 This Jew-hating, terrorist-excusing conspiracy theorist was actually the elected leader of Malaysia - and spoke at a Muslim gathering where he expected his views to win support:
Malaysia’s former premier Mahathir Mohamad said on Wednesday there was “strong evidence” the US faked the September 11 terror attacks as an excuse to go to war against Muslims. “There is strong evidence that the attacks were staged. If they can make Avatar, they can make anything,’ Mahathir told the Conference for the Support of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), as quoted by local media. The former premier also blamed Jews for hindering progress in US foreign policy. Voicing his disappointment that Barack Obama had not yet ended the war in Afghanistan or closed the US terror detention center at Guantanamo, he explained that “there are forces in the United States which prevent the president from doing some things. One of the forces is the Jewish lobby.” Jews “had always been a problem in European countries. They had to be confined to ghettoes and periodically massacred. But still they remained, they thrived and they held whole governments to ransom,” Mahathir said. “Even after their massacre by the Nazis of Germany, they survived to continue to be a source of even greater problems for the world.” Here’s the frightening question: For how many Muslims does Mahathir speak? And perhaps we should for once ask to what extent this man’s disgraceful bigotry and victimology is driven by Islam rather than seek again to blame ourselves for his vileness, as in this recent effort, reported in The Age: Malaysia’s relationship with Canberra was at best prickly and diplomats could not understand why Dr Mahathir held such a jaundiced view. Barry Wain, an Australian journalist who has observed Dr Mahathir for 37 years, provides some of the answers to the mystery. In 1969 Dr Mahathir, a first-term politician and a rising political star, was invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to Australia as a guest of the Foreign Ministry in Canberra. But he lost his seat in an election that year and a few days before he was due to depart the Australians asked him to postpone the trip.... Two years later Dr Mahathir accepted an Australian Government offer to visit Canberra after attending a seminar at his own expense at Monash University, only to find the hospitality in the capital as bleak as the weather. In his book, Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times, Wain maintains Dr Mahathir never forgot how he was treated all those years ago. So does cold hospitality in Canberra also explain why Mahathir believes Jews “had to be confined to ghettoes and periodically massacred”?
Or has some faith or ideology pushed him to that conclusion? Andrew Bolt 
 Police in Malaysia have arrested eight men they said were believed to have been involved in the firebombing of a Christian church earlier this month. There have been at least 12 attempted attacks on religious institutions since a court verdict on New Year's Eve allowed non-Muslims to use the word "Allah" when referring to God. The ensuing protests and violence have heightened religious tensions in the Muslim-majority nation. Bakri Zinin, Malaysia's federal criminal investigation chief said police were investigating whether the eight arrested were also linked to the attacks on 10 other churches, which had been pelted with Molotov cocktails, stones and paint. "Eight people have been arrested and they are believed to be involved in the arson attack on the [Metro Tabernacle] church. They have been remanded for seven days to facilitate investigations," he told reporters on Wednesday. "We will investigate whether they are also linked to other cases [but] we believe we have solved this case. So please I advise the public, don't do something that will threaten racial and religious harmony." The three-storey Metro Tabernacle church in Kuala Lumpur was set ablaze on January 8 in a firebombing that left its ground floor destroyed. Church leaders said witnesses saw four people ride up to the building on motorbikes, smash the church's windows and throw objects into the building. Bakri said the first of the eight to be arrested was detained on Tuesday after seeking hospital treatment for burns on his hands and chest. The group were all aged between 21 and 26, and included three relatives - two siblings and their uncle. The remainder were friends of the family group. Last month, the High Court ruled in favour of the Catholic Herald newspaper which has used "Allah" as a translation for "God" in its Malay-language section. Malaysia's government has said the word should be used only by Muslims. The court's final ruling on the issue was suspended pending an appeal, after the government argued the decision could cause racial conflict. Malaysia's population is 60 per cent Muslim ethnic Malay, but also includes indigenous tribes as well as the large ethnic Chinese and Indian communities that practice Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism, among other faiths. More than half of Malaysia's Catholics are from indigenous groups, most of whom live in the Borneo island states and who mainly speak Malay. Al Jazeera
 Richard Lloyd Parry The church attacks reflect deep and long-running tensions in Malaysia. It seemed to come out of nowhere, it ran its course within a fortnight, and the damage inflicted was mild compared with religious conflicts in other parts of the world.
