Share to help stimulate good governance, ensure future of people & M’sia
No News Is Bad News
Malaysia’s pariah education system may get even more pariah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFvpBc-qUSM (Lets Get It Podcast #81 So Who's The Pendatang Now? Ft. Prof. Tajuddin Rasdi)
https://www.google.com/search?q=Mariam+podcast+on+Jakim%27s+halal+cerificvation&sca_esv=658059ba84023065&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWIKdxH70f8jzJvdUYPSKfL-qlfBybQ%3A1726741205037&ei=1frrZoiDAo2QnesP39DH-Q4&ved=0ahUKEwjIwZSh5M6IAxUNSGcHHV_oMe8Q4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=Mariam+podcast+on+Jakim%27s+halal+cerificvation&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiLU1hcmlhbSBwb2RjYXN0IG9uIEpha2ltJ3MgaGFsYWwgY2VyaWZpY3ZhdGlvbjIHECEYoAEYCjIHECEYoAEYCkjJlwFQzwlY8ZIBcAR4AJABAJgBugGgAZ0dqgEFMTkuMTa4AQPIAQD4AQGYAiagApUfwgIHEAAYgAQYDcICBhAAGBYYHsICCBAAGBYYChgewgIIEAAYBRgNGB7CAgYQABgNGB7CAggQABiABBiiBMICBRAhGKABwgIEECEYFZgDAIgGAZIHBTE3LjIxoAfggAE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:b40a56fb,vid:mlHHNIcdPXU,st:0 (Dakwaan Dorongan Perniagaan Halal? (Money is alleged to ...)
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19, 2024: Now that the Cabinet has rejected the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim)’s attempt to intrude into non-Muslim eateries, another moronic issue has been raised by Umno president and deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He wants Islamic scholars to be admitted to public universities without the SPM!
As if the country’s academic and education deterioration has not reached the pits.
This is what Universiti Malaya requires those who wish to pursue their tertiary education:
Bachelor’s Degree (Malaysian)
General Entry Requirements
A Malaysian candidate who wishes to pursue a programme of study at the Universiti Malaya must fulfil the University's entry requirements as follows:
(1) Pass the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) with a credit (Grade C) in Bahasa Melayu subject
Or
a credit (Grade C) in Bahasa Melayu/Bahasa Malaysia July papers and pass in History (SPM 2013 and above);
and
(2) Achieve a minimum Band in the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) according to the requirement of the programme, and
(3) Have fulfilled all special requirements of the programme as prescribed by the Senate
If Zahid’s proposal is approved by the Cabinet, then Malay students can ignore all of the above and have a free-for-all admission to public universities in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s education system already produces such professors! - Facebook image
May God save Malaysia!
No News Is Bad News reproduces below articles on Jakim’s attempt to make it compulsory for non-Muslim pork-free eateries to apply for halal certificates and other issues-related video clips above:
Beyond halal certs – what is truly clean and unclean?
-15 Sep 2024, 08:00 AM
A parable of pulut udang, the Quran, and how Jakim goes about its business certifying the purity of human transactions.
Jakim, the federal agency that coordinates Islamic affairs, is in the news. Again. On their favourite topic, halal certification. Again. No surprise here.
Like any other bureaucracy, Jakim will always fight to ensure its continued existence: that’s what bureaucracies do. Like any other bureaucracy, Jakim is funded by money granted by politicians – funds that comprise some or all the money we have, or even money we don’t have. Which means Jakim will exist forever.
Bureaucracies are protected by law, but Jakim has an extra layer of protection, arising from the constitutional status of Islam as the official religion of the country. Therefore, this combination makes it unanswerable to almost no one.
But here’s a big question: have Jakim’s efforts managed to turn Malaysia’s Muslims into better Muslims? Have Jakim’s procedures, policies and penalties nudged fellow Muslims any closer to God?
The answer is that it hasn’t. There’s no proof that Malaysian Muslims are better human beings now than before Jakim was set up. Perhaps we are more pious, showy and even arrogant, but are we better Muslims? I doubt it.
However, by the twisted logic of politics, such a failure of execution can be viewed as a perverted form of success: that things haven’t improved is not proof that the institution has failed, but instead is proof we need to give them even more money.
What the Quran says
Make no mistake, being halal is a critical part of the Islamic faith, and something close to all Muslim hearts, so it’s no surprise halal certification has become an emotional topic.
But consider the relevant Surah Al-Baqarah 2-173 from the Quran:
He has only forbidden you (to eat) carrion, blood, the flesh of swine and that over which has been pronounced the name of any other than Allah. But if someone is compelled by necessity—neither driven by desire nor exceeding immediate need—they will not be sinful. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Being unlearned, I offer no explanation whatsoever on this verse. I leave it to you to read and understand as you will, as messages in the Quran are meant to be.
