1. CFM campaign for the elections (http://www.ccmalaysia.org)
Undilah dengan Bijak Dalam Pilhanraya (sic) Umum 2008
Umat Kristian! Tunaikanlah kewajiban mu dan jadilah warganegara yang baik
Berdoa untuk Pilihanraya Umum! Undilah dengan Bijak!
Apa yang perlu dipertimbangkan?
・Masa depan anda dan generasi akan datang
・Manifesto parti politik dan rekod pencapaian
- Hak warganegara dalam hal kebebasan beragama dan kebebasan bersuara
- Agenda ekonomi dan pembangunan
- Perlindungan alam sekitar
- Kebajikan bagi orang tidak berkemampuan, sakit dan kurang upaya
- Ketulusan, kejururan dan kecekapan
- Pelaksanaan undang undang dan keadilan
Adakah manifesto-manifesto ini selaras dengan pencapaan rekod terkini?
Adakah mereka mencerminkan ciri-ciri Allah dan nilai-nilai Kristian?
Para calon
- Bertanggungjawab, tulus dan jujur
- Memiliki Skil kepemimpinan
- Memiliki nilai hidup yang tinggi
- Mudah didekati dan selalu bersedia
Adakah mereka melaksanakan apa yang dikatakan?
Kiranya Roh Kudus memimpin setiap kita.
PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA
“Vote wisely in 2008 General Elections”
Christians! Be responsible and good citizens!
Pray for the general elections! Cast your votes!What to consider?
・Future for you and the generations to come
・Polotical parties manifestos and track record on
- Citizens’rights on freedom of religion, conscience and speech
- Economic agenda and development
- Protection of environment
- Welfare of the poor, sick and disabled
- Integrity, honesty and efficiency
- Justice and fair play
Are the manifestos consistent with the actual track record?
Do they reflect God’s standards and Christ-like values?
Candidates
- Standard of accountability, integrity and honesty
- Leadership skills
- Values
- Accessibility and availability
Do they walk the talk?
May God’s Spirit guide each and every one of you!
CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYASIA
2. “Electric New Paper”(S’pore)（http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg）
HE'S THE CHINESE FACE OF ISLAMIC PARTY , 23 February 2008
by Susan Tam
HE'S a non-Muslim.
Yet he's the face of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). The Chinese face, that is. Mr Hu Pang Chaw, 53, is chairman of the PAS Supporter's Club. What is unusual is that the club exists in Kelantan, well-known for its Islamic preachings by PAS which forms the state government.
PAS rules dictate separate queues for men and women at malls and supermarket checkout counters.
But Mr Hu says it doesn't cramp his lifestyle. He said he regularly enjoys a mug of beer, accompanied by his Muslim PAS friends. 'I have my beer and they can enjoy their orange juice. Where is the problem in that?' said this lively Chinese businessman. Sometimes, Mr Hu meets his Muslim friends in Kota Baru, the main town of Kelantan, in a shop that sells the pork dish bak kut teh. 'I love this dish, but of course my Muslim friends will not indulge in the meal. But they are comfortable joining me in a Chinese coffeeshop,' he said.
The father of four claims this is the uniqueness of Kelantan, as such practices are uncommon elsewhere.
What is also interesting is that Mr Hu, a Kelantanese Christian who attends church regularly with his family, is strongly pushing for PAS' values to be adopted by non-Muslims. 'We are all Malaysians and should have a stake in the country. PAS is merely offering the non-Muslims an alternative party to the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional,' he told The New Paper after PAS announced its candidate lists for the upcoming Malaysian polls yesterday.
The PAS Supporter's Club, formed in 2004, has more than 2,000 members comprising of Indians, Chinese and Ibans from Sarawak. Though Mr Hu says PAS does not impose its teachings on non-Muslims, statements from PAS leader and spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat seem to contradict this view. Datuk Nik recently said it would punish malls that ignored the rulings on separate queues for men and women shoppers. He went on record to call his Umno rivals 'orang utans'.
