Archives for November 2008
At A Crossroads
Read this in the Malaysian Insider: A struggle for the soul of PAS
It explains the forces at work within PAS at the moment.
If the moderate faction in the party prevails against the conservatives, then we are on our way towards a PAS that can appeal to all Malaysians.
If not, PAS will get its ass [...]
Other “Fatwas”
I found these articles interesting:
Catholic Education Resource Center: Why is Yoga incompatible with Catholicism?
Times Online: Vicars ban “un-Christian” yoga for toddlers
Christianity Today: The Truth About Yoga
BBC News: Vatican sounds New Age alert
Much of the arguments against yoga related above sound a lot like the National Fatwa Council’s arguments.
As far as the various mainstream Christian denominations [...]
Fine Line
The Negri Sembilan Regent says the Rulers should indeed be consulted on fatwas.
Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Ja’afar said it would be in the interest of Islam Hadhari, the moderate form of Islam the Government was propagating, if the rulers were fully involved in giving their opinions to avoid the extremist tendencies.
“Islam is a progressive religion and [...]
Problems With MyKad
The Home Minister reports that since the introduction of MyKad in 2002, there have been a total of 2.4 million complaints on faulty MyKads.
He said this was about 10% of the 24 million Mykads that have been issued.
This year alone, there have been nearly 900,000 complaints, largely on faulty chips used in the MyKad.
Consequently, the [...]
When In Doubt, Leave Out
The Rulers say they should be consulted before the National Fatwa Council issues any fatwa.
Pak Lah says yoga devoid of religious elements is okay for Muslims.
Okay, so yoga that is devoid of religious elements is not haram. I’m cool with that.
Which means yoga that contains such elements is haram, because it can corrupt the faith [...]
Bad Form
Wow, what a medical breakthrough:
The health declaration forms of national service trainees will be screened by medical personnel when they report for training, said National Service Training Council chairman Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe.
He said the trainees need not undergo a full medical check-up. [The Star]
So instead of screening the trainees, they just screen the health [...]
A Fatwa Against A Fatwa
The Hindu Sangam is upset with the Fatwa Council for not consulting it before issuing a fatwa against yoga.
Malaysia Hindu Sangam president A. Vaithilingam is also upset that the Council has declared yoga haram, saying that “to call this ancient practice ‘haram’ and saying that it can ‘corrupt’ a person is very hurtful and demeaning.”
Vaithilingam [...]
Surprise! You’re Paying Taxes On Petrol
Holy Outlandish Oil Slick, Batman!
The Government has stopped paying subsidies for petrol since the beginning of this month due to lower global oil prices, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad said.
… Shahrir said the Government was now enjoying some revenue due to the difference in the ex-refinery price and the price oil [...]
Man Of Steel?
Here’s an eye-opener:
The Customs Department is expected to allow contractors to import steel of the widely accepted British standard BS4449 in spite of disagreement from the steel industry.
The Malaysian Iron and Steel Industry Federation (Misif) disagrees that the British standard BS4449 is the equivalent in quality to the Malaysian standard MS146. [The Star]
The steel industry’s [...]
Make Najib PM Now
Desperate times call for extraordinary measures.
Our economy is starting to feel the full brunt of the global economic crisis.
External demand for our exports is weakening severely. Factories are scaling back production. Workers are on the verge of retrenchment. Domestic demand is falling. The banks are bracing for really tough times.
DPM/Finance Minister Najib Razak has announced [...]
