SEOUL: At the conclusion of the 6th Asian Youth Day, a young Filipino pilgrim stated that the greatest thing he will walk away with is a higher value of his faith, thanks to the profound devotion of Korean Catholics.
“The biggest thing that I will take with me from this experience is the vitality of faith here in Korea, because in the Philippines, we know that the Philippines is a Catholic country, but the faith becomes routine,” Jessie Perez told CNA Aug. 17.
Di dalam agama Kristian, kita diajar oleh Yesus untuk sentiasa bercakap benar. Tidak kira apa fahaman politik kita, kita seharusnya mempertahankan kebenaran. Sangat sedih jika kita melihat saudara-saudara senegara kita berantakkan dan bergaduh sesama sendiri. Tetapi paling sedih apabila melihat, apabila sesetengah pemimpin pro-Kristian yang sanggup menipu untuk menunjukkan bahawa kerajaan yang sedia ada jahat dan tidak berguna untuk rakyat.
13 May satu permainan yang amat berbahaya:
13 May 1969 mungkin tidak dirasai oleh orang-orang seperti saya yang tinggal di Borneo, namun saya selalu mendengar cerita-cerita mengenainya. Saya percaya perkara ini tidak akan terjadi sekiranya kita lebih bertoleransi antara kaum. Sikap kita lah yang menjadi penyebab terjadinya rusuhan-rusuhan seperti ini.
Ingin saya katakan, untuk isu perkauman, tidak wajar kita menunding jari. Seharusnya kita cari jalan yang sesuai untuk mencari penyelesaian yang lebih baik. Yesus mengajar kita untuk hidup dengan aman dan damai, bukankah itu lebih baik dari cuba memprovokasi antara satu sama yang lain.
Muhyiddin Yassin Vs Lim Kit Siang.
Saya pernah terbaca bahawa Muhyiddin Yassin adalah seorang yang berbangga bahawa beliau adalah . berbangsa Melayu dengan mengatakan bahawa "Malay first Malaysian second". Ini tidak menjadi masalah. Kenapa ada yang mengatakannya rasis dan tidak bertanggungjawab? Malaysia adalah sebuah negara yang meraikan kaum-kaum yang ada. Dasar nasionalis kita adalah unik. Saya pun kalau ditanya, saya adalah Anak Sarawak dan Anak Malaysia.
Pasal isu 13 May yang kononya mengatakan Muhyiddin Yassin mengeluarkan kenyataan mencabar orang Cina. Saya sudah baca kenyataan tersebut dan tiada apa pun yang rasis mengenainya. Ianya hanya satu peringatan bahawa kita hidup ini perlu bertoleransi dan saling mempercayai satu sama lain. Jika tidak ianya akan menyebabkan pergaduhan dan perpecahan sesama sendiri. Ianya akan menjadi rosak jika kita tidak sama-sama berusaha memperbaiki kesilapan kita.
Sebenarnya saya berpendapat bahawa yang benar-benar mahukan 13 May kembali adalah Lim Kit Siang. Betul.... Kalau tak percaya anda boleh tengok sahaja laman blognya. Beberapa bulan lepas berpuluh artikel mengenai 13 May dan bagaimana UMNO yang "Jahat" telah merosakkan Malaysia dipertontonkan kepada umum. Mengapa pembangkang tidak memaki hamun Lim Kit Siang.
Hati saya sudah tawar dengan Pakatan Rakyat. DAP tidak akan membentuk negara atau negeri yang baik. Mereka hanya tau politik 24 sahaja. Orang-orang macam ini perlu dihalang dari masuk ke Negeri saya.
**This article was a critical comment on the Terengganu State Government (Which was Under PAS back then, during their tenure. Their proposal to implement Hudud was clearly opposed by the people of Malaysia). Hudud in Terengganu - A Law to Protect Rapist
The Hudud Bill drafted by the Terengganu state government constitutes a gross violation of the principles of justice and equality in Islam. Under this Bill;
A woman who reports she has been raped will be charged for qazaf (slanderous accusation) and flogged 80 lashes if she is unable to prove the rape.
An unmarried woman who is pregnant is assumed to have committed zina, even if she has been raped.
Malaysians, even the Muslims, have yet to fully grasp the workings of the Hudud that the PAS government wants to implement in Kelantan. Academicians concur that this is the reason why even Muslims are sceptical and remain at a loss on how the Islamic criminal code will be implemented.
The lack of awareness and understanding on Hudud is very much due to the fact the laws are not openly taught to the society.