But this month’s attacks on churches in Malaysia, which petered out last week leaving one gutted by fire and nine others vandalised, is a sinister development, a portent of great changes afoot in what used to be one of South East Asia’s most stable and peaceful democracies. On the face of it, the attacks were provoked by a simmering and – to many outsiders – absurd controversy about the use of the word Allah. But below that, they suggest deep and long-running tensions in a country which has successfully bottled them up for 40 years. The row – over whether Christians should have the right to use the word Allah to refer to their own God in Malaysian-language Bibles and liturgy – is just the latest in a series of manifestations of a rising current of conservative Islam. In other incidents last year, a 32-year old mother was convicted for drinking a can of beer, and Muslim demonstrators outraged Hindu opinion by marching with the head of a dead cow, an animal sacred to Hinduism, to oppose the construction of a proposed temple. Malaysia’s success since its independence from Britain in 1963 has been to neutralise the rivalry and mutual dislike between its small majority of Malays (who by law are Muslim) and its Chinese and Indian minorities (who are Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh). Relations between Malays and Chinese, in particular, have been marked over the years by outbreaks of mutual antipathy rooted in racial dislike which in Malaysia’s neighbour Indonesia have intermittently erupted into deadly violence. In the Chinese racist stereotype, Malays are lazy, stupid, uneducated, unhygienic and feckless. The equivalent Malay view sees Chinese as clannish, patronising, greedy, dishonest and opportunistic. In May 1969, these resentments boiled over in race riots which killed scores, and perhaps hundreds, of people in Malaysia. The Government’s response was to establish the New Economic Policy, based upon a system of positive discrimination for Malays, who were given favourable access to education, and to business and property subsidies. For years, the resentment among the minorities of such official discrimination was offset by an understanding that it was also a guarantee of long-term racial harmony. The racial character of Malaysian politics was engraved in the name of its rulers. The Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, which has held power since independence, is a coalition of parties based upon ethnic identity – one Indian, one Chinese, and, dominating all of them, the United Malay National Organisation (Umno). But in the past ten years, the racial texture of Malaysian life and society has altered, and politics is struggling to keep up. Better educated, better off, and increasingly cosmopolitan, young Malaysians of all backgrounds are less prone to identify themselves purely in racial terms. Opposition parties have been successful campaigning on an inclusive, non-racial platform. After making huge gains in the last general election in 2008, they are now in a position to drive the Barisan Nasional out of power at the next. The result has been confusion among Umno and its partners. Since the retirement of Mahathir Mohamad, the towering figure in Malaysian politics since the 1970s, the party has lacked a convincing leader. Umno is not essentially a party of fundamentalist Islam, but as its racial base erodes it has – inconsistently and without much strategic planning – attempted to curry favour with ultra-conservative Muslims in the hope that religion may fill the ideological gap left by Malay nationalism. A shrewder leader, such as Dr Mahathir, would not have let the Allah row – a ridiculous dispute over a word used without comment by Christians in countries such as Indonesia and Syria – assume the dimensions which it has. But his successor as Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has stoked it. When a court ruled on December 31 that the ban on the use of Allah by Christians was unconstitutional, he had an opportunity to drop the whole thing. Instead, his Government appealed against the decision, and the attacks followed. The police have made no arrests. The physical damage which the attacks have caused may have been minimal. But the damage to the cause of racial harmony in Malaysia is impossible to calculate. Times Online
 Churches are being firebombed in Malaysia, and for AP that is "similar" to a rum bottle being thrown at a mosque. "Rum bottle thrown at Malaysia mosque amid tension," from The Associated Press, January 16 (thanks to Pamela): KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Vandals threw a rum bottle at a mosque in the first attack on a Muslim house of worship after almost a dozen similar assaults on churches in Malaysia the past week, police said Saturday. Police have dismissed the attacks as vandalism, but they have caused disquiet in multiracial Malaysia and raised fears of more widespread religious tensions. One Sikh temple and 11 churches have been hit - most of them with molotov cocktails - since Jan. 8.... Maybe the molotov cocktails were made from rum. With thanks to JihadWatch
 Malaysia's Home Ministry held a briefing for foreign diplomats on Monday to try to ease their concerns about the recent spate of attacks on Christian churches. But rather than offering a rational explanation of what exactly the Government is trying to achieve with its attempts to limit the use of the word Allah, the diplomats heard this: Our landscape is different from other countries. Malays here are different from other countries. So said Home Ministry secretary, Gen. Mahmood Adam. And he may well be right about that, but he was still avoiding the issue. Because the one fact that the Government still refuses to acknowledge is that the essence of this controversy lies not in the nature of Malaysia's culture, but in the direct actions of its Government. It was the Government, not the people, that introduced legislation establishing the principle that the word Allah is exclusive to Islam. (A claim that has been convincingly debunked by numerous experts. Here's one succinct explanation.) What's especially comical is that even Malaysia's own Islamic leaders don't agree with the Government. based on Islamic principles, the use of the word Allah by the people of the Abrahamic faiths such as Christianity and Judaism, is acceptable, Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (a Muslim) concurs: With respect to the use of the word Allah, it cannot be disputed that Arabic speaking Muslims, Christians and Jews have collectively prayed to God as Allah throughout the last fourteen centuries. While sensitivities over its usage have arisen in Malaysia, the way to resolve these conflicts is not by burning churches and staging incendiary protests but by reasoned engagement and interreligious dialogue. Bizarrely, the consistent calls for dialogue over issues of religious sensitivities continue to go unheeded. (The Jakarta Post expresses similar concerns about the situation in Indonesia here.) And all the while that Malaysia's Home Ministry continues to maintain the fiction that somehow its position is the Malaysian people's position, it is truly missing the wood for the trees. Because once this particular issue fades away, what will inevitably be left behind in the minds of foreign diplomats - and investors - will be another paragraph in the catalogue of niggling entries that mark Malaysia as a "risk", a country increasingly unable to reconcile its religious and racial communities, thanks in large part to tone-deaf government. Al Jazeera
