Cause For Celebration

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/246411



Not the best thing to share on Independent day of neighbouring country, but couldn't resist. It might be just staring this way that people are hiding their ID as some poor desis do in west. But by looking at the dire situation of Muslims in general in India, this doesn't come as a shocker. Muslims are equally responsible for their current state. They didn't do enough to vamp up their youths in education, after 5 generations, they are still paying for it.



Fearful Muslims adopt Hindu IDs


In India, many members of religious minority hide the signs of their faith to escape discrimination

August 15, 2007
Shaikh Azizur Rahman
SPECIAL TO THE STAR




CALCUTTA–On a busy street in Calcutta's business district, he runs a food stall called "Rajib's Paratha" and is known as Rajib Mallick.




Using the popular Hindu name, no one suspects he is Rajab Ali Mollah, a Muslim who has adopted a fictitious identity to blend in with the neighbourhood's mostly Hindu office workers.




Sohrab Hossain, a Muslim student who came to the city to complete his Masters degree in English and lives in a Hindu-dominated housing complex, is known as Sourav Das among the students he tutors. To keep up his Hindu appearance he has a small idol of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning, on his desk.




Every morning as she prepares to go to work as a fishmonger, Hasina Khatoon takes off her silver armband embossed with "Allah" in Arabic, puts vermillion powder on her forehead and red-white conch bangles on her wrist – symbols of a married Hindu woman – to maintain a Hindu appearance in a fish market where almost all of her customers are Hindus.




Rajab Mollah, Sohrab Hossain and Hasina Khatoon say they have adopted new identities in a Hindu-majority society where as Muslims they would face discrimination.



Analysts say many Muslims from all socio-economic backgrounds are quietly hiding their religious affiliation.




"Muslims in almost all spheres of life face a communal discrimination by powerful Hindus and they are denied many of their basic rights and freedom in an unjustified way," said Anjan Basu, a social analyst and executive editor of Pratidin, a Bengali daily in Calcutta.



Six decades after Partition, "many (Hindus) believe that Pakistan was created for Muslims and now they do not have right to live in India, which is meant for Hindus."




The Partition of India 60 years ago was a highly controversial arrangement, and remains a cause of much tension on the subcontinent today.




Basu, who is a Hindu, also said discrimination has been "institutionalized," with many Muslims being denied employment in government and private-sector offices where 90 to 95 per cent jobs are held by Hindus.




Gautam Ray, a senior journalist with Calcutta's largest Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika, said that since the bulk of the dalits (low-caste Hindus or so-called Untouchables) converted to Islam when the religion spread in India, many upper-caste Hindus look down on Muslims as they had for generations looked down on dalits.




"The root of this communal discrimination is deeply entrenched in the society and most of these communal Hindus are not expected to change their feeling for Muslims any time soon," said Ray, who is also an upper-caste Hindu. "Muslims are often denied housing in Hindu-dominated modern residential complexes," he added.




"This communal discrimination against Muslims will not end unless Hindus themselves change their attitude. But we do not see hope of any such positive social change anytime soon."




Muslims who adopted fake Hindu identities believe they did nothing wrong by hiding their original identities.





"Ten years ago, when my house and land in the village was eaten up by a river and I came to Calcutta in search of a job, almost all street shops and restaurants in the city refused to employ me because I was a Muslim," Mollah said.




"Some said their Hindu customers could refuse to eat at their restaurants if a Muslim worked there," he said.




"But I met a Muslim man who worked under a Hindu identity to supply water to restaurants. I followed his advice, picked up a Hindu identity and soon an upper-class Hindu employed me to run a food stall."




Nearly all of Mollah's customers are Hindus and he fears his business would suffer disastrously if his customers found out he is a Muslim.




"I don't think I have done anything wrong because I know how they hate Muslims simply because of their religion," he added.




A federal commission recently found that Muslims "live in socio-economic conditions worse than many so-called backward tribal people," according to commission chief Rajendra Sachar, a former judge.



In the state of West Bengal, where the Muslim community makes up 27 per cent of the population, employment of Muslims in the government sector was below 3 per cent, the Sachar Commission reported.

Some Muslim leaders see education as the key to a better future.





