1. The Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com)
Shah Alam not Sin City, 18 February 2012
by Hafidz Baharom
FEB 18 — Let me start by stating some things that will be a repetition to most, so you can all just skip this paragraph if it annoys you. I drink alcohol, I am a liberal and I live in and love Shah Alam. And if there is one thing PAS did right in Selangor, it was to fire Hasan Ali from its party. And yes, PAS, for all its religious advocacy, deserves some applause and ovation for doing what I would say was the right thing.
I wonder how many of you have heard or read Hasan Ali’s recent labelling of Shah Alam as a city decadent with sin. According to Hasan Ali, prostitution is rampant and citizens in Shah Alam are now purchasing alcohol in the droves.
With the way this religious hack portrays Shah Alam, perhaps in his vivid imagination, it sounds as though the city is at the point that drunken orgies take place after an evening of football at Stadium Shah Alam. And I thought he was already insane when he thought solar-powered bibles were converting the nation to Christianity.
I have lived in Shah Alam for about 25-years now. I went to kindergarten here, primary school in Section 6 Shah Alam and secondary school in Section 2 Shah Alam. And even after matriculation, I spent another three years in UiTM Shah Alam doing my degree in Information Technology. For years after that, while working, I stayed in Shah Alam with my parents, hung out with current and former UiTM Shah Alam students in Section 7 Shah Alam.
Now, some Malays use the term “tak berkembang” to describe my insistence on being constantly in this city. In fact, some gay people think that living in Shah Alam is the equivalent of staying in some kampong or uncivilised, no-entertainment-allowed zone in Malaysia.
I dispute these claims by stating that Shah Alam is a city that encourages people to look for ways to entertain themselves, like reading and writing articles for The Malaysian Insider to get money to spend outside of Shah Alam.
I love this city for being out of Kuala Lumpur because I need some form of peace and quiet in a community that is religiously conservative but socially liberal. As long as you keep your actions to yourself, the people of Shah Alam generally in the Sections 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, which is UiTM, will leave you to your own devices. Heck, in some instances, they even bother to join in.
Personally, my thoughts on Shah Alam is of a community that lives up to Hillary Clinton’s saying that it takes a village, in which I have neighbours handing me a bag of rambutans just for walking in front of their homes, retired teachers being also my neighbours asking me to write an article on some topic or another, and current UiTM students asking me to elaborate on public relations while hanging out at a restaurant owned by a former co-worker in a GLC.
We don’t have cinemas, bars or alcohol-serving night clubs anywhere in this city per se. And as our MP, Khalid Abdul Samad, points out, you can’t buy alcohol at the 7-Eleven’s in various sections of Shah Alam. And these actions were done even before Pakatan Rakyat took over Selangor. In Section 2, the SMKSSAAS teachers talked the local 7-Eleven into stopping the sale of alcohol.
Instead, to buy alcohol, one would have to walk into hypermarkets like Giant and Tesco, which are widely spaced and with a segregated alcohol sale area that is very transparent, where you have to basically buy alcohol in bulk and, as the Malay saying goes, “tebalkan muka and buat tak malu (be shameless about it)”.
And most people in Shah Alam do not drink alcohol in Shah Alam. Instead, we head out of the area, to places like Laundry Bar, which Hasan Ali himself raided on New Year’s Eve 2011 from his comfy home in TTDI. In that sense, we do respect the Sultan’s insistence of leaving the city to do our own personal liberal vices, to go outside the city his father, Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, built from scratch.
As for Hasan Ali’s assertion that prostitution was rampant in Shah Alam, again, I beg to differ. Just where exactly are these prostitutes going to ply their trade? Shah Alam is not exactly a place with hotels booming everywhere, with very few small hotels for people to actually get their groove on, as Hasan Ali alleges. You can’t even find a single spray-painted offer for a “volcano massage” anywhere in Shah Alam!
Shah Alam is very far from being the city full of alcoholics and womanisers that Hasan Ali insists it is. It never was since its establishment. And personally, I will sum this up simply. Shah Alam is not Sin City, but PAS did help the city get rid of a Yellow Bastard.
