Name-calling, or abusing adversaries, is neither new to India nor are we the only nation where such a tactic is used regularly.Use of violent, sexually-laced abuses for the ‘other’ has been the hallmark of UMNO's outsourcing is an attempt to delegitimise all opposition and subvert the tenets of democracy. Najib himself is the cause for the wave of obscurantism gripping government While such slogans may yield dividends when in opposition, they invariably resound eerily in empty houses of Parliament. The ruling party has a greater stake in governance and the failure to seek parliamentary approval in time will prevent announcements from becoming law. Najib must remember that he is no longer running a campaign but a government.. If he has to tell the world that he is in charge of the nation, he must first show that he is not a hostage to the fringe forces in his house. The luminous glow of susegado (good living) triumphs over narrow religiosity and in polarised times,Najib an understated role model of tolerance, where unfussy harmony coexists with daily spirituality. Here the spirit of “communidad” runs through village communities and a whispered camaraderie is heard in the rustle of the coconot trees overhead:hotheads taking on an openly threatening face towards other communities, perhaps exemplifies not so plural multi-religious ethos of Malaysia
Najib has to read and prescribe to Muslims to overcome depression. So instead of prescribing therapy or medicines, as the case might be, psychiatrists will read out certain portions to their bewildered patients.
Well, we do not know how many psychiatric patients will need – or heed – , but some UMNO politicians surely need a dose of psychiatric treatment – with some strong medicines to cure them of their ailment, if they can at all be cured. helps get over depression borders on politicians? Do they really think through such issues before coming up with these jewels? the ludicrous.
Noor Farida Ariffin slams them, saying they are intolerant, have low standards, blindly obedient.Racial unity can be strengthened if all communities in the country play their roles and that would include building bridges as opposed to building walls. These are the views put forward by a lawyer-cum-academic and a social activist at a lecture titled National Unity and Harmony: Promoting Respect and Strength in Diversity recently. Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi points out that national unity and racial harmony form the cornerstone of Malaysia’s existence as a racially and religiously diverse society. Much has been said about Malaysia’s racial unity and harmony, and institutions have even been set up to bring the people together. One such institution is the National Unity Department. However, several incidents over the past few years that challenge the very fabric of unity and harmony in race relations have raised questions about our commitment to staying together as one people. Despite the odds, Faruqi believes national unity can be achieved. The answers, he says, lies in our Federal Constitution. He says the Malaysian constitution, which he describes as a masterpiece, has helped to maintain peace and public order since 1957 because it is based on moderation and tolerance. “The population has grown from 6.3 million in 1957 to 30 million today. Even then, the constitution is still very relevant,” he says.
US Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa, what you say is not rocket science and in fact something that is simple and obvious. But obvious only to those with some minimal intelligence that unfortunately is prominent in Malaysia by its absence.
Seeming insecurity among Muslims leaves prominent American Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa scratching his head. contract cannot be imposed from the top.How right you are when you hold that "even within the exclusivity of religion, there are possibilities of plurality".
But such possibilities of plurality are stopped at the border when it concerns Malaysia, after all, they would "confuse the Muslims and weaken their faith", the rallying call we hear day and night.And why the insecurity among Muslims? Because the policies and actions of the government reflect only Malay-centric policies.
It is a simple matter for the parties in the BN to brainstorm and come up with a plan that works for all races and to stop extremist groups like Isma and Perkasa. They preach a brand of politics that threatens to tear the very fabric of this nation. Surely the PM must know what is right?
And why the insecurity among Muslims? Because the policies and actions of the government reflect only Malay-centric policies.
This “- Muslim Non-Muslim” in Malaysia reference has created some furore, but at a time when both religions in varying degrees, face the rise of extremism and the discrediting of tolerance, there is surely a need to find a common agenda of modernity. In times of religious mayhem, both within Malaysia and outside, at least in our Nation of increasingly ‘hurt sentiments’, perhaps this is the time for Malaysia’ must build a new modern contract with“- Muslim and Non-Muslim”.It must be a contract based on the common aim of modernity, access to market, business and economic ties on the ground, made possible by neutral platforms that facilitate merit and talent. An artificial unity, imposed by administrative diktat and affirmative action, will not create long-lasting coexistence.
Well, we do not know how many psychiatric patients will need – or heed – , but some UMNO politicians surely need a dose of psychiatric treatment – with some strong medicines to cure them of their ailment, if they can at all be cured. helps get over depression borders on politicians? Do they really think through such issues before coming up with these jewels? the ludicrous.
Noor Farida Ariffin slams them, saying they are intolerant, have low standards, blindly obedient.Racial unity can be strengthened if all communities in the country play their roles and that would include building bridges as opposed to building walls. These are the views put forward by a lawyer-cum-academic and a social activist at a lecture titled National Unity and Harmony: Promoting Respect and Strength in Diversity recently. Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi points out that national unity and racial harmony form the cornerstone of Malaysia’s existence as a racially and religiously diverse society. Much has been said about Malaysia’s racial unity and harmony, and institutions have even been set up to bring the people together. One such institution is the National Unity Department. However, several incidents over the past few years that challenge the very fabric of unity and harmony in race relations have raised questions about our commitment to staying together as one people. Despite the odds, Faruqi believes national unity can be achieved. The answers, he says, lies in our Federal Constitution. He says the Malaysian constitution, which he describes as a masterpiece, has helped to maintain peace and public order since 1957 because it is based on moderation and tolerance. “The population has grown from 6.3 million in 1957 to 30 million today. Even then, the constitution is still very relevant,” he says.
US Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa, what you say is not rocket science and in fact something that is simple and obvious. But obvious only to those with some minimal intelligence that unfortunately is prominent in Malaysia by its absence.
Seeming insecurity among Muslims leaves prominent American Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa scratching his head. contract cannot be imposed from the top.How right you are when you hold that "even within the exclusivity of religion, there are possibilities of plurality".
But such possibilities of plurality are stopped at the border when it concerns Malaysia, after all, they would "confuse the Muslims and weaken their faith", the rallying call we hear day and night.And why the insecurity among Muslims? Because the policies and actions of the government reflect only Malay-centric policies.
It is a simple matter for the parties in the BN to brainstorm and come up with a plan that works for all races and to stop extremist groups like Isma and Perkasa. They preach a brand of politics that threatens to tear the very fabric of this nation. Surely the PM must know what is right?
And why the insecurity among Muslims? Because the policies and actions of the government reflect only Malay-centric policies.
This “- Muslim Non-Muslim” in Malaysia reference has created some furore, but at a time when both religions in varying degrees, face the rise of extremism and the discrediting of tolerance, there is surely a need to find a common agenda of modernity. In times of religious mayhem, both within Malaysia and outside, at least in our Nation of increasingly ‘hurt sentiments’, perhaps this is the time for Malaysia’ must build a new modern contract with“- Muslim and Non-Muslim”.It must be a contract based on the common aim of modernity, access to market, business and economic ties on the ground, made possible by neutral platforms that facilitate merit and talent. An artificial unity, imposed by administrative diktat and affirmative action, will not create long-lasting coexistence.
Religious conversions have traditionally been part of the Sangh Parivar agenda, with groups like the Bajrang Dal and VHP taking the lead in organising ghar vapsi programmes in the belief that Indian Muslims and Christians were once targets of forcible conversion by missionaries and madrassas. The issue has once again revived because of the recent conversion case in Agra where Muslims have alleged that they were offered inducements like BPL and ration cards. Conversions can become politically charged with a BJP-led government at the Centre, while in UP the party faces charges of pushing a Hindutva agenda on the ground by raising issues like love jihad.
The Indian Constitution allows citizens the freedom to profess, practise and propagate their religion. Therefore, freedom to convert or be converted whatever the inducement offered surely remains an important democratic freedom. Yet fear of conversion has long gripped mainstream political parties, most notably BJP. Anti-conversion laws were passed in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh as far back as 1967, 1968 and 1978 respectively. Recently anti-conversion laws have been passed in Chhattisgarh (2000), Gujarat (2003), Himachal Pradesh (2006) and Rajasthan (2008), three of them being BJP initiatives.
It’s important to shed hypocrisy about conversions by missionaries if Hindu organisations are allowed to go ahead with it. The ghastly burning to death of Australian missionary Graham Staines, allegedly because he was converting locals to Christianity, resulted in a life term for the accused but at the time the Supreme Court also inveighed rather controversially against ‘forcible’ conversion. If the Sangh Parivar has the right to proselytise and convert then surely other faiths and organisations do as well. There can be no such thing as ‘good conversions’ and ‘bad conversions’, just as there is no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ terrorism.
While the BJP-led government stays out of controversies, other echelons of the Sangh Parivar carry on the work of polarising society. This consolidates a majoritarian consensus that, in turn, aids the Sangh’s political arm, the BJP. A spate of incidents in Delhi and the offensive remarks of a Union minister of state were meant to drive that insidious process forward. Now come reports of outfits like the Bajrang Dal orchestrating the ‘reconversion’ of a few hundred Muslims in Agra, and the RSS’ plans to ‘convert’ a few thousand Christian and Muslim families to Hinduism during Christmas, in Aligarh.
If a few thousand of India’s 25 crore non-Hindus change their faith, it will make no material change to society. Such change is not the goal of this so-called ‘Ghar Wapsi’ (homecoming). The plan is to drive home the divisive, violent notion of outsiders and invaders having sullied the sacred body of the nation, and these ‘others’ now need to be integrated, if not made into second-class citizens. To make that even clearer, reports from Mumbai say another section of the Sangh, the VHP, has stepped up a demand to ban loudspeakers in mosques across Maharashtra.
Conversions have happened in India for various reasons: spiritual, of course, but political and social as well, including as form of sociopolitical protest (remember Ambedkar). The point is to remove the social conditions that make conversion, complete with post-conversion rewards of material and spiritual kinds, appealing for many. Instead, many states have adopted anti-conversion laws that run the gauntlet of the Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom. The Sangh Parivar’s battle for reconversion, including with the offer, reportedly, of ration cards, is not about saving souls but changing the secular character of the Indian state.
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