USA election the two candidates debate on policies and even when the results was out Romney congrulates Obama. But in Malaysia election is all about sex and religion.Earlier sex was the main weapon used by BN against Pakatan but that backfire.Now they are using religion and every words the opposition leaders said will be twisted by utusan and followed by others BN running dogs.Yet BN always syas by 2020 we will become a develop country. Mahathir’s an flammable comment, for the very idea of comparing intelligent quotients questions both the emotional and the intelligent quotient of the commentator himself. What is alarming is that it isn’t a once in a blue moon kind of a statement. This is becoming a pattern, long adopted by our illustrious political leaders. I won’t call it an atrophied view. For behind this attractive, religious edifice, is a well designed political motif to tickle the popular sentiment. And the idea to highlight and hijack NURUL universal spiritualism into its own rustic homebred thought process is a perfect political ploy, howsoever silly, inane and pathetic it may sound.
And Narendra Modi has been playing this to perfection. From choosing to launch his election yatra on the very date of Swamiji’s famed Chicago address to planting the statue of the monk atop his own vehicle, he has shuffled his cards shamelessly well. Little does he realize (or for all practical purposes he does realize) that his and his party’s ideologies are not only different but in many areas in sharp contrast to the revered monk’s message to the world. Swamiji’s preaching of universal humanity and religious harmony is anything but close to the bogus bigotry that this modern day political messiahs indulge.
Sadly this hypocritical trait will continue. This temptation to drag larger than life souls outside their orbit…this greed to advertize and sell them as commercial products for instant profit. Unless of course, we fathom the shallowness of this circus and learn to trash the clownish insensibilities of its players.
As US elections drew towards an exhilarating close, there is a lot that women all over the world can rejoice about.
With 18 women senators this year, a record high, Americans can expect a sack full of changes.
Also, with Tammy Baldwin becoming the first gay senator, also termed as an ‘ultra liberal’ by her opponents, you never know what comes out of the Santa’s bag. Let us all wait and hope for eventful 4 years.
PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar today said the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) should also haul up Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia if it decides to go after her.
Nurul Izzah, has since denied that she had trivialized the issue of Islamic faith and that she supported apostasy.
The Lembah Pantai MP said she was disappointed that certain quarters were twisting her statements on the subject of religion being forced onto Muslims in Malaysia.
She said she had attended a forum titled ‘Islamic State: Which Version? Whose Responsibility?’ as a panellist on Saturday. In the question and answer session, one of the questions posed to her was on the issue of Islam being imposed on Muslims.
“My answer stressed on the phrase ‘there is no compulsion in Islam’. This was taken from verse 256 of the Surah Al-Baqarah in the Al-Quran. The phrase applies to all mankind,” she said.
Nurul Izzah added that she holds firm to the belief that after embracing Islam, a Muslim is bound by Syariah law, just as how a citizen is bound by the Federal Constitution.
“I am disappointed that there are efforts to twist my statement as if I had trivialised faith or easily accepted how Muslims can become apostates,” she said, adding that she has always been supportive of educational programmes to strengthen one’s faith and increase understanding of the religion.
Malaysiakini had on Saturday quoted Nurul Izzah as saying that people should not be compelled to adopt a particular religion, with the same applying to Malays.
“If you ask me, there is no compulsion in religion… how can anyone say sorry, this (religious freedom) only applies to non-Malays, it has to apply equally,” she was quoted as saying.
PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar today said the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) should also haul up Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia if it decides to go after her.
Nurul Izzah, has since denied that she had trivialized the issue of Islamic faith and that she supported apostasy.
The Lembah Pantai MP said she was disappointed that certain quarters were twisting her statements on the subject of religion being forced onto Muslims in Malaysia.
She said she had attended a forum titled ‘Islamic State: Which Version? Whose Responsibility?’ as a panellist on Saturday. In the question and answer session, one of the questions posed to her was on the issue of Islam being imposed on Muslims.
“My answer stressed on the phrase ‘there is no compulsion in Islam’. This was taken from verse 256 of the Surah Al-Baqarah in the Al-Quran. The phrase applies to all mankind,” she said.
Nurul Izzah added that she holds firm to the belief that after embracing Islam, a Muslim is bound by Syariah law, just as how a citizen is bound by the Federal Constitution.
