LGBT: A scare of ridiculomendous proportions

Technorati tags: LGBT, Public Scare, Fascism, Politics, Hate

If you've been following the news of late, particularly the Malay language media, Malaysia is apparently under threat from this “menace” known as LGBT.

No, not Legless Goats Bleating Terrifyingly – which admittedly would be somewhat scary – but a section of our community, collectively known as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender.

No specifics as to exactly why LGBT is so threatening, apart from making some people insecure (more on that later), but yeah, we’re apparently under threat.

The government needs to create a “homosexual rehabilitation centre” to combat the phenomenon in Malaysia, according to Barisan Nasional MP who today claimed 30 per cent of Malaysian men were gay.

According to a Bernama Online report, Datuk Baharum Mohamad (BN-Sekijang) said in Parliament today that this was to aid those with homosexual tendencies or engaged in same-sex relationships to stop such behaviour.

“We have to find a solution to combat these activities from getting rampant just like the efforts we take to combat drugs,” Baharum said.

“A study has found that, right now, three out of 10 men in Malaysia are gay. This is scary.”

It is unclear what study the lawmaker was citing when he made his address.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

Well, Walski did a bit of poking around and found out what “study” the MP was referring to. Essentially, it was a statement by a counselor named Hushim Hashim that was published (presumably) in Mingguan Malaysia a couple of weekends back.

And the findings of this “study” are indeed shocking...
(using stupidity to shock and awe ridiculously, in the full post)

All Walski could find was a scanned newspaper clipping. And he’s taken the liberty of transcribing (and translating, in this color) what this so-called expert had to say.

Ancaman lesbian, gay, biseksual dan transgender (LGBT) kini menjadi barah dalam masyarakat apabila penularan budaya songsang itu meningkat mendadak khususnya dalam kalangan penuntut institusi pengajian tinggi.

The threat of LGBT has now become a cancer in society since its prevalence has increased tremendously, particularly among students in institutions of higher learning.

Perkara ini didedahkan Kaunselor Berdaftar, Hushim Salleh (gambar) yang telah mengendali dan memberi terapi kaunseling kepada lebih 1,000 golongan LGBT yang ingin kembali ke pangkal jalan sejak 20 tahun lalu.

This was revealed by Hushim Salleh (pictured), a Registered Counselor, who has facilitated and provided counseling therapy to more than 1,000 LGBT who have wanted to repent their ways, for the past 20 years.

Paling mengejutkan, berdasarkan kajian beliau hasil pengakuan bekas-bekas golongan LGBT, daripada 10 lelaki di negara ini, tiga adalah gay.

More shocking, based on his research through the confessions of former LGBT, three out of 10 men in this country are gay.

Mereka ini golongan split identity (pelbagai identiti) iaitu sebelah pagi dia boleh jadi imam kemudian tengah hari meliwat orang.

They are individuals with split personality, who in the morning can become 'imams', then sodomize people in the afternoon.

Berdasarkan pengakuan golongan ini, mereka mendakwa bahawa daripada 10 lelaki, tiga adalah gay. Ini tidak termasuk pondan dan lesbian. Sebab itu, saya harap semua pihak jangan pandang remeh benda ini.

Based on their confessions, they allege that out of 10 men, three are gay. And this doesn't include effeminate men and lesbians. Because of this, I hope everyone doesn't take this lightly.
(source: Newspaper clipping obtained from Minta Tolong!)

So let's get this straight – 3 out of 10 men in Malaysia are gay? Doing the math, that would translate to around 42 male BN Members of Parliament being gay (there are 127 in total), and also 21 Pakatan Rakyat and 2 Independent male MPs! Shocked? You should be, particularly at the blatantly pseudoscientific methodology used to derive the figure of 30%.

Which, if you think about it, isn’t all that surprising, considering what this same “expert” had to say in another article published in – you guessed it – Utusan Malaysia (translation by myAsylum, in this color).

Dari segi ilmu kaunseling memang benar orang yang terlibat dengan budaya LGBT adalah orang sakit. Mereka sebenarnya sakit jiwa walaupun dikurnia mental yang bijak. Kalau jati diri kita tetap, tarikan pada jantina berbeza tetapi orang macam ini tidak. Gay ini pula terbahagi kepada tiga golongan iaitu homoseksual, heteroseksual dan biseksual.

From the angle of counseling knowledge, it is true that people involved with the LGBT culture are sick. They actually suffer from mental illness although bestowed with intelligent mentality. If their self-esteem is strong, the attraction is to the opposite sex, but not so with people like these. Gays are divided into three groups: homosexuals, heterosexuals and bisexuals.

Homoseksual dia memberi dan menerima. kebanyakan terdiri daripada lelaki-lelaki macho. Heteroseksual pula hanya memberi sahaja manakala biseksual paling bahaya kerana mereka tidak pernah puas dan boleh berada dimana-mana sahaja dalam masyarakat. Gay adalah manusia yang paling susah dikesan kerana mereka berperwatakan seperti sesumpah.

Homosexuals "give" and "receive". Most are macho men. Heterosexuals only "give", while bisexuals are the most dangerous because they are never satisfied and can be anywhere within society. Gays are very difficult to detect, because the are chameleons in their character.
(source: Utusan Malaysia)

Walski honestly doesn’t know from which dark, deep, God-forsaken abyss this guy’s “counseling knowledge” comes from, but since heterosexuals are also gay, doesn’t that mean EVERYBODY’s gay?

So if that’s the case, what the hell is the big deal?

You know what Walski thinks, though? This recent ultra-focus on LGBT is a ploy. Not the Baldrick kind of “cunning plan” ploy, but something more basic and political in nature.

It’s no accident that Utusan has been on the offensive. A quick look at the NGOs also on the forefront of combatting this “menace” indicates that they’re mostly UMNO-friendly. NGOs such as JMM and Perkasa.

An UMNO MP recently mooted in Parliament that gay rehabilitation centers need to be set up. And of course, at the end of the day, only Muslim LGBT will be persecuted, according to another UMNO she-warrior. After all, in case you didn’t already realize it, we live in a 1Apartheid nation.

The ploy, in Walski’s opinion, is to divert attention from more serious issues, such as corruption, abuse of power and misuse of public funds, all of which have been, of late, dogging the UMNO-led BN-constituted federal government of the day.

Think about this: if Seksualiti Merdeka had not made the mistake of inviting Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan to be the keynote speaker, do you think anyone would have batted an eyelid? And believe Walski when he says this: Ambiga sends shivers down the spines of these UMNOphiliacs, with what had been achieved with Bersih 2.0, whether they want to admit it or not.

