JAN 9 — Negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku,
These are the proud words that colour our love for the country.
Rakyat hidup, bersatu dan maju,
Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan,
These are our promise that unites us as one nation regardless of race, creed and religion.
Raja kita, selamat bertakhta.
Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan,
Raja kita, selamat bertakhta
These are our prayers for the country’s past, future, and present.
Malaysia's history began hundreds of years before Parameswara sat under that faithful tree and the golden age of the Muslim Malacca Empire. The iconic empire which has been used to represent the Malay spirit was originally a Hindu dynasty and so were the other great kingdoms in the country.
Other great “lost” Hindu kingdoms include the second-century Gangga Negara in Perak, the ancient Langkasuka founded in Kedah, third-century Pan Pan in Kelatan and the old Kedah kingdom of Kadaram.
Only then came the Muslim sultanates of Malacca, Kedah, Johor and Sulu.
The rich history of Malaysia proves that the country has always been a centre of trade and culture where people of different religions lived together without prejudice. Even the great ancient Greek scholar, Ptolemy, referred to the Malay peninsula as the Golden Chersonese or golden peninsula.
The Malay culture is a testament of the early kingdoms and modern Malaysia, a mixture of different religious and cultural practices.
The traces of our history could be seen through the influence of Sanskrit and Arabic in Bahasa Malaysia. Such influences include the Sanskrit word Tuhan.
Therefore it surprised me when some Muslims argue that if the Christians use the word "Allah", it will deviate the religion and its followers.
If this is true then is it blasphemous for Muslims to use the word Tuhan which is used to describe the Hindu deity?
Are our young Muslim children in danger of deviating from Islam when they the sing “Negaraku” and pledge the Rukunegara during the morning assembly?
Or have the imams all over Malaysia sinned when they recite, “Ya Allah, Ya Tuhanku,” in their doa during Friday prayers?
The hardliners have also argued that the Christians cannot use the word "Allah" because Muslims would not be able to differentiate Islam and the other religions.
How is this so? Islam is not about the literal emphasis but a deeper understanding.
Revered Muslim scholars and founders of Islamic schools of thought have emerged from a region where both Christians and Muslims use the word "Allah". Both the Bible and the Quran use Arabic in the region but what differentiates the two?
The meaning and teachings from the sacred revelations.
I think the fear is not Islam but Malay supremacy because religion and race have been intertwined in the country that the community believes that Islam is their right.
The lines between race and religion have been blurred that the Malays believe that their culture is Islam itself to the extent that social acts which were Hindu in origin have become Islamic.
The extremists believe that the non-Malays will use Islam to jeopardise Malay rights and standing in the country.
But Islam is not for a few but for all and preaches equality. This is best illustrated in the Prophet Muhammad's last sermon.
"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has superiority over an Arab.
"Also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has superiority over white except piety and good action."
Even if the problem is Islam and the word "Allah", why is there such fear?
One of the leaders during the demonstration explained that the use of the word "Allah" is only the beginning and that "they will use Prophet Muhammad."
As a Muslim, is it not an honour that any religion would use the word "Allah" and our beloved Prophet to preach love and compassion?
It saddened me when three churches were attacked yesterday because Islam is not hate.
Islam's love can be seen through the Prophet's father-in-law, closest companion, advisor and first Caliph. Before each battle, Abu Bakar would warned his generals not to disturb any saints and worshippers of other religions and not to destroy any places of worship.
But yesterday, a group of terrorists decided to desecrate several places of worship in the name of "Allah."
Their actions do not only insult Islam but belittle the beautiful religion.
I urge all Muslims to deplore these unIslamic acts and show the world the true meaning of Islam.Assamualaikum. May peace be upon you and all of us. Amin.
In God, we trust — Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
6 jailed for 'erotic dance'
Click on image to enlarge it.
Belly dancing by scantily clad women in Saudi Arabia - the homeland of Islam - is a way of life, yet this reported 'erotic dance' is prohibited.
It looks like there is no uniformity among the practitioners in the interpretation of what's permitted or not.
The trouble with Islamo-tribalism
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Mustafa AKYOL
Nasty things are happening in Malaysia. Nine Christian churches have been vandalized or burnt just over the last weekend. Thank God, nobody has been hurt, yet, but the terror unleashed is terrifying enough for the Christian minority of this overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
Also thank God that the attacks were the work of a fanatic minority among Muslim Malays. Many others, including government spokesmen, denounced the barbarism. Some volunteers from Muslim nongovernmental organizations have even begun patrolling churches to protect them from possible future attacks. This is, of course, commendable.
Yet still, I think that Malays should deal not just with the radical symptoms of the problem. They should also deal with the problem itself.
A copyright of God?
The problem itself is a “copyright issue,” as Marina Mahathir, a Malay commentator, rightly put it. Christians in the country have been using the word “Allah” to refer to God in their services and publications, whereas the Malays believe that they have a monopoly on it. Hence the Muslim-dominated government recently put a ban on non-Muslims using the term. Yet last month the High Court overturned the ban. And hell broke lose.
