G25: “Some Ulama Consider Khalwat Raids Un-Islamic”

In its article, “Khalwat Raids Make Malaysia Tougher Than Saudi Arabia”, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) wrote:

The way Malaysian religious authorities are policing khalwat (close proximity) is beyond anything in Saudi Arabia or other Gulf States today, warns a leading NGO. – FMT

FMT was reporting on comments made by G25 adviser Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Kassim, “in response to the recent death and injuries of two policemen who jumped from buildings to escape raids by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).”

Birds of a feather flock together, like the G25’s spokesperson Dato Noor Farida Ariffin, Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Kassim is also against khalwat raids.

Below are my answers (in blue) to FMT’s article (in red) regarding this issue.

G25 adviser Mohd Sheriff Kassim points out that even Saudi Arabia, the country which is home to Islam’s holiest site, has issued stern guidelines to limit the powers of the moral police to harass and arrest Muslims.

“The instruction is that the moral police should not take the law into their own hands and instead, it should advise those committing offences under the morality laws to change and repent,” he said In a statement today.

I cannot comment on the laws of Saudi Arabia because

1. I have not studied the laws of the country
2. I respect and do not want to interfere with the laws of the land.

But even if it is true that they do not implement such laws, as a sovereign country, we have our own constitutional rights to implement our own laws.

Anyway, if G25 adviser thinks that Saudi Arabia is doing a better job in dealing with Syariah offences, then G25 must fight for our country to follow the laws of Saudi Arabia, which means implementing the Hudud laws in our country.

His comments were in response to the recent death and injuries of two policemen who jumped from buildings to escape raids by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais).

As policemen, they must know the laws and their rights, so if they chose to jump from the building in order to escape, the fault is theirs and it is not JAIS’ fault.

Would G25 blame the police if a burglar chose to jump from a building in order to avoid being arrested by the policemen who are carrying their duties? 

Just two months ago, Jais introduced a mobile phone app, called “Hotline Jais”, for people to report religious offences, including khalwat.

It is a good move by JAIS to use updated technology so that it is easier for the public to report religious offences in order for us to take care of our Muslim community.

Sheriff added that Malays who visited or lived in Arab states have not come across any country where so-called moral police raid private homes.

If we must follow the laws of Saudi Arabia, we must change our Federal Constitution and implement the Hudud laws.

He also pointed out that some ulama consider khalwat raids un-Islamic as it gave the impression that the religion used only punishment to uphold morals.

Khalwat raid is one of the ways to prevent the religious offence of khalwat and the Islamic authorities have their Standard Operating Procedure that must be followed by their enforcement officers when conducting the raids, so only the liberals would declare that our khalwat raids un-Islamic; not the ulama of Ahli As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamaah.

Khalwat raids also tended to target the lower-income group as the “rich and powerful” had more resources to “get away with bigger sins”. Sheriff noted that khalwat laws could be easily exploited by a person’s enemies to “settle a score”.

G25 adviser has made a very serious allegation which I hope he has the proves to support it, and it is the duty of G25 to make police reports as soon as possible regarding this matter.

“Our authorities should learn from the failed experience of dictatorial regimes which criminalised personal thoughts and behaviour to discourage individualism and promote mass obedience to the state ideology,” he said.

What does khalwat raid have to do with “dictatorial regimes which criminalised personal thoughts and behaviour to discourage individualism and promote mass obedience to the state ideology”?

Islamic matters are not political matters and it is stated clearly in our Federal Constitution that the YDP Agong and the Royal Rulers are the Head of Islam, so the above statement is a malicious distortion of the truth and a humiliation to the Royal Rulers.

Article 3(2) of the Federal Constitution:

In every State other than States not having a Ruler the position of the Ruler as the Head of the religion of Islam in his State in the manner and to the extent acknowledged and declared by the Constitution of that State, and, subject to that Constitution, all rights, privileges, prerogatives and powers enjoyed by him as Head of that religion, are unaffected and unimpaired; but in any acts, observances or ceremonies with respect to which the Conference of Rulers has agreed that they should extend to the Federation as a whole each of the other Rulers shall in his capacity of Head of the religion of Islam authorize the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to represent him.

Article 3(3) of the Federal Constitution:

The Constitution of the States of Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak shall each make provision for conferring on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong the position of Head of the religion of Islam in that State.

Since G25 wants us to follow Saudi Arabia, G25 members must start fighting for our country to implement Hudud.