Saya ingin menyatakan pendapat tentang kejadian kemalangan maut yang menimpa mendiang Karpal Singh baru-baru ini. Ini kerana saya merasakan bahawa kejadian seperti ini telah mengakibatkan kerugian yang amat besar kepada negara.
Saya menulis di sini bukan kerana bangsa, agama atau kefahaman politik tertentu. Saya menulis di sini kerana saya ingin menyedarkan rakyat Malaysia bahawa kejadian seperti kematian Karpal Singh ini perlu diambil perhatian serius.
Saya ingin mencadangkan bahawa, hukuman berat dikenakan terhadap pemandu lori yang menyebabakan kematian Karpal Singh. Apakah nilainya seorang pemandu lori jika ingin dibandingkan dengan nyawa seorang Karpal Singh!
Marilah kita bersama-sama mendesak KERAjaan Malaysia untuk mengenakan hukuman yang paling berat kepada pemandu lori yang telah merencatkan gerakan Reformasi dan UBAH.
Hutang Darah Wajar Dibayar Dengan Darah!!!!!!
Kristen Malangkas
Sibu.
* We know its a little bit extreme, but there are some truth in his thoughts regarding the death of Mr Karpal Singh. Well, we will let the public decide on this. CU4M are not liable for any statements made by the public. Anyone can have an opinion on this matter. But then again, what we can do is pray to God. And hope for the best in our lives. Yesus is the ultimate savior. We believe that God works in mysterious ways. Love, Chris Darson Editor Christian United for Malaysia Perth Australia.
We would not discuss the proceeding of this court proceeding. However, we will discuss the sentiment played by the Muslim community towards Christians in Malaysia.
We are happy to announce that our cause has taken a giant leap in promoting religious tolerance in Malaysia.
We received news that the ever prolific ABIM (Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia) has already join our cause in providing a better Malaysia for Malaysians. We can see this in the 28th February gathering where an ABIM representative was present in the inter-prayers ceremony held in Kajang.
ABIM is a group of young Malay Muslim youth are dedicating all their strength to ensure that all of the religion in Malaysia is free from the tyranny of the Government and Islamic authorities prosecution.
We would like to say thank you to ABIM and we appreciate their help to ensure Malaysia would become a free country.
Is PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) forging an alliance with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak?
This is the poser raised by veteran journalist Datuk A. Kadir Jasin in his latest blog posting.
Kadir said it was a win-win deal for both Najib and Anwar, as both parties would benefit immensely from an alliance.
"The criticisms by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and
former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin against Najib can be negated
by a merger with Anwar," Kadir said.
"Najib and his inner circle can count on Anwar to do battle with Dr Mahathir and Daim."
Therefore, with one brilliant manoeuvre, Najib would strengthen his
position, destroy the Pakatan Rakyat coalition and get rid of his
fiercest critics.
Christianity and Islam has a lot of similarities. The same can be said to Judaism. However, only Islam acknowledge the existence of Jesus and his relationship with God/Allah. Jesus in the Muslims theology refers him as a prophet (a messenger from Allah). In Christianity he is also regarded as a messenger and also the Son Of God.
The Federal Islamic Affairs Department (Jakim) has once again declared
that the term “Allah” is exclusive to Muslims, according to the text in
the Friday sermon, published on the department's website.
In the sermon, Jakim said that the ban on the use of “Allah” by
non-Muslims is based on a National Fatwa Council ruling that the word
was specific to Islam and Muslims, and cannot be used or equated to
terms in other religions.
The sermon also called on Muslims to prevent the term from being used by non-Muslims. – February 7, 2014.
Kami di CU4M mendapat berita bahawa Parti Islam Se-Malaysia akan bertanding di Dun Kajang. Apakah natijahnya pihak PAS ingin melakukan perkara tersebut. Adakah ianya untuk menyekat kebebasan yang akan pasti dibawa oleh Anwar Ibrahim di dalam negeri Selangor ini?
Kami ingin mengingatkan pihak PAS bahawa PAS tidak mampu untuk menjaga kebajikan rakyat Selangor. Kononya sebagai parti bumiputera terkuat di dalam Pakatan Rakyat, PAS harus sedar bahawa mereka tidak mampu untuk melaksanakan apa yang diperlukan oleh rakyat Selangor. Sebab itulah mereka gagal dalam usaha untuk memgang tampuk pemerintahan negeri tersebut. Jika mereka yang terkuat, maka kenapa tiada seorang pun diantara mereka yang memantau pergerakan JAIS semasa mereka menindas orang Kristian di Selangor?
Amaran kepada PAS. Jika mereka menguji kekuatan kami, mereka akan GAGAL.
SELANGOR: The highly anticipated public debate between Selangor Umno chief Noh Omar and the Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad today on the Allah issue has been called off as religious tension continues to rise between Muslims and Christians.