“I am disappointed that there are efforts to twist my statement as if I had trivialised faith or easily accepted how Muslims can become apostates,” she said, adding that she has always been supportive of educational programmes to strengthen one’s faith and increase understanding of the religion.
Malaysiakini had on Saturday quoted Nurul Izzah as saying that people should not be compelled to adopt a particular religion, with the same applying to Malays.
“If you ask me, there is no compulsion in religion… how can anyone say sorry, this (religious freedom) only applies to non-Malays, it has to apply equally,” she was quoted as saying.related article
1,Nurul Izzah Anwar has called for “bold and radical” ways to check the ethical failings of the Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia . disclosures and the ‘paid news’ phenomenon, said mechanisms such as the Press Council of Malaysia had proved to be inadequate to meet the challenge, as had been shown by the manner in which the council … Read more
2.Where do you draw the line with Ulamas and JAIS ? Ulamas and JAIS should Crucify Utusan Soi Lei forUlamas and JAIS are willing to be used as political tools by UMNO at a detrimental to Islam.are willing to be used as political tools by UMNO at a detrimental to Islam.Religion is a State matter.Selangor … Read more
3.It is improper for an individual to use the freedom of expression as a reason to state an opinion which can confuse the people, especially Muslims, in the country, the Dewan Rakyat was told today. What this woman is saying is correct. People should refrain from saying things that can confuse Muslims in this country. … Read more
4. Najib is not yet over for his party. But it won’t be long before the party is over for him. That much should be obvious from the cascade of developments Even as a core group ofUMNOleaders went into a huddle to deliberate on their president’s future, there were ominous signs that things weren’t going too … Read more
5,— President Barack Obama did not just win reelection tonight. His victory signaled the irreversible triumph of a new, 21st-century America: multiracial, multi-ethnic, global in outlook and moving beyond centuries of racial, sexual, marital and religious tradition. Obama, the mixed-race son of Hawaii by way of Kansas, Indonesia, Los Angeles, New York and … Read more
7,The target of some serious envy every time we come to terms with one or the other low of our politicians, they succeed in showing us a new low in the bottomless pit that our polity To be a successful politician in Malaysia partically an individual must be blessed with attributes: the art of listening patiently, … Read more
I am not going gaga over the US mindset or the substance shown by the voters in exercising their right to vote when it came to candidates like Todd Akins and Mourdock but they surely need to be applauded.
Americans made it loud and clear that they do not want candidates who pass inane statements that ‘legitimate rape’ does not lead to pregnancy. Sounds like a science revolution and one can somehow imagine Todd Akin signalling a thumbs-up to all the rapists around.
Todd Akin, a six term congressman lost to McCaskill who was up until a long time considered as the most vulnerable candidate. Claire won with 54.8 per cent votes while Akin got 39.2 per cent votes. Akin’s ridiculous stand on abortions and rapes cost him his seat and his own party members distancing themselves.
It seems as if he is saying, “Look guys, go ahead and do it because if it is legitimate rape (only he knows what it means), the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down. So, relax it’s their headache, you need not worry. If she doesn’t want to hear the cries of a baby, she better do it herself…you just go do your job! Bravo”
Well, bravo we all should say, now that he has lost to incumbent Claire McCaskill in Missouri.
Fate played a similar role in Indiana, where Richard E Mourdock was defeated by Democrat representative Joe Donnelly. Mourdock was on the brunt of criticism for his ‘godly’ comment ‘if a woman got pregnant when raped, it was something God intended to happen.’ He thinks one should not resort to abortion in the case of pregnancy due to rapes as well.
Indiana has earned the reputation of being a heavily Republican state over the years as Donnelly became the first Democrat to win a state-wide race in more than a decade in Indiana. Almost everyone feels that Mourdock brought all this onto himself, his party members as well.
Not that Donnelly isn’t a conservative but certainly a few notches lower than his counterpart. He supports legal abortion only in the case of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger.
The Americans have clearly made their choice and now the Indian in me wakes up and wishes that we even we take a stand and not appoint leaders who believe that lowering the age of marriage can actually bring down the number of rapes in our country.
Leaders who believe that girls should not use mobile phones and wear jeans as it takes them a step closer to being a rape victim.