As a Turkish Muslim, I strongly disagree with my Malaysian coreligionists who disagree with the Christians. The word “Allah” simply means “The God” in Arabic, and Arab Christians have been using it for centuries without any trouble. In Turkey, too, Bibles published by Turkish Christians used to have the term “Allah” until the recent “modernization” in their discourse. The change is their choice, and none of our business.
Most Muslims, in other words, don’t have a problem with hearing the word “Allah” from non-Muslim theists. And this is how it should be, because the Koran repeatedly says that Muslims worship the same God with Jews and Christians. "We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you,” a verse orders Muslims to tell these fellow monotheists. “Our God and your God is one."
Whence, then, comes the Malay possessiveness of Allah?
The Malaysian government argues that making Allah synonymous with God may “confuse Muslims and ultimately mislead them into converting to Christianity.” Wow, what a great sign of self-confidence. Why don’t they rather think, one wonders, that the same thing might ultimately “mislead” Christians into converting to Islam.
Besides the obvious immaturity, what is really disturbing to me here is how Allah, the “Lord of mankind” according to the Koran, is reduced to something like a tribal deity.
This was all too obvious in the slogan of the protesters at the mosques of Kuala Lumpur: "Allah,” they said, “is only for us."
But who do you think you are, one should ask. Who gives you the authority to claim that the name of God of all men is your private property?
The answer, as you can guess, lies not in theology but politics. As a piece published in these pages yesterday (Gwynne Dyer, "In the Name of Allah") explained well, the Muslim Malays, despite making up 60 percent of Malaysia, “feel perpetually insecure.” They worry that if their numbers in population decrease so will their dominant role in the country.
Hence comes Malaysia’s tyrannical bans on apostasy from Islam, limitations on mixed marriages, and the current obsession with the Christians’ language. The main intention behind these is the preservation of the dominance, and the “purity,” of a certain political community – say, a big tribe. (The medieval Islamic ban an apostasy, which has no basis in the Koran, was similarly a product of political motives.)
But pursuing the perceived interests of a political community that happens to be Muslim, is not the same thing with upholding the religious values that God has bestowed on Muslims.
The difference between the two is subtle but crucial. It is the difference between serving God, and making God serve us.
Jihad, victory and empire.
The latter motivation, I suspect, is imperative in the makeup of the self-righteous, authoritarian and violent movements in the contemporary Muslim world. These movements always strive for some victory, some political dominance, which will elevate their very selves above all other men.
The words of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian who tried to blow up a passenger airliner near Detroit two weeks ago, are quite telling. “I imagine how the great jihad will take place,” he reportedly said, “how the Muslims will win ... and rule the whole world, and establish the greatest empire once again!!!”
The yearning for glory here is not too different from what a revolutionary communist expects from the dictatorship of the proletariat, or what a chauvinist expects from an imperialist agenda that will make his nation the master of the world.
The Muslim thing to do, however, is to be more humble, modest and openhearted. The Koran tells Muslims that they are supposed to be “the best community that has been raised up for mankind.” Yet they really can’t serve that purpose if they begin by despising the rest of mankind, and claiming an ownership of God.
And Malaysia can’t really uphold the values of Islam through Islamo-tribalism.
Mustafa AKYOL
Nasty things are happening in Malaysia. Nine Christian churches have been vandalized or burnt just over the last weekend. Thank God, nobody has been hurt, yet, but the terror unleashed is terrifying enough for the Christian minority of this overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
Also thank God that the attacks were the work of a fanatic minority among Muslim Malays. Many others, including government spokesmen, denounced the barbarism. Some volunteers from Muslim nongovernmental organizations have even begun patrolling churches to protect them from possible future attacks. This is, of course, commendable.
Yet still, I think that Malays should deal not just with the radical symptoms of the problem. They should also deal with the problem itself.
A copyright of God?
The problem itself is a “copyright issue,” as Marina Mahathir, a Malay commentator, rightly put it. Christians in the country have been using the word “Allah” to refer to God in their services and publications, whereas the Malays believe that they have a monopoly on it. Hence the Muslim-dominated government recently put a ban on non-Muslims using the term. Yet last month the High Court overturned the ban. And hell broke lose.
As a Turkish Muslim, I strongly disagree with my Malaysian coreligionists who disagree with the Christians. The word “Allah” simply means “The God” in Arabic, and Arab Christians have been using it for centuries without any trouble. In Turkey, too, Bibles published by Turkish Christians used to have the term “Allah” until the recent “modernization” in their discourse. The change is their choice, and none of our business.
Most Muslims, in other words, don’t have a problem with hearing the word “Allah” from non-Muslim theists. And this is how it should be, because the Koran repeatedly says that Muslims worship the same God with Jews and Christians. "We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you,” a verse orders Muslims to tell these fellow monotheists. “Our God and your God is one."
Whence, then, comes the Malay possessiveness of Allah?
The Malaysian government argues that making Allah synonymous with God may “confuse Muslims and ultimately mislead them into converting to Christianity.” Wow, what a great sign of self-confidence. Why don’t they rather think, one wonders, that the same thing might ultimately “mislead” Christians into converting to Islam.
Besides the obvious immaturity, what is really disturbing to me here is how Allah, the “Lord of mankind” according to the Koran, is reduced to something like a tribal deity.
This was all too obvious in the slogan of the protesters at the mosques of Kuala Lumpur: "Allah,” they said, “is only for us."