"If the younger generation can educate themselves, it will be difficult for even the most communal Hindus to discriminate against a new Muslim force," said Nazrul Islam, a senior public servant and noted Calcutta writer.



"Maybe discrimination will not be wiped out completely, but an educated and powerful community of Muslims will be able to fight off the injustice, at least to a good extent."



this Article is taken from pakistan greatest forum ...

http://www.paklinks.com/gs/showthread.php?t=261635

#18 Posted by Shah2

[Hitler also wished that for jews even if jews were only few millions ...sitting in some internet cafe in India does not give you world perspective ]

Your post proves that you are an idiot. But because you are an idiot, you won't be able to make the connection. Ask someone else to explain to you what the connection is.

Hitler also wished that for jews even if jews were only few millions ...sitting in some internet cafe in India does not give you world perspective

#16 Posted by Shah2

[So was India whole of indonesia what can you do moron ]

Keep watching, numbnuts. The world will be Islam-free one day soon. People will be ashamed (as they should) to say that they are Muslim.

The end is not very far.

"And kingdoms in the Malayasian archipelago were originally Hindu or Buddhist nations."

So was India whole of indonesia what can you do moron

#14 Posted by Shah2

[Haramiou

Your 5 cut and pastes are articles by vested intersts .nothing becomes good or bad by writing or hoping & wishfull thinking .....
Have you ever been to MalAysia for considerable time or spent your time in chennai discussing with the expatriates south indians living in Malaysia in large number and prefering to be there than there own country and state ]

Idiot, most Malayasian citizens of Indian origin are descended from Indians who migrated long ago, before the stench of Islam became so pervasive. And kingdoms in the Malayasian archipelago were originally Hindu or Buddhist nations.

Read a little between driving your customers around in your taxi-cab.

Haramiou

Your 5 cut and pastes are articles by vested intersts .nothing becomes good or bad by writing or hoping & wishfull thinking .....
Have you ever been to MalAysia for considerable time or spent your time in chennai discussing with the expatriates south indians living in Malaysia in large number and prefering to be there than there own country and state

harimau #4

{{Amok is a Malay word. I doubt they have contributed any other word to the English language.}}

... ketchup, kris, orangutang, sarong ...

Probably a few others as well.

Pakistan can become Malaysia...

but dirtiest places Mumbai...where people are using Railway Lines ..as toilets is far better than Malysia..hehehehe

There is ONLY ONE way Islam works. This is going to become more and more evident to the rest of the world in the coming years.

And it is to be seen when the end of this struggle will be. I hope I can see the end of this evil in my lifetime. But it may survive because of the "liberals" and the left-wing m'therfukkers.

Yes, unfortunately, Malaysia is a good example of development in south-east asia. Its "good" because other examples in south asia are so deplorable and backward, what can I say of pakistan, bangladesh and growing intolerance in parts of india? It is only this comparison that makes Malaysia "good". People have definitely made some progress, no question about it....

I do hear that more and more a hateful, pure and arabized islam is popular in malaysia. This islam repudiates the older, syncretic malaysian islam, the new mosques are based on saudi models, the pure muslims are taught hatred and superiority from day one.

Something that is definitely not from the brochures of Malaysian Tourism Development Board

THE MALAYSIAN MALAY
by Dr Syed Alwi of Singapore

Dear Editor,

As you know, I am an avid watcher of Malaysian affairs. I must confess that lately, Malaysia appears to be failing. Not a day passes by without more events that clearly highlight Malaysia's race-religion fault-line. If things keep going this way, I fear for Malaysia's future.

Today, schools in Singapore celebrate Racial Harmony Day. I can visibly see the joy in the children's faces as they wear their ethnic costumes and have fun together at school. But in Malaysia - even the right to choose a religion has become a sensitive, national issue. No doubt, there are many in Malaysia who hate my liberal views on Islam, family included. But I will say what I must say openly. I have come to the conclusion that Malaysia cannot progress any further without first addressing fundamental questions regarding its identity and soul.

I remember the days when we can laugh at Lat's cartoons on everyday Malaysian life. But sadly, the Islamic tide has polarised Malaysians.