 Arabic-speaking Christians have been using the word "Allah" for God from time immemorial, and these Malay Christians, influenced by this in their non-Arab but Muslim society, have been doing so for decades. The whole idea of making this an issue at all was just another expression of Islamic supremacism. Or maybe an excuse to firebomb churches. "Ninth Church Vandalized in Malaysia as Tensions Rise," by Seth Mydans for the New York Times, January 11
BANGKOK -- A ninth church was vandalized Monday in Malaysia in a series of arson attacks that have raised religious tensions surrounding a dispute over the use of the word "Allah" by Christians in this mostly Muslim nation. "Allah" is the common term for God in Malay-language Bibles, but the government and many Muslim groups insist that the word should be reserved for use in Islam. The attacks, which began on Friday, came after a court ruling on Dec. 31 that overturned a government ban on the use of "Allah" by Christians. That ruling has been stayed while the government appeals. Only one of the churches has been seriously damaged, and some of the attacks were minor. In Monday's attack, the Sidang Injil Borneo Church in the central state of Negeri Sembilan was slightly damaged when its door was burned, according to local reports. Government officials condemned the violence Monday but defended their position, saying conditions are different in Malaysia from those in neighboring Indonesia or in Arab nations where "Allah" is the common term for God.... Thanks to JihadWatch
 KUALA LUMPUR: Another two churches were firebombed yesterday, taking to six the total of attacks in three days of unrest following a court decision allowing Christians and other non-Muslims to use "Allah" to refer to God. Hundreds of worshippers whose parish church was partly gutted in a firebomb attack last week gathered at a makeshift prayer hall for their Sunday service and called for national unity and an end to violence. A Molotov cocktail was hurled at the All Saints Church in Taiping town in central Perak state early yesterday before it had opened, said state police chief Zulkifli Abdullah. He said the building was not damaged. Also yesterday, a bottle of kerosene was thrown into St Louis Catholic Church, which wasn't damaged. Four churches were hit by petrol bombs on Friday and Saturday. All except the Metro Tabernacle, whose parishioners moved their services, suffered little damage, and no one was hurt. The other three held normal services yesterday. The dispute is over a December 31 High Court decision that overturned a government order banning non-Muslims from using the word Allah in their prayers and literature.
The court was ruling on a petition by Malaysia's Catholic Church, whose main publication, the Herald, uses Allah in its Malay-language edition. The government has appealed against the verdict. The government contends that making Allah synonymous with God may confuse Muslims and ultimately mislead them into converting to Christianity. Prime Minister Najib Razak visited the Metro Tabernacle church late on Saturday and announced a grant of 500,000 ringgit ($160,323) for rebuilding it at a new location. The Australian
 KUALA LUMPUR - Arsonists in Malaysia struck a fourth church on Saturday as the government tried to soothe tensions arising from a row over the use of the word "Allah" to refer to the Christian God. The unprecedented attacks risk dividing the mainly Muslim nation of 28 million people, which has significant religious minorities, and complicating Prime Minister Najib Razak's plan to win back support from the non-Muslims before the next elections by 2013. The row, over a court ruling that allowed a Catholic newspaper to use Allah in its Malay-language editions, prompted Muslims to protest at mosques on Friday and sparked arson attacks on three churches that saw one Pentecostalist church gutted. While Najib visited the badly damaged Pentecostalist church and offered a government grant of half a million ringgit ($148,100) to maintain "a harmonious society," church leaders said they wanted more concrete assurances of safety. "We ask the government to make a strong statement to these wrongdoers so we can worship in peace on Sunday," Reverend Hermen Shastri, secretary-general to the Council of Churches Malaysia, told Reuters. Malaysia is mainly Muslim and Malay but there are substantial ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities who mainly practice Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. These minorities handed the government its biggest losses in 2008 state and national elections in part due to feelings of religious marginalization and growing disillusionment with corruption. In the latest attack on early Saturday, unidentified attackers flung a home-made petrol bomb at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in a suburb in Selangor state. The two-storey bungalow sustained minor damage, church officials said. Police said they have stepped up security at all places of worship but faced a manpower shortage. Inspector General of Police Musa Hasan told churches across the country to hire more security guards. Christians account for nine percent of the 28 million population, with a sizable number of non-English speaking Christians in Malaysia's Borneo island states of Sabah and Sarawak who have used the word "Allah" for decades. Najib's handling of the issue will determine whether he can keep the support of the Malays and win back ethnic Chinese and Indian voters to solidify his grip on power after taking control of the government last year. "Till today we are protecting the interests of other races besides championing those of the Malays," Najib was earlier quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama. "Don't point fingers and say UMNO is racist...when churches are burned," he said referring to his party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) that is the linchpin of the National Front that has ruled the country for 52 years. But Malay-Muslims, including those in UMNO, fear the word could be used by Christians to proselytize to Muslims, which is already illegal in the Southeast Asian country. More than 169,000 Malaysians have joined a group page on social networking site Facebook called "Protesting the use of the name Allah by non-Muslims," a fourfold increase from the start of this week that signals growing Islamic anger. Reuters
 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A church was set on fire in Malaysia early Friday by unidentified attackers amid a growing conflict in the country over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims, officials said. Only the first floor office of the Metro Tabernacle Church was destroyed in the blaze that started a little after midnight Thursday, said church spokesman Kevin Ang.