The cancellation of the debate, organised by Malay language daily Sinar Harian, was announced late last night. It was to have been held at 2pm today in Shah Alam.
Karangkraf Media Group executive editorial advisor Abd Jalil Ali said the event was cancelled after considering "various angles on the current situation".
He said various religious leaders, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and concerned citizens had also expressed reservations on the debate and thus Karangkraf had decided to cancel the event.
"We understand the feelings and sentiments of the public and thus, we made this decision," he said in a statement.
Tension has been flaring over the use of the Arabic word Allah by non-Muslims, with Muslim groups insisting the word is exclusive to Islam.
In October last year, the appellate court upheld the Home Ministry's ban on Herald, prohibiting the Catholic publication from using the word Allah in its Bahasa Malaysia edition.
The case is now pending before the Federal Court, which is set to hear arguments from both sides on March 5 before deciding on whether it will hear an appeal by the Catholic Church.
Earlier this month, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided the Bible Society of Malaysia and seized over 300 copies of its Malay and Iban language bibles, which contain the word Allah.
The raid also threw the spotlight on Putrajaya’s 10-point solution that was introduced in 2011 to allow Christians to continue using Bibles in the national and other native languages.
Christians form about 9% of Malaysia's 29 million population.
Almost two-thirds of Christians in Malaysia are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as “Allah” in their prayers and holy book.
Besides the Bumiputera Christians from Sabah and Sarawak, some of whom have moved to the peninsula to live and work, Orang Asli Christians in the peninsula also typically use Bahasa Malaysia in their worship. --The Malaysian Insider
We the admin of CU4M, would like to express our gratitude to Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa. He is truly a 1Malaysia leaders. Instead of opting a racist stance of many Malay Muslim leaders. When many NGO's such as PERKASA, ISMA and many more attacked Christians and Christianity itself, he fiercely defended us.
Dr Mujahid took heed to safeguard the rights of every religion to be professed in this country without undermining the sanctity of the Federal Constitution which also said that Islam is the religion of the federation.
Dr Mujahid valiantly defended the Christians from being attack and he risk himself of being called an apostate by his fellow Muslims.
He did his best to show to the world that Muslims are not what is potrayed by Perkasa and their lot. Kudos to Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa for his sincerity in fighting for the rights of all Malaysian.
Stigmata (singular stigma) is a term used by members of the Christian faith to describe body marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixionwounds of Jesus Christ, such as the hands, wrists, and feet.
The term originates from the line at the end of Saint Paul's Letter to the Galatians where he says, "I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." Stigmatais the plural of the Greek word στίγμα stigma, meaning a mark, tattoo,or brand such as might have been used for identification of an animal orslave. An individual bearing stigmata is referred to as a stigmatic or a stigmatist.
Stigmata are primarily associated with the Roman Catholic faith. Many reported stigmatics are members of Catholic religious orders.[2] St. Francis of Assisi was the first recorded stigmatic in Christian history. For over fifty years, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchinreported stigmata which were studied by several 20th-century physicians.
A high percentage (perhaps over 80%) of all stigmatics are women. In his Stigmata: A Medieval Phenomenon in a Modern Age, Edward Harrison suggests that there is no single mechanism whereby the marks of stigmata were produced.
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — Umno veterans have asked a senior Christian priest to convert to Islam if he insists on using “Allah”, saying this would allow him to comply with a Selangor ban on the non-Muslim use of the Arabic word.
Datuk Mustapha Yaakub, the secretary of Umno Veterans Club, also expressed the group’s readiness to hold the ceremony of religious conversion for Father Lawrence Andrew, who is the editor of the Catholic Church’s newspaper the Herald.
“Umno veterans are ready to arrange a ceremony of his conversion to Islam anytime after the priest receives hidayah (guidance) from Allah.
“We will also ensure he becomes an imam (Muslim leader) and pendakwah (preacher) that is successful and respected,” Mustapha was quoted saying in a statement yesterday by Utusan Malaysia.
Mustapha further said that the Catholic priest’s conversion to Islam would be the best way to avoid angering the Muslim community, while also ensuring that the Selangor Sultan’s decree is respected.
Andrew has come under fire from Muslim groups since criticising a Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) plan to compel churches in the state to stop using the Arabic word for God, saying the Catholic Church would not abide by such a directive.
Last week, Jais said it would soon issue letters to all the churches in Selangor to remind them to obey a 1988 state law banning non-Muslims from using the word “Allah”.
The Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988, passed by the then Barisan Nasional state government, prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases in their faith, including “Allah”, “Nabi” (prophet), “Injil” (gospel) and “Insya’Allah” (God willing).
Last November, the Sultan of Selangor renewed his decree that non-Muslims in the country’s most developed state should be barred from using the word “Allah”.
The November 14 decree by the Sultan, who is the head of Islam in the state, came after a discussion with the Selangor Royal Council, where it was decided that Selangor citizens should abide by the 1988 enactment, which is enforceable regardless of one’s religion.
But several lawyers later argued that the Sultan’s decree was not legally binding on Selangor residents as the ruler’s powers in Islamic matters were ceremonial.
Lawyers have questioned whether Jais’s actions could test the guarantee of religious freedom in Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, which also provides for the right of all religions to practice and regulate their faith.
Temperatures have risen of late over the so-called “Allah” row that remains unresolved four years after it shocked the nation and led to the worst religious strife in the country’s history.
The ongoing legal dispute between the government and the Catholic Church over its right to print the word “Allah” in the Herald’s Bahasa Malaysia section is still pending before the Federal Court, which is set to hear arguments from both sides on February 24 before deciding on whether it will hear an appeal by the Catholic Church.
A colleague made a curious statement when she returned to New Yorkrecently from London, "Everything was so Christmas-y there."
At first glance, it's a bizarre statement. New York and London (among other cities in both countries) are decked out for the holidays. Who hasn't heard of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree or London'sOxford Street lights and mince pies? And that's to say nothing of the famous storefront windows all aglow.
But look beyond the seasonal window treatments at Macy's and you'll quickly find a different story. In corporate America, everything is "happy holidays". Ads refer to "holiday shopping", end-of-year office soirees are "holiday parties" and kids' school concerts this time of year are "holiday concerts". You get the idea.
Even at the Guardian, when we put up our Christmas tree in the New York office, the first thing one of our interns said was, "Where's the menorah?"
It's the "politically correct" question. Evergreens and menorahs go hand in hand in most public places in the US. Some offices have gone a step further on the PC scale and simply done "winter wonderland" themed decorations. They have silver, gold and white lights aplenty, but no red and green anything. In short, snow globes are fine, Santa is not.
An annual survey that came out last week revealed just how conflicted Americans are on whether it's better to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" this time of year. Half of America prefers one term and half the other. However, in a business or public setting, nearly two-thirds of those under 30 feel it's better to wish someone the more generic Happy Holidays. It's about trying to be polite in an increasingly diverse society.
I see the trend just by looking at the greeting cards I've received this year in the mail and how people are signing off their emails. The majority wish me something along the lines of: happy holidays, peace, warm wishes for the New Year, and my least favorite, "seasons greetings". The cards have nice images of mittens, ice skates and snow covered landscapes (not to mention photos of cute kids), but not much overtly Christmas-y. They offer me everything jolly and merry this time of year, except a Merry Christmas.
I'm not to saying that Christmas isn't prominently visible in the states. There are still plenty of Santas and pine trees for sale here, and a drive around the neighborhood, especially in parts of America outside of the major cities, and you'll see people go all out with the Christmas lights and decorations outside their homes (there's even a TV show about it). But even people who are clearly celebrating Christmas in their homes tend to be conflicted about what to say in the workplace or at school. No one wants to offend anyone or make assumptions about people's religious beliefs, especially at work.
In America, the term "Christmas" still has a strongly religious connotation to it (despite what years of Santa and the "buy buy buy" mentality have done to the spirit of holiday). That's only further reinforced by claims on Fox News and other conservative outlets that there is a "war on Christmas" and, by extension, a war on the Christian faith. Now wishing people a "Merry Christmas" almost has a political tone to it.
What's striking to anyone who has spent time in the UK is that everyone says Merry (or Happy) Christmas. I've even had Muslim friends in the UK send me cards and write Merry Christmas on my Facebook wall. The saying in Britain seems to have lost its religious meaning. People say it regardless of whether or not they celebrate Christmas, and businesses feel no remorse whatsoever at openly calling things "Christmas sales" or "Christmas parties".
Of course, I am making broad generalizations. As a British friend reminded me, the UK has been celebrating Saturnalia long before Christmas, and plenty of places such as Birmingham have generic Winterval celebrations. Christmas isn't ubiquitous.
But by and large, in two diverse societies with similar roots, Americans have opted to try to find neutral sounding holiday greetings, while Brits have chosen to make Christmas as open to everyone as possible.