But I do have a story to tell.
The pulut udang chronicles
In the 1960s, my parents eked out a meagre living as food hawkers. At one time, my father sold the Penang delicacy pulut udang, or what others call pulut panggang.
This is a sausage-like combination of glutinous rice with a filling of spicy grated coconut and shrimp (the udang part of pulut udang) enveloped by banana leaf and baked (panggang) over charcoal, as attested by its alternative name.
It’s very popular up north. My parents were very good at making it, and my father sold it at a stall at the foot of the Boston Bar, a famous nightclub at the junction of Penang Road and Prangin Road.
His business relied on the morning traffic, and not on the bar-goers: they certainly didn’t patronise the bar because of my father’s pulut udang nearby, however delicious it was.
Apart from pulut udang, he also sold pau, the Chinese steamed dumpling that comes with a filling of kaya or red beans or even spicy meats. The pau was made by our neighbours, who happened to be very good at making them. They also happened to be Chinese.
I know many people nowadays can’t even imagine how this could happen. But my parents were very devout Muslims, who obviously had asked the Chinese neighbours whether the pau was halal, and were told it was.
My parents had no reason to doubt them, and neither did any of their Muslim customers, who were fully aware that the pau was indeed “ori”, as in Chinese-made. In my unlearned way, I have absolutely no doubt God has no problems with this. After all, in His message, He’s been very clear about what is halal and what is not.
Perhaps my parents were simple people: they never got around to asking about halal certificates or doubting their neighbours purely because of racial and religious differences. Or perhaps they actually understood that what God wanted was for humans to follow His guidance with all their heart and soul, and not just to tick boxes or virtue-signal their piety.
The politics of piety
Now here’s a thought: if you really want to avoid haram stuff, apart from what is mentioned in the Quran, you must also avoid all gifts from politicians.
If the politician is in a position of power, I’d say with almost utter certainty any monetary gift would be dodgy at best, and likely to be downright haram. And if the politician has been convicted of a crime, well…
While eating haram food will harm your faith, taking haram money that should have gone to the poor and the needy will harm your soul and also society at large: in my book, that’s a bigger sin.
You may say you didn’t know, or that you don’t have any proof such a gift is haram and hence it’s OK to accept. Well, why shouldn’t the same logic be good for food and drinks? If in your heart and soul you believe that the food is halal, will God still be angry with you?
Is that the sense you have of God’s message in the verse from Surah Al-Baqarah?
Don’t we have bigger issues facing Muslims – corruption, unfairness, poverty, injustice? Wouldn’t solving or at least fighting these be what Islam is all about?
Path of least resistance
An Islamic bureaucracy certainly wouldn’t do that: taking on huge, scary forces of injustice can threaten their existence. A safer option is to shove halal certificates down the throats of those who cannot fight back.
Here’s another question– will this new certification process bring enough revenue to Jakim such that the agency will be self-sustaining such that its usual budget from taxpayers can be channelled elsewhere, such as helping the poor and the needy?
Shouldn’t that money then go to everyone who deserves it, regardless of background? Wouldn’t this open up the hearts of many non-Muslims into thinking that perhaps Islam is an answer for them, too, and not just a religion of the Malays?
That won’t happen. What’ll happen is a fractured and fragmented implementation of halal certification. Some states with an antipathy towards Jakim may choose to go their own way. Others, such as the states run by the holier-than-thou federal opposition, may also choose their own path. It’ll be a mess.
I cannot imagine how my late parents would fare in today’s angrier, more bigoted world. This halal battle needs to be called our for what it really is, a new front in our toxic politics of race.
Power and accountability
Here’s the deal, though. If Jakim or anybody else takes on the power to be the arbiter of the halalness of food sold to Muslims, it must also accept the accountability.
If any halal certification comes through improper means, whether through incompetence, negligence, corruption etc, or if the enforcement of such certifications doesn’t guarantee the halalness of said food – then, while those in Jakim will escape accountability on Earth, they will be held accountable beyond this life.
Please also remember God never said food prepared by fellow Muslims is automatically halal, especially in today’s world of long and complex supply chains, not to mention greed and perfidy. So Muslims need halal certificates too.
Will a halal certificate also ensure cleanliness and sanitation as claimed? I doubt that. Just look at how dirty some Muslim restaurants are which are supposed to already be halal.
Were my late parents liable to be punished by God for having sold non-halal certified food to Muslims on the streets of Penang all those years ago? The truth is nobody knows the answer to these questions. But here’s a clue contained in the abovementioned Surah Al-Bakharah 2-173 – Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Of course there are many today who think my parents would be punished for what they did. To these people, all I can say is – you can all go to heaven for all I care!