But who do you think you are, one should ask. Who gives you the authority to claim that the name of God of all men is your private property?
The answer, as you can guess, lies not in theology but politics. As a piece published in these pages yesterday (Gwynne Dyer, "In the Name of Allah") explained well, the Muslim Malays, despite making up 60 percent of Malaysia, “feel perpetually insecure.” They worry that if their numbers in population decrease so will their dominant role in the country.
Hence comes Malaysia’s tyrannical bans on apostasy from Islam, limitations on mixed marriages, and the current obsession with the Christians’ language. The main intention behind these is the preservation of the dominance, and the “purity,” of a certain political community – say, a big tribe. (The medieval Islamic ban an apostasy, which has no basis in the Koran, was similarly a product of political motives.)
But pursuing the perceived interests of a political community that happens to be Muslim, is not the same thing with upholding the religious values that God has bestowed on Muslims.
The difference between the two is subtle but crucial. It is the difference between serving God, and making God serve us.
Jihad, victory and empire.
The latter motivation, I suspect, is imperative in the makeup of the self-righteous, authoritarian and violent movements in the contemporary Muslim world. These movements always strive for some victory, some political dominance, which will elevate their very selves above all other men.
The words of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian who tried to blow up a passenger airliner near Detroit two weeks ago, are quite telling. “I imagine how the great jihad will take place,” he reportedly said, “how the Muslims will win ... and rule the whole world, and establish the greatest empire once again!!!”
The yearning for glory here is not too different from what a revolutionary communist expects from the dictatorship of the proletariat, or what a chauvinist expects from an imperialist agenda that will make his nation the master of the world.
The Muslim thing to do, however, is to be more humble, modest and openhearted. The Koran tells Muslims that they are supposed to be “the best community that has been raised up for mankind.” Yet they really can’t serve that purpose if they begin by despising the rest of mankind, and claiming an ownership of God.
And Malaysia can’t really uphold the values of Islam through Islamo-tribalism.
Joys of Muslim Women by Nonie Darwish
I dont know enough about Sharia law to comment. But from reading this and others, it does seem inhumane and a cruel practice. Must prevent its introduction in other countries or societies.
Sharia law ... very scary ....
She is a real person folks so ..............
For "USA", read "UK" as well.
Be sure to Google Nonie Darwish ..... some very interesting reading. She is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity .... these revelations are from one who knows.
Nonie Darwish is real and widely published. This is sobering and disturbing material. Hard to figure how to deal with it. Reminds me of the disastrous takeover of Afghanistan by Taliban with newly imposed sharia law.
In the Muslim faith a Muslim man can marry a child as young as 1 year old and have sexual intimacy with this child.
Consummating the marriage by 9.
The dowry is given to the family in exchange for the woman (who becomes his slave) and for the purchase of the private parts of the woman, to use her as a toy.
Even though a woman is abused she can not obtain a divorce.
To prove rape, the woman must have (4) male witnesses. Often after a woman has been raped, she is returned to her family and the family must return the dowry. The family has the right to execute her (an honor killing) to restore the honor of the family.
Husbands can beat their wives 'at will' and he does not have to say why he has beaten her.
The husband is permitted to have (4 wives) and a temporary wife for an hour (prostitute) at his discretion.
The Shariah Muslim law controls the private as well as the public life of the woman.
In the West World (America & UK) Muslim men are starting to demand Shariah Law so the wife can not obtain a divorce and he can have full and complete control of her. It is amazing and alarming how many of our sisters and daughters attending American Universities are now marrying Muslim men and submitting themselves and their children unsuspectingly to the Shariah law.
By passing this on, enlightened American & UK women may avoid becoming a slave under Shariah Law.
Ripping the West in Two.
Author and lecturer Nonie Darwish says the goal of radical Islamists is to impose Shariah law on the world, ripping Western law and liberty in two. She recently authored the book, Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law.
Darwish was born in Cairo and spent her childhood in Egypt and Gaza before immigrating to America in 1978, when she was eight years old. Her father died while leading covert attacks on Israel. He was a high-ranking Egyptian military officer stationed with his family in Gaza.
When he died, he was considered a "shahid," a martyr for jihad. His posthumous status earned Nonie and her family an elevated position in Muslim society. But Darwish developed a skeptical eye at an early age. She questioned her own Muslim culture and upbringing. She converted to Christianity after hearing a Christian preacher on television.
In her latest book, Darwish warns about creeping sharia law - what it is, what it means, and how it is manifested in Islamic countries.
For the West, she says radical Islamists are working to impose sharia on the world. If that happens, Western civilization will be destroyed. Westerners generally assume all religions encourage a respect for the dignity of each individual. Islamic law (Sharia) teaches that non-Muslims should be subjugated or killed in this world.
Peace and prosperity for one's children is not as important as assuring that Islamic law rules everywhere in the Middle East and eventually in the world. While Westerners tend to think that all religions encourage some form of the golden rule, Sharia teaches two systems of ethics - one for Muslims and another for non-Muslims. Building on tribal practices of the seventh century, Sharia encourages the side of humanity that wants to take from and subjugate others.
