very distant from the Middle East conflict. Is it because of our passionate support for the Palestinian cause? However, this should not in any way be the reason used to ferment hatred towards the Israelis and Jews. I am convinced that all this venom is being shown by our fellow Muslim Malaysians due to the rise of religious extremism and a complete lack of understanding of the true situation and the history of the Israeli–Arab conflict. This is further compounded by the completely biased and one-sided manner of journalism perpetrated by the Malay media.

If one cares to analyse the Israeli–Palestinian conflict carefully, it is apparent that even as the militant Palestinian groups continue daily to target innocent Israeli civilians including women and children with tacit backing from the Muslim world, the Israelis target only the militants who are hell bent on the destruction of Israel. Of course, one has to acknowledge that occasionally innocent Palestinian lives are lost due to the nature of the conflict.

Those that argue that Israel is an illegal state that is a colonial creation that is created out a Palestinian homeland are also completely missing the historical facts. Israeli was legally created by a UN resolution. There was never in history something called a Palestinian state while historical facts prove the presence of a historical Kingdom of Israel. Jews have a historical right to a homeland just like everyone else in the world. They cannot have just dropped out of the sky.

Then there is the often-heard mantra of Zionism being an evil and racist ideology. Does any of these Malaysian’s really know what Zionism is all about? Zionism is in essence a very simple desire of the Jewish people to have their own homeland – nothing sinister at all. If Zionism is so evil and dangerous, one wonders why 20 percent of the population of Israel is made of Arabs who are full citizens of the state of Israel. Due to the nature of the conflict between the Arabs and Jews, I guess that there would be some sort of discrimination against the Israeli Arabs but again we in Malaysia do not have any moral authority to talk about discrimination.

My argument is that all this venom targeted at the Israelis and Jews is simply the result of religious extremism among our Muslim brothers in Malaysia as also clearly illustrated by the fact that many of the progressive Muslims worldwide have accepted and have made attempts to build bridges with the Israelis. In addition to the countries that have signed peace treaties with the Israelis such as Egypt and Jordan, there are a number of progressive Muslim countries that have established relations with Israel. Turkey, a country made up of 99 percent Muslims and with the historical heritage of the great Ottoman empire behind them have established good relations with the Israelis which includes even high-level military cooperation.

Here in Malaysia, as illustrated recently in the MAS case, even the mention of Israel would get some Muslims into such frenzy. The local Malay media can’t even bear to mention the word ‘Israel’ and often retorts to statements like ‘Zionist regime’. If Israel and the Jews are a bunch of cold- blooded murderers who are anti-Islam as what our Muslim brothers in Malaysia want to believe, why do all these overwhelmingly Muslim countries have links with Israel?

It is quite evident that there is nothing that Israel has done that deserves such negative views by our Muslim brothers in Malaysia on them and on Jews. Our passionate support for the Palestinian cause is fine but this should not blind us to the truth and cause us to hold such unjustified negative views on Israel.