・ The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
Hafidz Baharom is a social observer who has ruffled more than a few feathers. He has written for a number of publications, and is always looking to stir up discussions on things which need to be said.
2. Malaysiakini(http://www.malaysiakini.com)
(1) Hasan's holy water tale holds no water, 17 February 2012
YOURSAY 'If he cannot prove his accusations and then he has to stop making these claims or else face severe action.'
Hasan: 'Baptised' Muslims told me of missionary tactics
Malaysian Born: It is very likely that whoever had made these claims is lying, probably to get into the good graces of the religious thugs who were probably threatening him under the guise of re-education.
If Hasan Ali cannot prove his accusations - and they are based purely on unsubstantiated hearsay - then he should be given notice that he has to cease and desist from making these claims or severe action will be taken against him.
This nonsense has been allowed to go on for too long. Frankly, I am sick of hearing about it as it's an insult to our intelligence.
The claim that one actually needs to go to a mosque to get friendly with Muslims is, I guess, in keeping with Hasan's non-existent intellect.
I can't wait for the next election so that he can be given the job he deserves - sitting outside the toilet collecting tokens.
Louis: This liar will not rest until troubles start among the races. Bring those Muslims who are converted and at the same time go after the church where the conversion took place.
Please charge and jail those culprits. I am a Christian and I want those pastors or priests jail if it is true.
Hasan, please do not tell cock-and-bull stories without evidence. You and I are God fearing, but you do not behave like one.
Bert: I am disgusted to hear over and over the same old tale of "missionaries dressed in white robes prayed in mosques" to get close to Muslims to convert them.
If you are a man of God - you claim to be one - and if you have any principles, disclose who these so-called missionaries dressed in white robes.
We are fed up with your divide and rule and scare tactics. Be man enough!
Changeagent: Hasan Ali is playing the imaginary Christian bogey card again. Is dressing in white robes and praying in mosques the only way to get close to Muslims? Wouldn't it be much easier to just dress in normal casual clothes and befriend them outside the mosque instead?
His allegations are preposterous to say the least, and really defy good reasoning or common sense. They carry no weight at all and should be roundly condemned by all right-thinking Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Anonymous: Hasan Ali, slandering others is not the way of a Muslim.
If some Muslims have deviated, you have to design programmes and methods to prevent others from doing so.
The ‘murtad' (apostate) ones are not your responsibility. Allah will deal with them accordingly.
Up2U: The police must take a serious view of Hasan Ali's claims. If it is true, firm action must be taken against the Christian missionaries and the 51 individuals must come forward.
If it is a false claim, then action must be taken against Hasan Ali for attempting to incite hatred and racial religious tensions. This is serious and if the police do not take action, then something is very, very wrong.
Clever Voter: This man is neither stupid nor ignorant. He knows what he is doing. He will continue with blessings from his BN friends - to disrupt and instigate within and outside his own community.
All his allegations are to many not true, but there will be a few believers. History will remind us that there will be always be such characters. Thankfully this is a passing fad.
But there will always new ones emerging from nowhere. We just have to put up with his nonsense, and hopefully the majority feel the same way.
Kairos: Say what you want Hasan, nobody believes in you. All that you conjure up is purely made up unless and until you can come up with names and proof that what you say holds any water.
It is bullshit to say that you cannot disclose further because you fear for their safety. Safety from what? Who are they in danger from?
What you allege is so ridiculous. How could so many Christian missionaries infiltrate into a mosque and get so close to the ummah? And wearing white robes as well.
What happened to these 'missionaries' when they were discovered. Why didn't the mosque authorities report them to the police?
Anak JB: I am ROTFLMAO! This guy is a comedian of some sort. Drinking holy water? His understanding of Christianity (or lack of it) is probably through watching Hollywood movies.
He is ignorant and can't rest until he brings conflicts between the various religions. He is as ignorant as Perkasa in understanding other cultures and religions and a product of BTN (Biro Tatanegara) preaching hatred and unfounded conspiracies to instill insecurity amongst Muslims and Malays so that they can continue to command power.
Ann: Consumed holy water? Even my toes are laughing.
Joker: Hasan Ali, how would you feel if I accuse you or your loved ones of doing something illegal or shameful?