Yes, these are the kind of statements passed by our leaders the names of who I do not wish to take as it will only be reiterating the obvious.
Although you’ll find few Muslims adopting the WWJD mantra, a degree of reverence extends to Jesus and all other Prophets. I think of Surah Ta-Ha and the life of Moses on Passover and Surah Maryam and Jesus’ birth on Christmas.
Most recently, I recalled the story of Abraham. The end of October marked the days of Eid ul-Adha, the holiday celebrating the end of the Hajj pilgrimage — a rite through which Muslims follow milestones in the story of Prophet Abraham and the life of Prophet Muhammad.
As a Muslim kid, I always looked forward to Eid as a time to visit lots of family and receive Eid money from our elders. Now, as an adult, there are other reasons to look forward to Eid. Muslims are called upon to sacrifice a goat or other animal and to parcel the meat to the less fortunate, and as a working professional I am blessed with the opportunity to partake in this rite.
What made this Eid extra special was the opportunity I had as an Illinois resident to participate in early voting. After attending the morning Eid prayer at the masjid, my family and I drove down to the local polling place, and in our glittery Eid clothes, hijabs and prayer caps, we fulfilled the second big religious obligation of the day.
As much as Eid is about celebration and sacrifice it is also about responsibility. Sharing food with one’s neighbor and the less fortunate, completing the Hajj pilgrimage, checking-in with friends and relatives are all duties of a Muslim. This year, I added one more to the list.
In the spirit of Muslims, Christians and others who fought for just leadership as part of the Arab Spring and the Prophets whose sense of duty knew no bounds, I voted for the next President of the United States (and others on the ballot).
It is my hope that whichever candidates they choose, Muslims across the country will kick up the dust and stand under the same sun that warmed the faces of Prophets Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Abraham to continue the legacy of responsible, civic duty on Election Day.
Holidays like Eid that recall the lives of the Prophets make me happy to be a Muslim. Today, I am reminded of why I’m happy to be a Muslim American.
We at the Islamic Renaissance Front condemn and lament the irresponsible mischaracterisation of Nurul Izzah Anwar’s statement on religious freedom.
She merely summarised the gist of the well-known Quranic verse in Surah al-Baqarah which clearly stressed that there is to be no compulsion in matters of faith, for truth and error has already been clearly stated.
Because of that she has been subjected to the crudest level of character assassination from those seeking to stoke controversy and gain political mileage for the upcoming elections.
Islam is not an ethnicity
In particular, the danger lies in the unmistakably ethnic nature of the sentiments that are motivating the on-going smear campaign against her. The erroneous assumption being encouraged is that Malays can only be Muslims.
This, to be sure, goes against the elementary confusion of an ethnicity with a religion. Here, we should pause to reflect on how that very confusion is also discernable in conservative Zionist thinking, which some Malay Muslims who are so enraged by Nurul Izzah’s statement are also supposed to oppose.
More importantly, the smear campaign is un-Islamic in how it particularly contravenes a clearly stated principle in the Quran which calls for the freedom of conscience: no human being is to be forced to believe in something he or she does not want to.
The evidence is plain for all to see. Consider another example in the following passage:
“And [thus it is] had thy Sustainer so willed, all those who live on earth would surely have attained to faith, all of them: dost thou, then, think that thou couldn’t compel people to believe”. [Quran,10:99]
In other words, the belief that Malays must be made to remain Muslim goes against the principle of reason and justice — the cornerstone of Islamic epistemology.
It thus makes no sense to believe that the principle of non-coercive assent is to be upheld only for non-Muslims and it would be null and void once a person converts to Islam. Those who believe that are mistaking Islam for Hotel California, where you can check out anytime you like, but can never leave.
More worryingly, that outlook all too easily assumes that Islam is morally inconsistent; never mind the problem that it would also require a strong Islamic state to force Muslims into conformity.
Freedom matters
Virtue is only virtuous — and not opportunistic, accidental, foolish or political — when it is done out of free will.
Thus, rather than police and threaten others into good behaviour and belief, much time, effort, cost, conflict and ill will can be spared through compassionate and transparent communication whereby our convictions and the ethical choices we make, emerge from out of a clear grasp of the principles and values that colour our moral horizons.
This — seeing the straight path after the seriousness, honesty, patience and labour of inner reflection — is enlightenment.
