Disturbing News

I was browsing the net when I came across this article in Malaysia Unplug.com about a possible hidden agenda by the Malaysian government in islamising the population, especially the young people. I will not comment further except to say that I hope what many conspiracy theorists are saying is not true. I have to add, though that as an experienced over 20 years educator, I did notice past subtle changes in History books but if it is so extensive as what is written here, I am disturbed. Disturbed for many reasons, some of which is that History is going to be a compulsory subject with a required pass; the students of History are youths and last but not least, Islam in Malaysia is a one way street-you enter it and there's a hard time in coming out... meaning the Sharia law makes it hard for anyone to renounce the religion. Let me add that I have nothing against the religion. Like I said before, I have studied it in Canada in Al Azhar's - educated Dr. Earl Waugh's class.


School History Textbooks - Historical Facts or Political and Religious Propaganda?

by

"A Concerned Mother"

When one picks up a history book, one would expect to read a fair account of events as they actually happened in the past. Definitely, one would expect the most accurate record possible of history as it unfolded through the decades, written as objectively as possible.

A most reasonable expectation indeed when the book in question is a major textbook prescribed by our Education Ministry for our students nationwide.

A book that is instrumental in shaping the young minds of our future generation. The issue takes even greater prominence when the content of that book is going to decide whether our students pass or fail in a major exam on which their future hinges.

FORM 4 HISTORY TEXTBOOK

Lay hold of the Form 4 history textbook that our children are compelled to digest.

Read it for yourself.

Take a good hard look while the storm is brewing in the teacup. And it is brewing for good reason.

Be shocked at what the syllabus writers have managed to QUIETLY incorporate into our school syllabus just a few years ago, UN-NOTICED by most people, even parents of affected students.

This is no typical history textbook. Simply because the syllabus writers have not confined its content to history.

Instead they have extended its boundaries seemingly to push a certain agenda.

In the process, our history textbooks seems to have taken on a quest of its own - to win the hearts and minds of our children for that particular agenda.

We have to take note that all 4 writers of the textbook comes from only ONE race and religion, WITHOUT representation from other faiths and races.

I write as a concerned mother who cares about what my children are being fed in school.


I write as a troubled citizen who cares about the younger generation that will one day helm the nation.


I write based on my own personal review of the Form 4 history textbook and this review is based on the hard facts of the content of the textbook, without any intention to offend any religion, its prophet or believers.
I will leave the review on the accuracy of the history to historians, who are already speaking out on the historical errors and distortions contained.

The first fact to note is the overwhelming proportion of the Form 4 history textbook being devoted to Islamic civilization (100 PAGES) while the other religious civilizations are barely given a passing mention (460 WORDS).

Out of 10 chapters, 5 bulky chapters are devoted to Islamic history and civilization, which constitutes at least half a year’s study. This certainly is a disproportionate emphasis on one religion, to the exclusion of all other religious civilizations.

Most of us would not mind our children understanding more about Islamic civilization. But it has to presented fairly accurately within a balanced perspective.

Do we want to mislead our children to believe that there is only one important civilization in the entire history of the human race and the rest are insignificant?

Are the other major civilizations not worth studying in equal if not greater depth?

Giving our children a correct and broad worldview can only benefit our nation in the context of a globalized world. Otherwise, our nation will be producing people with an extremely narrow worldview and an incomplete and distorted view of world history. That is to our own loss.


Secondly, this history textbook seems to seek to influence the young minds of our children who come from various faiths, to follow the prophet of one particular religion.

There is a detailed study of the life of the prophet Muhammad (pg 102 – 107). He is repeatedly praised throughout the chapters. Students are then repeatedly exhorted throughout the book, to emulate him as a ROLE MODEL in life (pg 106, 111, 124, 133, 137, 138).

We respect the Muslim belief in the greatness of their prophet. However, we have to respectfully suggest (with no offense intended whatsoever to the prophet) that teachings that encourage students to follow any prophet would more properly belong to a religious class meant for students who already subscribed to that particular faith. It has no proper place in a major history textbook for students of other faiths. In a plural society like ours, the religious sensitivities of other faiths must surely be respected.


Thirdly, throughout the pages of the textbook, history seems to have been written from a religiously biased viewpoint. Other religions seems to be cast in an unfavourable light.

Consider some statements found in the textbook:-

(1) Islam is described as a religion easily acceptable and not confined to any race, nation or geography (pg 185).

