Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this
mk-logo
News
Jais outsourcing its work to Muslim NGOs?
Published:  Aug 10, 2011 8:42 AM
Updated: 12:45 AM

vox populi small thumbnail 'How come the 'evidence' for the DUMC raid is in the hands of NGOs? Why isn't Jais the one who come out with the so-called evidence?'

NGO claims 'evidence' found at DUMC

Ferdtan: How come the 'evidence' for the DUMC raid is in the hands of NGO representative Dr Dzulkhaini Hussain? What has he or the NGOs got to do with the official duty of Jais? Why isn't Jais the one who come out with the so-called evidence?

As had been said, the plot is to throw nuances and inferences without regard for its truth. If discovered to be false, it is only the NGO, not the official authority Jais, that is implicated. Is Jais outsourcing its duty to NGOs?

Will this case be like the Penang case (where accusations were made that Christians were plotting to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia) that will be quietly forgotten after its mission has been accomplished that the wild accusations have damaged the solidarity of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, and to spook the less-informed rural Muslims back to Umno.

NCIS: First we get plastic bottled petrol bombs, machetes, Christian literature... and now we have an Islamic quiz?

Enough stupidity: What is wrong with a quiz on Islam? I had it all the time in school not to mention the compulsory ‘Pengajian Islam' subject.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: The so-called evidence looks like it was planted after the raid since Jais could not find anything else. Why else would the questionnaire resemble something like the SPM Islamic religion paper? It has got nothing to do with Christianity but everything to do with Islam.

And the presence of the ‘bunga manggar' was an attempt to deceive Muslims? What is wrong in using the ‘bunga manggar' as decoration - isn't that part and parcel of Malaysian culture to welcome guests?

Black Mamba: If it was not a raid, who gave Jais the right to enter a private religious property to rumage through the garbage bins? And they found a quiz on Islam, bloody good.

Christians are learning elementary Islamic knowledge to understand their Muslim brothers better. Now it is time for Jais to learn some basic Christian courtesy of respecting others' religious cultures, such as not rudely intruding into a private space without permission, mind you this is not the first time.

On a previous occasion, two Malay Muslim media representatives who entered a church took the sacrament on their own free will but spat it out on the church sacred ground with disgust. Were the Christians up in arms?

No, they were magnanimous, they forgave them like Christ would, "For they do not know what they are doing."

People power : If they want to convert Muslims to Christians, it should be a quiz on Christianity. Aiyo Jais, think lah .

Geronimo: Hello, I thought those questions asked are also posed to non-Muslims in their Sejarah studies? So what is the problem here if such a quiz is held to help non-Muslims understand the religion better? Then you might as well arrest all the students for having such questions in their possession.

One possible reason why the quiz papers were thrown away (although the fact is still just hearsay until Jais shows proof), is knowing that the authorities with such low IQ could take it to mean something sinister.

If it was true that those papers were found in the premises of the church, don't you think that some Muslims may actually be proselytising to the Christians instead?

If the questions raised were about testing the audience (including the Muslim guests) knowledge on Christianity, then there is cause to be concerned by Jais. But the questions raised were about Islam.

YF: What? People get converted because of trivia questions on religion? You got to be kidding me, right? It looks like it's not the ordinary Muslims who are "weak minded", but rather Jais and their like.

EugeneT: ‘Bunga manggar' decorations, a quiz with a questionable source and an unknown single mother's claims are proof of proselytising? You have got to be much more intelligent than that.

Borneo Son: What's wrong with having a quiz on Islam? To promote goodwill and understanding, we should encourage people to learn more about other religions in a multi-racial and multi-religious society like Malaysia.

A quiz on Islam is evidence, if any, that non-Muslims are interested in knowing about the faith of their Muslim neighbours. One thing that I learn from studying Islam is that it is stated in the Quran that in religion there is no compulsion.

Swipenter: This sounds like the Christians are trying to get to know Islam better and not anything else. If the Christians were proselytising Muslims, the quiz would be on Christianity and not the other way round. Getting to know Islam better is an offence now?