Some people ask why I should bother about Malaysian affairs since I am a Singaporean. May I remind Malaysians that it was Tan Siew Sin who once said that Singapore and Malaysia are Siamese Twins. Should Malaysia go down - it would hurt the region tremendously. Especially Singapore.

Where do you think Malay apostates would head for if Lina Joy loses her case? Singapore of course! I find the Malaysian Malay to be very under-exposed. For them, it's all Islam and the NEP and everything under the sun would sort itself out. I am sorry to say this - but Islam and the NEP may be the cause of the undoing of the Malaysian Malay.

There is nothing wrong with religion or affirmative action. But, like everything else in life, they must be taken in moderation and with a pinch of salt. A little doubt is good. Unfortunately in Malaysia, emotions over Islam have overcome reason. What we see today is the result of the NEP and Islamisation policies of the past thirty years or so.

No one owes Malaysian Malays a living. Let me assure you that should Malaysia fail - the Malaysian Malay will suffer enormously. And rightly so. After all - they have been pampered with all sorts of goodies over the years. They cannot now expect more goodies. Perhaps the day of reckoning for them, is near. Whatever it is, Malaysia had better wake up to the realities around her. The globalised world of the 21st century has no NEP to offer the Malaysian Malay. And humans cannot live by religion alone..


Regards,

Dr Syed Alwi

Here is the real face of the Malay Muslim Monkeys:

30/01/07 15h10 GMT
AFP News brief

Malaysia's half-century of independence overshadowed by race tensions
by Sarah Stewart

This year should be a time for celebration in Malaysia as 2007 marks the country's 50th anniversary of independence from colonial ruler Britain and the birth of the multicultural nation.

But instead many are lamenting an alarming slide in race relations which the milestone has highlighted, along with the rising influence of Islam which has alienated ethnic Chinese and Indian citizens.

"There is a general sense on the ground that things are getting out of hand," said civil rights activist and lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar. "It's causing a lot of fear and consternation and tensions are rising."

Malik, who has received death threats for his efforts to protect religious freedom in the Muslim-majority nation, takes issue with the government's tourism-brochure portrayal of a peaceful multi-ethnic Malaysia.

"My fears are that we'll become even more racially divided, the economy's going to plunge, the Islamist aspects will become even more pronounced, and what you'll have is a wholesale dismantling of the rule of law," he said.

"And you'll see a country imploding, and that's not a very good prospect."

As the nation prepares for a huge party on August 31, half a century after the first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman joyfully declared "Merdeka" or independence, many are wondering what went wrong.

Ethnic Indian activist Waytha Moorthy recalls that during his childhood, his father used to invite friends of all religions to their home to celebrate the Hindu festival of light, Diwali, to eat, drink and socialise.

"But now currently I see my nieces and nephews, they do not have any Muslim friends, and they all complain they can't develop a relationship with the Muslims," he said.

Much of the unhappiness centres on positive discrimination policies introduced in 1971 to raise the status of Muslim Malays who make up 60 percent of the population against 26 percent ethnic Chinese and eight percent ethnic Indians.

Despite the leg-up, "bumiputras" or "sons of the soil" -- as Malays and members of indigenous groups are often called here -- continue to lag far behind the Chinese, triggering calls for an overhaul of the system in which the big winners have been Malay entrepreneurs who cash in on an
array of subsidies.

Political commentators say Malaysia must stop obsessing over how to divide the nation's wealth, and instead focus on how to boost the economy so that all will benefit.

"I hope that the challenges of globalisation will make all Malaysian leaders face up to the harsh truth that if we do not get our people to unite together as Malaysians, then we will all suffer," said opposition leader Lim Kit Siang.

"What is happening now in many areas -- in nation building and racial and religious polarisation, and on international competitiveness -- we seem to be losing steam."

Apart from the economic squabbles, an ugly new theme has emerged recently with clashes over the rights of non-Muslims which some say are being sidelined as Islamic authorities exercise their influence.

The cases of mountaineering hero M. Moorthy who was born a Hindu but buried as a Muslim despite his family's protests, and Lina Joy, who is trying to have her conversion from Islam to Christianity recognised, have been landmark cases.

