Hindraf lobbies UN to get Zakir Naik's PR revoked

Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia (Hindraf) has written to the UN security council's counter-terrorism committee (CTC) asking it to advise Malaysia to revoke Indian national Zakir Naik's permanent residence (PR) over alleged terrorism-linked concerns.

Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy in his letter yesterday to CTC chair Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta at the UN headquarters in New York, conveyed his NGO's complaints on the controversial preacher Zakir's presence and activities in Malaysia.

Waythamoorthy pointed out Malaysia is a member of the CTC and should therefore be advised on the “dangers” Zakir is believed to pose.

“The Malaysian social fabric made of a heterogeneous community, has a unique blend of harmonious relationship between each other irrespective of their race, religion or creed build over centuries.

“We are quite anxious with such character like Zakir Naik given impunity to move around freely, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, sectarianism and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of our harmony in Malaysia.

“We are writing to your office with the hope that you could address this issue with the Malaysian representative who sits in your CTC to heed the warning on the anxiety of the Malaysian public and its long term damage direct and indirectly domestically and internationally,” wrote Waythamoorthy.

He said this is particularly since Zakir is unwilling to return to India to face money-laundering and terrorism-related charges, and speculated the preacher may be shifting his base of operations to Malaysia.

Zakir's PR status in Malaysia has riled certain quarters, particularly the non-Muslims, some of whom have taken offence with several of the preacher's sermons.

Hindraf, in particular, was caught in a war of words last week with one of Zakir's many local advocates, Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin, after the latter wrote a poem defending the preacher's PR.

Even BN's Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam criticised the award of Zakir's PR, accusing the preacher of "inciting divisive forces".

No to 'safe haven'

Waythamoorthy said amongst Zakir Naik’s “notable followers” were Afghan-American suicide bomber Najibullah Zazi, Kafil Ahmed, Islamic State (IS) member Ayaz Sultan and other Indian-based figures variously linked to terrorist activities, such as Rahil Sheikh, Feroz Deshmukh, Rohan Imtiaz, Ibrahim Yazdani and Naimathullah Hussaini.

“We, in Malaysia, do not want our country to be used for terrorist installations or training camps, or for the preparation or organisation of terrorist acts intended to be committed either domestically or internationally,” he said.

Noting the CTC's guiding principles include active and passive support of terrorists and international cooperation against terrorism, Waythamoorthy urged the committee to “advise” the Malaysian committee member of Malaysia's “obligation to deny Zakir, who is a fugitive, safe haven” and to therefore revoke his PR.

The CTC, he said, should also advise Malaysia to “apply the principle of extradition to avoid and prevent any future calamity by allowing Zakir to remain in Malaysia with the ability to move around freely in carrying out his ideology that is against public interest in Malaysia”.

Zakir Naik insult speeches or hatred against Hinduism.

Zakir Naik Insulting LORD SHIVA And GANESHA In This Video Makes You Angry

The so-called Islamic preacher Zakir Naik has recently been in the news following Dhaka attacks that killed nearly 20 people. It was also reported that he was the one who shaped the ideology of the ISIS operatives arrested in Hyderabad. Now and then, his speeches and preachings have repeatedly incited violence, who has spoken shit on various issues including Terrorism, Ram Mandir, Hate Hindu agenda etc.

In this old video, Zakir Naik is seen encouraging Muslims to speak up against Hindu gods. He also insults Lord Shiva and Ganesha saying that Hindu Gods are not divine.

In the video, Naik has questioned the evidence of Shiva’s and Shri Ganesha’s relationship and existence. He has asked as to how can Shiva be God when he does not know that Shri Ganesha is his own son? He also made a statement that ‘If your God is unable to recognize his own son, how will he recognize me if I fall into any difficulty?’. He has said he will accept Hinduism and start offering poojas in temples if it is proven to him that Shri Ganesha was Shiva’s son and Shiva is indeed God.

