Thursday, May 29, 2008
Anyone for Kafir Latte?
When I first expressed my views about the myopic statement from the Persatuan Pelajar Islam Malaysia, the last thing I expected is to be accused of being an infidel. In the words of blogger Mahaguru58, lawyer Karpal Singh and I are non-believers in God. It's really tiresome going into a debate on religion. Haris Ibrahim has taken up the case for me and I have to thank him for defending me. Like many other people, religion is a personal thing. It is between God and myself. No one has any right to judge us. But the point is this - Malaysia must not be allowed to go to the Little Talibans. It does not matter whether they come in shades of white (too sexy?), green (too PAS?) or blue (too BN?) but the fact remains that Malaysia has turned more conservative over the years. Anyone, regardless of their religion, who speak up, find themselves on the firing line. They are intimidated and all kinds of names are hurled against them. As always, the tiresome argument is used, non-Muslims cannot even make a squeak because we are kafirs. Never mind, if these rulings impinge on our rights. Police women have been asked to cover-up because they were supposedly part of the uniform. Kelantan state Women Affairs committee chairman Wan Ubaidah Wan Omar said there was no problem with baju kurung but it was "challenging" for schoolboys to sit in the same classroom with schoolgirls who wore revealing school uniform! Have we come to this? Looks like Cafe Latte must now make way for Kafir Latte!
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20 comments:
it's ironic isn't it? non-muslim is called kafir - "non-believer". how about non-christian, non-hindu, non-buddhist, are they "kafir" too in relation the respective religions mentioned? eating pork is haram for muslim, but eating meat is haram for vegetarian, who is more pure? one involved taking life, shedding blood while the other did not.
don't do to unto others what you don't want others to do unto you.
ring any bells?
When someone resorts to branding others Kafir and so on, they really reveal more about themselves and their inability to have a civil argument.
How much better it would be if they were to stick with debating the points rather than resort to personal attacks.
In the world of Web 2.0, this is what you get - the good and the bad. Everybody has a voice, which on the whole is more of a good thing.
So, what can you do when someone makes personal attacks against you? Just hold the moral high ground and stick to the points of your arguments and not stoop to their level.
At the end of the day, readers will be able to tell who has the good points and who doesn't. Or as Bob Woodward once said, readers can tell the difference between chicken salad and chicken shit.
Hey Chun Wai,
You're right that part and parcel of blogging is to get criticized from those who do not agree with you, including those who will indulge in hurling insults such as kafir and the like. Keep up the blogging and speak your conscience!
Aiyah!
Kafir is only a word. That is how Arab call another person race.
Like Chinese call another race Indian, Malay, Iban etc. Must the Indian, Malay, Iban get angry with this type of label?
So, kafir is another word for another race which is group as non-muslim.
Like that also become an issue.
Hey think for a second, if a label can become so sensitive among you people, DON'T hope for heroes like in the Sichuan Earthquake if it ever happen near you.
Bravo! Chun Wai!
All this talk by Pakatan Rakyat on 'one race, one nation and one people' is nothing but a whole lot bullcrap. Until and unless they can get rid of the attitudes of the number one racists in this country, there will never and I repeat, never, ever, be one race, one people and one nation in this country.
If by calling myself a Chinese in Malaysia makes me a racist, then to hell with everyone who is not on my side of the fence.
dear anon,
sometimes i just wish the world is as simple as you. try going to the US and say the word n***er to a black person. heck... its just a word isnt it?
while 'a word' may be tolerated by some societies, that does not mean it is universally tolerated. i just have this gut feeling that either you are not well travelled or that you have not been racially abused by some idiot saying 'just a word'
oedipus
it's sad that we muslims have brought the current problems they face unto themselves... it appears they don't really understand the ways of nor do they follow in the example of our holy prophet Muhammad (PBUH)... everyone is entitled to have an opinion... that's what God created the mind for...
This is the result of the BN's handiwork. In the past, the Malays / Muslims in Malaysia were very friendly and peaceful people. The BN govt then sent a whole big bunch of students to study in the Middle East, instead of sending them to quality universities elsewhere. Also they encouraged the pondok schools for the non-achievers. Now what we get in Malaysia are a big bunch of little Talibans, all out to drag down Malaysia from progress. They want us all to live in the stone age. They want Malaysia to be like Pakistan and Afghanistan.
What can you say about a person with a small mind .... let them say their piece and ignore them ... Malaysia is better off without the likes of him
jangan layan close minded people like this so call muslim, tolerance is not in his vocab.
Ketuanan Rakyat!
Chun Wai,
In my earlier comment in your blog I opined that the current political environment we Malaysians are living in, breeds many racists amongst us. Let's be honest, we all look at the outside world, through our tainted lens - we differ only in the degree of taintedness. Our lens get tainted by the day, as we grow up and live through life's different experiences. We form different opinions and ideas in our head as we hear and see events unfolding infront of our eyes.