We believe it takes no moral, social or political cost at all to err on the side of charity and trust, and let every individual set on his or her journey to arrive to that very point of self-consciousness. After all, no one forced Muhammad to the cave.
All this, very sadly, is far from the minds of Muslims today. Muslims all too easily react in anger, without taking any time to consider the ethical ramifications of their demands. They mistake self-righteousness for injustice; the suppression of freedom for happiness and in the process they cannot tell the difference between on one hand, the inner monologues of victimisation that has shaped their egos and on the other, their conscience.
In that frenzy of rage, the personal has been drowned by the political. There is no Muslim condition to speak of, just enraged mobs. The only “winners” to speak of in the meantime are those seeking to exploit religion for ethnocentric ends.
The Islamic Renaissance Front calls upon all our friends and comrades who believe in the freedom of conscience to speak out against the rising tide of religious chauvinism and speak truth to power.
* This letter bears the names of Ahmad Farouk Musa, Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, Rizqi Mukhriz, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, Ehsan Shahwahid, Muhammad Anas Daniel and Shawn Syazwan of the Islamic Renaissance Front(IRF).
Adam the human being. Adam the mud man, cut in two, and then there’s Eve. What does it mean to be a human being? Were Adam and Eve within the Homo sapiensspecies? Assumedly, Cain and Able were. Were Adam and Eve pure Homo sapiens before they sinned? And less than pure after? What does it mean to be pure Homo sapiens? Who among us is pure? Who among us is pure Homo sapiens, human being? Who is among earthlings is most human? I thought I knew. No one could be pure human unless we all are, so therefore we all are pure Homo sapiens. It would have to be either all of us or none of us, biblically, won’t it?
And then I learned from genetic science that mixed among all of our Homo sapiens DNA are bits and pieces of Neanderthal DNA amounting to about 3 percent. I am 3 percent Neanderthal. No denying it. I am an impure human, and so is every other human being on every continent on earth. We slept with Neanderthals. We interbred. There is a benefit to having shagged with Neanderthals 30,000 years ago — many of us inherited a more robust immune system.
Take heart! Here is a shout to the marginalized TV Neanderthals featured in the insurance commercials. Stand taller my friends! Know that the bigots who belittle you carry in their DNA measurable bits and pieces of your people. We are your kindred.
Stunning news arrived recently from HuffPost Science in an article titled “Neanderthal Sex Study Suggests Ancestors Of Sub-Saharan Africans Didn’t Mate With Extinct Species” by Jacqueline Howard. I read the article. In brief, it is possible that the only pure bred human beings, the only pure bred Homo sapiens on our planet right now, are Sub-Saharan Africans. The very people belittled, dehumanized and enslaved by Europeans, by my people, who we believed not to be human, at least not fully human, but animal, expendable, own-able and enslave-able Sub-Saharan Africans no detectable Neanderthal DNA in their bodies making the most human among us.
This is an irony of historic and human proportion. May God forgive our misconceptions.
Nurul Izzah, has since denied that she had trivialized the issue of Islamic faith and that she supported apostasy.
The Lembah Pantai MP said she was disappointed that certain quarters were twisting her statements on the subject of religion being forced onto Muslims in Malaysia.
She said she had attended a forum titled ‘Islamic State: Which Version? Whose Responsibility?’ as a panellist on Saturday. In the question and answer session, one of the questions posed to her was on the issue of Islam being imposed on Muslims.
“My answer stressed on the phrase ‘there is no compulsion in Islam’. This was taken from verse 256 of the Surah Al-Baqarah in the Al-Quran. The phrase applies to all mankind,” she said.
Nurul Izzah added that she holds firm to the belief that after embracing Islam, a Muslim is bound by Syariah law, just as how a citizen is bound by the Federal Constitution.
“I am disappointed that there are efforts to twist my statement as if I had trivialised faith or easily accepted how Muslims can become apostates,” she said, adding that she has always been supportive of educational programmes to strengthen one’s faith and increase understanding of the religion.
Malaysiakini had on Saturday quoted Nurul Izzah as saying that people should not be compelled to adopt a particular religion, with the same applying to Malays.
“If you ask me, there is no compulsion in religion… how can anyone say sorry, this (religious freedom) only applies to non-Malays, it has to apply equally,” she was quoted as saying.