(2) Islam can be accepted by many people because of the purity of its teaching (pg 110).

(3) The uniqueness of Islam resulted in many people embracing the religion (pg162, 163, 185).

(4) The conversion of some Arab leaders to Islam in 629 AD is described as “an act done after rational investigation into the truth of Islam” (pg 133).

(5) Islamic social policies are described as so attractive that European Christians converted to Islam during the Byzantize era (pg 163).

(6) Islam requires rational thinking and therefore is accepted by all levels of society. (pg 185).
Sadly, biased religious viewpoints are being unfairly shoved onto our children as established facts within the framework of a narrow religious perspective.


Fourthly, the history textbook itself dwells on the TEACHINGS of the religion.

Whilst the children have to study Islamic concepts (pg 185), no space is given to a balanced comparison with the teachings of other religions. Our youth are therefore taught the virtues of one religion to the exclusion of others.

Why not have a balanced approach and allow our children to learn the basic tenets of all major world religions? Allow them to engage in comparative studies.

Will it not be healthier to promote better understanding among the races which has positive effect on nation building?


Fifthly, the textbook also promotes Syariah law as suitable and practical for a multi racial nation.

It cites the example of the success of the multi racial community in Madinah governed by the Madinah Charter. The formation of an Islamic government in Madinah is stated to thus prove that Islam can be practiced in a wholesome daily living and should be emulated by the Malaysian society.

Syariah law is hailed as just, complete and perfect, and can be followed by all communities (pg 128). There is mention of social justice under Islam (pg 128); equal treatment to all people under Islam (pg 110, 128); purity of the struggles of Islam (pg 112); fairness, integrity, consideration and generosity of Islamic economic principles (pg 128).

Perhaps the fifth ground raises the most questions and rings loudest the alarm bells.

It makes us wonder why our school history syllabus is written in a way that seems to be condition the minds of our youth to accept Syariah laws as the basis of our legal system in the future?

Is there a deliberate political and/or religious agenda at play?
Our Education Minister owes us an explanation.

We want to know why our school curriculum has been allowed to be written from such a religious slant by a group of writers of only one religious background.


We want to know the reason for this sudden but quiet change in the school syllabus a few years ago.


We want to know why our children are compelled to disproportionately focus and digest so much on one religion without a balanced perspective of others?
We must demand for an immediate and urgent revamp and re-writing of the entire history curriculum for our schools and universities.

There should be a panel of qualified historians from all races and faiths working reviewing the syllabus. Feedback must be obtained from the public.

We must insist that politics and religious indoctrination be strictly kept out of our textbooks.

History should be what it is – an objective and accurate record of past events.

We must no longer allow our school syllabus to be hijacked for political and religious propaganda.

Until then, it is unacceptable to even think that History should be made a compulsory pass subject in SPM.

Meaning of the Subashini Judgment

The following clear interpretation of the outcome of the Subashini is provided by Malaysiakini-the news portal that exposes everything.

Of the three Muslim Malay judges, one of them dissented.

The landmark judgment in a nutshell
Soon Li Tsin | Dec 27, 07 8:36pm

It took more than an hour for the judgment to be read in court. The majority decision was delivered by Nik Hashim Nik Ab Rahman - who headed the Federal Court three-member bench - while Abdul Aziz Mohamad delivered the minority decision.

Majority decision - Nik Hashim Nik Ab Rahman and Azmel Ma'amor

• Subashini’s divorce petition under the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act is deem null and void because it was filed before the requisite three months period.

• Saravanan and Subashini’s civil marriage can only be dissolved using civil law. The husband can still dissolve it under syariah law but it will have no effect in the civil courts.

• Saravanan can seek relief in the syariah courts but it cannot compel Subashini to do the same because she is a non-Muslim.

• Saravanan did not abuse the process by converting his child because the consent from one parent is sufficient according to Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution .

Dissenting ruling - Abdul Aziz Mohamad

• The evidence of Saravanan’s conversion must be tried in order to determine whether the conversion date was based on his certificate or on facts made available to Subashini.

• Saravanan had abused the process in seeking the custody of the children in the Syariah Court because the religious court has no jurisdiction over a non-Muslim marriage.

• Saravanan’s conversion of the children is not unilateral and the wife has a right to object to the conversion as well as seek an injunction to stop the procedure.