Related Posts:

• Act 355: G25, Stop Lying About Hadi’s Private Bill
• Datuk Noor Farida And G25 Must Go Back To School 2015/12/09
• Tan Sri Harussani Saran G25 Bertaubat 2015/12/08
• Reaksi Jurucakap G25 Terhadap Bersih 4 Menyedihkan 2015/09/01
• G25, Another Voice Of Liberal Muslims? 2015/08/21
• G25: Champion Open Debate and Discourse on Islamic law 2014/12/10
• Bila Liberal Mengajar Apa Itu Islam 2015/11/11
• Tawfik Tun Dr Ismail Wants Jakim Abolished 2015/11/09
• Ambiga Mahu Kembalikan ISA? 2015/09/18
• BTN ‘Ultra Malay racist’? 2015/09/14

 

Datuk Noor Farida And G25 Must Go Back To School

Moderation in Islam means wasatiyyah and not being liberal as understood by G25.

G25 members who are trying to teach other Muslims about moderation in Islam must seek advises from Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMM) to understand what is ‘moderation’ in Islam. 

In its latest attack on the Islamic authorities of Malaysia, G25 wants the punishment for ‘khalwat’ to be repeal on the ground of “those are personal sins”; and in response to the statement, Mufti Perak, Tan Sri Dr. Harussani Zakaria adviced G25 to “bertaubat”.

Below are my answers (in blue) to Free Malaysia Today (FMT)’s article (in red) regarding this issue.

PETALING JAYA: A “personal sin” like khalwat (close proximity) is between the couple involved and God and should not be treated like a crime punishable by the state, said the G25 movement of Malay moderates.

Speaking on their behalf was Noor Farida Ariffin, who was quoted by The Rakyat Post as saying, “Those are personal sins. It’s a sin against God. Between that person and God.”

Does Datuk Noor Farida mean to say that khalwat is just “personal sin” and is not punishable by the State according to the Islamic laws? Now, is she trying to liberalise the Islamic laws or she knows nothing about the Islamic laws? Datuk Noor Farida must understand that the Islamic laws cannot be changed. Muslims must live according to the rules of Islam and not the other way around.

Khalwat is against the Islamic laws, so it is punishable by the State in Malaysia because as an Islamic country, Muslims in this country are also governed by the Islamic personal law as written by The Right Honourable Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Md Raus bin Sharif in the Federal Court judgement of the case, ZI Publications Sdn Bhd and Another v Kerajaan Negeri Selangor:

“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”.

In Malaysia, we have the Syariah Court that deals with the Islamic laws, and it has the jurisdiction upon every Muslim in this country. 

Questioning why it was turned into a crime, she added, “Islam says you could not intrude on personal space.”

Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, who does not understand Islam and the Islamic laws should not speak about matters that she knows nothing about. Rather than making her own conclusion and judgement about khalwat and other Islamic laws, she should go to JAKIM and ask for help to guide her to the right path of Islam. She really needs help.

She said this at a press conference after a G25 forum on “Islam in a Constitutional Democracy” and noted that Malaysia was the only country in the world that punished those involved in khalwat.

Datuk Noor Farida must do her homework. Countries that observe the Islamic laws in their legal systems, will punish those involved in khalwat, for example Saudi Arabia and Brunei. 

“This is against Islam. You cannot knock at a person’s door at 3am and arrest people.”

Does she mean that actions taken by the Islamic authorities against khalwat (that is against the Islamic law) is against Islam? She is really confused between what are the rights and wrongs in Islam. It is her statements that is actually against Islam.

She also said there was a need to review other syariah laws that trespassed on the Federal Constitution and pointed out that even non-Muslims were being affected by the Islamic law presently.

All the Articles in the Federal Constitution are harmoniously with each other. The Syariah laws does not trespassed the Federal Constitution because the Article 3(1) states that Islam is the religion of the Federation, hence the other Articles in the Federal Constitution must be read harmoniously with Article 3(1).

In fact, the Federal Constitution recognises the Syariah Court as stated in the Article 121(1)(1a) of the Federal Constitution:

121. (1) There shall be two High Courts of co-ordinate jurisdiction and status, namely—

(a) one in the States of Malaya, which shall be known as the High Court in Malaya and shall have its principal registry at such place in the States of Malaya as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may determine; and

(b) one in the States of Sabah and Sarawak, which shall be known as the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak and shall have its principal registry at such place in the States of Sabah and Sarawak as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may determine;

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

The Syariah laws only govern the Muslims and does not affect the non-Muslims.

She cited the incidents of dead bodies being snatched for Muslim burials and custody issues when one spouse converts to Islam and explained, “This is the kind of injustices we want to prevent.

Datuk Noor Farida must get her facts rights. This is a malicious distortion of truth used again and again to undermine the Islamic religious authorities even after the Islamic religious authorities had answered the accusations. When the Islamic authorities receive a report, it is their duty to investigate and to take proper actions to solve the problems.