USA election the two candidates debate on policies and even when the results was out Romney congrulates Obama. But in Malaysia election is all about sex and religion.Earlier sex was the main weapon used by BN against Pakatan but that backfire.Now they are using religion and every words the opposition leaders said will be twisted by utusan and followed by others BN running dogs.Yet BN always syas by 2020 we will become a develop country. Mahathir’s an flammable comment, for the very idea of comparing intelligent quotients questions both the emotional and the intelligent quotient of the commentator himself. What is alarming is that it isn’t a once in a blue moon kind of a statement. This is becoming a pattern, long adopted by our illustrious political leaders. I won’t call it an atrophied view. For behind this attractive, religious edifice, is a well designed political motif to tickle the popular sentiment. And the idea to highlight and hijack NURUL universal spiritualism into its own rustic homebred thought process is a perfect political ploy, howsoever silly, inane and pathetic it may sound.
And Narendra Modi has been playing this to perfection. From choosing to launch his election yatra on the very date of Swamiji’s famed Chicago address to planting the statue of the monk atop his own vehicle, he has shuffled his cards shamelessly well. Little does he realize (or for all practical purposes he does realize) that his and his party’s ideologies are not only different but in many areas in sharp contrast to the revered monk’s message to the world. Swamiji’s preaching of universal humanity and religious harmony is anything but close to the bogus bigotry that this modern day political messiahs indulge.
Sadly this hypocritical trait will continue. This temptation to drag larger than life souls outside their orbit…this greed to advertize and sell them as commercial products for instant profit. Unless of course, we fathom the shallowness of this circus and learn to trash the clownish insensibilities of its players.
As US elections drew towards an exhilarating close, there is a lot that women all over the world can rejoice about.
With 18 women senators this year, a record high, Americans can expect a sack full of changes.
Also, with Tammy Baldwin becoming the first gay senator, also termed as an ‘ultra liberal’ by her opponents, you never know what comes out of the Santa’s bag. Let us all wait and hope for eventful 4 years.
PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar today said the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) should also haul up Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia if it decides to go after her.
Nurul Izzah, has since denied that she had trivialized the issue of Islamic faith and that she supported apostasy.
The Lembah Pantai MP said she was disappointed that certain quarters were twisting her statements on the subject of religion being forced onto Muslims in Malaysia.
She said she had attended a forum titled ‘Islamic State: Which Version? Whose Responsibility?’ as a panellist on Saturday. In the question and answer session, one of the questions posed to her was on the issue of Islam being imposed on Muslims.
“My answer stressed on the phrase ‘there is no compulsion in Islam’. This was taken from verse 256 of the Surah Al-Baqarah in the Al-Quran. The phrase applies to all mankind,” she said.
Nurul Izzah added that she holds firm to the belief that after embracing Islam, a Muslim is bound by Syariah law, just as how a citizen is bound by the Federal Constitution.
“I am disappointed that there are efforts to twist my statement as if I had trivialised faith or easily accepted how Muslims can become apostates,” she said, adding that she has always been supportive of educational programmes to strengthen one’s faith and increase understanding of the religion.
Malaysiakini had on Saturday quoted Nurul Izzah as saying that people should not be compelled to adopt a particular religion, with the same applying to Malays.
“If you ask me, there is no compulsion in religion… how can anyone say sorry, this (religious freedom) only applies to non-Malays, it has to apply equally,” she was quoted as saying.
Nurul Izzah, has since denied that she had trivialized the issue of Islamic faith and that she supported apostasy.
The Lembah Pantai MP said she was disappointed that certain quarters were twisting her statements on the subject of religion being forced onto Muslims in Malaysia.
She said she had attended a forum titled ‘Islamic State: Which Version? Whose Responsibility?’ as a panellist on Saturday. In the question and answer session, one of the questions posed to her was on the issue of Islam being imposed on Muslims.
“My answer stressed on the phrase ‘there is no compulsion in Islam’. This was taken from verse 256 of the Surah Al-Baqarah in the Al-Quran. The phrase applies to all mankind,” she said.
Nurul Izzah added that she holds firm to the belief that after embracing Islam, a Muslim is bound by Syariah law, just as how a citizen is bound by the Federal Constitution.