The worship areas on the upper two floors were undamaged, and there were no injuries. The church is located in a three-story building on a shopping street in Desa Melawati, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, the main city of this Muslim-majority country. The attack on the Protestant church comes days after the Kuala Lumpur High Court struck down a 3-year-old ban on non-Muslims using the word "Allah" in their literature. The government has appealed against the court verdict, which allowed a Catholic publication to use the common word for God in the Malay language, and the High Court has suspended its decision from being enforced until the appeal is heard. Muslims argue that "Allah" is exclusive to Islam, and its use by Christians would confuse Muslims and tempt them to convert to Christianity. The court decision has resulted in a rash of angry comments and threats by Muslims on the Internet. Dozens of Muslim groups are planning a protest against the court decision on Friday after weekly prayers. Friday's fire was the first time the controversy turned destructive. District police chief Zakaria Pagan told the AP "we are still investigating" the fire and said he will issue a statement later. Another church official quoted a witness as saying she saw three or four men on a motorcycle breaking the main glass front of the church and throw something inside, possibly a gasoline bomb. The account could not be independently confirmed. About 60 percent of Malaysia's 28 million people are Malay Muslims, while the rest are ethnic Chinese and Indians, who follow Christianity, Hinduism and other religions. The High Court ruling was on a petition by the Herald, the main publication of Malaysia's Roman Catholic Church. It uses the word Allah in its Malay-language edition, which is read by indigenous tribes in the remote states of Sabah and Sarawak. The tribespeople are Malay-speaking, so Catholic officials say "Allah" is the only word they know for God. FoxNews
 By JAMES HOOKWAY and CELINE FERNANDEZ KUALA LUMPUR :If a Malaysian High Court ruling stands, Roman Catholics here can resume using the word "Allah" as their translation for God in their local language. The court on New Year's Eve overturned a three-year-old government ban that prevented the Catholic Church from using the term Allah in its literature.
The Arabic word has been used by various faiths in this Muslim-majority nation for centuries, and the church argues that it is the only suitable way to denote God in the Malay language. Other options, such as "Tuhan," or Lord, aren't as appropriate, says Rev. Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the church's Herald newspaper. He called Judge Lau Bee Lan's decision a landmark ruling that upholds constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and religion. But some people fear the ruling is only the first round in what they see as a longer campaign by a broad spectrum of Muslims to make this religiously diverse, resource-rich nation more Islamic.
Prosecutors could file an appeal as soon as Monday, and Islamic activists already are demanding the ruling be overturned. A government spokesman couldn't be reached to comment. The linguistic dispute over the word Allah comes amid a flurry of other controversies that have convinced many Malaysians that their country is adopting an increasingly politicized interpretation of Islam. Some analysts fear it could eventually turn off international investors. In recent months, a Muslim Shariah court sentenced a woman who ordered a beer in a hotel bar to be caned, while a group of Muslim men desecrated the proposed location of a Hindu temple near Kuala Lumpur by tossing a severed cow's head onto the site as police stood aside. The increasingly religious bent of Malaysia's authorities contrasts sharply with the country's reputation as a holdout for moderation in the Islamic world.