While Westerners tend to think in terms of religious people developing a personal understanding of and relationship with God, Sharia advocates executing people who ask difficult questions that could be interpreted as criticism.
It's hard to imagine, that in this day and age, Islamic scholars agree that those who criticize Islam or choose to stop being Muslim should be executed. Sadly, while talk of an Islamic reformation is common and even assumed by many in the West, such murmurings in the Middle East are silenced through intimidation.
While Westerners are accustomed to an increase in religious tolerance over time, Darwish explains how petro dollars are being used to grow an extremely intolerant form of political Islam in her native Egypt and elsewhere.
In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President by themselves! Rest assured they will do so... You can look at how they have taken over several towns in the USA .... Dearborn Mich. is one ... and there are others.
I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but with the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on!
It is too bad that so many are disillusioned with life and Christianity to accept Muslims as peaceful .... some may be but they have an army that is willing to shed blood in the name of Islam .... the peaceful support the warriors with their finances and own kind of patriotism to their religion.
While America/UK is getting rid of Christianity from all public sites and erasing God from the lives of children the Muslims are planning a great jihad on America.
Sharia law ... very scary ....
She is a real person folks so ..............
For "USA", read "UK" as well.
Be sure to Google Nonie Darwish ..... some very interesting reading. She is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity .... these revelations are from one who knows.
Nonie Darwish is real and widely published. This is sobering and disturbing material. Hard to figure how to deal with it. Reminds me of the disastrous takeover of Afghanistan by Taliban with newly imposed sharia law.
In the Muslim faith a Muslim man can marry a child as young as 1 year old and have sexual intimacy with this child.
Consummating the marriage by 9.
The dowry is given to the family in exchange for the woman (who becomes his slave) and for the purchase of the private parts of the woman, to use her as a toy.
Even though a woman is abused she can not obtain a divorce.
To prove rape, the woman must have (4) male witnesses. Often after a woman has been raped, she is returned to her family and the family must return the dowry. The family has the right to execute her (an honor killing) to restore the honor of the family.
Husbands can beat their wives 'at will' and he does not have to say why he has beaten her.
The husband is permitted to have (4 wives) and a temporary wife for an hour (prostitute) at his discretion.
The Shariah Muslim law controls the private as well as the public life of the woman.
In the West World (America & UK) Muslim men are starting to demand Shariah Law so the wife can not obtain a divorce and he can have full and complete control of her. It is amazing and alarming how many of our sisters and daughters attending American Universities are now marrying Muslim men and submitting themselves and their children unsuspectingly to the Shariah law.
By passing this on, enlightened American & UK women may avoid becoming a slave under Shariah Law.
Ripping the West in Two.
Author and lecturer Nonie Darwish says the goal of radical Islamists is to impose Shariah law on the world, ripping Western law and liberty in two. She recently authored the book, Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law.
Darwish was born in Cairo and spent her childhood in Egypt and Gaza before immigrating to America in 1978, when she was eight years old. Her father died while leading covert attacks on Israel. He was a high-ranking Egyptian military officer stationed with his family in Gaza.
When he died, he was considered a "shahid," a martyr for jihad. His posthumous status earned Nonie and her family an elevated position in Muslim society. But Darwish developed a skeptical eye at an early age. She questioned her own Muslim culture and upbringing. She converted to Christianity after hearing a Christian preacher on television.
In her latest book, Darwish warns about creeping sharia law - what it is, what it means, and how it is manifested in Islamic countries.
For the West, she says radical Islamists are working to impose sharia on the world. If that happens, Western civilization will be destroyed. Westerners generally assume all religions encourage a respect for the dignity of each individual. Islamic law (Sharia) teaches that non-Muslims should be subjugated or killed in this world.
Peace and prosperity for one's children is not as important as assuring that Islamic law rules everywhere in the Middle East and eventually in the world. While Westerners tend to think that all religions encourage some form of the golden rule, Sharia teaches two systems of ethics - one for Muslims and another for non-Muslims. Building on tribal practices of the seventh century, Sharia encourages the side of humanity that wants to take from and subjugate others.
While Westerners tend to think in terms of religious people developing a personal understanding of and relationship with God, Sharia advocates executing people who ask difficult questions that could be interpreted as criticism.
It's hard to imagine, that in this day and age, Islamic scholars agree that those who criticize Islam or choose to stop being Muslim should be executed. Sadly, while talk of an Islamic reformation is common and even assumed by many in the West, such murmurings in the Middle East are silenced through intimidation.
While Westerners are accustomed to an increase in religious tolerance over time, Darwish explains how petro dollars are being used to grow an extremely intolerant form of political Islam in her native Egypt and elsewhere.
In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President by themselves! Rest assured they will do so... You can look at how they have taken over several towns in the USA .... Dearborn Mich. is one ... and there are others.
I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but with the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on!
It is too bad that so many are disillusioned with life and Christianity to accept Muslims as peaceful .... some may be but they have an army that is willing to shed blood in the name of Islam .... the peaceful support the warriors with their finances and own kind of patriotism to their religion.
While America/UK is getting rid of Christianity from all public sites and erasing God from the lives of children the Muslims are planning a great jihad on America.
How all Malaysians should be treated
This is a very good article from a younger generation and a great granddaughter of Tunku Abdul Rahman. A very well expressed opinion of how all Malaysians should be treated.
