tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57869628482471801452024-03-13T19:55:20.784+08:00Notes to MyselfThinking aloud allowedAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-7834646446483752702015-06-28T08:34:00.000+08:002015-06-28T08:36:13.044+08:00"Origins" by Charles Darwin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7CXS2hnP-WA/VY8wLKaKRVI/AAAAAAAAGqc/893WgRS9l30/s1600/origin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7CXS2hnP-WA/VY8wLKaKRVI/AAAAAAAAGqc/893WgRS9l30/s320/origin.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I grew up in the belief that creation was opposed to evolution: man was either created by God OR he evolved from monkeys. 'Belief' according to Bucky, is when you let someone else do the thinking for you - lazy me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Charles Darwin first published his book in 1859 with the title "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" and it has been available ever since. I never had any intention of reading this book but for the fact that someone had translated this book into Malay and the Malaysian Authorities thought fit to BAN the translation, though not the original English. (Read my post <a href="http://shaik-dawood.blogspot.com/2014/05/origin-of-species.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) I <i><b>had</b></i> to read the book for myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I remember reading somewhere that "Origin of Species", Thomas Malthus's "An Essay on the Principal on Population" and Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" form the '</i>triumvirate<i>' of Capitalism - now 2 other books on my 'to read' list.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I got the book on-line. It's not easy reading, the language can be a little too technical for a 'lay-person' like me, but I persevered as I wanted to know how this book was going to affect my <b><i>Islamic Faith</i></b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I consider myself orthodox in matters of my Faith and I did not find anything in this book that would challenge that. In fact, Darwin appears to be a deeply religious man (Christian though and not Muslim) in this book. He does not challenge God as I have heard some accusing him of.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"... it is just as noble a conception of the Deity to believe that He created a few original forms capable of self-development into other needful forms, as to believe that He required a fresh act of creation to supply the voids caused by the action of His laws." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nature according to him, is not necessarily the creative agent (i.e. God) but "the agent of an agent (God)".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is also no mention in this book of man being descended from monkeys. That is the subject of another book, "The Descent of Man" published in 1871.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ivGPbgsNs1A/VY84cKdaT6I/AAAAAAAAGqs/tKqS2NbYTn4/s1600/Editorial_cartoon_depicting_Charles_Darwin_as_an_ape_%25281871%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ivGPbgsNs1A/VY84cKdaT6I/AAAAAAAAGqs/tKqS2NbYTn4/s320/Editorial_cartoon_depicting_Charles_Darwin_as_an_ape_%25281871%2529.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.370400428772px; line-height: 17.3185615539551px; text-align: start;">An 1871 caricature following publication of </span><i style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.370400428772px; line-height: 17.3185615539551px; text-align: start;"><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Descent_of_Man" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="The Descent of Man">The Descent of Man</a></i><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.370400428772px; line-height: 17.3185615539551px; text-align: start;"> was typical of many showing Darwin with an </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ape" style="background: none rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.370400428772px; line-height: 17.3185615539551px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" title="Ape">ape</a><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.370400428772px; line-height: 17.3185615539551px; text-align: start;"> body, identifying him in popular culture as the leading author of evolutionary theory.<br />(<i>Image and caption from Wikipedia.</i>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Could it be that our Authorities were actually spooked by the sub-title of the book, "Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life"? I wonder how it would have looked in translation.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-76569651747279710692015-06-03T21:41:00.001+08:002015-06-03T21:41:33.171+08:00When Asking Questions is DangerousI came across this article in <a href="http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/zurairi-ar/article/when-asking-questions-is-dangerous" target="_blank">themalaymailonline.com </a>and I wanted to share my 2 sen worth here.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-msLK5uhrfRg/VW7yhflBFPI/AAAAAAAAGqE/2UnLpcUhf5U/s1600/WanSulaiman_620_413_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-msLK5uhrfRg/VW7yhflBFPI/AAAAAAAAGqE/2UnLpcUhf5U/s320/WanSulaiman_620_413_100.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, San-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wan Sulaiman Wan Ismail<br />(photo from themalaymailonline.com)</span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US">In my experience, people ask questions for one of two reasons - (1) they don't know something and are keen to know or (2) they are not really interested in knowing but want to show off as someone superior to the person being questioned. There may be other reasons but I have no experience with those others.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The subject of the article, Wan Sulaiman Wan Ismail, is what some would call "Anti-Hadith" (I think 'name calling' makes it easier to demonize someo</span>ne). </div>
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Actually asking questions is encouraged in the Quran. Even the Prophets asked questions of Allah. Take the example of Prophet Ibrahim AS who wanted to know how Allah returns life to one who has died. Was the Prophet Ibrahim AS of weak faith?</div>
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Logic, however, tells me that when I have a question I need to ask, I need to approach someone who would be in a position to answer. When it concerns my heart (the organ in my body that pumps blood) I talk to a cardiologist not my GP, although the GP would be the first person I approach.</div>
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Similarly, concerning Islam talk to the 'experts' in the particular branch of 'religious knowledge' not the 'Ustadz Pondok' (village teacher). More so when the Ustadz tries to stop you from questioning.</div>
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Coming back to the article, Wan Sulaiman (I am only inferring here) seems to have read the Quran.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, San-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, San-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">".... Wan Sulaiman wanted to know the origin of the</span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, San-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> shahadah</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, San-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">, which comes in two parts: to declare a Muslim’s belief in the oneness of Allah, and the acceptance of Muhammad as Allah’s prophet.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, San-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
Indeed, a semblance of the first part was mentioned in the Quran, specifically verse 3:18. But one might ask: where did the second part come from?"</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Verse 3:18 is verse 18 of Surah Al-Imran which translates as, "<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>There is no god but He</i></b>: that is the witness of Allah, His Angels,
and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>There
is no god but He</i></b>, the Exalted in Power, the Wise."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When he read that, how come he missed Surah Al-Fath verse 29, "</span><b><i>Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah</i></b>; ……. " (48:29)</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Translation from: The Meaning of the
Holy Quran; Text, Translation and Commentary; by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Published
by Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur (2010 Reprint). (<i>There are so many Abdullah Yusuf Ali translations that I need to be specific which translation I referred to</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-49116642458485199742014-12-26T23:31:00.000+08:002014-12-26T23:31:05.451+08:00Without Allah who will help? – Orang Asli Christians<span style="font-size: large;">The above title is the title of a post that appeared in the blog "uppercaise" (<a href="http://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2014/12/25/without-allah-who-will-help-orang-asli-christians/" target="_blank">click here to read</a>) which was adapted from the Malaysian Insider. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In that posting, Bong Alang, the village headman is quoted as saying, "Without 'Allah' who is going to help us? This is our history, how are we supposed to suddenly change God's name?" </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">A picture of the hymnal (which was seized by the police but was subsequently returned) was also included in the post.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xEiKh1JGOa4/VJ125iLrxUI/AAAAAAAAGn8/byjaQ-CKuIE/s1600/ORANG_ASLI_CHRISTIAN_211214_TMINAZIRSUFARI_24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xEiKh1JGOa4/VJ125iLrxUI/AAAAAAAAGn8/byjaQ-CKuIE/s1600/ORANG_ASLI_CHRISTIAN_211214_TMINAZIRSUFARI_24.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I find the headman's question a little strange and they have chosen to omit a comma in the hymnal's title. Why I think so?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Well according to the Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4 reads, "<i><b>Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one!</b></i>" and also Mark 12:29, "<i><b>... Hear, O Israel, the LORD our GOD is one.</b></i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Al-Kitab translates the above verses as: "<i><b>Dengarlah, hai orang Israel: TUHAN itu Allah kita, TUHAN itu esa!</b></i>" (Ulangan 6:4) and "<b><i>... Dengarlah, hai orang Israel, Tuhan Allah kita, Tuhan itu esa.</i></b>" (Markus 12:19)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Or does the headman use a different translation of the Bible?</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-10780558821929368382014-05-10T15:38:00.001+08:002014-05-10T15:40:51.435+08:00Is the Sharia really bloodthirsty?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ilBdRiETVQo" width="480"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-26541181611170224652014-05-07T00:59:00.000+08:002014-05-07T00:59:48.701+08:00Origin of SpeciesIt was interesting to hear that the Malay translation of the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin is banned in Malaysia. (Read about it <a href="http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/how-is-translated-darwin-a-danger-to-malays-asks-dap-mp" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cr2oZXN0c8Q/U2kMln8WzmI/AAAAAAAAGmc/eq-JogVCvJ4/s1600/Origin_of_Species_title_page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cr2oZXN0c8Q/U2kMln8WzmI/AAAAAAAAGmc/eq-JogVCvJ4/s1600/Origin_of_Species_title_page.jpg" height="320" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image from Wikipedia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even more interesting is the reason for the ban - "endangers public harmony" and "... it goes against Islamic teachings ..."; AND the ban only applies to the translation not the original English version.<br />
<br />
I have only read an illustrated and abridged version of the book (comic book version) which I got at one of the Big Bad Wolf sales some years ago. While the book has some interesting theories about 'natural selection' it did not actually disprove the 'creation theory' many people who believe in religion hold to. At least that was what I understood then.<br />
<br />
There is a saying that the sleep of a knowledgeable person is superior to the ritual worship of an ignorant one. I'm sure the authorities here are also aware of that saying but are choosing to define knowledgeable and ignorant within very narrow limits.<br />
<br />
I wonder what would happen if "The God Delusion" gets translated. After all that he writes, the best Richard Dawkins can arrive at is 'God probably does not exist'. To me that's another way of saying 'He probably does'.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zkwpnk-oAxA/U2kMoRHgKlI/AAAAAAAAGmk/pkyNT01MYa8/s1600/The_God_Delusion_UK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zkwpnk-oAxA/U2kMoRHgKlI/AAAAAAAAGmk/pkyNT01MYa8/s1600/The_God_Delusion_UK.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image from Wikipedia</i></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-61588218228813226742014-04-15T23:25:00.000+08:002014-04-15T23:25:39.131+08:00End to the "Allah" issue?<span style="background-color: white; color: #20124d; font-size: x-large;">"All right to use Allah"</span>, says the Sun quoting Selangor Executive Councillor for Islamic Affairs, Sallehin Mukhyi. (Read the report <a href="http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1016531" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
<br />
According to the report, Non-Muslims can use "Allah" provided it is not 'misused' such as to propagate other religions among Muslims.<br />
<br />
Isn't propagating other religions to Muslims against our Federal Constitution, with or without use of the word "Allah"?<br />
<br />
What about the misuse of the word in the Al-Kitab for god and gods (lower-case or small 'g')? As far as I know, there is no 'allah' (lower-case or small 'a') in Malay or even in English. (I had to disregard spell-check.) It is definitely not found in the Arabic Bible (Al-Kitab Al-Mukhandas) - there are no upper/lower case letters in the Arabic Language.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bXUcQ-K5vhM/U01M79B-SyI/AAAAAAAAGmI/BBfuTjIyXhs/s1600/arabicbible.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bXUcQ-K5vhM/U01M79B-SyI/AAAAAAAAGmI/BBfuTjIyXhs/s1600/arabicbible.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arabic Bible<br />
(from Google Images)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I found this on someone's Facebook wall (I've forgotten whose) some time ago and I think I'll share it here. No special reason but you're free to think whatever you want. I'm not responsible for your thoughts.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HASObq8w2tw/U01M1kcUhyI/AAAAAAAAGmE/b24gjYf4yl4/s1600/1926851_845106345506666_1086362173_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HASObq8w2tw/U01M1kcUhyI/AAAAAAAAGmE/b24gjYf4yl4/s1600/1926851_845106345506666_1086362173_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-24726842987068733472014-03-30T02:18:00.000+08:002014-03-30T02:18:15.100+08:00Malaysia Airlines MH370 again<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hPBsU5uJrhU/UzcBH5rflwI/AAAAAAAAGlk/ehj9pGFB230/s1600/stat+strong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hPBsU5uJrhU/UzcBH5rflwI/AAAAAAAAGlk/ehj9pGFB230/s1600/stat+strong.png" height="278" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Malaysia Airlines MH370 - Tribute<br />on Facebook</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I love a good story, and the speculations and conspiracy theories surrounding the disappearance of Flight MH370 provides for some awesome reading. Don't get me wrong, my thoughts and prayers are still with those aboard that flight and their grieving families. I am still hopeful of a happy ending. I have a strong belief that miracles do happen.<br />
<br />
Among all those stories, I am (or rather was) of the opinion that the only plausible theory was that of the Canadian pilot who thinks that the pilot of MH370 was turning back towards Langkawi but, for whatever reason, he was overcome and the plane probably crashed into the Indian Ocean. The place to look for debris would be following the trajectory the plane would have taken flying over Langkawi.<br />
<br />
A day after the Kajang elections, the Prime Minister announces that the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean and it is presumed that there are no survivors. At this point there was no evidence one way or other, making me wonder how or why they came to this conclusion.<br />
<br />
Soon after there are satellite images of 2 pieces of debris some 2,500 miles off Perth, Australia. Then the number became more than 100 and rose to over 300. Our oceans are indeed polluted.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A5rMitigb6M/UzcBKsEYT0I/AAAAAAAAGls/DyziejB4C_I/s1600/diego_garcia_locator_map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A5rMitigb6M/UzcBKsEYT0I/AAAAAAAAGls/DyziejB4C_I/s1600/diego_garcia_locator_map.gif" height="161" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copied from www.globalresearch.ca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Looking at the map of the search area, the "Diego Gracia" theory suddenly seemed plausible, more so than the "Langkawi" one. Then our Government had a moment of genius and the search area was moved away from that location.<br />
<br />
After nearly one month, no evidence of a crash has been forthcoming. Add to that the Prime Minister's use of "condolence" and "bereaved" even on the first day the plane was declared missing, are we to suspect some form of a cover-up with the tacit approval of the Malaysian Government.<br />
<br />
Like they say, "the Plot thickens."<br />
<br />
Do continue to remember the passengers and crew of MH370 and their families in your thoughts and prayers.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-10331396595761811552014-03-10T10:59:00.001+08:002014-03-10T10:59:35.057+08:00Malaysia Airlines MH370At this moment, my thoughts and prayers are with those on board the missing flight MH370 and all their family and friends. I am still hoping for a miracle to happen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xsvrf75tdAk/Ux0hFsrlQuI/AAAAAAAAGko/Z5J6Z5v3ouw/s1600/10005823_711512305567544_1386388699_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xsvrf75tdAk/Ux0hFsrlQuI/AAAAAAAAGko/Z5J6Z5v3ouw/s1600/10005823_711512305567544_1386388699_o.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand sculpture at Puri Beach, India<br />from the Facebook page "Malaysia Airlines MH370- Tribute"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What irks me about all this is that with 300 odd lives at stake, the people resposible just took their own b****y time to react. A plane goes missing at 2.30 a.m. (even earlier than 1.30 a.m. by some accounts) and they only alert the rescue control center at 5.30 a.m. What if their own family was on board?<br />