Malaysia's diverse makeup -- around 60% of Malaysia's 27 million people are ethnic-Malay Muslims, while the rest are mostly ethnic-Chinese and Indians -- has encouraged trade and investment. For a while, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur were the tallest buildings in the world, and the country hosts a large technology industry in addition to sprawling palm oil plantations and natural-gas reserves. The character of the country has changed, however. As Islam emerged as a political force across the Muslim world, Malaysian leaders encouraged the spread of Shariah courts and a Muslim-dominated bureaucracy. The ruling, however, adds to signs that some Malaysians may be ready to push back against the Islamist tide, or at least act to prevent it from becoming more powerful, observers say. In an interview in November, Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government would resist efforts by Islamist hard-liners to turn Malaysia into a more-radical Islamic nation. "We are going to maintain what we are today -- a moderate Muslim state," Mr. Najib said. The Herald newspaper filed a lawsuit against the government's ban on it using the word Allah in 2007. Malaysian authorities were concerned that the word would confuse or mislead Muslims, and that the term should be reserved exclusively for Islam. The ban hindered the Malay-language edition of the Herald, which is read mostly by indigenous tribes who converted to Catholicism and other forms of Christianity. It added to the grievances of Malaysia's religious minorities, who complain they are discriminated against by the Muslim-dominated government -- a claim the government denies. The ban on Christians using the word Allah was imposed before Mr. Najib became prime minister, and some observers suggest he might not want to pursue the case in order to help improve religious relations.
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, a key member of an opposition coalition, already has urged its followers to respect the court's verdict. Muslim activists have grown more powerful, however, and the government may be unable to resist pressure to appeal the Allah ruling, observers say. WSJ
 By Nina Lakhani Hundreds of British schoolgirls are facing the terrifying prospect of female genital mutilation (FGM) over the Christmas holidays as experts warn the practice continues to flourish across the country. Parents typically take their daughters back to their country of origin for FGM during school holidays, but The Independent on Sunday has been told that "cutters" are being flown to the UK to carry out the mutilation at "parties" involving up to 20 girls to save money. The police face growing criticism for failing to prosecute a single person for carrying out FGM in 25 years; new legislation from 2003 which prohibits taking a girl overseas for FGM has also failed to secure a conviction. Experts say the lack of convictions, combined with the Government's failure to invest enough money in education and prevention strategies, mean the practice continues to thrive. Knowledge of the health risks and of the legislation remains patchy among practising communities, while beliefs about the supposed benefits for girls remain firm, according to research by the Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development.
As a result, specialist doctors and midwives are struggling to cope with increasing numbers of women suffering from long-term health problems, including complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Campaigners are urging ministers to take co-ordinated steps to work with communities here and overseas to change deep-seated cultural attitudes and stamp out this extreme form of violence against women. The author and life peer Ruth Rendell, who has campaigned against FGM for 10 years, said: "When I helped take the Bill through Parliament seven years ago, I was very hopeful that we'd get convictions and that would then act as a deterrent for other people. But that has never happened and my heart bleeds for these girls.
This mutilation is forever; nothing can be done to restore the clitoris, and that is just very sad for them. I have repeatedly asked questions of ministers from all departments about why there has never been a prosecution and why we still do not have a register of cases. But while they are always very sympathetic, nothing ever seems to get done. Teachers must not be squeamish and must talk to their girls so we can try and prevent it from happening." FGM is classified into four types, of varying severity; type 3 is the most mutilating and involves total removal of the clitoris, labia and a narrowing of the whole vagina. An estimated 70,000 women living in the UK have undergone FGM, and 20,000 girls remain at risk, according to Forward.
The practice is common in 28 African countries, including Somalia, Sudan and Nigeria, as well as some Middle Eastern and Asian countries such as Malaysia and Yemen.
It is generally considered to be an essential rite of passage to suppress sexual pleasure, preserve girls' purity and cleanliness, and is necessary for marriage in many communities even now. More at the Independent
 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian authorities have confiscated more than 15,000 Bibles in recent months because they referred to "God" as "Allah," a translation that has been banned in this Muslim-majority country, Christian church officials said Thursday. The alleged seizure of the Bibles, imported from neighboring Indonesia, is certain to reignite complaints by religious minorities that their right to practice their faiths freely has come under threat as the government panders to the Muslim majority. A growing sense of discrimination among the minorities is chipping away at Malaysia's reputation as a harmonious multiethnic nation that practices a moderate brand of Islam. The Rev. Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, said authorities seized a consignment of 10,000 copies sent from Jakarta to Kuching in Sarawak state on Sept. 11 because the Indonesian-language Bibles contained the word "Allah." Indonesian language is similar to Malaysian language, both of which use "Allah" as translation for God in both Islamic and Christian traditions. Another 5,100 Bibles, also imported from Indonesia, were seized in March, said an official from the Bible Society of Malaysia, who asked not to be named for fear of angering the government. A Home Ministry official said he was not aware of the seizures. He said he couldn't be named without his superiors' clearance. Malaysia has banned non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" in their texts, saying the word is Islamic and may upset Muslims.
