The Malaysian Crusade: Allah issue threatening racial unity

KUALA LAMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak is struggling to put things in perspective and ended up instead insulting his own intelligence. First he goes to declare that MCA needs political “viagra” to get its act in order.

Maybe Najib was being cheeky by taking a dig at former MCA chief Chua Soi Lek whose extra-marital affair came to light after he was caught in the act and which led to him quitting mainstream politics.

But then the “viagra” analogy did not go down well with both MCA and outgoing president Chua. Still, Najib, however, was far from perturbed, oblivious to the fact that associating MCA with “viagra” was the worst co-relation he could think of.

Then came the issue concerning the use of the word “Allah” by the non-Malays. During the Umno general assembly early this month, Najib had insisted that “Allah” was exclusive to the Muslims.

It did not end there. The premier later dropped hints that it was best Christians ended its battle over the “Allah” row and abided by the Constitution.

Najib’s biased and undemocratic stance has further divided an already divisive nation. To outgoing Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, this was the last straw that broke the camel’s back which led to Pakiam openly castigating the premier saying it was Najib who should stop preventing the Catholics from using the word “Allah”.

Responding to Najib’s call for Muslims and Christians to end the national-level debate over the use of the word “Allah”, Pakiam on Christmas Day voiced his worry that Najib’s insistence that “Allah” remain exclusive to the Muslims was inciting right-wing groups against the Christian community.

To Pakiam, it was Najib who was adding to the confusion by saying “Allah” can only be used in Sabah and Sarawak, but banned here in the peninsula.

“But still, he is the prime minister, so I have to pray, God, please help him to see his mission, his duty for the whole country, not for just Umno, ,” Pakiam had lamented.

The row over the “Allah” issue undeniably had a hand in Pakiam tendering his resignation as the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur on Dec 6 upon reaching the retirement age of 75.

To some, the speed with which the Vatican accepted Pakiam’s resignation raised alarm bells, with some speculating that the Vatican was disappointed with Pakiam’s “soft approach” over the “Allah” controversy.

The episode started in 2008 when Catholic newspaper The Herald was ordered by the Home Ministry to stop using the word “Allah”.

The Catholic Church took the matter to court and won a High Court decision in 2009 upholding its constitutional right to do so.

Unhappy with the court verdict, Putrajaya counter-challenged the decision and was successful in overturning an earlier decision when the Court of Appeal on Oct 14 this year ruled that “Allah” was not significant to the Christian faith.

The Brits have it right: forget Happy Holidays, just wish people Merry Christmas I'd rather be able to wish people in the US a Merry Christmas this week without having to worry if they'll be offended

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.

Gregorian Chant

Christian Rescue Missions Set to Feed Thousands of Poor, Homeless for Thanksgiving

BY JESSICA MARTINEZ, CP REPORTER

Charitable organizations throughout the country have gathered resources, volunteers and food to feed thousands of families in need this holiday season while offering them a moment of celebration amid their less fortunate situations.

In Los Angeles, Union Rescue Mission (URM) started its Thanksgiving outreach event early as part of its effort to feed over 180,000 people between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Last weekend, URM fed over 3,000 individuals suffering from financial disparity from Skid Row, Los Angeles' most notorious neighborhood known for its high rate of homelessness.

Ketupat For Christmas

Malaysia has its unique style of celebrating Christmas. Christmas trees are put up by the Christians at their homes one or two weeks before Christmas. All the shopping malls of Malaysia put up with lights and decoration and welcome Christmas, the festival of joy and merry making, with much fervor and enthusiasm. The practice of singing Christmas carols for this very special occasion begins in the middle of December with the carolers going around from house to house one week before Christmas in their respective zones. Along with the carolers there is also a person dressed as Santa Claus who gives out sweets to the children. Christians dress up in new clothes and visit the church for participating in the midnight mass on the eve of Christmas.

Before the beginning of the midnight mass, sketches or plays enacted by children take place along with the singing of Christmas carols.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, Malaysian To Be Caned For Drinking Beer, Gets Ramadan Reprieve

This is an old story but we could learn a lot about our country and its legislation. What is wrong with these people. 

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The first woman in Muslim-majority Malaysia to face caning for drinking beer was reprieved Monday because of the holy month of Ramadan. Her family said she would rather get the thrashing with a rattan cane now and put the ordeal behind her.

Islamic officials had taken Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 32-year-old mother of two, into custody and were driving her to a women's prison for the caning when they abruptly turned around and sent her back to her family home in northern Malaysia.

"She feels like a football being kicked around," Kartika's father, Shukarno Abdul Muttalib, told The Associated Press. "She's so exhausted and unhappy with the delay. She would prefer to just receive the six strokes and have everything finished."

Amnesty International, Malaysian lawyers and some politicians have condemned the sentence, while other critics have warned it would tarnish Malaysia's image as a moderate country. Islamic officials have defended it as necessary to uphold Islamic values – underscoring tensions between religious conservatives and more liberal and secular elements in society.