PAS MP says party ready for non-Muslim leaders

PAS MP says party ready for non-Muslim leaders

By Shannon Teoh
SHAH ALAM, Feb 28 â€" PAS research chief Dzulkefly Ahmad said today the Islamic party is ready to accept non-Muslims in positions as high as deputy president.

The Kuala Selangor MP said the party was ready to emulate Egypt’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which appointed Coptic Christian intellectual Rafiq Habib as its vice president last year.

“The fundamental principle is that there are some things in Islam which are mandatory and some that are not. This is not,” Dzulkefly told reporters after speaking at a forum titled “Why are Malay votes split?”

The PAS central committee member had cited the Arab Spring, the wave of popular revolutions that began a year ago and toppled dictators in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

The moderator Maszlee Malik then asked if PAS was ready to follow in the footsteps of the FJP, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, who appointed Habib after Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign as Egyptian president.

“Yes, we are ready. PAS is inclusive as seen with our Negara Berkebajikan and PAS for all concepts. We aim to be an active player in new politics,” Dzulkefly responded.

The International Islamic University lecturer posed the question again during a press conference later, asking if PAS would accept a non-Muslim deputy president.

Dzulkefly replied that the matter can be discussed if it is proposed.

“This is only an administrative matter. We cannot say it will never happen because Islam can address change for intellectual renewal. Islam can withstand the challenge of time,” he said.

Tensions between Muslims and Christians have resulted in Islamic NGOs going on a national roadshow under the banner of Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Gathering of a Million Faithful) to rally Muslims against “the challenge of Christianisation.”

Allegations that Christians are trying to convert Muslims peaked last August when the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya.

This came after repeated disputes between church and mosque, such as the legal battle over the the use of the word Allah to refer to the Christian god.

An initial court ruling allowing the Catholic Church to use the term Allah had led to places of worship being firebombed in January 2010.

The government also buckled under pressure and ordered the release of Malay-language bibles seized before Sarawakians, half of whom are Christians, voted in the April 16, 2011 state polls.

Before the Jais raid, Umno’s Utusan Malaysia and Malay rights lobby Perkasa accused the DAP of conspiring to turn Malaysia into a Christian state.

Although DUMC has denied Jais’ claims, Utusan Malaysia fanned the flames with allegations that Christian groups in Kuala Lumpur and Johor were actively trying to convert Muslims.

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For Indonesians facing Malaysian gallows, free lawyers

For Indonesians facing Malaysian gallows, free lawyers

By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 â€" Fearing discrimination, Jakarta has hired seven Malaysian lawyers to represent its citizens facing death sentences in courts here.

The Jakarta Globe reported today that the Indonesian government is paying for local legal eagles to act as counsel for its citizens, including illegal workers, who land in the dock.

The Indonesian daily cited Indonesian Migrant Workers Task Force’s Humphrey Djemat saying the state was bearing the cost of the legal service because it suspected its citizens here had been victims of discrimination during court proceedings and end up convicted unfairly due to poor legal defence.

He accused Putrajaya of being inattentive in cases involving Indonesians and slow in informing the Indonesian embassy.

“By having permanent attorneys, we no longer have to appoint new lawyers and negotiate. We know exactly who to turn to,” Humphrey was quoted by the paper as saying today.

He added, “If we appoint attorneys the regular way, we could spend hundreds of millions [of rupiah] per case.”

Humphrey said the local lawyers also had wider network of information as they had police contacts that gave them faster access to the cases.

Indonesia’s migrant workforce is estimated at 2.5 million, the English-language paper said.

It noted that some 150 Indonesian migrant workers are facing the death penalty in Malaysia, including 105 cases linked to narcotics, 28 to murder and three to weapon possession.

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Police want NFCorp directors charged with CBT

Police want NFCorp directors charged with CBT

Police want NFCorp directors charged with CBT,
By Yow Hong Chieh

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 â€" Police have asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers to charge National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) directors with criminal breach of trust after opposition politicians claimed a part of the government’s RM250 million soft loan was used for other purposes.

CCID Director Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan confirmed the matter with several media organisations this evening.

“We are recommending to the Attorney-General’s Chambers that all NFCorp directors be charged (for CBT),” he told The Malaysian Insider.

NFCorp, which is owned by the husband and three children of federal minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abd Jalil, operates the scandal-ridden National Feedlot Centre (NFC).