About 60 percent of the country's 28 million people are Malay Muslims while 25 percent are ethnic Chinese and 8 percent are Indians. Many of the Chinese and Indians are Christians. The Roman Catholic Church is challenging the "Allah" ban in court, saying it is unconstitutional and discriminates against those worshipping in Malay language. The case has been stuck in preliminary hearings for almost two years. Shastri said the church council is concerned over the continued detention "of our holy book, which is depriving congregations ... and denying them the use of their Bible." "For most of the Christians, this is not an issue of going against the authorities. They have been using (the word "Allah") for a long time," he said. Church officials say Allah is not exclusive to Islam but is an Arabic word that predates Islam. Besides the Bible seizures, Malaysia has been embroiled in other religious disputes. Some were over the conversion of minors to Islam and the religion of deceased people who are said to have converted to Islam secretly before their death. Hindus have also protested the demolition of several temples by authorities. Source: FoxNews
Six Cane Strokes for Drinking BeerBy Von Thilo Thielke A young woman has been sentenced to six cane strokes in Malaysia for having a beer in a hotel, as she is Muslim and prohibited from drinking alcohol. The Shariah law verdict has split the country and caused concerns about the growing influence of Islamists. But the woman's family is now insisting that the sentence be carried out -- in order to embarrass the government. The house of Shukarno Abdul Mutalib's family is decorated as if for a child's birthday party. Bunches of colorful balloons hang in the driveway, the aroma of roasted lamb wafts from the grill and plastic cups are filled with candy-colored juice. Nearly the entire family has made the trip here to Kuala Kangsar, a town in the Malaysian countryside. Uncles, brothers, nieces and nephews flew in from Singapore, Indonesia and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to sit here together on the terrace, looking out at the languidly flowing Perak River. Read more ... Source: Spiegel
 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, (AP) – A Muslim woman sentenced to caning for drinking beer wants to get the punishment over with now that it has been confirmed by an Islamic appeals court judge, her father said Tuesday. If the punishment is carried out, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 32-year-old mother of two, would become the first Muslim woman to be caned in Malaysia, where about 60 percent of the 28 million people are Muslims. The case has ignited a debate in this moderate Muslim-majority country whether conservative Islamists, who advocate harsh punishments, are gaining influence over the justice system and whether Islamic laws should intrude into people's private lives. According to local media reports Monday, chief Judge Abdul Hamid Abdul Rahman of Pahang state's Shariah courts decided to uphold the sentence passed by the state high court on Kartika after a one-month review of the case. No date was immediately set for the caning. Kartika's father, Shukarno Abdul Muttlib, 60, told The Associated Press that while the family had yet to be informed of the judge's latest decision, his daughter "accepts the punishment" and would like it to be carried out sooner rather than later. "We obey the law," he said, adding that "it's a challenge ... (but) it's the way of my life." Pahang court and religious department officials declined to talk about the case Tuesday. Others could not immediately be reached. Kartika, a former model and nurse, was sentenced in July to six strokes of the cane and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,400) for drinking beer in December 2007 at a beach resort in violation of Islamic laws. Islam prohibits Muslims from drinking alcohol. Kartika, who pleaded guilty, refused to appeal her sentence and was on the verge of being caned on Aug. 24. But the punishment was halted at the last minute following an uproar in the media and among rights activists. Instead, the government asked the Shariah High Court Appeals Panel in Kuantan, the capital of Pahang, to review the verdict. Judge Abdul Hamid, who headed the panel, ruled that the sentence was correct and should go forward. The caning would be done with a thin stick on the back and would be largely symbolic rather than aimed at causing pain, unlike the caning of rapists and drug smugglers with a thick rattan stick on bare buttocks that causes the skin to break and leave scars. Deputy Home Minister Abu Seman Yusop said the prisons department has trained personnel who can carry out the caning in accordance with Islamic rules. The date and time for the whipping will have to be decided by the court first, he said. Malaysia follows a dual-track justice system. Shariah laws apply to Muslims in all personal matters. Non-Muslims — Chinese, Indians, Sikhs and other minorities — are covered by civil laws, and are free to drink. Only three states in Malaysia — Pahang, Perlis and Kelantan — impose caning for drinking alcohol. In the other 10 states it is punishable by a fine. Source: Asharq Alawsat
Visits to Malaysia are always enjoyable. My recent visit to Kuala Lumpur (KL) was no exception. Food is high-quality, the nightlife vibrant, people friendly and the infrastructure is world class. An uncommon combination of characteristics, especially difficult to find in a developing nation. Malaysia is a special place for me. The country provides a ray of hope that a (majority) Muslim country can internalize modernity and adapt to a 'twentieth century way of life' which is in consonance with its religious beliefs. It reinforces the notion that Islam does not have to be hijacked by extreme reactionaries who are opposed to modernity. The same reactionaries who tend to 'pseudo-intellectualize' their opposition to change via obscurantist reasoning. Reactionaries whose authority and ability to interpret Islamic thought seems to rest only on the length of their beard. Make no mistake; Malay-Muslims are typically religiously conservative. Islamic scholars and pious people have always been respected within the Malay culture. However, since I first started travelling to KL / Malaysia in 2001, I have noticed several subtle