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
Halal certification will remain voluntary, says Zahid
-18 Sep 2024, 10:39 PM
Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says the policy, which has been in place since 1974, will remain in effect.
Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said halal certification would remain open to companies willing to comply with all the requirements.
PETALING JAYA: Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says the Cabinet today agreed to maintain the long-standing policy that halal certification will be on a voluntary basis.
Zahid said in a statement that the policy – which has been in place since 1974 – would remain in effect, and that halal certification would only be for companies willing to comply with all the relevant requirements, standards, and regulations.
The Malaysian Islamic development department (Jakim) encourages industry players to apply for halal certification as it can provide assurances to Muslim customers that they can dine in these establishments without any doubt, he said.
On Sept 5, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar said Jakim was considering a proposal to make halal certification a requirement for restaurants that did not serve pork or alcohol.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim previously tasked Na’im with providing an update on the status of the proposal during today’s Cabinet meeting.
The issue sparked controversy when Seputeh MP Teresa Kok called for halal certification to remain voluntary, saying the government should allow business operators to decide based on market demand rather than forcing them as it would add to the cost of doing business.
Her remarks irked several parties, including Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, while Anwar distanced himself from Kok, saying her views were personal and not that of Pakatan Harapan.
Na’im had advised against unnecessary disputes over the proposal, stressing that it was still in the early stages of consideration.
Is Syerleena the only outraged MP?
-15 Sep 2024, 07:00 AM
Why hasn’t any other MP spoken up about the sexual assault on these children with the same ferocious energy that this first term MP has?
Syerleena Abdul Rashid, the member of parliament for Bukit Bendera in Penang, posted an impassioned and emotional video on her socials, in the immediate aftermath of the latest sexual predator scandal besieging our country.
This week, Malaysian police rescued 402 children and youths in raids carried out at 20 premises that they say were operated by Islamic conglomerate Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH).
The firm, which has been linked to a banned Islamic religious sect in Malaysia, is involved in businesses ranging from supermarkets to laundromats with operations in 20 countries, according to its website. The police say that some of the children were disabled or sick, while 13 had been sodomised.y
It is sickening to think that this is happening in our country.
Syerleena, in her video, said,
…this situation is beyond enraging. How can anyone justify abusing vulnerable children in institutions that are meant to protect and uplift them. Now, these predators, hiding behind the cloak of religion are a disgrace, not only to the victims, but to the entire faith they claim to represent.
The Bukit Bendera MP pleaded to her compatriots in our house of representatives by saying,
…I urge other members of parliament to speak up against this. It is time for us to demand real change…
And here’s the kicker, this bold representative of 92,521 registered electors in Penang, slammed home her point by saying,
…those in power must also be held accountable, and the entire system that allows this to happen must be dismantled.
Bravo YB Syerleena Abdul Rashid. Finally, a member of parliament worthy of the
YB prefix – which means The Honourable. It’s a phrase usually bandied about willy-nilly in Malaysia for the great unworthy.
Our representatives in parliament are elected to keep watch, protect, and serve us, the people. We regularly see some MPs behave like circus clowns. These jamokes scream and hurl insults at each other in our august Chamber. Many simply take up polarising positions and yell at each other. We all know the usual suspects from both sides of the political divide in our country.
And for a Malay Muslim MP like Syerleena to come out with such a visceral and unequivocal statement, which I assume was shared widely, is not only commendable, but absolutely necessary.
Where are the MPs, and NGOs that launch a multitude of police reports on comedians, musicians, and performers, now? Why is there pin-drop silence from those demanding moral values be upheld in our tourist beaches?
Where is the national dialogue led by MPs and ministers on this matter, like how they recently did on the halal-certification suggestions? How come there are no demonstrations happening led by religious groups?
And why hasn’t any other member of parliament spoken up, with the same ferocious energy that this first term MP has done? Where are all the old guys, the experienced fellas …why the quietude?
It seems that morality works only in one direction in Malaysia. It’s only us, our religion, and our sensitivities, which matter.
Don’t forget these 402 children are our Children … all Malaysians. Despite alleged alarm bells being sounded as far back as 2011, no action was taken on this group.
Why are we still tolerating a system that allows such atrocities to continue to happen? We get enraged and show compassion for the suffering of children in the Middle-East that is thousands of kilometres away. But yet we don’t demonstrate the same outrage for the dastardly acts that take place in our own backyard.
There’s something seriously wrong with this, isn’t there?
And really, where are our custodians? Our members of parliament, and ADUNs. Why are we not hearing relentless statements from them? Are they all just good at politicking and only interested in secure positions in their own parties and in government?
Kudos to Syerleena for standing up, speaking up, and showing us her outrage. It’s just a shame she was not nominated to contest the Penang DAP elections. This is the type of courageous and racially diverse leader Penang needs.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
No comments:
Post a Comment