IF THIS IS THE VOICE OF YOUR YOUNGER GENERATION IN MALAYSIA , YOU WILL BE BLESSED.
Sharyn completed her Diploma in Advertising from Taylor's College, and then left motherland to pursue her BA degree majoring in Media Studies and Anthropology at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. While waiting for her graduation in May 08, she interned briefly at M&C Saatchi Wellington, a global advertising firm. Upon returning to Malaysia, jobless and relieved of rent payments, Sharyn stumbled upon Wild Asia through The Star which sparked her interest to learn more about nature and environmental causes. Armed with a communications background, Sharyn works on the Wild Asia website and editorial, translating geek terms into laymen language, easily accessed and understood by visitors regardless of their backgrounds, be it scientific, business, the arts or just plain interested.
By The Tunku's Great Granddaughter.
This is a great piece. She has all the qualities of her great grandfather. Tunku has reason to be proud of her!
Tunku Abdul Rahman's great granddaughter
Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan, 24, Conservationist
Both my parents are Malay. My mum's heritage includes Chinese, Thai and Arab, while my dad is Minangkabau. Due to my skin colour, I am often mistaken for a Chinese.
I'm happy that I don't have the typical Malay look but I do get annoyed when people call me Ah Moi or ask me straight up "Are you Chinese or Malay"
Like, why does it matter? Before I used to answer "Malay" but now I'm trying to consciously answer Malaysian instead.
There's this incident from primary school that I remember till today. Someone told me that I will be called last during Judgement Day because I don't have a Muslim name. Of course, I was scared then but now that I'm older, I realise that a name is just a name. It doesn't define you as a good or bad person and there is definitely no such thing as a Muslim name. You can be named Rashid or Ali and still be a Christian.
I've heard of the 1Malaysia concept, but I think we don't need to be told to be united. We've come such a long way that it should already be embedded in our hearts and minds that we are united. Unfortunately, you can still see racial discrimination and polarisation. There is still this ethno-centric view that the Malays are the dominant group and their rights must be protected, and non Malays are forever the outsiders.
For the concept to succeed, I think the government should stop with the race politics. It's tiring, really. We grew up with application forms asking us to tick our race. We should stop painting a negative image of the other races, stop thinking about 'us' and 'them' and focus on 'we', 'our' and 'Malaysians'.
No one should be made uncomfortable in their own home. A dear Chinese friend of mine said to me once, "I don't feel patriotic because I am not made to feel like Malaysia is my home, and I don't feel an affinity to China because I have never lived there.
I know some baby Nyonya friends who can trace their lineage back hundreds of years. I'm a fourth generation Malaysian. If I am Bumiputra, why can't they be, too? Clearly I have issues with the term.
I think the main reason why we still can't achieve total unity is because of this 'Malay rights' concept. I'd rather 'Malay rights' be replaced by human rights. So unless we get rid of this Bumiputra status, or reform our views and policies on rights, we will never achieve unity.
For my merdeka wish, I'd like for Malaysians to have more voice, to be respected and heard. I wish that the government would uphold the true essence of parliamentary democracy. I wish for the people to no longer fear and discriminate against each other, to see that we are one and the same.
I wish that Malaysia would truly live up to the tourism spin of Malaysia truly Asia.
IF THIS IS THE VOICE OF YOUR YOUNGER GENERATION IN MALAYSIA , YOU WILL BE BLESSED.
Sharyn completed her Diploma in Advertising from Taylor's College, and then left motherland to pursue her BA degree majoring in Media Studies and Anthropology at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. While waiting for her graduation in May 08, she interned briefly at M&C Saatchi Wellington, a global advertising firm. Upon returning to Malaysia, jobless and relieved of rent payments, Sharyn stumbled upon Wild Asia through The Star which sparked her interest to learn more about nature and environmental causes. Armed with a communications background, Sharyn works on the Wild Asia website and editorial, translating geek terms into laymen language, easily accessed and understood by visitors regardless of their backgrounds, be it scientific, business, the arts or just plain interested.
By The Tunku's Great Granddaughter.
This is a great piece. She has all the qualities of her great grandfather. Tunku has reason to be proud of her!
Tunku Abdul Rahman's great granddaughter
Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan, 24, Conservationist
Both my parents are Malay. My mum's heritage includes Chinese, Thai and Arab, while my dad is Minangkabau. Due to my skin colour, I am often mistaken for a Chinese.
I'm happy that I don't have the typical Malay look but I do get annoyed when people call me Ah Moi or ask me straight up "Are you Chinese or Malay"
Like, why does it matter? Before I used to answer "Malay" but now I'm trying to consciously answer Malaysian instead.
There's this incident from primary school that I remember till today. Someone told me that I will be called last during Judgement Day because I don't have a Muslim name. Of course, I was scared then but now that I'm older, I realise that a name is just a name. It doesn't define you as a good or bad person and there is definitely no such thing as a Muslim name. You can be named Rashid or Ali and still be a Christian.
I've heard of the 1Malaysia concept, but I think we don't need to be told to be united. We've come such a long way that it should already be embedded in our hearts and minds that we are united. Unfortunately, you can still see racial discrimination and polarisation. There is still this ethno-centric view that the Malays are the dominant group and their rights must be protected, and non Malays are forever the outsiders.
