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."
Confusion over fatwa on attending non-Muslim rituals - Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, February 06, 2023
Malaysiakini : If that were not confusing enough, the Johor sultan said: “The fatwa
only prohibits Muslims from taking part in other religious rituals. It
is a guideline for them. They can still attend festive events of other
faiths.”
According to State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee
chairperson Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid, “These non-Islamic religious rituals
include in houses of worship, as well as other places.”
First
off, where are these other places? Do they include personal residences?
Public spaces where people of other faiths express their religious
beliefs? After all, Fared said: “Among other things, the ceremony is not
accompanied by rituals including religious symbols, or singing
religious songs which are against the Islamic faith.”
What does
“against the Islamic faith” mean? Could someone please explicitly tell
us non-Muslims which ceremonies, religious symbols, or devotional songs
are against the Islamic faith?
This is an important point because imagine if someone hummed a
religious song or wore a religious symbol in the company of Muslims,
this would be going against the Islamic faith, thereby putting Muslims
in danger of transgressing this fatwa, at least in Johor.
Or are
these symbols, songs, and ceremonies contextual, to be more specific,
locational? This, again, is an important facet of this country's two-way
street of respect.
I do not know of any issues when it comes to
non-Muslim faiths on what specifically offends our faiths. I know of no
songs, ceremonies, or symbols which would be against the Buddhist,
Hindu, and Christian faiths. I could be wrong.
This
is important as we have to look out for our Muslim brethren. The Johor
sultan said that these are only guidelines. Fared said the same but
added that “individuals who violate the guidelines can be prosecuted in
accordance with Section 9 of the Johor Syariah Criminal Offences
Enactment 1997.”
Fared also said: “This ban is not meant to
disturb the harmony between races, but simply to give advice and
guidance, so that community leaders are careful in promoting
togetherness without violating certain boundaries.”
I am assuming that the community leaders mentioned here are Muslim so this only applies to them but this seems strange, right?
Are there legal repercussions?
First
of all, this cannot be a “guideline” if it’s a directive imbued with
the force of syariah law. Guidelines can be ignored, dismissed, or
transgressed against and there would be no legal repercussions.
So, to be clear, Muslims in Johor do not have a choice. They have to
follow these diktats. This again is confusing, because Muslims out of no
fault of their own, could run foul of this fatwa because which
non-Muslim ceremony is not accompanied “by rituals including religious
symbols, or singing religious songs which are against the Islamic
faith”?
This would mean Christmas without religious symbols or
songs. Wesak without symbols and chants. Thaipusam without symbols and
songs which to be honest is going to be very difficult if not
impossible. Of course, this only applies I suppose if Muslims attend,
right?
The Johor sultan did say Muslims “can still attend festive
events of other faiths.” But which religious festivity is without
religious symbols, songs, and ceremonies?
Are Muslims prohibited
by syariah law in Johor from entering places of worship of non-Muslims
because they would be exposed to elements that are defined as going
against Islam?
Participation vs observation
This
is not about participation, because who really participates in a
religious event except the participants? The rest are just observing
respectfully and embracing the religious expression of their hosts,
right?
So what kind of religious event is the fatwa describing?
Going by this guideline, there would be no non-Muslim festivities that
Muslims in Johor could attend. Is that the point?
I am sure Muslim
political operatives would be allowed to enter places of worship and of
course, rich Muslims going to religious festivities of non-Muslims,
especially in foreign countries. But it seems that the average Muslim in
Johor cannot attend church weddings or Hindu weddings for example
because both run afoul of this fatwa.
They also cannot pay their
last respects because they will not be able to attend funeral services.
Indeed Muslims would be cut off from attending moments of joy or sorrow
of their brothers and sisters of other faiths. Not to mention those
"other places" which are verboten to Muslims in Johor. Is this what
Bangsa Johor is about?
Secondly, why should community leaders (who
are Muslim) be “careful” when promoting togetherness? Think about it,
can someone be “reckless” when promoting togetherness? Let us forget
about religion for a moment. What secular boundaries need to be
protected or enforced when it comes to promoting togetherness?
I
could argue that “boundaries” in a secular context mean mutual respect,
empathy, a willingness to listen and an expectation to be heard in
return. All these concepts cultivate camaraderie, cohesion, and the
spirit of “though we are different, we are all on this lifeboat together
“. But I would not call such boundaries.