Incidentally, Walski is not the only one who thinks that this is a ploy to divert attention, going by the snide posting this past Thursday by fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Well, Walski’s advise to Malaysians, particularly you Melayu fellers who think that UMNO is the best thing since the invention of nasi lemak, DO NOT BE FOOLED. JANGAN TERTIPU.

Without a shadow of a doubt, LGBT will be used as a MAJOR election issue by UMNO, in the hopes that you don’t focus on what will really destroy this nation: corruption, blatant misuse of public funds, loss of human capital to other lands, inefficiency, and of course, institutionalized discrimination.

Do you really have to wonder why Malaysia is slow to ratify UN resolutions against all forms of discrimination? We bloody thrive on it, that’s why – discrimination, part of the modus operandi that keeps those holding the reins of power entrenched.

And in keeping with this important core competency, LGBT is made into a big, threatening issue. It is once again the use of discrimination to plant irrational fears into a populace that has been programmed to accept any form of bullshit as long as it’s bullshit from the right people.

What this anti-LGBT campaign will achieve, in Walski’s opinion is more homophobia, more hate, and yes, more discrimination. 

LGBT will not bankrupt or destroy this nation, but corruption and abuse certainly will.

Open your eyes, moist robots, and do what’s right – ignore these creeps who want nothing more than to turn this great nation into a self-righteous wasteland devoid of any reason to be part of the world citizenry.

As Walski’s parting shot dedicated to those who think that Malaysians are stupid enough to buy your crap, he leaves you with this well-known classic ditty…

And he certainly hopes you don't get fooled by this ridiculomendous initiative of hate cultivation either...

Walski’s etymologically made up footnote: In case you can’t find the word ridiculomendous (and in all likelihood you won’t) in any dictionary online or off, it is a word made up by Walski. It essentially is a concatenation of the words ridiculous and tremendous, and can mean either one of two things: ridiculously tremendous, or tremendously ridiculous.

For the purposes of this particular post, the latter meaning is intended. But you probably already knew that, didn't you?

Click here for the full post......

Fascism, by any other name, still smells as foul

Technorati tags: Fascism, Islam, NGO, Force, MAPIM

Lately, more and more religious NGOs seem to be getting more vocal and coming to the fore to prevent others from airing views that are contrary to these organizations' point of view. It's not that Walski is against them airing their dissatisfaction, as that is well within their rights to do so in a civil society.

The problem Walski has with these NGOs is the assertion that only their view is valid, only their viewpoint must be accepted, and that they have the right to prevent others from speaking out. And on the basis of perceived political risk, the powers that be let them have their way.

It's part of a rising trend - we're seeing in it in Perkasa, and we're seeing it more and more in these religious NGOs. Call it Islamic resurgence if you want, but Walski calls it by its real name - fascism.

MAPIM could very easily have gone the more intelligent route and insist on dialog. Instead, they choose the fascist route - repress any discussion. Quo vadis, Malaysia?

Amplify’d from www.malaysiakini.com

Muslim NGO bares fangs over gender rights forum

A Muslim NGO is taking issue with a roundtable discussion on gender rights and women’s issues on the basis that it allegedly promotes “Western” ideas that it claims are a threat to Islamic values.

The group, Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (Mapim), in a statement today objected to the event ‘Gender Equality: Unaddressed Women's Rights Issues’ organised by Empower on Oct 31 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Mapim general-secretary Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid singled out two sessions at the roundtable in particular, ‘UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Defending the Human Rights of Lesbians, Bisexual Women and Transgenders in Malaysia’ by Angela Kuga Thas and ‘A CEDAW Approach to Family Law in Advancing Equality and Non Discrimination’ by Lalitha Menon.

“Mapim rejects attempts by a group of secularists and liberals who are keen to be slaves of the Western agenda,” said Mohd Azmi.

“Discussions such as this is secretly aimed at fuelling campaigns and advocacy to change the values and moral foundations of Islam that are central to Malay-Muslims and Malaysians in general,” he charged. Read more at www.malaysiakini.com

 

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Proselytizing the Halloween way...

Technorati tags: Zan Azlee, Religion, Scare Tactics, Psychology

Let's face it, there are people who go around scaring people into submission. It's a subtler form of coercion, if you think about it. But is this practice based on scriptural recommendations, or the vivid imagination of those who practice it?

In this article, Zan Azlee offers his opinion...

Amplify’d from www.themalaysianinsider.com

Scaring people into submission

Another popular story is of an old woman (or man, as the stories do vary) who is at her deathbed surrounded by friends and family.

She is about to die but seems to be struggling and in tremendous discomfort. The story continues to explain that this goes on for weeks.

Then it is discovered that she had led a sinful life and used to (insert dreaded sin of your choice) and she is now being punished for it.

They had to do special prayers to ask for forgiveness and only then did the old woman die, and into the next life where she will presumably be punished again.

Recently, stories like these have been making its rounds on FaceBook and as spam emails and the senders always make comments like “repent now!” or “fear Allah!”.

After reading one too many of these stories whenever I log on to FaceBook, it’s actually making me want to repent of all my sins… NOT!

I wonder if it’s desperation that Muslims are trying to preach to other fellow Muslims to repent and return to the right path.

How low do you have to be when you feel the only way to pull somebody back to Islam is by scaring them witless? Read more at www.themalaysianinsider.com

 

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Malaysian Lunatic Fringe becoming Mainstream?

Technorati tags: Aliran, Commentary, Malaysia, Lunatic Fringe, Mainstream

Dr Mustafa K Anuar is assistant secretary of Aliran, an NGO dedicated to justice, freedom and solidarity, and he writes here about the worry that the voice of the lunatic fringe is getting way too much media attention, giving it more credence than it deserves.

Walski’s material source clarification note: This opinion piece was first published on Aliran's website, and later picked up by The Malaysian Insider, where some of you may have already read it.

Walski has mixed feelings about this view. He agrees, on the one hand, but thinks that these fascist voices need to be heard so that we know just how rotten their agenda for power is.

And after all, it is power that is the end-game in the minds of these vocal "protectors" of race and faith. That, too, needs to be realized.

Amplify’d from aliran.com

Mainstreaming the lunatic fringe?

In the recent past, middle-ground Malaysia has borne witness to a series of disturbing public expressions by certain groups and individuals that border on ethnic slurring, slander and rabid racism.

And many a time, these public expressions have without exception insulted the intelligence of the average Malaysians, irrespective of ethnic and religious backgrounds.

What’s equally disturbing is that such articulation has caused hurt, pain and even outrage among the people who have been subjected to these irrational outbursts from the lunatic fringe. ‘Lunatic fringe’ here refers to the fanatical, extremist or irrational members of society who seem to be on the rise lately. Perkasa and other groups of similar disposition come to mind immediately.

This political posturing of the lunatic fringe could possibly pose a threat to our ethnic relations as well as national security.