Mr Hu, an ex-journalist with two Chinese newspapers in Kelantan, is unperturbed. He insisted that statements from the BN-owned mainstream media were twisted. 'Women are not discriminated against in Kelantan. Most of the businesses are run by them,' he said. He believes the non-religious aspects of PAS are open and transparent, and are acceptable by the Chinese, Indian and other faiths. 'The state government does not restrict other religions from practising their faiths. It allows (students) to adopt their mother tongue (in school) and allows businesses to operate in a fair manner,' he said. It is obvious, he said, people want a change. He cited the attendance at a PAS-initiated function in Penang, where it marked history for the Islamic party. 'About 500 Chinese and Indians attended, and this has not happened before,' he claimed, adding that it was a reflection that Malaysians were keen for a change.
PAS' support comes mainly from the northern rural and conservative areas such as Kelantan and Terengganu. Almost all PAS members are Malay Muslims, as is about 95 per cent of Kelantan's population, PAS has been governing the state since in 1990.
But is Mr Hu's club simply a tactic for PAS to garner votes from the non-Muslims? He vehemently denied that he was being used or put up as the party's non-Muslim 'mascot'.
Nanyang Technological University's SRajaratnam School of International Studies senior fellow, Mr Yang Razali Kassim, thinks Mr Hu is his own man. Mr Yang said he does not think Mr Hu is a pawn or mascot because the latter makes his own decisions and is determined to represent the non-Muslims. Mr Hu was given the chance as the first non-Muslim to speak at PAS' general assembly last year on the role of Islam in society and issues affecting non-Muslims.
3．Prince George Citizen (http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com)
Islamic groups demanding stronger role for Islam ahead of polls in Malaysia, 23 February 2008
Eileen Ng, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A call is going out for a stronger role for Islam in Malaysia.
A group called the Defenders of Islam wants the government to declare Malaysia an Islamic-majority country and reject any attempt to make it a secular state. The Defenders of Islam is a loose coalition of about 100 conservative organizations representing students, professions and others.
Among other things, it is also calling for wider powers for Shariah courts and stricter enforcement of religious and moral doctrines ahead of general elections next month.
The National Front coalition, which has governed Malaysia since 1957, is led by the United Malays National Organization. It draws support from Malay Muslims and espouses a generally moderate form of Islam. About 60 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims. The rest are Christians, Buddhists and Hindus from the Chinese and Indian communities.
Yusri Mohamad, president of the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, which leads the coalition, says recent racial and religious tensions in Malaysia stem from efforts by certain groups to challenge Islam's role in the multiracial country. "We want to remind all Malaysians to preserve and maintain the status quo," he said. "The formula may not be perfect but it has worked reasonably well. It is acceptable and sustainable."
The Islamic groups' demands follow a campaign by Malaysian churches urging Christians to choose candidates in the March 8 polls who champion religious freedom.
There are growing concerns among religious minorities that their rights are being eroded by a rise in Islamic fervour, which many blame on overzealous Muslim bureaucrats in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government. The fears have been fuelled by a recent government ban on the word "Allah" in Malay-language Christian literature, the demolition of Hindu temples, and court judgments favouring Muslims in disputes with non-Muslims.
Yusri said the Islamic demands, which will be distributed to all candidates and political parties, were aimed at highlighting Muslim needs, not countering the Christian campaign. The groups' statement called for asserting "the significant role of Islam in the state."
It also called for the power of Islamic Shariah courts to be strengthened and new laws to block the propagation of other religions among Muslims, especially in states with large minority populations. The groups also seek more Islamic studies in schools, increased scholarships for Muslims and the implementation of Islamic practices, such as prayers during school assemblies.
Television stations should ban western entertainment programs such as reality shows and promote Islamic programming.
4.WWRN(WorldWide Religious News) (http://wwrn.org)
Malaysian churches are taking a stand for religious freedom , 23 February 2008
By Sean Yoong (AP)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Malaysia’s churches are wading cautiously into politics by urging Christians to vote for candidates in next month’s general elections who champion religious freedom in the Muslim-majority society.