“The way Islam is being implemented under syariah law is resulting in a lot of injustice to Muslims and non-Muslims.

Datuk Noor Farida must learn more about Islam and the implementation of the syariah laws in Malaysia before making more silly statements. Only the Muslims who do not love their religion and do not want Islam as the way of life are against the implementation of the Syariah laws in their countries.

“This is why people are saying that Islam has been hijacked by state authorities,” she said, adding that the way it was being interpreted did not uphold the values of Islam as a religion of justice, mercy and compassion.

People made all kinds of statements and accusations regarding matters which are not agreeable to them; so Datuk Noor Farida must specify who are the people who made the above statements.

She must mix around with more Muslims and attend programs organised by Islamic groups rather than only making friends with the people who subscribe to the liberal ideology in order to see things straight. 

Fuel Tanker Explosion Kills 22 In Riyadh

Saudi officials said the explosion was caused when a truck carrying flammable liquids crashed [Abdullah al-Saery]

Updated News: At least 23 were killed and at least 135 were injured in this disaster.

A fuel tanker crashed into a flyover causing an explosion  around 7.20 a.m. local time on Thursday, November 1, 2012 near the Saudi National Guard building in eastern Riyadh’s industrial area.

The Associated Press reported that at least 14 people were killed and at least 60 people were injured.

A several story industrial building collapsed by the blast, leaving only one corner standing.

Several other vehicles on the flyover were set on fire because of the explosion.

Other nearby building were also damaged.

The death toll could rise as rescue crews picked through the charred vehicles and rubble.

Smoke rises after an explosion which severely damaged an industrial building in eastern Riyadh November 1, 2012. At least 10 people were killed when a fuel truck crashed into a flyover in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday, triggering the explosion that caused the collapse of the industrial building, a witness and television reports said. Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera television stations reported that in addition to the deaths, at least 50 people were injured. REUTERS/Stringe

People stand near a collapsed bridge after an explosion which severely damaged an industrial building in eastern Riyadh, November 1, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer

Tasty And Nutritious Ful Medames

Ful medamas-this is one of my favourite dinner

I love to eat ful medames or fūl Müdemmis (فول مدمّس).

Ful medames is a very tasty and healthy dish made out of beans.

This dish is actually from Egypt but it is popular in Sudan and Saudi Arabia too.

It is made from fava beans.

We eat ful medames with onion, garlic, tomatoes, olive slices, tahini, lime, olive oil and Arabian flat bread and falafel.

How to cook ful medames:

1. Cook the fava beans with olive oil and garlic.

2. When the beans are cooked, mash the beans.

3. Then, serve the ful.

4. Add some olive oil before eating our ful.

I love to add a lot of olive oil so my ful will be tastier.

I also like to eat falafel (فلافل‎) with ful, so my mother will cook falafel whenever she cooks ful.

Falafel is also a healthy food that originated from Egypt.

Falafel is made from chickpeas.

Ful reminds me of chili con carne because it is a bean dish too.

Aliens From Jupiter 5

Please click here for Aliens From Jupiter 4.

Written and illustrated by: Ahmad Ali

——————————————————————————-

Emoden was an alien from Pluto. Kamosa, Goplaga, Hilama, Meido and Emoden became friends. Meido invited Kamosa and all his other friends to visit Earth. Anyway, only Kamosa and Emoden agreed to go with him.

 

Kamosa's spaceship was about to land on Earth.

 

On Earth, they met three new friends named Qoyris, Clara and Insyirah.  

 

Inshirah is at the right, Clara is in the middle and Qoyris is at the left.

 

Qoyris gave Kamosa the ‘4 Players Chess’ set that Kamosa left on Saturn.

 

Qoyris was very, very happy to get a '4 players chess' set.

 

Qoyris found it the last time he went to Saturn. Anyway, Kamosa gave the ‘4 Players Chess’ set to Qoyris because he already had another set that Goplaga gave for his birthday. Qoyris was very, very happy.

Qoyris said that he came from Saudi Arabia. One day, he went to Calovinia for a holiday. But when he wanted to go back to Saudi Arabia, he forgot where the airport was. So he was stuck in Calovinia until he built a spaceship and became an astronaut.

Clara came from England and Insyirah was from Riyadh but they traveled to a lot of places because they were astronauts too.

The next day Kamosa went back to Jupiter to meet his family. Anyway Emoden stayed on Earth and he met a lot of new friends.

