Must A GMMF CEO Be A Liberalist?

How does Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad define moderate? GMMF is a Malaysian organisation so the word moderate must be harmonious with the Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution that says Islam is the religion of the Federation. Therefore the word moderate must be defined through the perspective of Islam which means the concept of wasatiyyah and not liberal. A liberalist is actually an extremist because a liberal person wants to be free from the law of the religion and the nation.

Below is an article from Rakyat Post (in red) and my answer will be in blue.

If you don’t have it, you can’t give it,” says Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) strategic director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, quoting an Arabic saying.

He was commenting on the appointment of Nasharudin Mat Isa as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF).

Is Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad saying that the new GMMF CEO is not good enough to lead GMMF? I guess Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad does not really understand the real meaning of moderates from the Islamic perspective.

Nasharudin was up until 2011 PAS deputy president and better known as a conservative. He is still PAS member.

“The person to lead this (GMMF) should be someone who is moderate by nature, inclusive, with a moderate world view and tolerant.

Does a moderate Muslim means to be only partly Muslim and a real Muslim is called an extremist? Moderate means not extreme, so if Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad thinks that a conservative Muslim is an extremist, then he misunderstand Islam and he seems to view Islam in a negative way because as a Muslim, I see Islam in the Islamic perspective and the more a Muslim understands and follows the true teaching of Islam, the person will become a better person. So, I believe that a conservative Muslim is a pious Muslim. How could Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad, as a Muslim implies a conservative Muslim as an extremist? 

“I wish him (Nasharudin) well and we’ll see if he can truly be moderate,” said Dr Dzulkefly when contacted by The Rakyat Post.

InshaAllah, Uncle Nasha understands the concept of the wasatiyyah and he is not a liberal Muslim. Being moderate does not mean being liberal and dares to humiliate Islam because a true Muslim is not an extremist. It is the liberal Muslim who is the extremist.

“If you don’t have true, genuine moderation in you, if your DNA is racist, you can try to show moderation, but your true colours will come out, showing up in possible racial slurs.”

What does Dr. Dzulkefly mean by ‘your DNA is racist’? Is he calling Uncle Nasha a racist because Uncle Nasha is a good Muslim? Only a racist likes to calls others racist. Islam teaches us to be fair to everybody but fair does not means equality and total freedom as what the human right activists are fighting for.

He added that former GMMF CEO Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who resigned from his post after defecting to PKR recently, was the true embodiment of moderation, cutting across culture and religion.

Saiduddin Abdullah understands moderation as liberal. He does not practice moderation as in wasatiyyah. It is a humiliation to Islam and the Muslims when Saifuddin Abdullah openly supports Eric Paulsen who maliciously accused that a JAKIM’s Friday sermon spews hatred – please click here for the article. Does Dr. Dzulkefly thinks that being a moderate means that we do not only let others humiliate Islam but we too should find ways to humiliate Islam, follow and interpret Islam the way we wish and be free from our responsibilities as a Muslim?

Amanah vice-chairman Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa agreed with Dzulkefly, questioning Nasharudin’s appointment as the latter was still a member of Islamic-based opposition party, PAS.

Why can’t A PAS member be appointed as the CEO of GMMF when Mujahid himself heads a NUCC’s working committee when he is an opposition leader? Is it because he is now a leader of Amanah and not anymore a PAS leader? 

However, Mujahid also stated that in the current circumstances, Nasharudin, a former Bachok lawmaker, fitted the bill for the position.

“It’s not just that he is conservative, but his stand on our multiracial society is racially biased.
“How is he going to present moderation when he himself is not?

Well, Mujahid is another liberalist who loves to make weird statements regarding Islam. When he was still a PAS leader, he made a statement that PAS won’t keep silent as the Christians are bashed when it was his DAP friends who keep on calling UMNO/BN and the Malays as racist, extremists, low-class and other bad names and try hard to bashed them. Mujahid also said that a bill that supports LGBT as Islamic.

“His appointment in the current handicapped situation is appropriate as his qualification itself is handicapped.”

I am glad that PM Najib has chosen Uncle Nasha as the new CEO of GMMF. GMMF needs a leader who understands the concept of wasatiyyah and not a liberal who defines moderate as being liberal and fail to represent the concept of being a true Muslim to the world. 

