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."
Will there be tapai vending machines too? By Mariam Mokhtar
Friday, March 08, 2024
Malaysiakini : Showing his concern for Muslim workers in convenience store chains
handling alcoholic products, Suhaizan urged the government to introduce new mechanisms whereby they could be excluded from business transactions involving alcohol.
He suggested that Jakim create new guidelines for alcohol to be sold through vending machines.
‘New mechanisms’
Instead
of humouring the Pulai lawmaker, Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Hasan should have
come down hard on Suhaizan and told him about the consequences of such a
drastic move.
Pulai MP Suhaizan Kaiat
In
this day and age, jobs are difficult enough to come by, so why make it
more difficult for the Malay worker? Why phase him out of the employment
market?
Why make it difficult for a business owner to employ a Malay worker?
The people in Jakim, as well as Muslim politicians and leaders,
are at risk of creating a new breed of Muslims in Malaysia who are
afraid to handle alcohol. Others will not be so kind but will claim that
the workers are perhaps “workshy”.
The convenience store worker
is not being asked to sample or taste the brew or spirit. He is only
asked to sell the product which is already packaged either in a can, a
carton or a bottle.
All he has to do is take it off the shelves, process it at the checkout and place it in the carrier bag.
Politicians
have huge egos. They also have this mistaken belief that the more
complex the solution to a problem, the more intelligent he probably
looks.
There is no need to introduce “new mechanisms” to stop the
Muslim from handling alcohol. The solution is so simple. If it goes
against the worker’s religious principles, then all he has to do is
resign and not seek employment in a company that sells alcoholic or
haram items.
Does Suhaizan realise how silly he looks? Is he just political point-scoring and eager to look as if he is protecting the interests of the Malay-Muslim community?
How far will it go?
The
alcohol is produced either in the brewery or distillery. Before the
supermarket employee gets to handle the bottle of whisky or the can of
beer, there are other groups of workers involved in the process.
Some
employees are involved in the bottling process. Others pack them into
crates or load them onto the lorries. Will drivers who are Muslim refuse
to drive the lorries?
If
the alcohol is exported, how will Suhaizan accommodate the Muslim port
workers, forklift truck operators, container lorry drivers and Customs
officials?
If alcohol is sold in a duty-free outlet, does the MP
want the Muslim duty-free shop assistant and check-out lady to stop
handling the product?
Empty whisky and beer bottles or cans will also be a problem. Should the Muslim rubbish bin collector refuse to collect these?
Why should Suhaizan stop at the convenience store? He could demand that Muslim cabin crew stop offering drinks to passengers who ask for an alcoholic beverage.
If today it is alcohol, what will it be tomorrow?
Will haram food items like spam or canned luncheon meat be on the list
of food items which Malay workers cannot handle? What about controversial books?
The recent deluge of syariah-compliant businesses
and provision of halal items has taken Malaysia by storm. We should be
in the Guinness Book of Records for being the best Muslims in the world.
We
have halal water, halal lifts, halal trolleys, halal eggs, halal
vegetables, halal wi-fi, and halal smartphones; but the
syariah-compliant airline, Rayani Air, was grounded because the company was allegedly not financially nor technically viable.
Does
the increase in syariah-compliant businesses show that Malays, in
Malaysia, are more pious than the generations of Muslims before them? I
think not.
How strong is a person’s faith in Islam, if he is
easily confused by non-alcoholic beer, or that he feels threatened and
has committed a sin because he “handled” the alcoholic item even if he
did not consume nor physically touch the product?
The most
dangerous threat to the government and the ulama class is not an
invading army, the communists, a contagious disease, or nuclear war.
