Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Does harmonisation mean ‘syariah-compliant’ laws? By Mariam Mokhtar
Friday, August 04, 2023
Malaysiakini : How long will it be before syariah laws reign supreme above federal laws? Going by the Islamisation of the nation, a process which was started in earnest in the 1980s, it won’t be long before clerics rule over the judges.
Did Na’im care to take into consideration the feelings of the people of Sabah and Sarawak? Will the terms of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 be honoured?
There will be much opposition to the harmonisation process and it will be challenged by both east and west Malaysians.
Our
dual system of laws - civil and syariah, is not just conflicting enough
as it is but also sends out mixed messages to the public.
Incidentally, what does the minister mean by wanting to elevate the position of Islam as the religion of the federation?
Isn’t
the recognition that Islam is the official religion of Malaysia good
enough? How much higher, and how much more “elevating” does Islam need?
Will the process of “elevating” Islam erode the constitutional rights of the people of Sabah and Sarawak?
In the Bernama
report, Na’im hoped that harmonisation of the laws will eventually help
to achieve the development of a community of people who stand up for
equity and justice.
What nonsense is he talking about? Malaysians can stand up for equity and justice just by civil laws alone.
Syariah law often takes precedence
The
rakyat enjoyed relatively harmonious relations until politicians placed
heavy emphasis on religion and created a manmade mess in the country by
making syariah laws more supreme than civil laws. To make matters
worse, many (civil) laws are selectively applied.
For example,
controversial Muslim preachers, including those from overseas, have made
many incendiary remarks and whipped up racial and religious sentiments.
Why was the Sedition Act not properly enforced?
Federal law states that no woman will be whipped and yet, a number of Malay women have been whipped under syariah law for sexual intercourse out of wedlock.
In 2018, in Terengganu, two women were whipped for having same-sex relations. In 2009, Kartika Seri Dewi Sukarno was sentenced
to be whipped for consuming beer. The order was rescinded when her case
created international headlines and caused Malaysia a lot of shame.
EDITOR’S NOTE:Syariah
whipping is different from whipping under civil law, with the former
being less severe than the latter. According to experts, syariah
whipping is carried out with average intensity on a clothed body,
avoiding the head, face, and private parts. The whipping should not
cause any wound and should be distributed evenly on the authorised parts
of the body.
Therefore, despite federal laws being supreme, we find syariah law taking precedence.
How
will syariah law help the victims of rape when only the testimony of
four Muslim, male eyewitnesses is allowed? How does the woman get
justice?
Ask the many thousands of Muslim women divorced by their
husbands and then failed by syariah law. Many were denied alimony, or
maintenance for the children of the product of the marriage.
Bigamy
is an offence in Malaysia and is punishable by a seven-year jail term
and a fine. However, polygamy is allowed for Malay males. A man who
wants to commit polygamy must treat each of his wives equally. However,
syariah law rarely enforces this ruling strictly.
Islam a political tool in M’sia
Hindu
mother M Indira Gandhi was denied access to her youngest daughter, whom
her convert husband converted along with their other children and
kidnapped in 2009. This is an example of Muslim syariah arrogance over
the constitutional rights of a Malaysian and a mother.
After
divorcing her husband, Indira was given custody of her children by the
civil courts. So, how can the matter of forced conversion of minors be a
matter for Syariah Courts?
Moreover, as a Hindu, she could not
challenge the conversion as syariah law does not apply to non-Muslims.
The case was definitely a matter for the civil courts.
M Indira Gandhi
In January 2018, the Federal Court delivered a landmark ruling
and ordered the then inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar to
locate and arrest Indira’s ex-husband and return her youngest child to
her. However, Khalid refused to execute the order, claiming confusion
between civil and syariah laws.
By refusing to carry out the
court’s orders, the IGP was denying Indira her constitutional rights.
Many Malaysians also wonder if the then IGP was truly morally
conflicted, or was he merely bowing to the will of his political
masters.
If PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang alleges that bribery and corruption do not fall under hudud laws, then how will this crime be punished?
Despite
earlier promises of politicians that non-Malays/Muslims will not be
affected by syariah laws, many real-life cases have proven otherwise.
There is Islam, the religion which guides many Muslims on how to lead their daily lives, and then there is political Islam.
Sadly,
Islam is not a personal faith in Malaysia anymore because it has become
a political tool for politicians who use it to gain more power and
political mileage.
Nai’im knows that the Federal Constitution is
supreme. So, are his remarks mere political propaganda for use in the
upcoming six state elections?