And yet de facto law minister Nazri Aziz insists irrationally that Malaysia’s political landscape has changed so drastically that what was taboo or “sensitive” a few years ago is now acceptable to Malaysians.

“Sensitive matters are now being discussed in the open,” he told The Malaysian Insider (20 May 2011) recently. He added, “When something is mentioned all the time, it becomes less sensitive and this is a good thing because then things can be mentioned but people will not take offence of it.”

Nazri’s statement was made in the context of the recent claim by certain blogs and subsequently quoted by the irrepressible and irresponsible Utusan Malaysia that the Christian community in Malaysia was involved in a conspiracy to replace Islam with Christianity as the official religion of the federation. This matter, as it turned out, became easy fodder for groups such as Perkasa to publicly express their dismay and disgust and to agitate – although armed with no iota of evidence! Read more at aliran.com

 

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Is Pakatan Rakyat to blame for an enactment passed in 1988?

Technorati tags: Islamic Legislation, Selangor, Politics, Religion

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who was in charge in Selangor in 1988. Yes, there are already laws on the books allowing the religious authorities to act on non-Muslims, as JAIS did when it raided the DUMC earlier this week.

That said, there must clearly have been an "offence" committed before they can act, and evidence thus far points to the fact that none could conclusively proven to have been committed.

As pointed out in the article below, there are a few other Islamic "criminal" enactments, all passed before 2008.

Bottom line, do we blame Pakatan for DUMC when these laws were already on the books well before they took charge?

Amplify’d from www.themalaysianinsider.com

1988 state law allows Jais to act against non-Muslims

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) had likely acted within the law when it raided a church here, as a controversial enactment passed by a Barisan Nasional (BN) state government in 1988 allows action against non-Muslims.

Malaysian Bar Council chief Lim Chee Wee pointed out, however, their being empowered also meant the religious authorities can only act within the confines of the Islamic laws, highlighting that the words allegedly said to prove Christians were proselytising to Muslims at the event — “Quran” and “Pray” — did not fall within the religious enforcement’s context.

“Whilst Jais may have the legal power to enter the premises, it must do so on a proper legal basis that there has been an offence committed. From the presently available facts, there is no basis for its intrusion,” he told The Malaysian Insider in an email.

Lim said there were four existing state Islamic legislation that give the authorities wide powers to act on religious matters, namely: •  Enakmen Jenayah Syariah (Selangor) 1995 (“Enakmen Jenayah”); •  Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam (Kawalan Pengembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) 1988 (“Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam”); •  Administration of the Religion of Islam (State of Selangor) Enactment 2003; and •  Syariah Criminal Procedure (State of Selangor) Enactment 2003. Selangor’s Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment, which outlines offences deemed as acts of proselytisation by non-Muslims towards Muslims, grants the religious authorities powers to launch investigations and arrest individuals without producing a warrant. Read more at www.themalaysianinsider.com

 

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Malaysiakini: Women to form 'make wives obedient' club

Technorati tags: Religion, Obedient Wives Club, Sex+Slaves, Indoctrination

Betcha this will make global news in due course, once again making Malaysia known the world over. Once again, for all the wrong reasons.

Sometimes, the only ones to blame for Islam getting a bad name, are the Muslims themselves, and this is a prime example.

The kind of logic at work here is truly mind-boggling. First, these women are convinced that women are entirely responsible for the social ills that they speak of. The men? Blameless.

Oh, well, if they want to see themselves, once married, as not much more than progeny-producing sex slaves, so be it.

Amplify’d from malaysiakini.com

Blaming wives for infidelity and almost all other weaknesses of men, a polygamous movement is launching a club to make wives obedient and submissive, so as to make their husbands a happy lot.

Global Ikwan Sdn Bhd, an off-shoot of the banned Al-Arqam movement, is launching 'The Obedient Wife Club' in what it claims to be a move to change wives to be better persons.

"We want to share with them, so that they will return to play their roles, that is, as their husbands' lovers who will always be there to obey, serve and entertain their husbands," Global Ikwan's spokesperson Maznah Taufik said in a statement yesterday.

Two years ago, the movement successfully launched the Polygamy Club of Malaysia.

(more of this mind-boggling news item in the full post)

Maznah said in this age, with the era of science and technology gripping society, wives did not deceive their husbands. They were loyal, but did not know how to satisfy their husbands.

"When husbands come home from work, wives do not welcome them with warm alluring smiles and sexy dressing sprayed with beautiful fragrance to stimulate sexual arousal - but with stale saliva. This is the reality today.

"Much of the problems in society are caused by disobedient wives who do not bring joy and happiness to their husbands and do not serve their husbands well," she said.

Happy husbands won't abuse wives

Maznah said a husband who was happy, cheerful and contented because he was fully fed with obedience, service and entertainment from his wife would not be cruel to his wife and women abuse would thus not happen.

"He will not go for prostitution, will be a responsible husband in all matters. It is on this ambition that we, the women in Global Ikwan, set up this club," she added.

She said the authorities had spent so much time, effort and money to overcome the problems of women abuse, rape, sexual harassment, prostitution and trading in women - but all of these had been futile.

"Prostitution continues to increase and has become a source of business. Either it is done openly or in the form of businesses that encourage such things as nightclubs, striptease joints and the like. It is not only women who become victims, but also men.

"Husbands look for prostitutes, while not a small number of women look for gigolos. The family institution, which is hoped to be a heaven before heaven, or my home my heaven, merely remain slogans. Where can we find men and women as loyal as Romeo and Juliet?" Maznah said.

She said what could now be seen were strained couples who were neither satisfied with each other, with wives disobeying their husbands and the husbands being irresponsibl

"Wives who they hope will be angels have become annoying queen-control persons. Husbands become so shaggy, their minds are deeply disturbed and their souls unsettled.

"Imagine, if such an entangled husband is the prime minister, head of the army or an important decision maker for the country? It will be disastrous.

"So, the solution is for the wives to change for the better, by being obedient," Maznah added.

The club will be launched at the Perangsang Golf Club at Templer's Park in Rawang on Saturday. Read more at malaysiakini.com

 

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Keep It Secular, Stupid

Technorati tags: Religion, Politics, Subang Jaya, MPSJ, Third Power Column

Like it or not – and for Walski, not – we live in a country that’s becoming increasingly conservative. It wasn’t always this way, and for quite certain, not something our founding fathers intended for Malaysia to be. Regardless of what the conservatives tell us.

On the onset, Malaysia – or, at the time, Malaya – was formed on the basis of being a secular nation state. Now Walski doesn’t know for sure if the Encyclopedia Galactica defines the word secular or not, but if it did, it would very likely define it in pretty much the same way the Oxford Dictionary does: not connected with religious or spiritual matters.