Hindus are also complaining that their right to worship is being compromised, and anger has flared over what they say is the demolition of thousands of temples over the past decade to make way for development.

The government, which is determined to prevent a repeat of bloody 1960s race riots, has introduced education reforms and a national service programme aimed at encouraging the races to mingle.

But meanwhile some of the most racially charged rhetoric has been coming from the ruling party itself.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that the ethnic divide is a "disease" that must be tackled openly, and appealed for the anniversary celebrations to emphasise national unity, but many are nonplussed.

"I think it's embarrassing that after 50 years, we have a weaker judicial system, a weaker parliamentary system, the corruption index is lower -- you name it," said Imtiaz.

"So we'll have a big parade and we'll all be out there waving our flags as we always do, but it means very little I think."

HINDU MAN WANTS MUSLIM WIFE RELEASED
------------ --------- --------- ------
KUALA LUMPUR - The religious authorities in Malaysia insist they were right to detain a Muslim woman living with her Hindu husband, a marriage considered illegal under Islamic laws, a news report said yesterday.

The Islamic Religious Department, known by its Malay acronym Jais, said it acted within the law when a woman was taken away from her home late last month for "illegally cohabiting" with a Hindu man after the couple failed
to produce any "relevant marriage documents", The Star reported.

Jais was commenting on the case involving truck driver Magendran Sabathy, 25, who is an ethnic Indian and his Muslim wife Najeera Farvinli Mohamed Jalali. Last Tuesday, Mr Magendran turned to the High Court to seek his wife's release.

Officials raided their home on April 28 and took Madam Najeera away, telling Mr Magendran that their year-old marriage under Hindu rites was illegal since she was a Muslim.

Yesterday, Jais director Mohammed Khusrin Munawi defended the department's decision.

Jais has been in the spotlight recently, as many such cases have surfaced in recent months, resulting in a public outcry that minority rights were being compromised by Muslim rights.

"Certain media reports had made out the detention to be a case of Jais trying to break up families. That is not true at all," The Star quoted Mr Khusrin Munawi as saying.

Mr Khusrin said that no coercion was used, and the woman asked Jais to put her in a rehabilitation centre, where errant Muslims are taught to strengthen their faith.

"It is clear Jais is not prejudiced nor acted irrationally in this matter," Mr Khusrin said.

Under Malaysia's Sharia or Islamic laws, anyone marrying a Muslim must convert to Islam, and anyone born into a Muslim family cannot legally convert to another faith.

Mr Magendran's lawyer Karpal Singh has alleged Madam Najeera's detention was illegal because no detention order was served on her.

Mr Magendran's case is the latest of several disputes this year that involve minority groups' religious rights. Last month, Selangor state Islamic officials forcibly separated a Hindu from his Muslim wife of 21 years and their six children. He won custody of his children, but the couple could not live together legally and decided to separate.

THANKS: www.todayonline. com

Malaysia is a "moderate" Muslim country. Just imagine what a fundamentalist Muslim country would be like!

Thursday May 31, 3:22 PM
Malaysian woman criticises court in religious conversion row
-AFP


The woman at the centre of a religious controversy in Malaysia has accused the country's highest court of denying her fundamental rights in rejecting her bid to be legally recognised as Christian, her lawyer confirmed Thursday.

Lina Joy's comments came a day after Malaysia's Federal Court rejected her attempt to win recognition of her conversion from Islam.

Joy, 43, had sought the removal of the word "Islam" from her national identity card.

But the Federal Court, the highest secular legal body, threw out her case and said only an Islamic sharia tribunal could legally certify her conversion.

"I am disappointed that the Federal Court is not able to vindicate a simple but important fundamental right that exists in all persons," she said, according to her lawyer, Benjamin Dawson.

Joy was referring to the right to believe in the religion of one's choice, and the right to marry a person of one's choosing.

She cannot legally marry her Christian partner because Malaysian law requires non-Muslims to convert to Islam to wed a Muslim.

"The Federal Court has not only denied me that right but to all Malaysians who value fundamental freedoms," Joy said.

"I am hoping that my case would have made a difference to the development of constitutional issues in the plight of many others."

Dawson told AFP that he and Joy were considering their next move but the options were very limited.