Personally, I think the Brits have this one right. I'd rather be able to wish people a Merry Christmas this week without having to worry if they'll be offended. I'd also rather have people wish me Happy Hanukkah, Happy Diwali or Eid Mubarak when those holidays come around. It makes me feel more a part of their celebration. Let's call each holiday what it is instead of trying to lump Jewish, Christian and even the Kwanzaa ritual together. If we need a generic holiday, we've already got the New Year, which touches all people and cultures.
Telling someone to "enjoy your holiday" or worse, sending them "seasons greetings" are cop-outs. Instead of feeling more diverse and inclusive, it just feels like someone took a bit of sparkle out of the December festivities.
Why the sudden fuss about whether the Christian Bible should be allowed to use the word Allah for God. They have been using the word Allah in Bahasa Bibles for hundreds of years. In fact, the Jews, Christians and Pagans have been using Allah for God since long before the existence of Islam. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
"Saya khuatir kebenaran menggunakan perkataan Allah ini akan menimbulkan kemarahan orang Islam, sebenarnya terjemahan perkataan god dalam bahasa Inggeris adalah tuhan bukan Allah dan Allah spesifik bagi orang Islam sahaja. Jadi kalau mereka faham, mereka akan menggunakan perkataan tuhan bukannya Allah," said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – Utusan Malaysia (2 January 2010)
Mahathir said two things. First is that the Muslims, meaning Malaysian Malays, would get angry. This is Mahathir’s way of cautioning against triggering off another ‘May 13’, something the ex-Prime Minister has said many times since the 1970s. Why must everything be translated into a race, and now religious riot? Is he declaring that Islam is an intolerant religion? Muslims always lament about the bad publicity Islam is getting from the western media. But is not the western media just basing its assumption on the acts and statements of Muslims themselves? And have I not said many times that Muslims are Islam’s worst enemy? Muslims are giving the western media the ‘ammunition’ to attack Islam. The second thing Mahathir said is that the word Allah belongs to the Muslims. It does not and I shall offer you the evidence of this. Anyway, why only now do we raise this objection to the Bible using the word Allah? The Bible has been using Allah for hundreds of years, ever since they translated the Bible into Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia. In fact, we have copies of a Bahasa-translated Bible published 200 years ago that used Allah. So it is not something new. It is something that has been happening for centuries as the photograph below shows.
I can, if you wish, go into a lengthy cheong hei article. But not today -- today I am going to make it short. Nevertheless, if you are the type who can only be convinced by a lengthy thesis supported by scores of references from scholars, then read the two links below. And my simple argument is as follows. Muhammad’s father was named Abdullah. Abdullah means Servant of Allah -- a combination of Abdul and Allah; so it becomes Abdul-Allah or Abdullah when joined together. Now, logically, Abdullah was born before Prophet Muhammad was born since the father has to be born before the son can be born. In fact, Abdullah died before Muhammad was born and that was why the Prophet was raised by his grandfather, Muttalib, and later, when Muttalib died eight years later, by his uncle, Abu Talib. Read Muhammad: From Birth to Marriage Now, what does this tell you? Muhammad received his prophet-hood and was ‘converted’ to Islam long after Abdullah, the Servant of Allah, died. But Abdullah was not a Muslim. Abdullah was a Pagan. So, if Muhammad’s ‘Pagan’ father was named the Servant of Allah, that means Allah was a Pagan and not a Muslim God, so to speak. How can Muslims (meaning Malays in particular) claim that Allah is a Muslim God and therefore the name belongs to only the Muslims? If you were to research the history of Muhammad further you will know that Muhammad and his cousin Ali (who later went on to become the Fourth Caliph) indulged in idol-worshiping and animal sacrifice to Pagan Gods in Taif, a town in the suburbs of Makkah, before the time of the Revelation. That means Muhammad the son of Abdullah was a Pagan, as was his father, the Servant of Allah. But he carried the name ‘Muhammad the son of the Servant of Allah’ long before the Revelation when he ‘became’ a Muslim. How do the Muslims (meaning Malays) explain this if they say that Allah belongs to the Muslims? The word ‘Allah’ existed before the word ‘Muslim’ or ‘Islam’. And refer to the press statement by ISNA, one of the most respected Islamic organisations in the entire world.(Read ISNA’s press release here). Even ISNA endorses the Malaysian court ruling that the word Allah is not the monopoly of the Muslims. ISNA has far better credibility that any Malaysian organisation whether it be JAKIM, JIM, ABIM, PERKIM, or whatever. In fact, all the Malaysian organisations combined do not even come close to ISNA. That is all I want to say about the ‘Allah’ word controversy. FURTHER READING http://www.themicahmandate.org/2009/03/who-was-‘allah’-before-islam-1/ http://www.themicahmandate.org/2009/04/who-was-‘allah’-before-islam-2/