<br />
Then they call for press conference after press conference - come prepared lah, don't let the journalists get the better of you. From what I saw, the journalists were better informed than the panel.<br />
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I used to know a guy who was the PA for a federal minister. Whenever his minister was to attend a press conference or any meeting for that matter, he would be frantically running around to prepare a brief which included answers to possible questions that may be posted. Don't they have good PAs anymore these days.<br />
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They tell us not to speculate and the PM goes on to use the words like "bereaved" and "condolences". What are we supposed to make of that?<br />
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To top it all we have the morons who, because they HAVE to say something, post the darnnest things on social media not at all bothered about the sensitivities involved. And the bigger morons who actually share these postings.<br />
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When this is all over, and I hope and pray that it will end well, I think we need to evaluate our crisis management capabilities, even for us as individuals in our own homes.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-92184447544075596162014-01-14T01:09:00.000+08:002014-01-14T01:09:26.713+08:00Maulid Rasul - Should we or shouldn't we?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-atV-Gy3-zzU/UtQJ2gZExUI/AAAAAAAAGkU/x6O-RL7MMdA/s1600/IMG_4875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-atV-Gy3-zzU/UtQJ2gZExUI/AAAAAAAAGkU/x6O-RL7MMdA/s320/IMG_4875.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Prophet's Masjid showing the green dome<br /> above the final resting place of the Prophet SAAW</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today (14 Jan 2014) is a public holiday in Malaysia in conjunction with <i>Maulidul Rasul</i> or the Birthday of the Prophet (<i>Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Ah'lihi Wa Sallam</i>).<br />
<br />
Maulid has been celebrated here as far back as I can remember. When I was younger I used to attend the Maulid recitals (poetry composed in honor of the Prophet SAAW) during the first 12 days of Rabiul Awal at Masjid India Kuala Lumpur. I even took part in the Maulid procession that was held from Stadium Merdeka to Masjid Negara in those days.<br />
<br />
These days there are some who speak against this practice of celebrating Maulid. They claim that this is a new innovation (<i>bida'ah</i>). They say that the Prophet SAAW nor his Noble Companions celebrated it, neither did any of the Imams of the Four Schools of Jurisprudence.<br />
<br />
They go on to claim that this was started by the Fatimid Caliphs in Egypt who were Shiites. This is probably true and for the same reasons why Governments today sponsor concerts i.e. to lull the population into a feeling of complacency and/or contentment.<br />
<br />
To be fair to these people, no one knows when exactly the Prophet SAAW was born. Various historians have proposed various dates. They are not even agreed on the month. While many give the year as 'the year of the elephant', there are those who place it a few years after or even before that year. I have read one narration claiming the birth occurred 15 years before the year of the elephant.<br />
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The only thing certain from authentic traditions (<i>hadith</i>) is the the Prophet SAAW was born on a Monday. That was why he (SAAW) used to fast on Mondays.<br />
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Hey! Wait a minute, doesn't this mean that the Prophet SAAW did celebrate his (SAAW) birthday every week? The Companions used to follow him (SAAW) as do many of us to this day. So where does this "The Prophet SAAW and his Companions <b>NEVER</b> celebrated his (SAAW) birthday" come from? If by "it" they mean that we should not be celebrating the Maulid only annually but on a more frequent interval, then I think we should all agree.<br />
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Maybe it is the poetry recital that these people are against. I do not understand Arabic, so I have to rely on translations. The poems for the most part trace the life of the Prophet SAAW and his achievements. In one or two places though the praise heaped on the Prophet SAAW is rather excessive. I don't know if this is what the poet meant or if it's just what was understood by the translator. Either way, the proper thing would be to correct the mistake rather than 'ban' the poem.<br />
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We are living some fourteen hundred over years from the time of the Prophet SAAW and it is always a good idea to re-connect with the Prophet SAAW by reading his SAAW <i><b>seerah</b></i> (life history) listening to lectures on it. The Maulid celebrations provide an opportunity for this to happen.<br />
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One thing we are surely missing in our lives is the <i><b>ADAB</b></i> (often translated as '<i>good manners</i>' and/or '<i>courtesy</i>' but I think it means very much more than these) thought by the Prophet SAAW. When we do that, all this bickering among ourselves will be a thing of the past.<br />
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Coming back to "Should we or shouldn't we?" I respect whatever your choice, but do have the <i><b>adab</b></i> to respect the choice of others who may differ from you.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-42549519602526706962014-01-04T20:55:00.000+08:002014-01-04T20:55:44.722+08:00The ALLAH Issue Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z_rCBuQ8HxE/UsgBcT0pLMI/AAAAAAAAGkE/HhzL0pWqb4Y/s1600/url.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z_rCBuQ8HxE/UsgBcT0pLMI/AAAAAAAAGkE/HhzL0pWqb4Y/s320/url.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">This time the Selangor Islamic Religious
Department (JAIS) has raided the Bible Society of Malaysia. Even if there was a need for it, the reported
high-handed manner in which it was carried out does not bode well for
inter-ethnic, inter-religious relations in the country, and the raid itself could be illegal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Then there is news that some political groups
want to picket in front of churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Police have issued a ‘stern’ warning against this, but considering the parties
involved, we need to wait and see what happens and how the Police will respond.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">As I have voiced out before the Islamic
Authorities, both at Federal and State levels, seem to insult the intelligence
of Muslims in the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They think
that we are some sort of imbeciles who cannot think for ourselves and they have
to do the thinking for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">And just because the Christian God does not
have a proper name, the Church should not be adamant in misusing words to
insult other faiths, in this case Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(<i>The Arabic alphabet does not have upper and lower case letters, how is
‘<b>allah</b>’ written in the Arabic Bible?</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">The only way forward, in my view, is for the
Church to work with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to produce a Malay version
of the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(If you have a better
solution, please feel free to voice it.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">This will not only resolve the issue of the
‘Allah’ word, but all the words that are ‘banned’, not because “<i>Muslims will
get confused</i>” as the authorities seem to think, but to maintain the <b><i>integrity
of meaning</i></b> of those words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">When we want to say ‘The Late so-and-so’ in
Malay, it is <i><b>AlMarhum</b></i> Tengku Abdul Rahman, <b><i>Allahyarham</i></b> Tun Abdul Razak, and <b><i>Mendiang</i></b>
Tun Tan Siew Sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not about the
person writing, it could be Johan or John, it is about the person referred to,
whether Royalty, an ordinary Muslim or a non-Muslim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Similarly, ‘<b><i>Firman</i></b>’ in Malay is exclusively for
what Allah says in the Quran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it is
something that the Prophet said, the word is ‘<b><i>Sabda</i></b>’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The King ‘<b><i>titah</i></b>’ and the rest of us ‘<b><i>kata</i></b>’.<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (I hope you get where I'm going.)</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">If a non-Muslim is Guest of Honor at a breaking
of fast ceremony, and in his/her speech, he/she decides to quote from the
Quran, he/she should be able to say, “<i><b>Allah </b>ber<b>firman</b> dalam AlQuran…</i>” There is no ambiguity is what is said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">There are those who say that language is ever
changing and meanings change with the times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am well aware of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A word,
which, in my younger days, would have meant what a happy and jovial character I
was, will only raise eyebrows if I described myself as such now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I want to see religious terms