For the concept to succeed, I think the government should stop with the race politics. It's tiring, really. We grew up with application forms asking us to tick our race. We should stop painting a negative image of the other races, stop thinking about 'us' and 'them' and focus on 'we', 'our' and 'Malaysians'.
No one should be made uncomfortable in their own home. A dear Chinese friend of mine said to me once, "I don't feel patriotic because I am not made to feel like Malaysia is my home, and I don't feel an affinity to China because I have never lived there.
I know some baby Nyonya friends who can trace their lineage back hundreds of years. I'm a fourth generation Malaysian. If I am Bumiputra, why can't they be, too? Clearly I have issues with the term.
I think the main reason why we still can't achieve total unity is because of this 'Malay rights' concept. I'd rather 'Malay rights' be replaced by human rights. So unless we get rid of this Bumiputra status, or reform our views and policies on rights, we will never achieve unity.
For my merdeka wish, I'd like for Malaysians to have more voice, to be respected and heard. I wish that the government would uphold the true essence of parliamentary democracy. I wish for the people to no longer fear and discriminate against each other, to see that we are one and the same.
I wish that Malaysia would truly live up to the tourism spin of Malaysia truly Asia.
NOTE : I have deleted the paragraph that Ms Sharyn Shufyan had clarified on. Thank you Sharyn for the clarification.
Interesting Perspectives!!!
Can be scary even for true peace loving God-abiding Muslims themselves in the long run!!!
Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.
Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.
When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.
Here's how it works:
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be, for the most part, be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:
United States -- Muslim 0.6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%
At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:
Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4..6%
From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats
for failure to comply. This is occurring in:
France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- Muslim 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.!
When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:
Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%
After reaching 20% , nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:
Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%
At 40% , nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%
From 60% , nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax
placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%
After 80% , expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:
Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan -- Muslim 100 %
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%
Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.
'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'
It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.
Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century at their current rate of reproduction.
Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book:
Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat
Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.
Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.
When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.
Here's how it works:
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be, for the most part, be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:
United States -- Muslim 0.6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%
At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:
Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4..6%
From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats
for failure to comply. This is occurring in:
France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- Muslim 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.!
When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:
Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%
After reaching 20% , nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:
Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%
At 40% , nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%
From 60% , nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax
placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%
After 80% , expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:
Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan -- Muslim 100 %
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%
Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.
'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'
It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.
Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century at their current rate of reproduction.
Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book:
Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat
Australian Prime Minister does it again!!
Thought you'd find this interesting, was picked up in Canadian press.
He's done it again. He sure isn't backing down on his hard line stance and one has to appreciate his belief in the rights of his native countrymen.
This man should be appointed King of the World. Truer words have never been spoken.
It took a lot of courage for this man to speak what he had to say for the world to hear. The retribution could be phenomenal, but at least he was willing to take a stand on his and Austrilia's beliefs.
Whole world Needs A Leader Like This!
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks..
Separately, Rudd angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote:
'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. '
'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'
'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!'
'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'
'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'
'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'
'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'
Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, we will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths.
He's done it again. He sure isn't backing down on his hard line stance and one has to appreciate his belief in the rights of his native countrymen.
This man should be appointed King of the World. Truer words have never been spoken.It took a lot of courage for this man to speak what he had to say for the world to hear. The retribution could be phenomenal, but at least he was willing to take a stand on his and Austrilia's beliefs.
Whole world Needs A Leader Like This!
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks..
Separately, Rudd angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote:
'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. '
'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'
'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!'
'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'
'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'
'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'
'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'
Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, we will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths.
Good joke for year 2010
Guess you will know where this is coming from!!!!????
A man came home from work and his children ran to him and called out ‘Ayah! Ayah!’
His neighbor got very upset and said to him, “Can you please tell your children not to call you ‘Ayah’?”
The man asked, “Why?”
The neighbor retorted, “Because my children call me ’Ayah’ too. They might get confused and mistake you to be their father.”
Then the man told his neighbour, are you not ashamed to say that your children do not know who is their 'Ayah'. So you are saying by using the word 'Ayah' ,your children will call me Ayah too without knowing who is their father?
The neighbour said yes,only my children should use the word 'Ayah'.
The man said, then there is something wrong in what you are teaching your children.They are not sure and do not know who their 'Ayah' is !!
A man came home from work and his children ran to him and called out ‘Ayah! Ayah!’
His neighbor got very upset and said to him, “Can you please tell your children not to call you ‘Ayah’?”
The man asked, “Why?”
The neighbor retorted, “Because my children call me ’Ayah’ too. They might get confused and mistake you to be their father.”
Then the man told his neighbour, are you not ashamed to say that your children do not know who is their 'Ayah'. So you are saying by using the word 'Ayah' ,your children will call me Ayah too without knowing who is their father?
The neighbour said yes,only my children should use the word 'Ayah'.
The man said, then there is something wrong in what you are teaching your children.They are not sure and do not know who their 'Ayah' is !!