The call illustrates growing concern among religious minorities who feel their rights are being eroded by a rise in Islamic fervor, which many blame on overzealous Muslim bureaucrats in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s government.
Churches have begun handing out brochures urging Christians to examine the platforms and records of political parties on “freedom of religion, conscience and speech” before casting their ballots in the March 8 national elections.
“We want to hold every politician accountable,” said Hermen Shastri, executive secretary of the Christian Federation of Malaysia. “Many people may not vote for representatives who won’t speak up” for religious rights, he said. The federation includes the Protestant Christian Council of Malaysia, Roman Catholics and the National Evangelical Fellowship.
Although some churches have made similar calls in the past, many Christians are particularly concerned about the outcome of these elections because of what they regard as “the trend of Islamization and how that is affecting other religious communities,” Shastri said.
He stressed that churches remain nonpartisan, and that the campaign is not an endorsement of secular opposition parties, which accuse the government of allowing religious discrimination to strain decades of multiethnic harmony.
The Christian federation is working with its Buddhist and Hindu counterparts, which may distribute similar pamphlets at temples, Shastri said.
Several recent events illustrate growing religious tension in Malaysia, a nation of 27 million that is about 58 percent Muslim, 23 percent Buddhist, 11 percent Christian and 6 percent Hindu, with other smaller traditional Chinese religions.
In December, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom condemned government actions against the country’s ethnic Indian Hindus, including the use of tear gas and water cannons against peaceful demonstrators, beatings of protesters who sought refuge in a temple and the demolition of Hindu temples and shrines.
The commission said the expanding reach of Sharia, or Islamic, courts is “threatening secular Malaysia’s civil courts and the country’s commitment to religious pluralism.”
While Islam is the official state religion, Malaysia is considered one of the world’s most relaxed Muslim countries. The Southeast Asian nation follows a dual justice system. Shariah courts administer the personal affairs of Muslims, while civil courts are to govern Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and other religious minorities.
However, with the backing of Muslim politicians, Sharia courts have stepped into several high-profile cases involving conversion, marriage, divorce and child custody involving non-Muslims.
The Christian husband of a Malaysian woman who died in December clashed with Islamic authorities who contended she had converted to Islam a week before her death and would be buried according to Muslim rites. A Malaysian court ordered the woman’s body released for a Christian funeral after the conversion claim was retracted.
In another case, a 29-year-old woman who was born a Muslim but converted to Hinduism was ordered by Malaysian authorities to spend six months in an Islamic rehabilitation center, where she said officials tried to make her pray as a Muslim, wear a head scarf and eat beef, a sacrilege to Hindus.
The Malaysian government, meanwhile, recently stated that non-Muslims cannot use the word “Allah,” worrying Christians who use the term to refer to God in their Malay-language Bibles and other publications.
And last month, customs officers seized 32 Bibles from a Christian traveler, saying they were trying to determine whether the Bibles were imported for commercial purposes. A government official said the action was wrong.
Last week, Prime Minister Abdullah assured minorities he was “honest and fair” with all religions.
“Of course, there are minor misunderstandings,” Abdullah said in a speech to Chinese voters. “What is important is that we are willing to talk and solve our problems together.”
Teresa Kok, a lawmaker representing the opposition Democratic Action Party, said the latest church foray into politics “will definitely help to create some political awareness,” but may not swing large amounts of support to the opposition.
Many Christians, especially in urban, middle-class populations, traditionally support Abdullah’s National Front coalition because they “don’t want to rock the boat,” Kok said.
The National Front consists of 14 parties representing various ethnic groups. The coalition, which has governed since 1957, is expected to easily retain power but with a lower parliamentary majority because of religious tensions and complaints over inflation, crime and corruption.
Disclaimer: WWRN does not endorse or adhere to views or opinions expressed in the articles posted. This is purely an information site, to inform interested parties of religious trends.
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