reduced to that level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-80167237416188387302013-12-31T23:21:00.001+08:002013-12-31T23:21:45.379+08:00Take not Jews and Christians for your friends...Can I send Christmas greetings? Can I join in the celebrations? The authorities are no help. On the one hand they say NO! and on the other hand our leaders are officiating Christian functions. Then again I don't need to worry, Christmas is over and 2014 is upon us.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tYaYfNp5Zao/UsIsyQXI-FI/AAAAAAAAGjs/eMn8rGt70dA/s1600/Jerusalem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tYaYfNp5Zao/UsIsyQXI-FI/AAAAAAAAGjs/eMn8rGt70dA/s320/Jerusalem.JPG" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Some views of Jerusalem</b><br />
(Image from Wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the Quran, verse 51 of Surah Al Maidah translates as follows: "O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily God guides not a people unjust." (Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation)<br />
<br />
I do not have Jewish friends but many of my friends consider themselves Christians. So how?<br />
<br />
My problem often is trying to understand specific verses independently of other verses, forgetting that the Quran should be taken as a whole and that should form the basis of guidance for Muslims. It's like taking only the beginning portion of the Muslim's Attestation of Faith (<i>Kalimah Shahadah</i>) i.e. "I believe that there is no god" and then going on to claim that Muslims are closet atheists. (Richard Dawkins should be pleased.)<br />
<br />
Earlier this year I performed my <b><i>Umrah</i>/<i>Ziarah</i></b> (Lesser Pilgrimage to the Grand Masjid in Makkah and Visitation to the Prophet's Masjid in Madinah) which included a stop-over in Jordan and a visit to Jerusalem. Talking to our guide in Amman, I could see that he was proud of the fact that his family had fought for independence from the Turks.<br />
<br />
The Arabs wanted to free themselves from the 'yoke' of the Turks so they befriended the British and the French and sought their help and protection. To honor the now independent Arab States, their new-found friends bestowed upon them Israel.<br />
<br />
Today, almost every 'Muslim' State still looks up to Israel's foremost backer and protecter to make that problem go away. I, for one, won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.<br />
<br />
In the meantime I'll still love all of my friends and remember them in my prayers, and Allah is my Guide.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-41824797229865148692013-10-31T02:33:00.000+08:002013-10-31T02:36:29.078+08:00How to ask Quality Questions<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_snptbTw3yBQ/SZHvndmO0tI/AAAAAAAAApY/YgAsg_UVYqI/s1600-h/Flower3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_snptbTw3yBQ/SZHvndmO0tI/AAAAAAAAApY/YgAsg_UVYqI/s400/Flower3.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301281697630704338" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I just noticed this in my 'draft' folder where it's been sitting for more than a year. I suppose that now's a good time as any to share it.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial;">Its said that the quality of your questions determine the quality of your life. When I mentioned that to someone, he asked me, "What is a quality question?" Funny thing is how we think we know something, but when someone asks about it you cannot answer. This was one of those times for me.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial;">I found this note on a </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial;">friends facebook page which I think will help in answering that question. He had got it from </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial;">www.aspirenow.com.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial;"> Re-framing questions to maximize our power:<br /><br />Original question: “Who am I?”<br />Revised powerful question: “What do I stand-up for?”<br /><br />Original question: “What are my goals?”<br />Revised powerful question: “How can I just BE and yet be complete?”<br /><br />Original question: “What is my life purpose?”<br />Revised powerful question: “What can I do where I maximize my life, my love, my happiness, and my burning desire to contribute?”<br /><br />Original question: “How can I attract more love?”<br />Revised powerful question: “How much love can I give out and to whom do I want to give it to?”<br /><br />Original question: “What am I getting out of this?”<br />Revised powerful question: “Who am I becoming from doing this?”<br /><br />Original question: “Why is this happening to me?”<br />Revised powerful question: “How am I growing and learning from this situation?”<br /><br />Original question: “Why did they hurt me?”<br />Revised powerful question: “How can I rise above the hurt to grow?”<br /><br />Original question: “What else is there?”<br />Revised powerful question: “How can I be open to discover more?”<br /><br />Original question: “How can I get more money?”<br />Revised powerful question: “How can I add more value to other’s lives?”<br /><br />Original question: “How can I stay looking young and beautiful?”<br />Revised powerful question: “How can I share in the beauty in all things?”<br /><br />Original question: “What will I do with my time?”<br />Revised powerful question: “What matters the most in this moment?”<br /><br />Original question: “What do I want now?”<br />Revised powerful question: “What can I do to just be and not want or need anything?”<br /><br />Original question: “How can I become more secure and protect my family?”<br />Revised powerful question: “How can I imagine the lives of those I love as “secure” in a way where nothing can harm us?”<br /><br />Original question: “How come I feel out of control?”<br />Revised powerful question: “What can I do in this moment that is true to my self?”<br /><br />~~~ from www.aspirenow.com ~~~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-76252247487286690282013-10-27T19:04:00.002+08:002014-01-04T20:53:09.517+08:00The Open Letter - Additional Comments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
You know that my letter got published in <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/an-open-letter-to-most-reverend-tan-sri-bishop-murphy-pakiam-archbishop-of" target="_blank">The Malaysian Insider</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wq7nZCwPZg8/Umzxku6GZ5I/AAAAAAAAGjE/WTAuGL_VlVs/s1600/250px-The-malaysian-insider-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wq7nZCwPZg8/Umzxku6GZ5I/AAAAAAAAGjE/WTAuGL_VlVs/s1600/250px-The-malaysian-insider-logo.png" /></a></div>
I can only clarify points for those who don't understand me, but for those who choose to misunderstand me, I can only say that they are well entitled to their opinions as I am to mine. However, if someone finds some fact wrong in what I wrote, then please enlighten me that I can make any correction that may be necessary.<br />
<br />
As I have said in earlier postings, I have no personal objections on anybody using the term Allah provided they maintain the integrity of the meaning of the word. Anyone who says that non-Muslims using the word may confuse <b>Muslim me</b> is surely insulting my intelligence.<br />
<br />
I would like to thank 2 readers, <i>bimasakti</i> and <i>yk001nul</i>, for their comments (reproduced below) which I consider is helpful in explaining my letter.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Instead of condemning Shaik Dawood
with the standard criticisms of who owns which word, why don't you read once
again what he has actually written. Why use the lower case 'allah' in the al
Kitab to refer to to non-Judeo-Christian/non-Islamic deities like baal, ishtar,
ishwar? Do you really believe your typical East Malaysian reading the al Kitab
can distinguish between an upper case Allah and a lower case one? – <b><i>bimasakti</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.65pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The writer has highlighted accordingly the Muslims'
concern. That is the point of contention when Muslims object to the usage of
Allah in the Malay Bible. It was never about permission, but it's always about
the literal meaning. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.65pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To understand the 'confusion' the Muslims are always talking about, try
visiting other places or country where the Bible is presented in the local
vernacular. You can see that the word referring to God changes from country to
country, from place to place. It's 'ibshaq' in Assamese areas of India,
'atoatl' in Nahuatl-speaking provinces of Brazil, and of course, 'allah' here
in Malay-speaking Malaysia. Heck, in Hebei province of China, there used to be
a Bible publication calling the God as Buddha, before some pressure from
Buddhist groups corrected the problem. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.65pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For a really central important concept in Christianity to be represented in
such non-uniform way across the globe, isn't it a matter of concern to all
Christians? In this, our Muslim brothers obviously has the better hand; the God
is uniformly referred to as Allah no matter wherever they go, and you don't see
them usurping the God concept from other religions for their own use.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><b>
Interestingly, I read the Arabic version of Bible, and nowhere are there such
transliteration confusion as the one found in our Malay Bible. Proper nouns are