“I am disappointed that there are efforts to twist my statement as if I had trivialised faith or easily accepted how Muslims can become apostates,” she said, adding that she has always been supportive of educational programmes to strengthen one’s faith and increase understanding of the religion.
Malaysiakini had on Saturday quoted Nurul Izzah as saying that people should not be compelled to adopt a particular religion, with the same applying to Malays.
“If you ask me, there is no compulsion in religion… how can anyone say sorry, this (religious freedom) only applies to non-Malays, it has to apply equally,” she was quoted as saying.
PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar today said the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) should also haul up Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia if it decides to go after her.
Nurul Izzah, has since denied that she had trivialized the issue of Islamic faith and that she supported apostasy.
The Lembah Pantai MP said she was disappointed that certain quarters were twisting her statements on the subject of religion being forced onto Muslims in Malaysia.
She said she had attended a forum titled ‘Islamic State: Which Version? Whose Responsibility?’ as a panellist on Saturday. In the question and answer session, one of the questions posed to her was on the issue of Islam being imposed on Muslims.
“My answer stressed on the phrase ‘there is no compulsion in Islam’. This was taken from verse 256 of the Surah Al-Baqarah in the Al-Quran. The phrase applies to all mankind,” she said.
Nurul Izzah added that she holds firm to the belief that after embracing Islam, a Muslim is bound by Syariah law, just as how a citizen is bound by the Federal Constitution.
“I am disappointed that there are efforts to twist my statement as if I had trivialised faith or easily accepted how Muslims can become apostates,” she said, adding that she has always been supportive of educational programmes to strengthen one’s faith and increase understanding of the religion.
Malaysiakini had on Saturday quoted Nurul Izzah as saying that people should not be compelled to adopt a particular religion, with the same applying to Malays.
“If you ask me, there is no compulsion in religion… how can anyone say sorry, this (religious freedom) only applies to non-Malays, it has to apply equally,” she was quoted as saying.related article
1,Nurul Izzah Anwar has called for “bold and radical” ways to check the ethical failings of the Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia . disclosures and the ‘paid news’ phenomenon, said mechanisms such as the Press Council of Malaysia had proved to be inadequate to meet the challenge, as had been shown by the manner in which the council … Read more
2.Where do you draw the line with Ulamas and JAIS ? Ulamas and JAIS should Crucify Utusan Soi Lei forUlamas and JAIS are willing to be used as political tools by UMNO at a detrimental to Islam.are willing to be used as political tools by UMNO at a detrimental to Islam.Religion is a State matter.Selangor … Read more
3.It is improper for an individual to use the freedom of expression as a reason to state an opinion which can confuse the people, especially Muslims, in the country, the Dewan Rakyat was told today. What this woman is saying is correct. People should refrain from saying things that can confuse Muslims in this country. … Read more
4. Najib is not yet over for his party. But it won’t be long before the party is over for him. That much should be obvious from the cascade of developments Even as a core group ofUMNOleaders went into a huddle to deliberate on their president’s future, there were ominous signs that things weren’t going too … Read more
5,— President Barack Obama did not just win reelection tonight. His victory signaled the irreversible triumph of a new, 21st-century America: multiracial, multi-ethnic, global in outlook and moving beyond centuries of racial, sexual, marital and religious tradition. Obama, the mixed-race son of Hawaii by way of Kansas, Indonesia, Los Angeles, New York and … Read more
7,The target of some serious envy every time we come to terms with one or the other low of our politicians, they succeed in showing us a new low in the bottomless pit that our polity To be a successful politician in Malaysia partically an individual must be blessed with attributes: the art of listening patiently, … Read more
I am not going gaga over the US mindset or the substance shown by the voters in exercising their right to vote when it came to candidates like Todd Akins and Mourdock but they surely need to be applauded.
Americans made it loud and clear that they do not want candidates who pass inane statements that ‘legitimate rape’ does not lead to pregnancy. Sounds like a science revolution and one can somehow imagine Todd Akin signalling a thumbs-up to all the rapists around.
Todd Akin, a six term congressman lost to McCaskill who was up until a long time considered as the most vulnerable candidate. Claire won with 54.8 per cent votes while Akin got 39.2 per cent votes. Akin’s ridiculous stand on abortions and rapes cost him his seat and his own party members distancing themselves.