changes over the years. Visible forms of religiosity among the Malays have increased. A slow but perceptible 'Islamization' of Malaysian society seems to be taking root. Two of Malaysia's thirteen member states are now ruled by the Islamic opposition party. In these states the trappings of secular rule are slowly disappearing. Pause to consider some of the intellectual debates that have recently captivated the country. Is the practice of yoga by Muslims un-Islamic? In the opposition ruled states, the deliberations are more indicative of Iran or Saudi Arabia than Malaysia. Is it permissible for females to wear make-up? Can they wear shoes with high heels that may attract attention by making a noise when they walk? UMNO, the traditional ruling party in Malaysia, is even talking to the Islamists about joining hands in a coalition. (UMNO is a broad multi-party coalition which has ruled Malaysia since 1957, the year the country won its independence from Britain.) Such (controversial) coalition talks show how far the Islamists have penetrated the mainstream political spectrum. The goal posts of political debate have shifted decidedly to the right and in favour of the Islamists. To be fair, Malaysia benefits considerably from its 'Islamic Connection' in many ways. Tourism links between the Arab world and Malaysia have increased dramatically in years following 9/11. Visitor numbers from the Gulf countries are noticeably higher. Flights between KL and major Arab cities are plentiful. Business links have also thrived. Arab capital has poured into Malaysia. The new trend is best represented by financial firms like the Saudi Al-Rajhi Bank trying to establish a retail presence in Malaysia. Walk around prime areas in KL and you will almost certainly come across a spanking new Al-Rajhi branch, complete with Arabic livery. KL has successfully established itself as an international center for Islamic finance. Malaysia is a pivotal player in the development of Islamic financial instruments and institutions. KL is a mandatory stop for any road show peddling Islamic bonds. As Islam wrestles with the many internal contradictions created by governing ideologies that range from the rigid Turkish secularism of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to the stern Shariah implemented by Saudi Arabian, Malaysia cannot be ignored. Surely, it has issues concerning the allocation of economic resources among minority groups, about the role of English in its society, but it is a relatively peaceful and affluent society. A fact which, sadly but arguably, makes it a successful nation in today's Islamic world. If an Islamic society is about providing an enabling and positive environment for believers and unbelievers unlike, then one can do much worse than looking to an Asian Tiger for a few of the answers. Imran Ahmed is a Singaporean freelance writer. He writes frequently on subjects of relevance to Muslims in today's society. He writes on his blog, The Grand Moofti Speaks. This article first appeared on his blog on July 19, 2009.
Kuala Lumpur | August 26 MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Najib Razak has urged a Muslim model who faces being caned for drinking beer to appeal against the sentence and not be so willing to accept her fate.Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, won a reprieve when religious officials who took her into custody ahead of the caning abruptly released her on Monday and delayed the punishment until after the fasting month of Ramadan. She was sentenced by a religious court last month to six strokes. If the punishment is carried out, she would be the first woman to face caning under Islamic law in Malaysia, a moderate Muslim-majority country. The mother-of-two has stared down religious authorities by saying she is ready to be caned, refusing to appeal against her sentence, and challenging them to cane her in public. In an apparent attempt to defuse a furore over the case, Mr Najib said yesterday that while he would not interfere with the sharia courts, which operate alongside the civil courts in Malaysia, there were still avenues for Ms Kartika to appeal. ''I believe the authorities concerned are sensitive on this matter and realise the implications of this case,'' he said. ''I feel the person concerned should appeal to the state authorities and not be so willing to accept the punishment.'' However, Ms Kartika rejected his advice and said that if the authorities did not want to go ahead with the punishment they should say so openly. ''I won't file any appeal,'' she said. ''Carry on and cane me; don't waste my time.'' Source: The Age
 Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno had earlier been
taken into custody to face her sentence Religious officials in Malaysia have spared a Muslim mother of two from being caned after she was caught drinking beer in a hotel. In a surprise announcement early on Monday an official from the state of Pahang's Islamic Affairs department said Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno had been freed on orders from "higher authorities". "The warrant cannot be executed," Sharafuddin Zainal Ariffin, head of enforcement for the state of Pahang's Islamic Affairs Department, told reporters. Kartika had earlier been taken into custody for transportation to a prison near Kuala Lumpur, where she had been expected to face six lashes with a rattan cane. She had been convicted in July by a sharia court and would have been the first woman in Malaysia to have been caned. Kartika, a former nurse and part-time model, had earlier told Al Jazeera that she had accepted the sentence and was prepared to be caned. Malaysia, which has large Chinese and Indian communities, uses a dual-track legal system where sharia courts - those following Islamic law - can try Muslims for religious and moral offences. Alcohol is widely available in the country but is theoretically forbidden for the majority Muslim Malay community, who make up just over half the population. Muslims can be fined, jailed for up to three years or given six strokes of the cane for drinking alcohol, but prosecutions are extremely rare. Source: Al Jazeera (English)
 Kartika, centre, has remained