Man rapes ex-girlfriend's mother
The Straits Times, March 9, 2010
By Selina Lum & Sujin Thomas
He gets 25 years' jail and 24 strokes for tying her up for six hours, raping her in her bed
FOR six hours, a 27-year-old man tormented the mother of his former girlfriend whom he had bound and gagged.
He finished by raping her in her bed, and helped himself to $100 from her wallet and her cellphone before leaving the scene.
The fast-food delivery man was yesterday jailed for 25 years and ordered to be given the maximum 24 strokes of the cane, following Deputy Public Prosecutor Chua Ying-hong's argument for the 'harshest punishment' for his relentless attacks on the 48-year-old divorcee.
Ms Chua told the High Court: 'The accused had callously violated the sanctity of the victim's body and home, immobilising her for an extended period of almost six hours, during which he treated her as his personal sex slave.'
The man cannot be named because the court has barred the publication of any information that may identify the victim.
The court heard that he had already broken up with the victim's daughter, but had continued visiting her and her mother.
In the early hours of April 4 last year, he let himself into the flat, using the keys he had stolen from the premises five months earlier.
Knowing his former girlfriend to be out that night, he entered the flat at about 1am, wearing gloves and a T-shirt over his head to hide his face.
He made his way to the older woman's room, where he bound and gagged her with masking tape. He tied her arms to the bedpost and tried to rape her, but was unsuccessful despite several attempts.
The daughter returned at 4am and headed straight to her bedroom, oblivious to what was happening to her mother.
The man fondled and then raped the woman, who made repeated pleas to go to the toilet throughout her ordeal.
He eventually left at 7am with her money and her cellphone, leaving her tied up. She freed herself an hour later.
The man was arrested almost three weeks later, following police investigations.
His DNA matched that of the semen he left on the woman's body and clothes.
In court yesterday, the man, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for leniency through a Malay interpreter, saying he had an aged mother and a seven- month-old child to support. He is not married.
In sentencing him yesterday on four charges, including aggravated rape and housebreaking, Justice Chan Seng Onn noted that the offences were pre-meditated.
'You terrorised the victim for a prolonged period of some six hours,' said the judge.
The woman declined to be interviewed yesterday, but her daughter, aged 25, said she rued the day she met the man in 2000.
She said they broke up after a short while, but could not recall exactly when.
He had once showered concern on her and her mother, and would at times bring them food.
But those days are long gone.
The daughter said: 'My mum wonders how he had the cheek to plan and do something like this.'
She added that what galls her was how the man's current girlfriend called her repeatedly after his arrest to persuade her to put in a good word for him and 'reduce' his punishment.
'Some people can change but he is one of those who cannot,' said the daughter.
Her mother has since returned to work and their lives have resumed a semblance of normalcy.
The daughter said: 'Her life has gone back to normal.
'But it's not easy to forgive and forget.'
By Selina Lum & Sujin Thomas
He gets 25 years' jail and 24 strokes for tying her up for six hours, raping her in her bed
FOR six hours, a 27-year-old man tormented the mother of his former girlfriend whom he had bound and gagged.
He finished by raping her in her bed, and helped himself to $100 from her wallet and her cellphone before leaving the scene.
The fast-food delivery man was yesterday jailed for 25 years and ordered to be given the maximum 24 strokes of the cane, following Deputy Public Prosecutor Chua Ying-hong's argument for the 'harshest punishment' for his relentless attacks on the 48-year-old divorcee.
Ms Chua told the High Court: 'The accused had callously violated the sanctity of the victim's body and home, immobilising her for an extended period of almost six hours, during which he treated her as his personal sex slave.'
The man cannot be named because the court has barred the publication of any information that may identify the victim.
The court heard that he had already broken up with the victim's daughter, but had continued visiting her and her mother.
In the early hours of April 4 last year, he let himself into the flat, using the keys he had stolen from the premises five months earlier.
Knowing his former girlfriend to be out that night, he entered the flat at about 1am, wearing gloves and a T-shirt over his head to hide his face.
He made his way to the older woman's room, where he bound and gagged her with masking tape. He tied her arms to the bedpost and tried to rape her, but was unsuccessful despite several attempts.
The daughter returned at 4am and headed straight to her bedroom, oblivious to what was happening to her mother.
The man fondled and then raped the woman, who made repeated pleas to go to the toilet throughout her ordeal.
He eventually left at 7am with her money and her cellphone, leaving her tied up. She freed herself an hour later.
The man was arrested almost three weeks later, following police investigations.
His DNA matched that of the semen he left on the woman's body and clothes.
In court yesterday, the man, who did not have a lawyer, pleaded for leniency through a Malay interpreter, saying he had an aged mother and a seven- month-old child to support. He is not married.
In sentencing him yesterday on four charges, including aggravated rape and housebreaking, Justice Chan Seng Onn noted that the offences were pre-meditated.
'You terrorised the victim for a prolonged period of some six hours,' said the judge.
The woman declined to be interviewed yesterday, but her daughter, aged 25, said she rued the day she met the man in 2000.
She said they broke up after a short while, but could not recall exactly when.
He had once showered concern on her and her mother, and would at times bring them food.
But those days are long gone.
The daughter said: 'My mum wonders how he had the cheek to plan and do something like this.'
She added that what galls her was how the man's current girlfriend called her repeatedly after his arrest to persuade her to put in a good word for him and 'reduce' his punishment.