What if I announce to the world saying that Hasan Ali takes a night cap every night and frequents brothels whenever he goes outstation? What if I say that your wife is two-timing you and can be frequently seen shopping at luxurious boutiques?
However, I can't name my sources for the sake of their safety since they also told me that you are connected to illegal societies and travels with thugs as bodyguards.
Mat Malaysia: Sorry Hasan, I still don't get it. What's the problem here? What is wrong with someone using their God-given mind to make a decision? Am I missing something here?
・The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda.
(2) Hasan: 'Baptised' Muslims told me of missionary tactics, 16 February 2012
by Aidila Razak
The former Selangor exco member in charge of Islamic Affairs, Hasan Ali, says he learned the tactics of Christian missionaries from those who had been 'converted'.
Speaking to reporters today, Hasan said 51 individuals who confessed to have been 'baptised' provided the information that missionaries dressed in white robes had prayed in a mosque in order to get close to Muslims.
"They had told this to the Unit Selamatkan Akidah themselves," he said, referring to the unit set up under his exco portfolio.
Hasan said the unit was no longer under the government and was now headed by him in his personal capacity, adding that the individuals had volunteered the information and sought the unit’s help.
“It is a statement from them but I cannot reveal who they are or where and when the incident happened for the sake of their safety,” he said in Shah Alam.
He added that the individuals had sought the unit’s help because “there is still some part of them” which still believes in Islam.
Hasan had in December during an anti-apostasy rally in Kuala Kangsar claimed that Christian evangelists donned white robes and performed the zuhur (late afternoon) prayer to get close to Muslims.
He also told the rally that the 51 individuals had confessed to having undergone baptism and consumed holy water.
Hasan had previously also said missionaries were using solar-powered talking bibles to entice Muslims away from their religion.
(3) Bishop to Hasan: Stop joking, seriously, 17 February 2012
by Terence Netto
Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing described the latest claims on alleged Christian proselytisation of Muslims by Hasan Ali as “hilarious if not for their nature which would tend to inflame the feelings of the credulous.”
“I pray and hope people are not that credulous because what he says has the tendency to incite people but, frankly, on reading some of the things he imputes to so-called Christian missionaries, my first impulse is to laugh,” said the head of the Catholic Church in the Melaka-Johor diocese.
“If it weren’t for the tendency of some of the things he says to inflame the feelings of sections of the public, you could laugh this man to scorn,” remarked the Jesuit-trained prelate.
But this is no laughing matter
However, Bishop Tan asserted that religion is too serious a matter for jokes, of the deliberate or advertent kind, which is why he is puzzled as to why Hassan is not being restrained by the authorities who are apt to clamp down on religious provocateurs.
“Here is a case where if one truly espouses moderation, one should tamp down on Hasan Ali’s obvious trespasses against it,” argued the bishop.
Hasan, the former Selangor state executive councillor for Islamic Affairs, had reiterated that Christian missionaries donning Muslim robes have gone into mosques to pray with Muslims in order to convert them.
Hasan, who was expelled by PAS last month for repudiating the party line on a host of issues, also claimed that 51 Muslim apostates had confided in him that they had undergone baptism and had consumed holy water.
“The short answer to these claims is that Christian missionaries cannot wear a masquerade while on mission for the faith and holy water is used in baptism and for signing Christians but never for consumption,” said Bishop Tan.
“Whoever is supposedly doing these things that Hasan says Christian missionaries are doing and getting the people they convert to do them, is not of the Christian creed but a mockery of it,” he asserted.
Relying on innuendos and insinuations
Bishop Tan, who is concurrently president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, observed that Hasan’s campaign against alleged Christian proselytisation of Muslims was “heavily reliant on innuendo and insinuation.”
“It’s very difficult to rebut the claims he makes because these are void of the substantiation of names, places and documentation, but Christian silence is not an option for that would imply either apathy or acquiescence,” commented Bishop Paul Tan.
“So when Hasan propounds his tall tales we have to give them short shrift for that’s what they deserve though it’s getting somewhat wearisome to do so every time he sheds his nonsense,” he said.
(End)