stoical about her punishmentThe case of a Muslim woman in Malaysia who is to be caned for drinking alcohol has created a public storm in the multi-ethnic Southeast Asian nation. If the punishment goes ahead as planned, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno will become the first woman in Malaysia to be caned under Islamic law. But critics say the caning will damage Malaysia's international standing as a progressive and moderate Islamic country. Judge Datuk Ismail Yahya, one of Malaysia's chief sharia judges, added his voice to the debate on Sunday, cautioning that the punishment ran contrary to the law. "Kartika can sue. This is because her detention, and subsequently the whipping, is illegal," he was quoted by Malaysia's New Straits Times as saying. The 32-year-old mother of two was sentenced to six strokes by a court in Pahang state after pleading guilty to drinking alcohol at a hotel nightclub last year. She was also fined the equivalent of $1,420, but not given a prison sentence. "The only way for her to end up in jail is if she doesn't pay her fine. But from what I understand, she has paid it," Ismail was quoted as saying. "So, this means that there is no way that the whipping sentence can be executed." National debate Islamic scholars have backed the sentence, and said it would be carried out with Kartika fully clothed and using a cane that is smaller and lighter than the heavy length of rattan used in criminal cases. Human-rights group Amnesty International has urged Malaysia not to carry out the sentence and to abolish what it called a "cruel and degrading punishment". Despite the domestic furore and the international concern, Kartika has expressed no intention of avoiding her punishment. In an interview at her home in a small Malay village in Kuala Kangsar earlier in the month: "Sometimes I feel sad and stressed as I have tarnished my family's name. But now after spending time reading the Quran, I feel calm and am not afraid of being caned." Speaking to Al Jazeera, she confided that she had accepted the punishment at least partly to avoid what could be the two-year legal process of an appeal. The former hospital worker and part-time model is expected to turn herself over to authorities at a women's prison in Kajang, south of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, where the punishment will be carried out on Monday. Malaysia, which has large Chinese and Indian communities, uses a dual-track legal system where sharia courts, those following Islamic law, can try Muslims for religious and moral offences. Source: Al Jazeera (English)
Christians launch petition for use of the word "Allah" Support is expected from Muslims, in addition to Jews and Christians around the world. The petition can also be signed via the internet. The diocese of Kuala Lumpur continues its legal battle against the government, to use the word "Allah" in Catholic publications.
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - A group of Christians in Sabah has launched a petition drive to force the government to lift its ban on the use of the word "Allah," which according to the interior ministry should be used only by Muslims.
The campaign was launched last March 4, and will continue until March 29. In a few days, the website has gathered thousands of signatures, including from local Muslims and Hindus. In April, the signatures that have been collected via the internet and on paper will be presented to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
The author of the campaign is Jeffrey Kitingan, brother of the deputy prime minister of Sabah, Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Sabah and Sarawak, the Malaysian provinces on the island of Borneo, are the area with the largest concentration of Catholics. Out of 900,000 faithful in all of Malaysia, at least 600,000 live in Sabah and Sarawak.
Ronnie Klassen, a businessman and one of the other organizers of the campaign, says that he hopes the online version will bring support from the international community and from the Vatican. This, he says, is "an issue that is very dear to all Christians as it is to members of the two other Abrahamic faiths, Judaism and Islam."
The problem emerged at least two years ago, when the security ministry banned the use of the word "Allah" (God) in the Malay language insert in the Catholic weekly "Herald," citing "reasons of security" and of "possible confusion" among Muslims, which "could harm public order."
The Catholic Church has used the word "Allah" to refer to God for centuries.
The ban also applies to publications, songs, and ceremonies in all other Christian Churches. There is confusion in the government, and subservience toward groups of Muslim voters. The security ministry recently revisited and reconfirmed its decision against the "Herald." In the same way, the interior ministry last February 16 gave permission to use the word "Allah," as long as it is clearly displayed that the publication is "for Christians only." But at the end of February, it backtracked on the permission and reaffirmed the ban, threatening to take measures.
The archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur has taken the government to court, insisting that the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The first hearing in the case was held last February 27, and was adjourned until May 28.
Referring to the recent events, Klassen says: "We feel hurt, insulted and ridiculed by a government that only believes in its righteousness."
Source: http://new.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=14666&theme=5&size=
KUALA LUMPUR, March 5, 2009 (AFP) - An ethnic Chinese Malaysian has gone to court to fight the secret conversion of his 15-month-old daughter by his estranged Muslim convert wife, his lawyer said Thursday. Carpenter Hoo Ying Soon, 28, is also challenging the temporary custody granted to his wife by a sharia court in this Muslim-majority nation. Lawyer Tang Jay Son told AFP Hoo only learned of his wife and child's secret conversion two days ago through a sharia court notice, which said the woman had become a Muslim on January 28 and his infant daughter on February 3. Read more ...Source: AFPH/T: Jihad Watch
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This Jew-hating, terrorist-excusing conspiracy theorist was actually the elected leader of Malaysia - and spoke at a Muslim gathering where he expected his views to win support: 
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