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Imam blames shoe-throwing outburst on former Mat Rempit life

Imam blames shoe-throwing outburst on former Mat Rempit life

Kini Malaysia Imam blames shoe-throwing outburst on former Mat Rempit life.
By Yow Hong Chieh

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 â€" Imam Hoslan Hussin, who in a fit of rage threw shoes at a panel of judges on Wednesday, has blamed his outburst on his former life as a Mat Rempit.

Hossin told The Malay Mail he first took off and threw his left shoe at the Federal Court judges and managed to launch the other shoe before he was restrained by police.

“I blame my hot-tempered persona on my former life. In the ‘80s, I was an illegal street racer. But that life is no more,” he told the daily on Thursday.

Hoslan hurled his shoes at three senior judges in the country’s highest court after they struck out his bid to challenge an eviction order from a Kuala Lumpur mosque four years ago.

The father of 11 stunned judges, lawyers and members of the public who packed a courtroom at the Federal Court when he stood up, took off his shoes and aimed the pair directly at the Bench.

The three-man Bench comprising Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin, Datuk Suriyadi Halim Omar and Datin Paduka Zaleha Zahari then unexpectedly allowed the incident to go unpunished.

The court, however, later lodged a police report about the irate imam and refuted that it had denied Hoslan the right to be heard fairly.

Hoslan explained to The Malay Mail that he was angry and disappointed that his appeal had been rejected by the judges who allegedly did not bother to read his submission.

But he said he immediately realised his actions were a “huge mistake” as he could have been charged with contempt of court.

“However, I have no regrets. The damage is done and I will not back down,” he said.

“After the court was adjourned, and the judges and lawyers left the room, I decided to pray there to ease my anger. After that, the police asked me politely to leave and I obliged. I walked barefoot to my van, accompanied by my wife and seven children.

He added that his shoes â€" green imitation Crocs â€" could stay in court as a “symbol” of his fight against an allegedly corrupt mosque committee.

“The shoes can stay in the court, they can even frame it up for all I care... I had no intention of throwing the shoes at the judges but at the time, they were the only thing that I could find and use to vent my anger.

“I am defenceless. For so long, no lawyers were willing to defend me or take my case as they deemed it too complicated. With nothing left, I am on my own,” he said.

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Kini Malaysia Imam blames shoe-throwing outburst on former Mat Rempit life Source: http://my.news.yahoo.com/imam-blames-shoe-throwing-outburst-former-mat-rempit-075129287.html
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'Stop sowing seeds of hatred'

Kini Malaysia 'Stop sowing seeds of hatred'.
NIBONG TEBAL: Stop planting seeds of hatred because what you sow is what you reap.
Barisan Nasional's (BN) Jawi constituency co-ordinator Tan Cheng Liang said the Pakatan Rakyat state administration was "provoking, politicking and stirring up the emotions of the people".
She said although BN accepted its defeat in the 2008 general election, the federal government had never forgotten the welfare and needs of the people of Penang but the PR-run state government took credit for the efforts.
"The prime minister handed out RM8.6 billion to Penang in the form of 16 mega projects, including the second Penang Bridge, the expansion of Penang International Airport and the Bukit Bendera funicular train," she said.
"These projects were meant to turn the state into the logistics hub of the Northern Corridor Economic Region. "Pakatan should not take credit for these and blame the federal government for everything else because this makes them an irresponsible administration. They definitely are not painting an honest and truthful picture."
Commenting on reports the state government instigated the public who received the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) to take the cash but not vote for BN, Tan said: "What kind of government tells people this? I was upset to hear it. This makes me worry about the future.
"BN has been in power for over 50 years. Of course, we have weaknesses and we never denied it. Pakatan, too, can't think they are God and never makes mistakes.
"In the end, the public should judge for themselves based on the performance of the parties."
On BR1M, she asked those who had yet to receive an approval letter to be patient. "We're on the fourth phase now and there are tens of thousands of applicants for the scheme. Be calm.
If your application was rejected, try again because 95 per cent of those who appealed received their aid," she said.
"As long as the individual is eligible and the forms are complete and correct, there should be no problem."
Earlier, Tan handed out RM34,500 to 11 organisations, including schools and Seberang Perai Selatan Eco-Tourism Development Council, at the MCA Nibong Tebal service centre.