Secular does not mean anti-religion, or anti-God. In that respect, this country was formed on the basis of being secular. It was never intended that Malaysia be an Islamic state, despite the fact that Islam is the official religion, as defined in the Federal Constitution.

Regardless of what the conservatives believe, and insist that we do, too.

So why is it that religion – Islam, specifically – is becoming more and more prominent within the public sphere? And by public sphere, Walski means public policy.

Walski wonders if much thought was given before this overzealous ruling was forced through. And not just the MPSJ ruling, but the Selangor state Syariah Criminal Enactment, which the MPSJ seems to be so eager to bend over backwards to enforce.

There are damned good reasons why our forefathers formed this country as a secular state. The MPSJ enforcement of this ruling is a living example of why.
(Christopher Hitchens is right, and more, in the full post)

The various state Syariah criminal enactments do one thing very effectively: they create “criminals” out of otherwise law abiding citizens. Every “sin”, if these Islamists have their way, becomes a crime against the state.

Okay, so JAIS and MPSJ want to enforce this idiocy.

Fine. Let’s look at the impact. What these soldiers of God only see are Muslims working in pubs. That’s probably as far as their blinkered vision allows them to see.

Now. what about convenience stores, mini-markets, supermarkets, hotels (there are at least 4 international hotels in the Subang Jaya municipality off the top of Walski’s head), and restaurants?  Is the MPSJ going to enforce this on all businesses, or practice selective persecution? And has MPSJ even considered the potential overnight unemployment?

And once these out of work Muslims (the vast majority of whom are Malays) have been “saved”, who’s going to fill up those vacant positions? Already the Food and Beverage industry is lamenting that without capable foreign labor, they can hardly operate. And what’s going to happen to these out of work Muslims, saved as they may be?

After that, what other un-kosher work will Muslims be prohibited from engaging in? Here’s a suggestion: Muslim employees of banks that charge conventional interest. Yeah, force them into unemployment as well, while we’re at it.

And what of the Muslim stewards and stewardesses on MAS and other airlines that make Malaysia their hub? They serve alcohol on these flights, don’t they? Force the Malaysian Muslim crew into unemployment as well?

That, sports fans, is the real impact of what MPSJ has initiated. Potentially, saving the Muslims to enjoy an economically broken nation.

Okay, so Chief Minister Khalid Ibrahim says that a special fund would be set up to assist “Muslim workers who are forced to resign from entertainment outlets serving alcohol” (via The Malaysian Insider). For how long, and at what quantum? Very creative use of zakat funds, incidentally.

Typical, though – spend more funds and create more bureaucracy to overcome problems that were self-inflicted in the first place.

How long is it going to take until Muslims in this country realize that the longer they tolerate this Islam-as-I-say-tion wars between PAS and UMNO, the more they will be on the short end of the bargaining stick. Yes, folks, newsflash – at the root of this stupidity is none other than the ugly face politics.

These two anachronistic parties go all out to out-Islam the other in their quest for support from the Malaysian people. And Malays – who by virtue of the indelible stamp of their MyKad, are Muslims – have no choice but to endure the stupidity inflicted upon them time and time again. Worse, many relish it. God bless their gullible souls.

By the way, here’s a suggestion – these unemployed, saved individuals could be absorbed into the Civil Service. It’s not like half of our national budget goes into the upkeep of the civil service, right? Oh, wait – doesn’t some of the tax revenue also come from not-so-kosher industries like gaming? The devil, as they say, is in the details, and the Malaysian way is to close one eye to inconvenient truths. When it’s convenient, of course.

And seriously, the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled off is to convince us to do the most incredibly stupid things in God’s name.

Thinking about it, Christopher Hitchens was spot on – religion poisons everything. Hey, Malaysia could be a modern day case study at the rate things are going. Maybe one day we can be a proud member of The Club of Doom.

While certain political personalities lambast the MCLM (Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement) for being a third force to dilute the political process – which, incidentally, they are not – what most people are totally blind to is the very REAL third force – the elephant in the room, so to speak. Walski here refers to what he calls the Third Power Column. Unelected religionistas, in collusion with elected persons across political divides, whose agenda is to turn this country into a theocratic state of some undisclosed model.

In the context of Malaysia, what would result, should this happen, is a religious apartheid, where you have different sets of laws for different sets of people, depending upon what religion you have the misfortune to be born into. Civil liberties, as in bad shape as they are today, will be something we may only read about in prohibited history books.

And this is pretty much 180-degrees from what our forefathers intended. Regardless of what the conservatives insist that we believe.

Most, if not all, of our founding fathers are dead and gone by now, but if they were alive, Walski is pretty sure that they would want for us to KISS – Keep It Secular, Stupid.

Regardless of what the conservatives may want to think, and the delusions necessary to believe what they believe…

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Mufti Collision Update

Technorati tags: Islam, Conservatism, ESQ, Third Power Column, Malaysia

Last week, myAsylum highlighted a collision of muftis over a training program. There have been some developments and Walski felt that he should do this follow-up post just to keep you folks up to speed.

The National Fatwa Council has apparently deliberated over the matter, and it appears that the ESQ Training program has received the council’s blessing, with some caveats.

Now, if you’ve read the clip above, there are some interesting observations that Walski has made. And among these observations, one involves this sometimes unexpectedly tricky thing called timing. 
(Walski’s long-ish, rant-ish observations, and more, in the full post)

The council conference (muzakarrah) to deliberate the matter was conducted on June 16th, according to The Malaysian Insider report above. The Federal Territories (FT) fatwa above was issued by FT Mufti Datuk Wan Zahidi Wan Teh almost a week earlier, on June 10th.

The fatwa gazette, however, was published on June 17th, one day after the conference. The date being a day after is probably a coincidence – the REAL question is, if the matter was to be deliberated by the National Fatwa Council, why didn’t the FT Mufti put the fatwa on hold until after the conference?

Power play, perhaps? Or something more of a personal chip on Wan Zahidi’s shoulder? The man is a known anti-liberal, from what Walski gathers, and an article published in Berita Harian on July 11th gives us a clue as to just how anti-liberal this non-progressive is (translation by myAsylum).

KAJIAN yang dilakukan Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan, Datuk Wan Zahidi Wan Teh, terhadap gerakan Islam liberal di Indonesia dan kaitannya dengan program motivasi yang dianjurkan ESQ Leadership Center Sdn Bhd (ESQ) mendapati ia sarat dengan metodologi dan fikiran liberal yang bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam dan boleh merosakkan akidah.
A STUDY done by Federal Territories Mufti, Datuk Wan Zahidi Wan Teh, on the liberal Islamic movement in Indonesia and its relationship with motivation programs organized by ESQ Leadership Center Sdn Bhd (ESQ), found it laden with the methodology and ideas of liberal Islam, are contrary to Islamic teachings, and can destroy our faith.