properly addressed as Allah, while references to generic deities and pagan gods
are addressed either as 'rabb' or 'latt' (a generic name derived from
pre-Islamic Nabatean goddess Latta). Thus it was no wonder that Arabic
Christians are confused on the Allah ban ruling by our authority. So, it is
inherently a Malaysian problem then. </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12.65pt;"><i>(Emphasis mine)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.65pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I've no idea why the missionaries of yore chose Allah instead of the
pre-existing Malay-Sanskrit over-god word 'Mahadewa' when they first published
the Malay bible in the 17th century. It just didn't follow the pattern used by
contemporary missionaries elsewhere in the world around that time. Many reasons
can be thought of; Christianization among Muslims, colonial politics, Muslim
tolerance, or maybe just bad command of Malay language. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12.65pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One thing for sure though, is that it is a move worth reconsidering for mutual
peace between these two great religions. I hope that Christians and Muslims
here can get over their emotions and find a common ground to settle this issue
once and for all. – <b><i>yk001nul</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-81801317993790013832013-10-24T21:29:00.000+08:002014-01-04T20:53:28.018+08:00Open Letter to the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I just sent this letter to The Sun Daily, The Star, The Malaysian Insider and The Malay Mail Online. I'm not sure if it will get published. However, I share it here.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwUnL56hH7I/UmkeVFGWsSI/AAAAAAAAGi0/08Be8LHb91Y/s1600/220px-Archbishop_Murphy_Pakiam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwUnL56hH7I/UmkeVFGWsSI/AAAAAAAAGi0/08Be8LHb91Y/s1600/220px-Archbishop_Murphy_Pakiam.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most Reverend Tan Sri Datuk Murphy Nicholas Xavier Pakiam, PSM, PJM<br />
<i>(Image from Wikipedia)</i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Open letter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">to<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Most Reverend Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam,<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Your
Grace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am writing this as a concerned Malaysian Muslim on the distress caused by the “Allah”
issue on the inter-faith/inter-ethnic relationships in our beloved Malaysia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before
I begin, permit me, Your Grace, to quote from the well loved children’s book ‘<b><i>Through
the Looking Glass</i></b>’ by Lewis Carroll. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> ‘When I use a
word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I
choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> ’The question
is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
begin with this quote because I think that words do have meanings of their own
and should not be taken out of context or used in ways that it was not intended
to be used.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
writings on or about Islam in English, ‘Allah’ is often rendered as ‘God’. Modern day Muslim scholars, however, think
that Allah should not be translated as it is a Proper Name and is free of
number or gender, whereas God can be general or specific (god/God), singular or
plural (god/gods) and male or female (god/goddess).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Your
Grace has been quoted in the media as saying, <b>“<i>The First Article of Faith in
the Catholic Creed and for all Christians is: </i>‘I believe in one God, the
Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth’.<i> Any Christian, who denies or
modifies this statement of faith, incurs excommunication and would be
considered a heretic. It is to be noted that for centuries the Bahasa Malaysia
translation and the Arabic equivalent of the one God, is the sacred word Allah,
which the Christians have been using peacefully.</i>”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
a Muslim, I fully support anyone’s use of ‘Allah’ in the context that Your
Grace was quoted above, whether Christian or otherwise. (<i>I must
qualify that this is <b>my personal opinion</b>
and may not reflect the views of the Malaysian Islamic authorities.</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">In the AlKitab,<i> </i>God is translated
as Allah.(e.g.: </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Genesis 1:1 <b><i>In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth.</i></b> / Kejadian 1:1 <b><i>Pada
mulanya Allah menciptakan langit dan bumi.</i></b>)</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> This, I
think, is the God/Allah that Your Grace refers to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">However the AlKitab also
translates god and gods as allah, albeit with a lower-case ‘a’<i>.</i> (e.g.:
Deuteronomy 32:17 <b><i>They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to
new gods...</i></b> / Ulangan 32:17 <b><i>meraka mempersembahkan korban kepada roh-roh
jahat yang bukan Allah, kepada allah yang tidak mereka kenal, allah baru...</i></b>)
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">To the best of my knowledge, there is
no allah (with a lower-case ‘a’) in the Malay Language. Even in Arabic, god is <b>i’lah</b>. The Malay word for
god is <b>dewa</b>, with the plural form
written as <b>dewa-dewa</b>. God is also <b>Tuhan</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Interestingly though </span><i><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">'Milcom
the <b><u>abomination</u></b> of the Ammonites'</span></i><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> in 1 Kings 11:5 is translated as '<b><i><u>dewa</u> </i></b><b><i>kejijikan</i></b>' while <i>'Milcom the <b><u>god</u></b> of
the children of Ammon'</i> in 1 Kings 11:33 is '<b><i><u>allah</u></i></b>'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Goddess is translated as
dewi. (e.g. 1 Kings 11:5 <b><i>…
Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians… </i></b>/ 1 Raja-Raja 11:5 <b><i>… Asytoret, dewi orang Sidon…</i></b> )<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">In Malay, Allah is always the proper
name, while Tuhan is the general term used for God. The Translators of the AlKitab have chosen to
reverse the order, so that Tuhan is the proper name and Allah is the general form. (e.g. </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Deuteronomy
6:4 <b><i>Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD
is one!</i></b> / Ulangan 6:<b><i>4
Dengarlah, hai orang Israel: TUHAN itu Allah kita, TUHAN itu esa!</i></b> Also in: Mark 12:29 <b><i>...Hear, O Israel, the LORD our
God, the LORD is one.</i></b> / Markus 12:29 ...<b><i>Dengarlah, hai orang Israel,
Tuhan Allah kita, Tuhan itu esa.</i></b>)</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Your Grace, I cannot claim to know
the intentions of the Translators of the AlKitab. I can only assume that they were persons well
versed in the Malay Language who choose to follow Humpty Dumpty. I find this misleading, deceitful and
dishonest, and as a Muslim I feel extremely hurt and insulted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Your
Grace, in the interest of truth and harmony, may I suggest that Your Grace appoints
a person or persons to undertake an honest and accurate translation of the
Bible in the Malay Language. <i>Deo volente</i>, we will have an early
closure to this issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">May
the Almighty bless and guide us in all our endeavours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am, Yours respectfully,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shaik
Dawood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Note: Bible quotes in English from New King James
Version, quotes in Malay from AlKitab (Lembaga AlKitab Indonesia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-24673103193614777692013-10-18T08:28:00.000+08:002014-01-04T20:53:46.510+08:00The 'ALLAH' Issue, Will there be a resolution any time soon?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AXJ3r5rKUDU/UmB9CL-DM2I/AAAAAAAAGic/xOUxUp0ve6A/s1600/Palace_of_Justice_Putrajaya_Dec_2006_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AXJ3r5rKUDU/UmB9CL-DM2I/AAAAAAAAGic/xOUxUp0ve6A/s320/Palace_of_Justice_Putrajaya_Dec_2006_002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>'Palace of Justice'</b><br />
<i>Putrajaya, Malaysia<br />(from Google Images)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Court has decided and now the court of public opinion is in full swing. While some agree that it is about 'preventing confusion' and 'preserving harmony' many others are asking, "what happened to freedom of religion?" I have shared my opinion earlier <a href="http://shaik-dawood.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-allah-controversy.html">here</a>,<a href="http://shaik-dawood.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-allah-controversy-again.html"> here</a> and <a href="http://shaik-dawood.blogspot.com/2013/09/alkitab-my-personal-view.html">here</a>.<br />
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In Islamic writings in English, 'Allah' is often rendered as 'God'. However, some scholars maintain that the word should not be translated as 'Allah' is unique, while God can be general or specific (god/God), male or female (god/goddess), singular or plural (god/gods). Moreover 'God' has different connotations to different people based on that individual's conception of God.</div>