It seems as if he is saying, “Look guys, go ahead and do it because if it is legitimate rape (only he knows what it means), the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down. So, relax it’s their headache, you need not worry. If she doesn’t want to hear the cries of a baby, she better do it herself…you just go do your job! Bravo”
Well, bravo we all should say, now that he has lost to incumbent Claire McCaskill in Missouri.
Fate played a similar role in Indiana, where Richard E Mourdock was defeated by Democrat representative Joe Donnelly. Mourdock was on the brunt of criticism for his ‘godly’ comment ‘if a woman got pregnant when raped, it was something God intended to happen.’ He thinks one should not resort to abortion in the case of pregnancy due to rapes as well.
Indiana has earned the reputation of being a heavily Republican state over the years as Donnelly became the first Democrat to win a state-wide race in more than a decade in Indiana. Almost everyone feels that Mourdock brought all this onto himself, his party members as well.
Not that Donnelly isn’t a conservative but certainly a few notches lower than his counterpart. He supports legal abortion only in the case of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger.
The Americans have clearly made their choice and now the Indian in me wakes up and wishes that we even we take a stand and not appoint leaders who believe that lowering the age of marriage can actually bring down the number of rapes in our country.
Leaders who believe that girls should not use mobile phones and wear jeans as it takes them a step closer to being a rape victim.
Yes, these are the kind of statements passed by our leaders the names of who I do not wish to take as it will only be reiterating the obvious.
Although you’ll find few Muslims adopting the WWJD mantra, a degree of reverence extends to Jesus and all other Prophets. I think of Surah Ta-Ha and the life of Moses on Passover and Surah Maryam and Jesus’ birth on Christmas.
Most recently, I recalled the story of Abraham. The end of October marked the days of Eid ul-Adha, the holiday celebrating the end of the Hajj pilgrimage — a rite through which Muslims follow milestones in the story of Prophet Abraham and the life of Prophet Muhammad.
As a Muslim kid, I always looked forward to Eid as a time to visit lots of family and receive Eid money from our elders. Now, as an adult, there are other reasons to look forward to Eid. Muslims are called upon to sacrifice a goat or other animal and to parcel the meat to the less fortunate, and as a working professional I am blessed with the opportunity to partake in this rite.
What made this Eid extra special was the opportunity I had as an Illinois resident to participate in early voting. After attending the morning Eid prayer at the masjid, my family and I drove down to the local polling place, and in our glittery Eid clothes, hijabs and prayer caps, we fulfilled the second big religious obligation of the day.
As much as Eid is about celebration and sacrifice it is also about responsibility. Sharing food with one’s neighbor and the less fortunate, completing the Hajj pilgrimage, checking-in with friends and relatives are all duties of a Muslim. This year, I added one more to the list.
In the spirit of Muslims, Christians and others who fought for just leadership as part of the Arab Spring and the Prophets whose sense of duty knew no bounds, I voted for the next President of the United States (and others on the ballot).
It is my hope that whichever candidates they choose, Muslims across the country will kick up the dust and stand under the same sun that warmed the faces of Prophets Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Abraham to continue the legacy of responsible, civic duty on Election Day.
Holidays like Eid that recall the lives of the Prophets make me happy to be a Muslim. Today, I am reminded of why I’m happy to be a Muslim American.
We at the Islamic Renaissance Front condemn and lament the irresponsible mischaracterisation of Nurul Izzah Anwar’s statement on religious freedom.
She merely summarised the gist of the well-known Quranic verse in Surah al-Baqarah which clearly stressed that there is to be no compulsion in matters of faith, for truth and error has already been clearly stated.
Because of that she has been subjected to the crudest level of character assassination from those seeking to stoke controversy and gain political mileage for the upcoming elections.
Islam is not an ethnicity
In particular, the danger lies in the unmistakably ethnic nature of the sentiments that are motivating the on-going smear campaign against her. The erroneous assumption being encouraged is that Malays can only be Muslims.
This, to be sure, goes against the elementary confusion of an ethnicity with a religion. Here, we should pause to reflect on how that very confusion is also discernable in conservative Zionist thinking, which some Malay Muslims who are so enraged by Nurul Izzah’s statement are also supposed to oppose.
More importantly, the smear campaign is un-Islamic in how it particularly contravenes a clearly stated principle in the Quran which calls for the freedom of conscience: no human being is to be forced to believe in something he or she does not want to.
