Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen 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 soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt 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."
Will Madani govt protect non-Muslim rights? By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Thursday, November 23, 2023
Malaysiakini : āPKR had stated its willingness to participate in a select committee
to holistically study the strengthening of the Syariah Courts.ā
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
Meanwhile,
the DAP was vociferous in their objections that any form of policy
shift from the status quo would directly impact the lives of non-Muslims
in this country.
Indeed, so trenchant were Limās criticisms,
going even so far as to claim that PASā proposal of a bill banning the
propagation of non-Muslim religions to people of the Muslim faith was
merely a further example of PASā hostility to non-Muslims ā...with its
leaders wanting to curtail the constitutional rights of non-Muslims or
diminish the participation of non-Muslims in everyday life or in the
government, not just in matters of religionā.
To claim that the
Madani state will protect the rights of non-Muslims when it comes to the
strengthening of religious law, political operatives from this
government have to rely on precedents that the government has defended
non-Muslims rights. Unfortunately for non-Muslims, this is not the case.
You cannot defend race and religion but at the same time, claim that non-Muslim rights are protected.
Keep
in mind the sole criterion for the Kedah menteri besar banning Sports
Toto, for instance, was his religious beliefs which not only infringed
upon the rights of non-Malays but also demonstrated how these political
operatives would flippantly bypassed the Federal Constitution in the
service of their religious beliefs. What was the response of the Madani
government?
Religious dogma
People forget history. All this is not happening in a vacuum.
In 2017, as reported
in the press, Amanahās then-Salor assemblyperson Husam Musa questioned
why non-Muslim businesses needed to close during Maghrib prayers.
He
said: "In this case, non-Muslims don't need to pray (during maghrib).
So why is this ruling being expanded to non-Muslims? It is enough to
enforce it on Muslims only."
Former Salor assemblyperson Husam Musa
Forcing
non-believers to submit to your authority, especially if they hold
religious beliefs of their own or do not wish to be bound by any
religious dogma, demonstrates power on a fundamental level.
It is
brute force, a demonstration that non-Muslim beliefs are inconsequential
and that they are bound to Islamic law even if they choose not to
believe.
They will be forced to acknowledge that even if they do not submit,
they are not beyond Islamic law and will suffer the consequences of
deviations from such religious observances. You have to understand the
level of indoctrination that has seeped through the majority polity.
Take the issue of public canning for zina
(extramarital or premarital sex) for example. At numerous times,
various political operatives have made these proposals. But what do
average Muslims think of this idea? Well, in 2016 when PAS mooted the
idea, many people were fine with it. Malaysiakini did some fine reporting on this.
Here is what a businessperson said in relation to what PAS is attempting to do: Shahmimi Abdul Aziz, 30, was supportive of a public caning for zina offenders, adding that it should be carried out nationwide.
"Every
state should implement it. Enforcement should also be done on the
offenders' non-Muslim partners; the punishment must be fair."
Unilateral conversion
And let us talk again about unilateral conversion, which the current ambassador to the United States said in 2014 was kidnapping.
Religious
extremists and the numerous other peddlers of hate like to remind us
that their laws do not affect non-Muslim communities. We are told that
we are bullying the Muslim community by arguing for rights applicable to
all.
We are warned that our secular trespass into their religious
domain would lead to violence. Unilateral conversion is the corrosive
truth that it is the Islamists who would invade our sacred domain of
family in the name of their religion.
When you convert a child
unilaterally to Islam, you are denying that child the right to choose
his or her religion. Faith by fiat is what I call it, with the onerous
obligation that comes with a state-sanctioned religion.
This
non-Muslim child is suddenly converted, thus becoming a Muslim and thus
subjected to Islamic laws, and the narrative that only Muslims are
subject to Islamic laws is exposed for the lie that it is.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang
Remember when they proposed amendments to ban unilateral conversions, which would protect non-Muslim rights, this is what Hadi said:
āPAS is of the view that the overall implications which may arise from
(amendments to) Act 164 is very serious, namely on rights of Muslims to
practice their religion and defend their faith with no interference from
any parties, as enshrined under the Federal Constitutionā¦
ā(Also)
tarnishing the integrity of the Syariah Court institution as well as
harmony among our multiracial, multiethnic and multi-religious society
in the country.ā
So, the question non-Muslims have to ask
themselves is if the Madani government were sincere in protecting
non-Muslims rights, they would have demonstrated a commitment to
resolving this issue. However, they have not.
Non-Muslim political operatives do not want to spook the Malays, and Muslim operatives do not want to spook PAS.
In case you werenāt aware, the āGreen Waveā is here.