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<div>
The Sikhs use 'Allah' to describe God as do the Qadianis. (<i>In Malaysia, as in Pakistan and other Muslim countries, the Qadianis are not considered Muslims.</i>) Those of the Baha'i Faith probably also do the same. (<i>The founder's name is Baha'u'llah.</i>)</div>
</div>
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<div>
Now let us look at the Christian use of the word.</div>
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In the English Bible, there is not only the word '<i><b>God</b></i>', but there are also '<i><b>god</b></i>', '<i><b>gods</b></i>' and '<i><b>goddess</b></i>'. God may be translated as Allah, but how do you translate the other three?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
In the AlKitab<i> [the Indonesian Bible] </i>God is Allah <i>[upper case first letter for both]</i>. (e.g.: Genesis 1:1 / Kejadian 1:1), god is allah <i>[lower case first letter for both]</i> (e.g.: 1 John 4:8 /1 Yohanes 4:8) gods is also allah <i>[the 's' plural form to be understood from the context]</i> (e.g.: Deuteronomy 32:17 / Ulangan 32:17 ... demons that were no gods, to gods they had never know, to new gods... ...roh-roh jahat yang bukan Allah, kepada allah yang tidak mereka kenal, allah baru...), but goddess is dewi <i>[here a Malay word is used instead of an Arabic one]</i> (e.g.: 1 Kings 11:5 / 1 Raja-Raja 11:5).<br />
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<div>
Interestingly though 'Milcom the <i>abomination</i> of the Ammonites' in 1 Kings 11:5 is '<i><b>dewa </b>kejijikan</i>' while further down in 1 Kings 11:33 'Milcom the <i>god</i> of the children of Ammon' is '<i>allah</i>'.</div>
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In Malay, God <i>[upper case 'G']</i> is <i><b>Tuhan</b></i>, while god, gods and goddess can be rendered as <i><b>dewa</b></i>, <i><b>dewa-dewa</b></i> and <i><b>dewi</b></i> respectively. Even in Arabic, god <i>[lower case 'g']</i> is<i><b> i'lah</b></i> not Allah.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So if the Church insists on using Allah to include god and gods (as used in AlKitab), it could be seen as act of provocation (i.e. purposely using words out of context with possible intent to offend/insult) and not about freedom of religion.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-15426199290064793862013-10-10T20:28:00.000+08:002013-10-10T20:28:12.279+08:00Bucky Quotes<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pxici1MjEZQ/UlaYwoUu2EI/AAAAAAAAGiM/3ig5qmeHuYw/s1600/buck01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pxici1MjEZQ/UlaYwoUu2EI/AAAAAAAAGiM/3ig5qmeHuYw/s1600/buck01.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>R. Buckminster Fuller</b><br /><i>(image from <a href="http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/">http://www.rwgrayprojects.com</a> )</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With all that is happening around us everyday these days, I'd like to share the following Bucky quote for us to reflect on. I copied it from the book "<b>A Fuller View</b>" by L. Steven Sieden.<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What can a little man effect toward such realizations in the face of the formidable power of great corporations, great states, and all their know-how, guns, monies, armies, tools and information?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The individual can take initiatives without anybody's permission. Only individuals can think, and can look for the principals manifest in their experiences that others may be overlooking because they are too preoccupied with how to please some boss or with how to earn money, how to take care of today's bills. Only the individual disregards his fears and commits himself exclusively to reforming the human environment by developing tools that deal more effectively and economically with evolutionary challenges.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Humans can participate - consciously and completely - in fundamental ways, to changes that are more favorable to human life. It became evident that the individual was the only one that could deliberately find the time to think in a cosmically adequate manner.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Buckminster Fuller: An Autobiographical Monologue/Scenario</i></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-27089585472906690022013-09-27T18:22:00.000+08:002013-09-27T18:22:39.422+08:00Reviving Communist Ideology<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9L7hTo3FXTI/UkVKPg0VK-I/AAAAAAAAGh8/3BrGYJcrpSY/s1600/220px-Karl_Marx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9L7hTo3FXTI/UkVKPg0VK-I/AAAAAAAAGh8/3BrGYJcrpSY/s1600/220px-Karl_Marx.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Karl Marx</b>, author of <b><i>Das Kapital</i></b><br />
and <b><i>The Communist Manifesto</i></b><br />
<i>Image from Wikipedia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Now that Chin Peng is dead, communism is again in the spotlight. The IGP says that stern action will be taken against those trying to revive communist ideology in Malaysia.</div>
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<br />
I remember reading somewhere that the reason the socialist / communist movement hasn't taken real root in the United States is that it has high levels of economic productivity and social mobility. Also contributing is the the strength of their religious beliefs and the absence of feudal remnants. The poor considers himself / herself a millionaire who just happens to be down on his / her luck at the moment.<br />
<br />
This is in opposition to Russia and elsewhere in Europe where it held appeal to distraught workers and others who feel oppressed.<br />
<br />
Maybe the authorities should take the above into consideration before they come up with some hastily laid plans 'to curb the disease', so to speak.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-29353507209753105372013-09-26T00:27:00.000+08:002013-09-26T00:27:27.546+08:00Al Quran Al Kareem<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCEhqhmPPtc/UkMIM-KP7HI/AAAAAAAAGhs/xQElmVveV2E/s1600/holy-quran-book-cover-15601474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCEhqhmPPtc/UkMIM-KP7HI/AAAAAAAAGhs/xQElmVveV2E/s320/holy-quran-book-cover-15601474.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Al Quran cover</b><br />Image from Google Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been attending weekly lectures, together with some family members, at this place in Taman Tun. It's on <i>tafseer</i>, an explanatory translation of the Quran.<br />
<br />
One of the points that the <i>Ustaz</i> keeps repeating is about the Muslim's duties towards the Quran. There are obligatory duties (i.e. Must do) and there are optional ones (Nice to do).<br />
<br />
Among the optional duties are that one should read the Quran, memorize it and seek blessings from it.<br />
<br />
Among the obligatory duties are to understand the Quran, ponder upon it's teachings and implement them in our lives.<br />
<br />
When I think about it, my emphasis has always been on reading it (never mind if I don't understand the meaning of what I read) and seeking blessings from my reading. On memorizing, I've done a few short <i>surahs</i> (chapter) just so that I can perform <i>solaah</i> (ritual prayers).<br />
<br />
I've never really given any importance to understanding the Quran let alone implement its teachings. Earning a living was already hard enough, and letting religion get into it was unthinkable. Of course I did my <i>solaah</i> and my <i>sawm </i>(fasting), but that was it.<br />
<br />
May Allah forgive me for my ignorance and guide me (and all of us) to His Way. <i>Ameen</i>!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-66037095133065379282013-09-23T14:35:00.000+08:002014-01-04T20:54:16.078+08:00AlKitab - my personal view<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CJ11OPz_jVc/Uj_WMyW_WlI/AAAAAAAAGhY/Mc9EzeDP-80/s1600/alkitab.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CJ11OPz_jVc/Uj_WMyW_WlI/AAAAAAAAGhY/Mc9EzeDP-80/s1600/alkitab.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Google Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Actually this is still about the "Allah" controversy. Many of my Christian brothers and sisters, including my brothers and sisters of other religious persuasions, think this is only about language so why the fuss?<br />
<br />
When we translate religious texts into other languages, the name is usually not translated. That's why we have the Quran (sometimes spelled Koran), the Gita, the Vedas, the Tao and etc. all in English. In Malay, the names are retained but the spelling may differ slightly based on pronunciation.<br />
<br />
The Bible is translated as AlKitab in Indonesian, but the word is not Indonesian but Arabic. In Arabic "kitabun" is a book while "Al Kitab" means "the book" but the Bible is not "a book" nor "the book", it is a collection of books (the number varies among the different denominations), so why the need to translate the title? Why not leave it as "Bible" or "Bibel" based on the way it is pronounced.<br />
<br />
The Old and New Testaments are translated as the Perjanjian Lama and Baru. To me the word "Testament" means a covenant, a statement of belief, an evidence of proof or something in those lines. "Perjanjian" on the other hand simply means an agreement or contract.<br />
<br />
Coming to "Allah", it is Arabic and not Malay. If it is to be used, it must be used in the way it is understood in Malay i.e. the specific name for God.<br />
<br />