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Kini Malaysia 'Stop sowing seeds of hatred' source: http://my.news.yahoo.com/stop-sowing-seeds-hatred-090000527.html
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Convict grandpa gets 'tokoh' award

Convict grandpa gets 'tokoh' award

Kini Malaysia Convict grandpa gets 'tokoh' award.
TAPAH: From rapist to missionary; what an example of how prison life can transform an inmate.
The change did not go unnoticed and resulted in Tapah Prison authorities presenting the first Tokoh Maulidur Rasul award, commemorating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, to a grandfather of six serving an eight-year sentence for rape.
The recipient, identified only as Tok Il from Kuala Kangsar, said that he had started to deepen his knowledge of Islam and the Quran since his incarceration in 2007.
"I am extremely grateful to be selected as the Tokoh Maulidur Rasul and I will take this precious award as an encouragement make myself a better person religiously," said the 60-year-old, who is also the prison's surau assistant.
He said he would spread his knowledge on the religion and do community service upon his release.
He was among 250 inmates selected to celebrate Maulidur Rasul at the seven-year-old prison.
Another inmate, 34-year-old factory operator Kasmi, remanded under Section 39B Dangerous Drugs Act which carries the death sentence upon conviction, said she wished she was at home with her three children.
"I have not seen them since my husband and I were detained in November.
"I only know that they are with my mother-in-law. I pray they are in good health and on the right path."
Meanwhile, Zah, 32, from Sungai Siput said that she had gained much knowledge and learnt many skills since arriving at the prison two years ago.
" I have learnt so much more about my religion which I will continue to practise," said the inmate, sentenced to 14 years for abetting her husband who is serving a 22-year jail term at the Sungai Buloh Prison for raping a minor.
"I pray that my children are getting enough religious guidance and studying hard so that they can have a better life."
The Tapah Prison currently houses 1,372 men and 80 women.

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Kini Malaysia Convict grandpa gets 'tokoh' award
source: http://my.news.yahoo.com/convict-grandpa-gets-tokoh-award-090000355.html
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Imam's antics provoke outrage

Kini Malaysia Imam's antics provoke outrage.
PETALING JAYA: The shocking act of an imam who flung his shoes at three Federal Court judges on Wednesday after his appeal was rejected has provoked outrage and fuelled demands from a crosssection of society for him to answer to his acts.
As such calls were mounting, the imam, Hoslan Hussain, 46, declared to The Malay Mail that "I have no remorse over what I had done".
The shoe throwing incident was unprecedented in Malaysia's apex court, and such acts were all the while confined to the streets. The Bar Council described the incident as "shocking" and said it was most certainly tantamount to contempt of court.
Its president Lim Chee Wee said he was shocked that such an incident had occurred at the highest court in the country.
"Throwing a shoe at the Bench is certainly contempt in the face of the court. Some action could certainly have been taken on the imam," he said.
Lim said the fact that action had yet to be taken against the litigant was an exercise of discretion on the part of the judges.
"They could have let him off under compassionate reasons. It is the norm and we have seen it happen before that the court would give more leeway when a litigant is unrepresented," he said.
Hoslan's acts have also elicited calls for him to pay for his actions.
Online news portals were abuzz with discussions over the case, with many calling for disciplinary action to be taken against him.
"Such behaviour is unacceptable in any court of law, much less the country's Federal Court. The court needs to charge him for contempt, because if left unchecked, it would merely show tolerance on the courts' part for such uncivilised behaviour," said a commenter.
Hoslan had appeared at the Federal Court in Putrajaya to challenge his eviction order from the Ar-Rahimah mosque in Kampung Pandan.
The mosque committee had claimed Hoslan haddisciplinary issues, among them refusing to read from the stipulated khutbah (sermon) as required by the Federal Territory Religious Department (MAIWP), leading the body to seek an eviction order from the KL High Court.
Hoslan's subsequent appeal against his eviction was unsuccessful, which led to his date at the Federal Court.
The three-man bench led by Chief Judge of Malaya Justice Zulkifli Ahmad Makinuddin had rejected imam Hoslan Hussain's application to hear his appeal, as MAIWP lawyer Zulkefli Che Yong objected that Hoslan's affidavit was not filed within the stipulated time.
Following the decision, Hoslan took off his shoe and threw it at the judges' bench. The shoe narrowly missed the head of one judge, but Hoslan launched his other shoe - which hit the deputy registrar.
Police then grabbed him and calmed him down as the court adjourned. Police said they would be calling Hoslan in for questioning soon.
Putrajaya police chief Supt Abd Razak Abd Majid clarified that they received two police reports; one from Hoslan and another by the courts.
"Hoslan's report was merely to clarify the situation. The court report was lodged against Hoslan. "He will be investigated under Section 353 of the Penal Code for using violence to scare public servants from performing their duty."

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Kini Malaysia Imam's antics provoke outrage source: http://my.news.yahoo.com/imams-antics-provoke-outrage-090000402.html
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