• The High Court has exclusive jurisdiction in matters of dissolution of marriage, maintenance, custody and other ancillary reliefs because the marriage was solemnised under civil law.

Revathi, that's my name forever.

The following news report is attributed to Malaysiakini, 6/7/07. ‘Revathi, that’s my name - forever’

Andrew Ong and Ng Ling Fong Jul 6, 07 4:20pm

M Revathi, 29, still steadfastly wants to remain a Hindu, despite her six-month detention by religious authorities and on-going efforts to make her a Muslim. “My name is Revathi. I want to hold on to that name - forever. I want to drop the name Siti Fatimah,” Revathi, sporting a pottu (Hindu symbol) on her forehead, told reporters outside the Shah Alam High Court today. Born Siti Fatimah Abdul Karim to Muslim convert parents, she was called Revathi Masoosai by the grandmother who raised her. She married to V Suresh in 2004 according to Hindu rites and has a 18-month-old daughter. In January this year, Revathi was detained at the Malacca Syariah High Court when she attended a hearing over her application to have her official religious status be recognised as a Hindu. She was detained at the court and subsequently held at the Ulu Yam religious rehabilitation camp in Selangor for six months until she was freed yesterday. In March, the Islamic authorities seized her daughter from her husband and handed the child to Revathi's Muslim mother. Speaking about her experience inside the camp, Revathi today described that she was subjected to ‘mental torture’ and claimed that she defied attempts to coerce her to attend religious classes. “Their programmes are solely on religion. (There were also) prayer classes. I never attended (any of them). I only attended counselling. During counselling, they said I had to do this and that. They said I had to follow (religious) laws. I just buat tidak tahu (ignore)," she said in fluent Bahasa Malaysia. “I argued that I had a right to choose my religion, but they replied that I should not talk about (my) rights,” said Revathi who is presently living with her Muslim parents as ordered by the religious authorities. ‘Many ran away’ She claimed that many had ran away from the "jail-like" conditions of the camp but she had not. “A lot of people ran away, even though (the camp was for Muslims). Though I’m a Hindu, I could bertahan (bear with the conditions), because I’m upholding the good name of Hinduism,” she added. During her detention, she was not allowed visits. Recalling the only time she got to see her husband during her detention, Revathi said: “Even though I was not allowed to meet my husband, I got to see him (standing) outside the camp, without their permission. I saw his car and I ran towards the fence. It was only once (I got to see him during the detention). After that, they (from the centre) dragged me away. “Before, it was not enclosed. Now, they used zinc (sheets) to surround the area. You can’t see inside and we don’t know who is outside,” she said. The emotional moment where Revathi and Suresh were momentarily reunited was captured on film by Al-Jazeera and aired on April 23 in current affairs programme 'Everywoman'. [View video] Revathi was initially detained for 80 days at the camp but her detention was extended for 100 days twice. Her stint ended yesterday when she was presented before the Malacca Syariah Court, just before a hebeas corpus application filed by her husband was to be heard today. A writ of habeas corpus is an application to the court to order the authorities to produce a detainee in court to determine whether or not that person is imprisoned lawfully and whether or not he or she should be released from custody. ‘Wasted of my time’ She was ordered to live with her parents and undergo counselling. She lamented that she was “unsatisfied” with the decisions made by the court. “They held me for six months, only to say that I cannot leave Islam. If that is the case, they should have told me earlier, so I don’t have to go into the centre," said a defiant Revathi. “Who’s going to compensate for the six months I was there? (It is a) waste of my time! I was separated from my child and husband. How are they going to compensate? “I have a right to choose my religion. In six months, they cannot make me change my mind, how can they do it now?” She also said that religious officials tried to force her to pray, eat beef and wear a headscarf. It is part of Hindu tradition to avoid the consumption of beef. "Because of their behaviour, I hate (benci) Islam even more now," she added.

The Eleventh Hour Game...