Nasharudin’s appointment was announced by GMMF chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail who said the former would start his tenure as CEO on Nov 1, replacing Saifuddin.

Nasharudin Mat Isa To Replace Saifuddin Abdullah As CEO Of GMM

Today, the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF) announces the appointment of Nasharudin Mat Isa as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective November 1  2015.

Nasharudin Mat Isa who was a former Deputy President of PAS from 2005-2011, replaces Saifuddin Abdullah who recently joined the opposition party, PKR.

Congratulations, Uncle Nasha!

And I also want to congratulate PM Najib who has been making good moves lately.

Earlier the Prime Minister appointed Dato’ Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s office and appointed Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali as the new Attorney General to replace Abdul Ghani Patail and now he appointed Nasharudin Mat Isa, a much more capable candidate for the job to replace Saifuddin Abdullah as the CEO of GMMF.

These actions prove that PM Najib does not believe in ‘asabiyyah’ for he does not mind to appoint someone from PAS and not from UMNO to led such an important organisation as GMMF.

As far as I know, Uncle Nasha has not left PAS, and he would always smile whenever I ask him, when will he leave PAS after what PAS had done to him.

As a Muslim country, GMMF must promote moderation in terms of Islam or wasatiyyah and not to promote liberalism; hence GMMF should be lead by a capable person like Nasharudin Mat Isa who understands the meaning of ‘moderate’ in terms of Islam.

I hope PM Najib can make more good moves in the future for the betterment of our country.

Videos: Afghanistan 7.5 Magnitude Earthquake – 26th October 2015

7.5 Magnitude Quake Hits Pakistan and Afghanistan

Roads and buildings destroyed by the earthquake in Swat, Pakistan. Photograph: ppiimages/Demotix/Corbis

At least more 311 were killed in a 7.5 magnitude earthquake which hit North-East of Afghanistan.

However since it is a deep-focus eartquake, as the earthquake originated more than 200km (125 miles) below the earth’s surface, the damage is less than that which a similarly powerful but shallow tremor might cause, reported BBC News.

It was centered in the Hindu Kush region, 76km (45 miles) south of Faizabad and caused a landslide afterwards.

The death toll was mostly from Pakistan where 228 people were reportedly killed and more than 1,000 others were injured.

The authorities are expecting more causalities as damage in remote villages is discovered.

Pictures from Ghazni, south-west of Kabul, showed damage to buildings

This home in Peshawar was destroyed by the earthquake

The earthquake triggered a landslide in Pakistan’s northern Hunza valley

Video Kak Wan Naik Train Ada Toll

PKR President, Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was interviewed by a reporter after the 2016 Budget at the Parliament last Friday.

In a video that was shared via social media, the reporter asked Wan Azizah in Malay if the free toll Pan Borneo is a way (for the government) to buy vote in Sarawak and to everyone’s surprise, Wan Azizah thought that Pan Borneo is something to do with train or railroad when it is actually a new highway in East Malaysia.

How can she, as the opposition leader does not know what is Pan Borneo when the highway is a big project?

And the opposition leaders think that she can lead our country better than PM Najib?

Now, that is even funnier 😀

Ezra Zaid vs Syariah Court Of Selangor

I see the case of ZI Publications Sdn Bhd and Another v Kerajaan Negeri Selangor as like looking at a case of ‘Article 10(1) of the Federal Constitution v Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution’ or ‘Freedom of speech v Religion of the Federation.’

(Please read MMO Did Not Apologise For Boo Su Lyn’s Seditious Article).

A Muslim named Mohd Ezra bin Mohd Zaid was charged before the Syariah Court of Selangor for publishing a book which is contrary to Islamic law.

The petitioners, ZI Publications Sdn Bhd (first petitioner) and Mohd Ezra bin Mohd Zaid (second petitioner) were seeking for a declaration that section 16 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995 is invalid.

Ezra fought that according to the Federal Constitution, the Selangor State Legislative Assembly has no power to legislate a law that “has the effect of restricting and/or has the potential to restrict freedom of expression” as stated in Article 10.

The book, “Allah, Kebebasan, Dan Cinta”, a Malay translation of, “Allah, Liberty, and Love” is written by Irshad Manji, a person who does not understand Islam, and her interpretations of Islam and the Islamic law is contrary to the teaching of Islam.