Wan Zahidi yang mengeluarkan fatwa mengharamkan program motivasi ESQ pada 10 Jun lalu, berpendapat adalah sangat berbahaya apabila fahaman itu diserapkan dalam satu platform latihan kepemimpinan yang terlepas daripada pengawasan pihak berkuasa agama.
Wan Zahidi, who issued a fatwa banning the ESQ motivational program on June 10, was of the view that it is very dangerous when this creed is adopted into the leadership training platform, which escaped the supervision of religious authorities.

“Oleh itu, ia perlu disekat sebelum merebak menjadi barah yang bakal merosakkan akidah dan syariah serta sukar dikawal lagi,” katanya dalam kajiannya bertajuk ‘Gerakan Islam liberal di Indonesia dan kaitannya dengan program motivasi yang dianjurkan ESQ Leadership Center Sdn Bhd (ESQ),’ yang disiarkan dalam web pejabat Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan.
"Therefore, it should be prohibited before it becomes a cancer that can destroy our faith and the syariah, and becomes more difficult to control," he said in a study entitled ‘Liberal Islam movement in Indonesia and its relationship with motivation programs organized by ESQ Leadership Center Sdn Bhd (ESQ)', published on the Federal Territory Mufti Office website.

Beliau berkata, gerakan Islam liberal adalah usaha halus untuk mengeluarkan umat Islam daripada agama mereka tanpa disedari dan ia dilakukan atas nama Islam.
He said the liberal Islamic movement is a subtle effort to inadvertently remove Muslims from their religion, and done in the name of Islam.

Katanya, pengasas ESQ, Ary Ginanjar Agustin yang berpendidikan Universiti Udaryana, Bali dan Tafe College, Australia, tidak mempunyai asas pengajian Islam secara formal dan mendakwa belajar agama melalui metodologi ‘kemerdekaan berfikir’.
He said the founder of the ESQ, Ary Ginanjar Agustin, who was educated in Udaryana University, Bali and Tafe College, Australia, has no formal training in Islamic and religious studies, and claims he studied religion through the methodology of 'freedom of thought'.

“Buku ESQ Rahsia Sukses Membangun Kesedaran Emosi Spiritual ESQ yang dihasilkan Ary Ginanjar walaupun membicarakan mengenai latihan kepemimpinan, ia penuh dengan perbincangan mengenai perkara yang sangat dasar dalam Islam seperti rukun iman, rukun Islam, tauhid, mukjizat dan sebagainya.
"The ESQ book, 'Rahsia Sukses Membangun Kesedaran Emosi Spiritual ESQ' (The Secret of Successful Realization of ESQ Emotional Spiritual Awareness), produced by Ary Ginanjar, although talks about leadership training, is full of discussions about the very basis of Islam, such as tenets of faith, pillars of Islam, unity of God, miracles and so forth.

“Penggunaan ayat al-Quran dan hadis dibuat secara bebas sesuai dengan metodologi pengajian beliau iaitu ‘kemerdekaan berfikir’,” katanya.
"The use of verses from the Qur'an and Hadith were made independently, in accordance with his "freedom of thought" methodology of study," he said.

Wan Zahidi mempertikaikan topik utama dalam program motivasi ESQ iaitu kecerdasan spiritual (SQ) dan ‘God Spot’ iaitu konsep yang diilhamkan oleh pemikir bukan Islam yang dikaitkan dengan ayat al-Quran dan hadis.
Wan Zahidi disputed the main topics in the ESQ motivation program, namely spiritual intelligence (SQ) and the 'God Spot', a concept inspired by non-Muslim thinkers, which were then associated with al-Quran and Hadith.

“Istilah ‘God Spot’ lahir daripada bukan Islam, maka ‘God’ itu bermaksud sama ada ‘Yahweh’, ‘Father’, ‘Jesus’, ‘Brahma’, ‘Vishnu’, ‘Shiva’ dan sebagainya. Dengan itu konsep ‘God Spot’ adalah jelas syirik dan kufur.
"The term 'God Spot' was born out of non-Muslims, therefore 'God' here means either 'Yahweh', 'Father,' Jesus', 'Brahma', 'Vishnu', 'Shiva' and so on. The concept of 'God Spot', therefore is clearly polytheistic and heretical.

“Ary Ginanjar juga banyak kali menggunakan konsep suara hati sebagai sumber rujukan dalam menentukan baik buruk sesuatu dan menggunakan konsep ini untuk menafsirkan ayat al-Quran.
"Ary Ginanjar a lot of times also uses the concept of conscience as a source of reference in determining whether something is good or bad, and uses this concept to interpret the verses of the Qur'an.

“Pertamanya, konsep suara hati ini adalah ajaran kristian,” katanya sambil menegaskan yang Ary Ginanjar dalam bukunya itu juga menerima pendapat Muhammad Husein Haikal yang dikatakan mengingkari mukjizat.
"In the first place, the concept of conscience is a Christian teaching," he said, asserting that Ary Ginanjar in his book also accepted the opinion of Muhammad Husein Haikal, that is said to deny miracles.

Selain itu, beliau mempersoalkan tindakan Ary Ginanjar yang mengguna teori kod 19 Rashad Khalifa untuk mentafsir al-Quran sedangkan Rashad diisytiharkan sesat kerana menolak hadis.
In addition, he questioned Ginanjar Ary’s use of Rashad Khalifa’s Code 19 theory to interpret the Quran, when Rashad had been declared a heretic due to his rejection of the Hadith.

Beliau juga mempertikaikan tindakan Ary Ginanjar yang memberi penghargaan tinggi kepada dua tokoh liberal terkenal di Indonesia, Nurcholis Madjid yang membenarkan anaknya kahwin dengan Yahudi Amerika dan Harun Nasution yang mendakwa Yahudi memelihara kemurnian tauhid.
He also disputed Ary Ginanjar’s acknowledgement of  two well-known liberal figures in Indonesia, Nurcholish Madjid, who allowed his child to marry an American Jew, and Harun Nasution, who claimed that Jews preserved the purity of faith.
(source: Berita Harian article, “Gerakan Islam liberal rosak akidah perlu disekat” dated July 11th, 2010 [in PDF])

If it really interests you, Wan Zahidi’s research paper quoted by the article above can be found either via the FT Mufti’s Office website, or alternatively from here. It’s 44 pages long (PDF format), and Walski has so far only glossed over its contents. He intends to read it later, and if time permits, he may even translate it to English.

There are a couple of things about what the article reports that Walski finds really disturbing, and to some degree, summarizes why conservative Muslim clerics like Wan Zahidi are regressive elements with a lot of harm potential.