He declined to reveal Joy's whereabouts, saying she just wanted to be left alone.

While a coalition of Muslim groups welcomed the verdict, rights activists said the court had failed to address concerns over religious freedom in the country.

A member of parliament for the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP), Teresa Kok, called for a constitutional amendment that would make explicit the civil courts' superiority over sharia courts in all matters.

Islam is Malaysia's official religion. More than 60 percent of the nation's 27 million people are Muslim Malays.

But while the constitution defines the ethnic majority Malays as Muslims it also guarantees freedom of religion. The country's minority Chinese and Indians are mostly Buddhists, Hindus or Christians.

Joy's appeal to the Federal Court centred on whether she must go to a sharia court to have her renunciation recognised before authorities delete the word "Islam" from her identity card.

In his verdict, the chief justice said the National Registration Department (NRD), in charge of issuing identity cards, had the right to demand that the sharia court certify Joy's conversion.

But the only non-Muslim judge on the three-member judicial panel disagreed.

Judge Richard Malanjum said the NRD's demand was "discriminatory and unconstitutional," and it was unreasonable to expect a person to "self-incriminate" herself before a sharia court.

Renouncing the faith is one of the gravest sins in Islam.

The court's verdict comes amid mounting racial and religious tensions in multiracial Malaysia, where minority religious groups fear their rights are being undermined, even though the country is traditionally seen as moderate.



Thanks/source: http://sg.news. yahoo.com/ 070531/1/ 48xs7.html

So, Pakistan wants to become a Malaysia, eh?

What a bunch of wankers!

HELP ME BECOME A HINDU: M'SIAN WOMAN
------------ --------- --------- ------
Muslim pleads with govt in aftermath of Lina Joy case - AP

KUALA LUMPUR - A Malaysian woman pleaded for the government to help her renounce Islam and become a Hindu, saying on Friday that she was trapped into becoming a Muslim by a twist of fate at birth.

The plea by the 26-year-old ethnic Indian, who asked to be identified only as Ms Jamaliah, came two days after the country's top civil court ruled against Ms Lina Joy, who had wanted the court to sanction her conversion from Islam to Christianity.

Ms Jamaliah told reporters she was crushed by the Federal Court ruling that only Malaysia's Islamic Sharia court can legally sanction a Muslim's conversion - highly unlikely given that apostasy among Muslims is a crime in Malaysia.

"I don't want to be a Muslim. All this while I've been living life as a Hindu and I only want to marry a Hindu man," Ms Jamaliah said. "I want to change my religion but the court's ruling in Lina Joy's case has shattered my hopes for a future."

She said she tried to commit suicide last week after her Hindu boyfriend of six years tried to break off their relationship because there was little chance of them marrying. He must convert to Islam to legally wed
Ms Jamaliah as marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims is not allowed.

Ms Jamaliah said her boyfriend finally broke up with her on Thursday after hearing the verdict in Ms Lina Joy's case, which was seen as the ultimate test of how much freedom Muslims of Malaysia have to leave their faith.

She said she feared reprisals from Islamic authorities for publicly declaring her desire to leave Islam, which could include detention in a prison-like rehabilitation centre.

Ms Jamaliah's life is bound by a series of coincidences. Her father converted from Hinduism to Islam so that he could take a second wife, a Muslim. Ms Jamaliah was born to his first wife, a Hindu, in 1981 after her father's conversion.

She was abandoned by her mother shortly after birth and was brought up by her father and Muslim stepmother. For that reason, she was registered as a Muslim, although she began practicing Hinduism when she was old enough to pray.

Her stepmother supports her desire to become a Hindu, said Ms Jamaliah, who also goes by the Hindu name Priya.

Although the Malaysian Constitution allows freedom of faith, it says Islam is the official religion.

It also follows a dual justice system - the Sharia courts administer the family and personal affairs of Muslims who make up 60 per cent of the country's 26 million people, while civil courts handle the affairs of the Hindu, Christian, Buddhist and Sikh minorities.

In cases of religious disputes, the civil judiciary has mostly bowed to the Sharia courts even though the Constitution does not say which has the higher authority.


Source: http://www.todatonline.com