At the eleventh hour...

a) the ill-fated courageous American firefighters were either still climbing up the stairs or rescuing some of the thousands of trapped World Trade Centre innocent civilians whose buildings had been hit by two aeroplanes cowardly hijacked by al Quaeda terrorists;

b) the sixth Global Interfaith Conference to be held in Malaysia and chaired by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, following the September 11 attacks by Islamic terrorists were abruptly cancelled by the Malaysian government under Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi;

c) one of the most sensational murder trials in Malaysian history involving a shot Mongolian translator, Altantuya Shaariibuu and the use of extremely rare special explosives to blow her to pieces by elite special forces commandos, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar and the alleged abatement by University of London graduate, Abdul Razak Baginda, allegedly her lover, a high profile socio-economic think tank organization founder and consultant and a prominent adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister, was abruptly postponed due to the astonishing reason that the prosecutor and the sitting judge were seen playing badminton earlier;

d) the Malaysian Prime Minister, a widower, Abdullah Badawi suddenly announced on a Wednesday he had found someone, an Eurasian convert, Jeanna Abdullah, whom he would be marrying on the coming Saturday;

e) the ex-premier, Mahathir Mohammad announced he was going away from Malaysia on the 18th June, 2007 and the whole of Malaysia trembles because the COSMIC JOKER somewhere above us loves to play jokes on Malaysia whenever this awesome mortal is not around;

f) the main Opposition party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) called for an inquiry into allegations by a Malaysian prince, Raja Petra Kamaruddin in his hugely popular blog, Malaysia Today on the close collaboration between organized crime syndicates and the Malaysian Police, including the highest cop in the land, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP);

g) the IGP hastily called for an urgent meeting of officers resulting in them declaring their support for him in the face of allegations;

h) will anything extraordinary happen today as the sensational Altantuya murder case resumes once again on this day?

i) will anything else sensational happen in Malaysia?

Insightful Canadian Editorial on Lina Case

The following editorial abstract is from one of Canada's most widely read newspapers, The Toronto Star, dated June 3, 2007.

Malaysia's sad retreat

Jun 03, 2007 04:30 AM

For decades, Malaysia has been regarded as a tolerant Muslim nation that treats its Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities fairly. But its image as a moderate, multicultural democracy was dealt a blow last week when the nation's highest court refused to recognize the conversion of a Muslim-born woman to Christianity.

In a deplorable 2 to 1 vote, split on religious lines, the Federal Court decreed that Lina Joy, who was baptized a Roman Catholic in 1998, must get an Islamic sharia court to certify she has renounced Islam before she can legally be deemed a convert and the word "Islam" be removed from her identity card. Until then, she cannot marry her Catholic fiancé because in Malaysia Muslims can only wed within the faith. She has been shunned, has lost her job and may have to leave Malaysia.

"She cannot at her own whim simply enter or leave her religion," says Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim. "She must follow rules." Yet the rule is a Catch-22 in that a Muslim-turned-Christian must appeal to an Islamic court more likely to punish her than to approve apostasy.

This is not what Malaysia's constitution seems to promise. "Islam is the religion of the federation," it says, "but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony." And "every person has the right to profess and practice his religion." For 50 years since independence, that professed respect for religion has helped preserve stability in a nation of 25 million, of whom 15 million are Muslims.

Malaysia's constitution also appeared to reflect a basic tenet of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief." But the Joy ruling marks a disturbing retreat from these principles. If religion can trump freedom of conscience, what other rights can it trump?

"It is a major blow and a grievous setback to Malaysia as a secular nation," said Lim Kit Siang, who heads the Democratic Action party, the main opposition group in the country.

Rather than punt the Joy case over to sharia court, the Federal Court should have appealed to the constitution's guarantee of freedom of religion and ruled that as a baptized Christian she had removed herself from Islamic jurisdiction. The court should have ordered the Malaysian bureaucracy to amend her identity papers accordingly.

Malaysia is not the only Muslim country to subordinate freedom of conscience to religion. Many do. Saudi Arabia prohibits conversion from Islam. In Afghanistan, a Muslim was threatened with the death penalty for renouncing the faith. And a few years ago, Jordan convicted a Muslim for converting.

Typically, those who impose such draconian measures claim to be defending the "dignity" of Islam. But what dignity is there in coercing people to proclaim what their hearts and minds do not believe?

That is something Malaysia's high court might have pondered.

Make Money Converting Natives!

Remember to click image to enlarge!

The desperation by dubious means by some Islamic zealots to convert others to Islam has never failed to amaze me. From bribery to non-muslims with offers of timber concession land in Sarawak by some in the past to the latest devilish incentives by the opposition PAS government, I need hardly imagine the zealots' other unscrupulous devious methods. I have heard about other unethical methods that they use which are not publicised publicly.

The Bernama report is found in The Borneo Post dated 29/6/06.