The End

The World’s Largest Clock

The world's biggest clock is seen under construction in the Holy City of Mecca August 11, 2010. REUTERS/Hassan Ali

The four-faced clock, atop the Abraj Al-Bait Towers, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The clock faces are 43 × 43 m (141 × 141 ft). Saudi Arabia will test what it is billing as the world's largest clock in the holy city of Mecca during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the official news agency reported Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010. The tallest tower in the complex will stand as the tallest building in Saudi Arabia, tallest and largest hotel in the world, with a planned height of 601 m (1,972 ft), including a 200 ft spire. Upon completion, the structure would have the largest floor area of any structure in the world with 1,500,000 m2 (16,150,000 sq ft) of floorspace. (AP Photo/ Saudi Press Agency) ** EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES **

Here are the pictures of the biggest clock in the world.

This clock tower is taller than the Big Ben in London.

It is a 4 faced clock.

The clock is at the top of the Abraj Al-Bait Towers in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Mecca is the muslim’s Holy City.

The size of the clock is 43 x 43m (141 x 141 ft)

On Tuesday, August 10, 2010 the official news agency reported that Saudi Arabia will be testing the clock during the Ramadhan.

Abraj Al-Bait Towers is going to be the second tallest building in the world after Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

The tower’s height is going to be about 601m(1,972 ft).

At night, the faces of the clocks would be green in colour.

They can be seen from very far away.

Below are more pictures of the biggest clock in the world.

The under construction four-faced clock, atop the Abraj Al-Bait Towers is seen in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Wednesday Aug. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Essa Mohammad)

The four-faced clock tower is seen under construction in the Holy City of Mecca August 11, 2010. REUTERS/Hassan Ali

The four-faced clock, atop the Abraj Al-Bait Towers is seen overlooking the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Wednesday Aug. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Essa Mohammad)

The under construction four-faced clock, atop the Abraj Al-Bait Towers is seen overlooking the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Wednesday Aug. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Essa Mohammad)

The four-faced clock, atop the Abraj Al-Bait Towers is seen overlooking the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Wednesday Aug. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Essa Mohammad)

A view shows the four-faced clock tower under construction in the Holy City of Mecca August 11, 2010. REUTERS/Hassan Ali

An artist's impression, released by the Saudi Press Agency on August 10, 2010, shows what the four-faced clock tower in the Holy City of Mecca will look like when finished. The clock, billed as the world's biggest with a diameter of 40 meters (130 feet), will sit atop the second highest building in the world, after Dubai's Burj Khalifa, with a height of around 600 meters (1,970 feet ). REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout

An artist’s impression, released by the Saudi Press Agency on August 10, 2010, shows what the four-faced clock tower in the Holy City of Mecca will look like when finished. REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout

Plane Crashed In Pakistan

An Airblue passenger jet crashed into the hills near Islamabad Wednesday morning in bad weather.

At least 5 people were killed and 3 wounded.

Many more were feared dead in the crash.

The jet was carrying 152 people from Karachi to Islamabad.

The plane was about to land when it crashed.

Yesterday a Lufthansa cargo plane crashed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This is another disaster.

Lufthansa Cargo Plane Crashed

On Tuesday July 27,2010 a Lufthansa cargo plane crashed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This is a disaster.

Its German pilot and co-pilot were injured.

The plane was close to the airport when it caught fire and the engines stopped working.

Then it crashed and split into two halves.

The plane came from Frankfurt to Riyadh and was on the way to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and then to Hong Kong.

I think it was lucky that the pilot and co- pilot were not killed in the crash.

In the Fedex plane crash in China on March 23, 2009 the pilot ad  co-pilot were killed.

Lufthansa cargo plane crashed in Riyadh.

L

A man is seen standing on top of the wreckage of a Lufthansa cargo plane which caught fire and split in half as it was landing in the capital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, July 27, 2010. The German pilot and co-pilot of Flight 8460, which was carrying about 90 tons of unspecified cargo, were lightly injured, an airport official said. (AP Photo)

The wreckage of a Lufthansa cargo plane which caught fire and split in half as it was landing lies on the tarmac in the capital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, July 27, 2010. The German pilot and co-pilot of Flight 8460, which was carrying about 90 tons of unspecified cargo, were lightly injured, an airport official said. (AP Photo)

Bubur Arab So Yummy

On Sunday my mother cooked bubur Arab for iftar.

I love bubur Arab very much.

In English bubur Arab means Arabian  porridge.

My mother first ate the porridge in Makkah or Mecca.

Makkah is in Saudi Arabia.

We need to put:

1. Mutton

2. Spices

3. Rice

4. Water

5. Milk

6. Onion

7. Garlic

8. Ginger

9. Celery

The mutton must be soft and tasty.

I eat the porridge with fresh tomato and onion.

We can also add some Arabian salsa but I think the salsa is too hot.

When I eat Bubur Arab I’ll say:

‘mmmmmmmmmmm……….’

I think there will be a bubur lambuk Arab one day.