The problem with using it in the Bible is that God is used sometimes as the specific name for the Deity and some times in the general sense. Other times the specific name of the Deity is Lord, Lord God and even Lord Jesus.<br />
<br />
I think that the way forward is for the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, as the "guardian" of the Malay Language, and the Church authorities to get together in producing an accurate Malay translation of the Bible.<br />
<br />
Having said that, what about those, like the Islamic religious authorities, who think that having a Malay translation of the Bible would lead to mass apostasy among the Muslims? My answer is, "Please resign your posts. If you cannot educate Muslims in the proper concepts of their faith, why are you there?"<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-22111123397165059112013-09-17T22:37:00.000+08:002013-09-17T22:37:34.882+08:00Adverts in my mailbox<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZsYYKY1O_s/UjhfX7rrzmI/AAAAAAAAGgE/lT9FqcFi9u8/s1600/800px-Pamphlet_in_Hyderabad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZsYYKY1O_s/UjhfX7rrzmI/AAAAAAAAGgE/lT9FqcFi9u8/s320/800px-Pamphlet_in_Hyderabad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pamphlets littering the street<br /><i>Image from Wikipedia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm sure you find pamphlets, ad magazines and other unsolicited advertisement stuff in your mailbox from time to time. I'm no exception and often the thing is discarded even without a second look. Sometimes, however, I do browse through booklets or magazines just to see what is being offered.<br />
<br />
Usually there are offers for goods and services and there have been one or two occasions where I have actually dialed the phone numbers given to make inquiries. I have yet to make a purchase though.<br />
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Lately a lot of money lenders have also resorted to this medium to promote themselves.<br />
<br />
What fascinated me to write this post today were advertisements in one of the ad mags from two Wats (Thai Buddhist Temples) in our Northern States. They were offering help to those who were down on their luck. Nothing interesting about that!<br />
<br />
<b><i>What was interesting was that they both carried a testimonial each, purportedly from </i>Malay Muslims<i>, on how they were helped in overcoming their hardships and how thankful they were for having relied on these temple priests. One was a lady who won the 4-digit lottery to ease her financial burdens, the other a male did not specify the nature of his problems but is ever thankful to the priest who helped him even if he is of </i>another religion<i>.</i></b><br />
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I'm sure the "<b><i>Champions of Islam</i></b>" will be aghast at these acts of apostasy (not to mention the advertisements itself), but I would like to know where they usually hide when their Muslim brother or sister most need them.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-50100282397910862692013-09-16T00:56:00.000+08:002014-01-04T20:54:38.404+08:00The 'ALLAH' controversy again.I recently attended 2 talks at UTM in KL. One was delivered by Imam Afroz Ali from Australia and the other by our distinguished professor, YM Tan Sri Prof. Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas. Neither were about the Allah issue, but some points came up that I think are necessary for us to understand what it is about.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bFcFkA7qy4U/UjXUpC5HzeI/AAAAAAAAGfs/-EuVa5aYQM8/s1600/IMG_7339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bFcFkA7qy4U/UjXUpC5HzeI/AAAAAAAAGfs/-EuVa5aYQM8/s320/IMG_7339.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imam Afroz at Dewan Jummah, UTM</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yWik-gXMd1E/UjXUx2U-8II/AAAAAAAAGf0/A02nfFOVBiM/s1600/IMG_7350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yWik-gXMd1E/UjXUx2U-8II/AAAAAAAAGf0/A02nfFOVBiM/s320/IMG_7350.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prof. Al-Attas at Dewan Utama, UTM</td></tr>
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Firstly, "Allah" is not the monopoly of any group or persons. Secondly, "Allah" is the specific name of the unique and only creator of the universe. <i>The generic "God" in Arabic is "illah".</i><br />
<br />
So if anyone wants to use the word "Allah" in it's meaning of the unique creator and the one and only worthy of worship, no one should have any problems with that. But if the word is to mean anything different, such as one of many or one of a third, than it is not acceptable.<br />
<br />
When I saw a copy of the Al Kitab, the Indonesian Bible (I have never seen a Malay Bible), the verse at Mark 12:29 "...Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one." is translated as "...Dengarlah, hai orang Israel, Tuhan Allah kita, Tuhan itu esa." (Markus 12:29). I.e. the specific "Allah" is used to translate the generic "God" while "LORD" (it is capitalized in this case denoting a specific name) is translated using the generic "Tuhan".<br />
<br />
Using a specific name of God to describe a generic term seems to be what Muslims in Malaysia consider as insulting. If the Arabs and Pakistanis have no issues with this, its their problem to live with.<br />
<br />
Maybe the Churches in Malaysia and the Malaysian Authorities should consider getting out a Malay translation of the Al Kitab so that Christians can practice their faith in peace and Muslims don't feel insulted.<br />
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The Sikhs use "Allah" to mean the One God and "Allah" is not associated with the name of any of their Gurus. <i>(Any Sikhs think that this statement is wrong, please correct me. Thanks.) </i> That's probably why they are not really involved in this controversy like the Christians.<br />
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Note: Why I choose Mark 12:29? That was what I could find with 'Lord' and 'God' in the same verse, given the short time I had.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-42367821890386537072013-09-14T02:44:00.002+08:002013-09-15T23:37:24.816+08:00Happy Malaysia Day!Its a few days before Malaysia day but I thought that I would wish all my fellow Malaysians early.<br />
<br />
There seems to be a lot said about a flag being raised by some activists on Merdeka day at the Padang Merdeka. Many are calling it the "Sang Saka Malaya" but my friend, Fahmi Reza, says that it's known as the "Bendera Rakyat" and was known to have been raised as early as 1947. That's 10 years before Malaya became an independent nation.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GoJ7JvrJbwg/UjNRYTs-RhI/AAAAAAAAGe4/8H4dOMaHkps/s1600/Merah_Putih_Bintang_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GoJ7JvrJbwg/UjNRYTs-RhI/AAAAAAAAGe4/8H4dOMaHkps/s1600/Merah_Putih_Bintang_12.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bendera Rakyat</td></tr>
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Last year, in conjunction with our 55 Merdeka celebration, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia published a commemorative book titled "Formation of A Nation - a photographic flashback". In it the origins of our <i><b>Jalur Gemilang</b></i> are mentioned.<br />
<br />
A competition was held in 1949 to design a flag for the new Federation. Of the many entries received, three were shortlisted:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Two crossed krises encircled by eleven white stars, set against a blue background.</li>
<li>Two crossed krises at the centre with two concentric circles of white stars - the inner circle bearing five stars and the outer circle bearing six stars - set against a blue background.</li>
<li>Six blue horizontal stripes alternating with five white stripes with a crescent and a five-pointed star at the top-left corner set on a red background.</li>
</ul>
<br />
To cut a long story short, the choices were voted upon and after some adjustments were sent to London for King George VI's consent.<br />
<br />
And the approved flag:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bk-GC3ABuus/UjNQs6G81sI/AAAAAAAAGew/jOiedkkOn5A/s1600/EIC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bk-GC3ABuus/UjNQs6G81sI/AAAAAAAAGew/jOiedkkOn5A/s320/EIC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flag of the "Governor and Company of Merchants of<br />
London trading into the East Indies" or<br />
"the Honorable East India Company"<br />
<i>[Image from Wikipedia]</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
Oops! sorry!<br />
This is our <i><b>Jalur Gemilang</b></i>.<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DtTZqzFMLtY/UjNVG9LVouI/AAAAAAAAGfE/fAPokeWkLYE/s1600/Flag_of_Malaysia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DtTZqzFMLtY/UjNVG9LVouI/AAAAAAAAGfE/fAPokeWkLYE/s320/Flag_of_Malaysia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Of course it had only 11 stripes and the star only had 11 points.)<br />
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P.S.<br />
This is the Federation of Malaya flag before amendments:<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-48411862812183701962013-09-12T09:06:00.000+08:002013-09-12T09:06:35.240+08:00The 'ALLAH' controversy<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Haven't been blogging for quite a while and with so many things happening, now seems to be a good time to get back on the bandwagon to share my 2 sen (cents) worth.</b></i></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">Now that the appeal hearing is over, I don’t fancy the
position the learned judges are in.