When a Muslim calls a non-Muslim a "kafir", I think he's saying that person is a non-believer of his Muslim God, not neccessarily a non-beliver of God (in general). You surely can't call yourself a believer of his God as you are a believer of different religion, so to him you are a "kafir" (like me, I guess).
Anyway, it's only a label and we label people everyday and we invent new labels when it's convenient to us. I remember the Chinese used to label other races "devils", you know, names like "Ang Mor Kui" (Red Haired Devil), "Kelengah Kui" (Indian Devil), "Hor Nah Kui" (Malay Devil). Only we Chinese are humans as we called ourselves "Th'ng Lang" (Chinese Human).
If that is not racist, what is! I don't know about other races, but I think they too have their racist labels, apart from "kafir" (of course).
i disagree with the comments below by this anonymous writer...that its all BN's handiwork of sending of Malays/Muslims to study in the Middle East,instead of sending them to quality universities elsewhere.it not BN who sent them ther...(BN only sent non-achievers Malay/Muslims to UK,US,Japan,Australia,many other European Universitie.its PAS who started this concept of sending them to Kabul to train them to fight Russians in the 80's.PAS encouraged the pondok schools for the non-achievers and used them as little Taliban in every villages in malaysia(Kelantan,Kedah,Perlis,parts of Perak n nothern Selangor) to fight againts our own goverment.so who drag down Malaysia from progress?. Pas is the one who wanted Malaysia to be like Pakistan and Afghanistan.please recall some of the incidents in the nothern states where polis have to storm to free some villages under PAS control few years back!.
People call other people names when they have no other better defense. Like a child who try to outscore the other person.
Anyway, waste of time on these type of people. We have become so dogmatic about race and religion that t is moving us backwards. Continue advocating peace and tolerance + other values that Christ showed. God bless
When someone draws a line to keep me out
I draw a bigger circle to bring him in
No war is really won simply with a loud shout
No entry is gained to heaven with narrow mindedness as sin
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 290508
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Thur. 29th May 2008.
Dear WCW
To my knowledge, to Muslims, non-Muslims and kafirs or infidels; to Jews, non-Jews are gentiles; and to Christians, non-Christians are heathens. It all has to do with whether you are in the club or not. I do not object – as a Christian – to being called infidel by a Muslim by virtue of not being a Muslim because, he is right, I am an infidel, in that context, because fidelity is to Jesus Christ and no to Mohammed. So why get upset?
LJ
dear louis joseph,
while i agree that we like to categorise ppl into little boxes that we may easily 'identify' them, (though not necessary identify WITH them).
but somehow, my tolerance to such labelling has quite reach a boiling point. you see, when i was young i was known as a chinese, non muslim.
when i reach secondary school, i was known as a chinese, non muslim, non-bumi and a pendatang.
now, on top of that i am also a kafir and dhimmi. i am just wondering why is it so hard to ppl to just recognize me as a Malaysian above all? that is why i hate to label ppl and i accept ppl as they are. not labelling and boxing them into sub catogories that i may identify them on the streets. its just racially prejudice lah man! now we have gone one notch up and divided via religiousity.
oedipus
Lucifer plays
The game of heavens and hell
Don’t we all know about it?
We read it in our Holy Books
And yet we get riled up
When labeling becomes a snare
Are you with me, are you not?
The sickness of the mind
Lucifer plays right into it
And the children of God become
The puppet of the great Pretender
One for you, one for me
One of others, one for me still
One for the rest, one for me to chew
Until I get it all
The children of God look so perplex
It isn’t fair, Lucifer!
Yet the religious scholars
Named him as Satan or Devil or Evil One
Or whatever name they can think of
His name is Lucifer
The angel of fire
In case we forget………….
Anything new in this world………………?
We should draw our own conclusions
The right to heavens isn’t for one race
Look around us so many colors of people
And we named names……………….
A sin if that ever is repeated every time after prayers
We are bullshitting ourselves aren’t we?
Dear Chun Wai,
This Mahaguru58 is the same Little Taliban that suggested all non-Muslims in Malaysia should be tattooed like the Jews in Nazi Germany....except this time with a "kafir" on their foreheads.
Here is the link:
http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/2102/46
This country is going to the dogs I tell ya.
I cannot believe this post comes from the chief editor of The Star!!!
What sort of polemic are you trying to beat? Disgusting!
YB Karpal Singh is a Sikh. Sikhs believe in god calling him "Allah, Rabb, Malik" among other names. To the Sikhs the name used is unimportant. Their belief states that god was and is always there, that is is He was not born. They do not ask you to join their religion, only to understand what they believe. To call YB Karpal Singh "kafir" is truly ignorant. YB Karpal Singh is a caring, honest and upright person who has contributed more to the Law and to public life in this country than many others who grace Parliament.
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