The first is how Muslims shouldn’t have the freedom to think. It’s almost like once you’re a Muslim, better check your brain in at the door, and let the more “qualified” do the thinking for you. It’s exactly this kind of mind-numbing environment that breeds religio-automatons ripe for recruitment by those intent to use religion as an implement of control, terror, and destruction.

In a way, it kind of explains how people who are otherwise educated can be convinced to sign up for less than savory causes like JI (Jemaah Islamiah) or Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad. Intellectualize all you want about inorganic chemistry, and the molecular subdivisions thereof, but when it comes to religion, check your thinking cap at the madrassa steps. The end-product? Infamously explosive characters like Noordin Mohammad Top.

The second, and perhaps even more disturbing, is the insinuation that having a conscience is a bad thing, if you are a Muslim. Why? Oh, because the conscience is a “Christian” concept. So, does that mean “good” Muslims cannot have a conscience?

Actually, this startling revelation does make sense if you think about it – you have undoubtedly read (likely one too many times) how the morality police can, and do, go to all kinds of lengths to ensure that their khalwat raids are successful, right? Causing someone to jump out of tall building windows – out of fear and panic, usually to their doom – is probably easier to stomach when you don’t have a conscience.

The same goes for blowing up a roomful of football fans just because you’re pissed off that your government sent peacekeepers to neighboring Somalia. It’s easy when this Christian concept called a conscience doesn’t get in the way.

Less drastic and dramatic perhaps is how Malaysian religious authorities simply love to make life difficult for the Muslim populace by creating intricate and needless bureaucracies. There’s a lot to write about in this department, so Walski will leave it for another rant some other time. Suffice it to say that this sheer inconsideration can be attributed to the missing element of conscience.

Put the two negatives together – deprecation of intellect and elimination of conscience – and it’s no wonder at all why Muslims at large the world over are in the sorry state they’re in. And no, it’s not a uniquely Malaysian thing, either. Walski has a lot more to rant about when it comes to this, but let’s leave it for another time.

So, the conclusion to this recent fi-ESQ-o, with colliding muftis and all?

Well, it now appears that ESQ training is kosher everywhere in Malaysia, except for the Federal Territories. In other words, nothing’s changed since Walski first highlighted this a week ago.

Looked at in a different way, “God’s Law” within the Federal Territories says one thing (because the fatwa HAS been gazetted as “law” within the FTs), while on the national level, it’s another story.

Go figure….

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When Muftis collide

Technorati tags: Islam, Conservatism, ESQ, Third Power Column, Malaysia, Indonesia

It all started with an e-mail Walski received from his good buddy. In the e-mail, said friend included this link, and a short message: “It’s good to know that the Fatwa committee has reliable sources for decision making. Thank Lucifer for ‘Christianity for Dummies’.”

The link, as it turned out, was to a recently gazetted Federal Territory (Wilayah Persekutuan) fatwa about the ESQ Leadership Training, and similar understanding (you can also download a copy from here).

Walski, being of sound and inquisitive mind, decided to dig a little deeper into the fatwa, which appears to have been gazetted on June 17th, 2010. It is authored by the Mufti for the Federal Territories, Datuk Hj Wan Zahidi Wan Teh, who also happens to be the same mufti that got himself embroiled in the controversy surrounding Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan swearing on the Quran in 2008 (via The Star). He also happens to be the author of “Malaysia adalah sebuah Negara Islam”, a publication by the Ministry of Information, way back in 2001 thereabouts, which caused quite a stir at the time.

Here’s the odd bit – ESQ Leadership Training, formulated by Dr. Ary Ginanjar Agustian, has been around in Malaysia since 2006, and its client list not only reads like the who’s who of corporate Malaysia, but the program has been extensively administered in several state and federal level Islamic departments!

If that’s not odd enough, ESQ has its own Syariah and Faith-compliance panel, comprising of:

1. Dato’ Mustafa Abdul Rahman - former Director General of Jakim (panel chairman)
2. Tan Sri Abdul Kader Talip - former Federal Territories Mufti (making him Wan Zahidi's predecessor)
3. Dato’ Paduka Sheikh Hasbullah Sheikh Abdul Halim - former Mufti of Kedah
4. Dato’ Hj Nooh Hj Gadot - former Mufti of Johor
5. Dr Adnan Mohd Yusoff – Dean for Quran and Sunnah, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.

ESQ Training Malaysia’s Syariah Panel (from this press release)

If nothing else, a very impressive line-up of the Malaysian Islamic bureaucracy, whom Walski is very sure know their syariah. Now, would you logically expect such a line up in the panel if the ESQ program were heretical? 
(some justifications, lots of rebuttals, and more, in the full post)

But logic, in fact, is one of the things that the Federal Territories fatwa takes issue with (translation by myAsylum).

(v) menjadikan logik sebagai sumber rujukan utama. Ini bertentangan dengan akidah Islam yang menetapkan bahawa Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah sebagai sumber rujukan utama

(v) using logic as the main resource for reference. This contradicts with Islamic belief that has determined the Quran and Sunnah as its main reference resource
(source: ESQ Fatwa Gazette P.U. (B) 276)

Kind of ironic, if you take another justification (there are 10 of them in all) stated in the fatwa text.

(i) mendukung fahaman liberalisme iaitu memahami atau mentafsir nas-nas agama (Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah) secara bebas, dan fahaman pluralisme-agama iaitu fahaman yang mengajarkan semua agama adalah sama dan benar. Kedua-dua fahaman ini adalah sesat dan boleh membawa kepada kekufuran

(i) supports liberal ideology of freely understanding or interpreting religious texts (Quran and Sunnah), and the ideology of religious pluralism, that is the ideology that all religions are correct and true. Both of these beliefs are astray, and can lead to heresy.
(source: ESQ Fatwa Gazette P.U. (B) 276)

Many have talked about the creeping conservatism that’s been observed amongst the Islamic bureaucracy in Malaysia. Well, for Walski, it’s not creeping any more – we’re close to being swallowed by conservatism.

The reality is that in today’s cleric circles, particularly when formulating fatwa, more emphasis is given to interpretations and analogies of classical scholars – the Dead Scholars Society, as Walski calls it. Direct interpretation of scripture is strongly frowned upon. And logic – muftis forbid – the biggest enemy of all. 

Walski won’t quote all of the ten justification points clause by clause. Suffice it to say that it epitomizes a very insular and narrow point of view. And you know the worst part? Mufti Wan Hamidi has never even attended any of the ESQ modules (emphasis by myAsylum).

“We are trying to reason with the mufti but we haven’t had any response from him yet,” ESQ official Dwitya Agustina said.