Whatever their decision, it’s not going to be popular. I wonder, in a case like this, if the decision can be purely
legal without any emotions coming into play. And I wonder if the judges will consider the 'them' versus 'us' reaction that is surely going follow when the verdict is delivered.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">I think that the whole issue has very little to do with faith and everything to do with trust. We just don't seem to trust each other. More importantly, I think, we don't trust ourselves.</span></b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-62015637440850199792011-12-24T09:40:00.000+08:002011-12-24T09:40:55.168+08:00LIBYA AFTER QADDAFI<div class="MsoNoSpacing">THIS IS THE REAL WORLD WE ARE FACING; WHETHER WE AGREE OR NOT IT MAKES INTERESTING READING.<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><br />
</span><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The Man Who Came to Dinner <o:p></o:p></span></u></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">John Swinton, the doyen of the New York press corps, upon his retirement, made the following speech:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“There is no such thing, at this stage of the world’s history in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dare write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my papers, before twenty four hours, my occupation would be gone. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it, and what folly is this toasting of an independent press?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">I do understand that you have to eat like all of us and therefore must keep your mouth shut. You are Jewish and so am I. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">For the sake of truth, I will give you here another side to the Libyan story. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Just imagine a country where there is no electricity bill. Electricity is free to all its citizens. There is no interest on loans, banks were state owned and loans given at zero percent interest by law. Having a home was considered a human right. All newlyweds received US$ 50 000 from the govt to buy their first apartment and to help them start a family. Education and medical treatments were free. Before Qaddafi, 25 % of the population were literate. Today this figure is 83 percent. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Should Libyans want to take up farming, they would receive land, a farmhouse, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick start their operation, absolutely free of charge. If citizens could not find the education or medical facilities they needed, the govt would fund them to go abroad, free of charge, and would get some US$2,300 per month for accommodation and car allowance. Cars were government subsidized to the tune of 50%. Fuel prices were $0.14 per litter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The country had no external debt and its reserves amounted to some $170 billion, now frozen globally plus some 27 tons of gold, which the new regime found safely in the National Bank.</span></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
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</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Any graduate unable to find a job would get the average salary for the profession, as if he/she was employed, until employment found.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"><tbody>
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</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">A portion of oil sales were credited once a year to every citizen bank account. A mother who gave birth, immediately got some $5000. Forty loaves of bread cost $0.15. 25% of citizens have a university degree. An immense project bringing water from aquifers in the south made it available all over the country, free of charge.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">That is what that “tyrant” Qaddafi gave to his people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">There are some 150 tribes in Libya and a strong hand was necessary if the country was to remain in one piece. Every citizen was in possession of a military weapon. Qaddafi was not frightened of his own people. The so called rebels who took over, so we are told, would not have lasted a few days without NATO air power, British and French commandos and thousands of mercenaries. Those are the winners.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Now another Karzai has been installed in Tripoli, and the country can be plundered at the victors’ whim and fancy. It takes $1 to extract a barrel of Libyan oil and today’s price is over $100.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Total the French company has already grabbed some 30% of the Libyan state oil company. BP is starting exploration. And of course massive contracts for the reconstruction of Libya will be handed over to US and European companies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">Of the sovereign fund, only some 1.2 billion have been released out of the $170 billion. With the state of the European economy, I doubt very much if Libya will see the rest any time soon. Now Libyans are free as you say, but as Janis Joplin used to say…"Freedom is just another word for nothing else to lose" as Libyan queueing for funds at their bank’s door are finding out. Qaddafi is gone and so are the perks. What will be left is a terrible civil war. The price of democracy!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">“It is the joyous jiggling dance Americans do –USA! USA!- when their government slaughters someone illegally. It is primitive, but it is positively Libyan”. Wrong. It is positively American! Just saw a movie on the training of the US Army before going to Iraq. Soldiers running and singing:”Kill the women! Kill the children! “Then we are shown the results when civilians are gunned down in the streets by those braves. All on film. When they come back home, realising what they have done, they just commit suicide! These are ordinary Sunday soldiers with families.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 18pt;">We can hide the truth with prison sentences, but the truth eventually come through, and unfortunately for us we cannot plug the dyke any longer.</span><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;">This post copied from <a href="http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/2011/12/libya-after-qaddafi.html">here</a>.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786962848247180145.post-42969281774661771062011-10-10T17:05:00.000+08:002011-10-10T17:05:43.826+08:00What do you see?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8hHw0Qxuxbk/TpK0Q-ljJGI/AAAAAAAAGV4/aE33q8fJHQk/s1600/woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8hHw0Qxuxbk/TpK0Q-ljJGI/AAAAAAAAGV4/aE33q8fJHQk/s320/woman.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>Young Men: It’s a nice a** crossing the street</b></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>Older Men: Women with nice <i>derriere</i> crossing the street</b></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>The Pervert: ****************</b></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>Wise Men: Ponder the presence of mind of the photographer in the face of such beauty and gratitude that it was shared with humanity.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>Half the Women: She should not have left home dressed like that.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>The other half: Where did she buy the blouse.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>Children, Monks and the really curious: There’s a dog driving the taxi.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">(I didn’t notice the dog either.)</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-size: x-small;">Copied from<a href="http://masterwordsmith-unplugged.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-does-human-mind-work.html"> here</a>.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00052931153170484963noreply@blogger.com0