The Federal court ruled in a unanimous decision that the section 16 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) is valid and not ultra vires the Federal Constitution.

In his judgment, President of the Court of Appeal Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif said:

“Thus, in the present case, we are of the view that Article 10 of the Federal Constitution must be read in particular with Articles 3(1), 11, 74(2) and 121. Article 3(1) declares Islam as the religion of the Federation. Article 11 guarantees every person’s right to profess and practise his religion and to propagate it. With regard to propagation, there is a limitation imposed by Article 11(4) which reads:-

“(4) State Law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.””

So, it is very clear that Article 10 must be read harmoniously with Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution since Article 3 is placed in Part I, while Article 10 was placed in Part II of the Federal Constitution.

Logically, the Articles that are placed in Part I should be of more importance than the ones in Part II.

In his conclusion Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif said:

Federal Constitution allows the Legislature of a State to legislate and enact offences against the precepts of Islam. Taking the Federal Constitution as a whole, it is clear that it was the intention of the framers of our Constitution to allow Muslims in this country to be also governed by Islamic personal law.

The question is, why must a Muslim publishes a book containing deviant teachings and took a state government to court for protecting other Muslims from the deviant teaching (from the book) as conferred by the Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution?

Note:

Article 3(1): Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.

Article 74(2): Without prejudice to any power to make laws conferred on it by any other Article, the Legislature of a State may make laws with respect to any of the matters enumerated in the State List (that is to say, the Second List set out in the Ninth Schedule) or the Concurrent List.

Article 121(1a): The courts referred to in Clause (1) shall have no jurisdiction in respect of any matter within the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts.

 

Category 5 Hurricane Patricia Made Landfall, Videos

Hurricane Patricia made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast, about 55 miles west-northwest of Manzanillo at about 6:15 p.m on Friday evening as a Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 190 mph and gusts to 235 mph .

The hurricane is the strongest hurricane ever recorded.

Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo were hit by strong winds and heavy rain brought by the hurricane.

By Friday night, Hurricane Patricia weakened to a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as it moved inland  over southwestern Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Patricia remained “extremely dangerous.”

Category 5 Hurricane Patricia To Make Landfall In Mexico

(Please click here for “Category 5 Hurricane Patricia Made Landfall, Videos”)

Category Five Hurricane Patricia, with maximum sustained winds of 325 kilometers (200 miles) per hour, is moving toward Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday, and the country is bracing for a potential catastrophe.

The hurricane is expected to make a landfall somewhere between the major port of Manzanillo in Colima state and Jalisco state’s tourist resort of Puerto Vallartlater later Friday.

AFP reported that Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told Radio Formula that, “It’s a devastating hurricane, the biggest since we can record hurricanes, and this is why we have to take extreme precautions.”

The US National Hurricane Center said on its website that Patricia was, “the strongest hurricane on record in the National Hurricane Center’s area of responsibility which includes the Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific.

The authorities are conducting evacuations, closing ports and school as the storm surge is expected to cause coastal flooding around the center of the landfall.

The National Water Commission said that Jalisco, Michoacan, Colima and Nayarit are expected to get the equivalent of 40 percent of their annual rainfall in the next 48 hours.

Will The Haze Ever Go? – A Poem By Ahmad Ali Karim

The sun is shining,
The clouds are hiding,
It’s gonna be fun,
For today’s a special day.

It’s a very great day,
The birds are singing,
The kids are dancing,
Let’s go out and play.

The air is so fresh,
The day is so clear,
But am I dreaming?
‘Cos the haze’s still hovering.

Cases Of Typhoid Fever On The Rise In Kuala Lumpur

32 cases of typhoid fever were reported in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the people are advised to be aware of what and where they eat.

(Please click here for Kenyataan Akhbar KPK: Peningkatan Kes Demam Kepialu di WP KL)

Bernama reported that Titiwangsa recorded the highest number of typhoid fever at 16 cases, followed by 8 cases in Kepong and four cases respectively in Lembah Pantai and Cheras.

So far there is no deaths caused by this fever.

“A person will experience fever for one to three weeks after consuming contaminated food or drinks,” said health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah as reported by Bernama.

Some of the symptoms of typhoid fever are fever, chills, exhaustion, headache, muscle weakness, rash with small red dots, skin rash, and weight loss.