Dwitya also told news portal Detik.com she believed Zahidi did not fully understand ESQ training methods because he had never attended any sessions.

The ESQ official site notes that the mufti from Malaysia’s 13 other states supported ESQ training.
(source: Jakarta Globe article: "Malaysian Mufti Ridiculed for Decree Against Leadership Training Method")

This is only one of the many cases of late, where books and other materials – this time an entire training program – in Malaysia have been banned, or fatwa’d against, based on ultra-conservative viewpoints, typically based on little or no information.

In the process, the mainstream Muslim populace, typically raised in an environment of “thou shalt not question”, who hang on to every religious opinion made by others as if they’re the gospel truth, become more and more insular in their outlook. It is this kind of environment that has given rise to a growing conservative society, and fertile ground for groups like Perkasa to flourish.

Just about everyone who has attended these ESQ programs have raved about them being beneficial. One of the most common comments – it makes them think. And as everyone knows, a thinking populace is one that’s difficult for demagogues to lord over.

So, is this a simple case of Mufti vs. Mufti, or are there other underlying reasons? Walski doesn’t wish to speculate, as he doesn’t have sufficient information. What he can tell you is that this fatwa has come under criticism from two of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organizations: Nahdatul Ulama, and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

Said Agil Siradj, chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, said no religious leader should pass judgement on other groups within the same religion without thorough knowledge of the issue.

“This just goes to show how narrow-minded the mufti is being,” he said.

Said added that Islamic teachings could only be deemed misleading if they rejected any of the five pillars of the religion — the recognition of only one god, praying five times a day, fasting during Ramadan, performing the hajj, and giving alms.

“If ESQ taught people to pray only four times a day, for instance, then it would be right to speak against it,” he said.

“But what they teach is already available and acceptable in mainstream Islam.”
(source: Jakarta Globe article: "Malaysian Mufti Ridiculed for Decree Against Leadership Training Method")

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has denounced an edict issued by a Malaysian mufti declaring Islamic-based motivation and training methods developed by an Indonesian heretical.

MUI chairman Amidhan told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday the fatwa issued by a Malaysian mufti to declare the widely-popular Emotional and Spiritual Quotient (ESQ) training program heretical was “exorbitant”.

“The ESQ method is very advanced and extraordinary. Those who issued the fatwa are just not ready [for such methods],” he said.
(source: The Jakarta Post article "MUI rebuffs Malaysian fatwa on ESQ")

Now, you might think that the consternation expressed by the Indonesian religious bodies could be construed as a knee-jerk nationalistic reaction (Dr. Ary Ginanjar Agustian is Indonesian, incidentally). Fair enough.

But here’s what a Malaysian cleric, Datuk Hassan Ahmad, Mufti of Pulau Pinang, had to say (translation by myAsylum):

“Saya telah mengikuti ESQ Training dan saya mendapati pendekatan ini adalah pendekatan yang terbaik dan sesuai pada masa kini. Sebab pendekatan ESQ ini adalah pendekatan berbentuk ilmiah, iaitu berdasarkan daripada ayat Al-Quran, kemudian disepadukan dengan akidah. Walau dipaparkan penemuan astronomi atau ilmu sains dan sebagainya tetapi ia Berjaya dikaitkan dengan keyakinan kepada Allah Yang Maha Pencipta. Bagi saya apa yang dibuat oleh ESQ adalah training terbaik yang pernah saya ikuti.”

”I have attended ESQ Training and I have found the approach to be the best and most appropriate for today. This is because the ESQ approach is academic in nature, based on the verses of the Quran, and integrated with faith. Although astronomical discoveries, scientific knowledge, and so forth, are incorporated, but it successfully relates back to faith in God the Almighty Creator. For me, what has been done by ESQ is the best training I've ever attended.”
(source: ESQ Sharing article)

So again Walski asks, what's the heck is the deal with the fatwa?

For one thing, Walski found out that the fatwa text, in its entirety has been around at least since March this year, found in the form of an opinion article at a site called ImranShamsir.com. Now, how did this finally become a gazetted fatwa is beyond Walski’s knowledge to comment.

Walski also found this critique about the program, written by Ustaz Zaharuddin Abd Rahman. Although it is not a damning as the fatwa, Zaharuddin has problems with some of the terminologies used, among other “flaws” he’s found. Again, if you were to ask Walski, the point of view is rather conservative, being wary and cautious about every little thing lurking in the shadows that might jump out and eat up your faith.

Remember the Third Power Column hypothesis that Walski made not too long ago? Still not convinced that it is a real possibility? For Walski, this fatwa is another indication of the subtle attempts to make Malaysia a haven for conservatism.

So far, none of the mainstream news organizations have picked up on the fatwa. Or, at least, that Walski has seen. It also makes one wonder why the downplay and silence.

In any case, the direct implication now is that ESQ cannot conduct their training anywhere in the Federal Territories of KL, Putrajaya and Labuan. So far, it’s kosher everywhere else. Their website has indicated that they are waiting for a decision from the National Fatwa Council.

In that respect, one can only hope the National Fatwa Council will use resources more credible than “Christianity For Dummies” as part of their rationalization and justification… whatever it is that they eventually decide.

~ ~ ~ o O O O o ~ ~ ~

Walski’s affiliation disclaimer footnote: The reason why he’s blogging about this is because Walski thinks that this is yet another Islamic storm in a teacup. One of the many we’ve had. And rest assured, Walski is in no way affiliated with ESQ. That said, if you want to know more, you can read up about what the ESQ Training program is about through their website, or through their brochure that you can download from here.

Click here for the full post......

Reverse-Copperfield Manoeuvres In The Dark

Technorati tags: Politics, Islam, Third Power Column, Conspiracy, Karthika

In the 80s, there was a popular music called Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, or OMD for short, which Walski kinda liked. Apart from the title’s intentional similarity to the group’s name, this post has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with them.

And neither does it have anything to do with Charles Dickens, or the illusionist David Copperfield.

Okay, not quite true, because it does have a teensy-weensy bit to do with the latter – who’s known for making grand objects disappear into thin air. Or lead us to believe that they do, anyway.

A Reverse-Copperfield, therefore, is to make something that’s not actually there, miraculously appear. It’s a term Walski made up earlier today, and that is about the extent Walski wants to discuss about David Copperfield.

So what the heck IS this post about?

Well, let’s just say that it’s about an historic event that maybe didn’t actually happen…
(sometimes, things are the way they don’t seem, and more, in the full post)

Flashback a couple of weeks ago, just as Walski was about to end his wonderful week-long sojourn in Bali. Fellow-blogger and friend Marina M. went and totally ruined his holiday mood by texting him about what had just happened at home in Malaysia.