The evidence is plain for all to see. Consider another example in the following passage:
“And [thus it is] had thy Sustainer so willed, all those who live on earth would surely have attained to faith, all of them: dost thou, then, think that thou couldn’t compel people to believe”. [Quran,10:99]
In other words, the belief that Malays must be made to remain Muslim goes against the principle of reason and justice — the cornerstone of Islamic epistemology.
It thus makes no sense to believe that the principle of non-coercive assent is to be upheld only for non-Muslims and it would be null and void once a person converts to Islam. Those who believe that are mistaking Islam for Hotel California, where you can check out anytime you like, but can never leave.
More worryingly, that outlook all too easily assumes that Islam is morally inconsistent; never mind the problem that it would also require a strong Islamic state to force Muslims into conformity.
Freedom matters
Virtue is only virtuous — and not opportunistic, accidental, foolish or political — when it is done out of free will.
Thus, rather than police and threaten others into good behaviour and belief, much time, effort, cost, conflict and ill will can be spared through compassionate and transparent communication whereby our convictions and the ethical choices we make, emerge from out of a clear grasp of the principles and values that colour our moral horizons.
This — seeing the straight path after the seriousness, honesty, patience and labour of inner reflection — is enlightenment.
We believe it takes no moral, social or political cost at all to err on the side of charity and trust, and let every individual set on his or her journey to arrive to that very point of self-consciousness. After all, no one forced Muhammad to the cave.
All this, very sadly, is far from the minds of Muslims today. Muslims all too easily react in anger, without taking any time to consider the ethical ramifications of their demands. They mistake self-righteousness for injustice; the suppression of freedom for happiness and in the process they cannot tell the difference between on one hand, the inner monologues of victimisation that has shaped their egos and on the other, their conscience.
In that frenzy of rage, the personal has been drowned by the political. There is no Muslim condition to speak of, just enraged mobs. The only “winners” to speak of in the meantime are those seeking to exploit religion for ethnocentric ends.
The Islamic Renaissance Front calls upon all our friends and comrades who believe in the freedom of conscience to speak out against the rising tide of religious chauvinism and speak truth to power.
* This letter bears the names of Ahmad Farouk Musa, Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, Rizqi Mukhriz, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, Ehsan Shahwahid, Muhammad Anas Daniel and Shawn Syazwan of the Islamic Renaissance Front(IRF).
Adam the human being. Adam the mud man, cut in two, and then there’s Eve. What does it mean to be a human being? Were Adam and Eve within the Homo sapiensspecies? Assumedly, Cain and Able were. Were Adam and Eve pure Homo sapiens before they sinned? And less than pure after? What does it mean to be pure Homo sapiens? Who among us is pure? Who among us is pure Homo sapiens, human being? Who is among earthlings is most human? I thought I knew. No one could be pure human unless we all are, so therefore we all are pure Homo sapiens. It would have to be either all of us or none of us, biblically, won’t it?
And then I learned from genetic science that mixed among all of our Homo sapiens DNA are bits and pieces of Neanderthal DNA amounting to about 3 percent. I am 3 percent Neanderthal. No denying it. I am an impure human, and so is every other human being on every continent on earth. We slept with Neanderthals. We interbred. There is a benefit to having shagged with Neanderthals 30,000 years ago — many of us inherited a more robust immune system.
Take heart! Here is a shout to the marginalized TV Neanderthals featured in the insurance commercials. Stand taller my friends! Know that the bigots who belittle you carry in their DNA measurable bits and pieces of your people. We are your kindred.
Stunning news arrived recently from HuffPost Science in an article titled “Neanderthal Sex Study Suggests Ancestors Of Sub-Saharan Africans Didn’t Mate With Extinct Species” by Jacqueline Howard. I read the article. In brief, it is possible that the only pure bred human beings, the only pure bred Homo sapiens on our planet right now, are Sub-Saharan Africans. The very people belittled, dehumanized and enslaved by Europeans, by my people, who we believed not to be human, at least not fully human, but animal, expendable, own-able and enslave-able Sub-Saharan Africans no detectable Neanderthal DNA in their bodies making the most human among us.
This is an irony of historic and human proportion. May God forgive our misconceptions.
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