Azizi Khan: I have the following quiz for NGO rep Dzulkhaini:

1. If Jais is currently conducting investigations, how is it that this NGO representative is making a press statement on the matter?

2. If the evidence was found in a dustbin, couldn't anyone have conveniently planted it? Was forensic testing done to the paper? Could this even be a Jais-Muslim NGO ploy to tarnish the church image?

3. If such information was obtained prior to the raid, why wasn't a warrant obtained?

This whole affair reeks of planted evidence and paid witnesses so much so one could mistake it for an Anwar Ibrahim trial.

Anonymous_3f76: It's unbelievable how contemptuous the authorities appear to be about their own Malay brethren.

Everything is framed within the construct that any ideas not sanctioned by the authorities will 'confuse, confound, or corrupt' the Malays. They treat their fellow religionists as if they were retarded children, incapable of thinking for themselves or coping with the outside world.

I'd feel hugely insulted if this were me.

Anonymous_5fb: Whichever ways we look at this issue, ‘Islam and Muslim' remain the main tussle for both Umno and PAS (also PKR, though lesser extent) to pull the Malay votes to either sides of the divide.

But, this round of 'play' doesn't involve 'Islam and Muslim' alone, Christianity is implicated. In other words, their intention is not the Malay votes alone, but Chinese votes as well. That's why MCA open their mouth this time demanding the non-Malay Selangor excos to resign for not reprimanding PAS, whose Hasan Ali is in charge of the Islamic portfolio, with the motive of shifting the Chinese votes to BN.

Since our common goal (‘our' meaning Malay, Chinese, Indian and all) is to get rid of Umno from Putrajaya, we should put raid of Damasara Utara Methodist Church (DUMC) aside without overly putting pressure on PAS, which is trying to be moderate so that the Malay votes will not shift to Umno, and at the same time, keeping the Chinese votes with Pakatan.

If we waver from this, we will in fact fall into trap set by Umno/MCA.

Anonymous_5fb: I personally help the Muslim poor before. They appreciated my help by exclaiming 'Insya Allah'. They may accept the universal good values of love and compassion that I share with them, but they are still true Muslims who submit their fates to Allah.

In fact, the ultra-Malays and Islam NGOs should learn from the common Muslim folks that we commonly mix with in our daily life.

Malaysians Are Not Stupid: What is Malaysia becoming? A state where we also segregate aid given according to race and religion?

Methodist church remains mum on Jais raid

Lover Boy: From this silence, I think you can conclude that DUMC did in fact accept that there was some truth in the Jais raid. As a man of God, apologise to the Muslims, this is Ramadan month and any good Muslim will accept your apologies.

PassiveResistance : DUMC should not keep silent. Silence may be construed as guilt. Just tell the truth and issue a press statement.

Dr Jacob George: Silence is best for now. It shows religious maturity. More so, why be like some pseudo politicians and politician ‘wannabes' - the majority of the same actors hiding behind ‘NGOs' - screaming threats, seditious utterings, hurling abuses, slander and politicising, which are all not helping calm the waters.

This confirms that they are part of that political spin and plot to create a siege atmosphere.

Fairnessforall : If the church was really trying to convert Muslims to Christians, then they only have themselves to blame. But if they were not, then Jais is wrong. Sadly I have noticed that Christians are always trying to convert others to Christianity. Why can't they just mind their own business, and live and let live?

I personally have many times encountered Christians coming to my home to preach about Christianity. This is wrong. I never see Hindus, Buddhist or Sikhs doing this. If you sincerely want to help the less fortunate, do it with an open heart and not based on religious motives.

If you only want to help people in order to convert them, then your religion is of no value. A true religion is one that believes in respecting all religions, and one that does not believe in conversion.

Anak Malaysia : If any Christian intended to proselytise to Muslims, would they be stupid enough to do it over a formal dinner in an open manner? And getting guests to do a quiz on Islam in order to convert them? Wow, our imaginations is being stretched by the day.

 


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. Subscribe now .

ADS