Okay, so Marina didn’t actually ruin anything, but her text message did get Walski to thinking about it. And the more Walski thought about it… his mind went like, what if… the whole caning thing never actually happen?

There are a few reasons why Walski entertains this possibility.

First off, according to the various news reports covering the historic female threesome caning, the women turned themselves in to the religious authorities. While this is not something implausible by any measure, have we bothered to ask ourselves, “WHY?”. Especially when one of them is already a mother (and married – more about that later). Are we to believe that guilt is that great a motivator?

And then we have the role of the Malay language press – why wasn’t the surrender of the three reported? Newspapers like Utusan, it’s more evil offspring Harian Metro, and the like, are usually very quick to pick up on these sorts of “redeeming” human interest stories. Granted the fact that he doesn’t usually read these rags, Walski had not heard ANYTHING about 3 women willingly submitting themselves to the religious authorities, purely out of guilt. Because that kind of news would’ve been BIG. You’d have had every religious authority, and their uncles, gloat about how great and successful their Islam-as-I-say-tion programs have been, to elicit such remorse in these “criminals” that they’d turn themselves in.

If it had been reported, it would have been talked about extensively around the Bloggerhood and Twitterverse (even if Walski hadn’t read the initial report). But no – the first time anyone even knew about this is when Spanky was quoted in the news, around February 17th.

Third – why is it that all 3 “executions” were carried out on the same day (February 9th, 2010), and at the same place (Kajang Prison)? Oh, and carried out in complete secrecy, apart from representatives from various governmental agencies who witnessed the historic event (translation by myAsylum).

Hishammuddin berkata wakil dari kementeriannya turut hadir semasa pelaksanaan hukuman dibuat bersama 13 orang lagi antaranya Pengarah Jabatan Agama Wilayah, Pegawai Jabatan Agama Wilayah dan wakil dari Bahagian Syariah Jabatan Peguam Negara serta wakil dari Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia.

Hishammuddin said that representatives from his ministry were also there during the execution of the sentence, with 13 others, including the Director of the Wilayah Religious Department, officers from the Wilayah Religious Department, and representative(s) from the Syariah Section of the Attorney General's Office, plus representatives from the Department of Islamic Advancement of Malaysia (JAKIM).
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

Meanwhile, The Star also reported Spanky’s pronouncement of the caning. The way it was presented adds to the doubts Walski has about the caning exercise (emphasis by myAsylum).

Hishammuddin said he decided to bring to public attention the punishment meted to the three women because there had been “too much hype” over Kartika’s sentence.

“People are saying that no woman has been caned before and that Kartika should not be caned.

“Today I am announcing that we have already done it. There is no hidden agenda, we are merely executing our responsibility,” he told a press conference at his office yesterday.
(source: The Star)

Which brings us to the matter of timing – his decision came two weeks before Karthika was supposed to meet with the Regent of Pahang. Now, “too much hype” surrounding Karthika’s sentencing had been the case since the decision to cane her was made in July 2009. Why the wait?

July 2009 also happens to be one month before the reported surrender of the 3 women, in August 2009. Which brings us to how superbly “efficient” the syariah court system has been in this specific case. Whip, Spank, Thank You Ma’am. As opposed to the highly inefficient Home Ministry, that is, basing on the timeline we’re expected to believe.

Due process of the law being what it is – it takes time, in other words – regardless of which court system, the entire process of surrender, trial, sentencing and execution took only about 8 months. It also raises the question of who, if anyone, represented the three “criminals”. No one seems to know, actually.

It’s reasonable practice to protect the identity of the 3 women – they have, by their own admission, reformed. The Star (and apparently no one else) carried a human interest story related to the three, identifying them by the pseudonyms Ayu, Aishah and Nur. One of the three, Nur, however was quoted to have said something that didn’t make any reasonable sense to Walski at all.

The third offender, Nur, who has a three-year-old toddler, said although she had wanted to make things right by marrying her lover, she took a long time to do so as she could not find her father to give her away.
(source: The Star)

Nur, presumably did make things right, despite waiting 3 years (going by her child’s age). And what does she do after that? Surrender herself to the religious authorities. Nur is either stupid, insane, or… was the entire caning story fabricated?

Here’s what Walski thinks: yes, the Karthika case has been hyped beyond belief – but for good reason. Part of the hype – and presumably perceived to be central to it – was that she’d have been the first woman in Malaysia to be caned (albeit the unhurtful syariah way). Poor Karthika, though – she’s now been deprived the honor of being the first. Tsk, tsk.

And the hype has placed the syariah court system in ill-repute. Although, what repute it had to begin with is questionable. But let’s not go there.

Calculating that carrying out the caning sentence in secrecy would outrage a lot of people, it was also probably calculated that the outrage would outweigh the desire to pause for a bit and think about the plausibility of the whole thing. Probably true in the case of most concerned Malaysians.

And so, as a form of damage control and PR, create 3 female “syariah criminals”, “punish” them by syariah caning, and then proclaim, “See? We’ve already done it – what’s the big deal?”

Well, the big deal is that Walski, who did take the time to think about it, doesn’t like it when his government lies to him. As he’s sure is the case with many of his fellow citizens.

Yesterday, something else was reported, which strengthens Walski’s belief that the caning of the three women was a stage-managed PR exercise, and that no caning took place at all – the possibility of Karthika being pardoned by HRH the Sultan of Pahang (via The Malaysian Insider), and also reported by The Star.

In all likelihood, Walski suspects Karthika will receive a pardon. The government and the various interested authorities may not be too thrilled with this prospect – they will, however, not make too much of a fuss. Again, this is Walski’s own speculation.

The caning of the three women – whether or not it actually happened – does achieve one thing: it reiterates the fact that the Third Power Column is very much alive, and wishes to make it clear who’s really in charge. And anyone who dares challenge the Third Power Column will be labeled negatively (see this The Malaysian Insider report for an example).

The fear factor instilled by such a collusion between an elected government, and an unelected pressure group, however, is all too real. Yesterday, The Star nixed this week’s installment of Marina M.’s weekly column Musings, in fear of similar repercussions like what happened with Managing Editor P. Gunasegaram’s piece entitled “Persuasion, not Compulsion” (via Unscientific Malaysian – The Star has removed the article from their site). In the Quran, there is not supposed to be any compulsion when it comes to religion. In Malaysia, however, the reality can be quite the opposite.

More importantly, a precedent has been set. One which the Government (guided by the Third Power Column) will try to use to silence any future dissent when it comes to religious matters. Nevermind that the caning could have been something of a Reverse Copperfield. Walski thinks so anyway, based on all the circumstantial clues.

When faced with difficult circumstances, sometimes what it takes for the desperate to succeed is a bit of illusionary maneuvers… preferably in the dark, away from the scrutiny of concerned citizens.

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