'Some people can change but he is one of those who cannot,' said the daughter.
Her mother has since returned to work and their lives have resumed a semblance of normalcy.
The daughter said: 'Her life has gone back to normal.
'But it's not easy to forgive and forget.'
Life's a beach but it's no holiday
The Straits Times, March9, 2010
Parents' irresponsibility, greed and policy are depriving kids of homes
By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent
MR I.B. YUSOF, a father of four young children, sold three Housing Board flats in nine years, netting $90,000 in profits.
Flush with cash after the first two sales, Mr Yusof, 44, took out a hefty bank loan and upgraded to a four-room flat in 2005. At the time, the sole breadwinner, who has a hearing-impaired wife, earned only $800 per month. He hoped to get a better job to pay for the new flat.
Then his fortunes dived. He lost his job as a technician in early 2006 and was unemployed for the next nine months. Living expenses ate up most of his savings. Unable to pay his loans, he was forced to sell his home in 2007.
The family stayed with relatives for nearly two years before being thrown out last June after his 13-year-old daughter was accused of theft. The beach became their home.
On Feb 21, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong advised Singaporeans not to sell their flats to make a quick buck. Days after his comments, two MPs told Parliament last week how, going by the cases they have handled, many families end up homeless because they sell off their flats and spend the cash.
The number of homeless people being picked up at beaches, void decks and parks has doubled in two years, with about 300 such individuals and families seeking help from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports last year alone.
Unlike in some countries, where people are often too poor to rent - let alone buy - their first home, homelessness in Singapore is often the result of personal irresponsibility, stemming from avarice or divorce and dysfunction.
Some, like Mr Yusof, commit to homes more expensive than they can afford. Others sell their homes for cash to settle gambling or credit card debts, and end up on the beach.
The HDB's move last week banning buyers of resale flats from selling them within three years of purchase will no doubt prevent some cash-strapped folk from churning their homes to pay off debts. But further changes - both at the personal and policy level - could help nip this nascent trend of homelessness in the bud. As the sorry sagas of Mr Yusof and others show, personal prudence is paramount.
Some wealthier folks who have alternative housing still try their luck at a highly subsidised rental flat, clogging up the queue for those genuinely without a roof over their heads. Some time ago, HDB discovered that one retired couple in the rental flat queue had no income, but owned nine private properties worth $6 million. Such people delay the truly needy from getting shelter.
At the systemic level, better credit assessment on the part of those who disburse loans can help weed out potential home buyers aiming to spend beyond their means. For instance, Mr Yusof was given a bank loan large enough to buy a four-room flat when his $800 a month was the only income for his family of six.
It's also time to ensure that irresponsible home sellers with no alternative accommodation don't fritter away profits - and waste the housing subsidies they receive from the HDB. For instance, those earning below a certain limit who have made use of HDB subsidies could be barred from selling their flats even after they have satisfied the HDB-stipulated minimum occupation period unless they can prove they have another place to live in the long term. The flats, after all, were subsidised by the Government so that they could be homes first, not assets to be pawned on a whim.
Meanwhile, families who are already homeless or on the verge of losing their homes also need more help.
The only two temporary shelters for such folk are packed, with dozens of families on the waiting list. More shelters are needed so that the children of the homeless, in particular, have a home, as social workers sort out the mess in their parents' lives.
The allocation of rental flats could also be made more flexible and fast for those who lose homes through no fault of their own - such as the elderly, divorced mothers and, above all, children. Contrary to popular belief, not all those in danger of losing their homes are feckless folk caught in an endless cycle of over-consumption.
One 27-year-old divorcee, who earns $800 a month and has never taken an HDB loan, was repeatedly denied the chance to rent or buy a resale flat with her six-year-old daughter because the child was born out of wedlock.
The duo shared a one-room flat with her siblings for a year. But the others drank and smoked heavily and brought home strangers at night. After this newspaper inquired about her plight with the HDB, she was told she would be given a rental flat on 'compassionate' grounds. She faces a year-long wait for a home - no thanks to those who could find some other place to stay but who try their luck for a rental flat.
The Government has so far shied away from automatically granting rental flats to mothers with young children for fear that the move will cause an explosion in divorce rates or illegitimate births. This fear is not unfounded. Britain, which offers the most generous welfare benefits for single mothers, also has the highest divorce rate in Europe. In a case that made headlines in Britain last month, a single mother of six rented a mansion in a London suburb for £7,000 (S$14,800) a month - fully paid for by taxpayers.
No one wants such excesses. But Singapore is probably near the other end of the scale at present, in terms of help for unwed or divorced mothers and their children. Shifting a step closer to the middle ground - like building more shelters for the homeless - would help.
A parsimonious approach that restricts help for the homeless for fear of moral hazard or 'abuse' actually creates problems in the long run if the children in homeless families do not get a chance to straighten out their lives.
Take the Yusof family. The elder daughter sat her Primary School Leaving Examination twice while the family shuttled between relatives' homes. She failed both times. I asked the reticent teen if the lack of a proper home had contributed to her poor performance. Her tears were the only answer.
Policies penalise parents for their reckless misdeeds. But their innocent children should be spared the consequences.
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