By making these statements, Naik has hurt religious sentiments of billions of Hindus. Allindiaroundup community believes in “One God” and respects all religions but people like Zakir Naik should be banned from spreading such stuff which divides the people on the basis of caste, creed, and religion.

Asri: Prove Zakir's faults or bury the hatchet

Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin has challenged those opposing Indian national Islamic preacher Zakir Naik to prove his faults. 

Otherwise, he said, both Muslims and Hindus in Malaysia should bury the hatchet and opt for a harmonious relationship.

"I hope all quarters will stop the race and religious provocaions in the Zakir Naik issue and other matters.

"Those dissatisfied with Zakir's approach can reveal evidence of his speeches in Malaysia which led to religious tensions and if this is proven, I, too, will protest (against him)...

"If not, let's bring calm to the situation by extending a hand to each other in harmony, despite differing religions," he said in a statement today. 

He said this method is better than "the Hindraf way of making claims without acceptable evidence".

He also reiterated that his poem, which condemns "cow worshippers", the caste system and the now-defunct widow torching practice, was meant to criticise India and not Hindus in Malaysia.

"Even so, I apologised to all who are not involved in Hindraf who were offended by the poem; all for the sake of good relations regardless of religion," he said.  

He added that Prophet Muhammad stressed the importance of good relations with those of other religions and justice for all regardless of their beliefs, ethnicity and creed. 

Similarly, he said, Hindu figures like Mahatma Gandhi and S Sambanthan all favoured the path of peace, he said. 

Zakir has been accused of critics of straining ties between followers of different religions through his talks which compare Islam with other faiths.

Police barred his talk to compare Islam and Hinduism in Kuala Lumpur, fearing inter-religious strife. 

He is reported to have convinced many non-Muslims to embrace Islam, many of whom do so at his talks. The same occured at his numerous events in Malaysia.

A Malaysian permanent resident, he is lauded by many Muslims as an expert in comparative religions and was awarded the Tokoh Maal Hijrah in 2013. 

Zakir is wanted in India for alleged money-laundering, and is accused of encouraging radical Islam after one of the perpetrators in the Dhaka terrorist attacks last year was reported to be follower of his teachings.

He has denied the charges, and fears that he will be tortured by Indian investigators if he is to return to give his statement there. He is reported to be based in Saudi Arabia.

PM's Indian blueprint a case of déjà vu

Indian NGOs have expressed doubts on whether Putrajaya has the political will to implement the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB) after the next general election, since similar proposals in the past were never realised.

The MIB was launched by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on Sunday. The plan proposes the spending of hundreds of millions of ringgit to improve the welfare of the Indian community over the next 10 years.

Najib said the blueprint was drafted by MIC after consulting various leaders, NGOs and academicians. Among others, Najib pledged RM40 million for higher education assistance, a RM500 million fund for entrepreneurs and RM500 million under Permodalan Nasional Bhd targeting the bottom 40 percent income group (B40) from the Indian community.

For National Indian Rights Action Team (Niat) chairperson Thasleem Mohd Ibrahim, the MIB and Najib's promise to the Indian community are a case of déjà vu.

Thasleem (photo) said that in 1974, there was the 'New Economy Policy and Malaysian

Indian: MIC Blueprint' which was adopted by the federal government, briefly implemented in Selangor and eventually forgotten altogether.

Then in 2013 there was the 'Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia-BN Blueprint for the Indian Community', which also came to naught, he said.

BN's track record

"Proposals for the uplift of the Indian community were brought up on numerous occasions between 1974 and 2016. None were implemented in a manner suitable to satisfy the needs of the community.

"The special residential school for Tamil school students after UPSR had cabinet approval in 2013. No sign of the school till now," he said.

"On one hand, I am happy (that there's a blueprint), but on the other, I have doubts. It's an election tactic," Thasleem told Malaysiakini.

While admitting that the government has done a fair bit for the Indian community, much of it has been piecemeal and not holistic.

"The Indian community is still marginalised and discriminated against. Indians are now an awakened community.

"The Indian community has been taken for a ride several times. Are they going to be taken for a ride again?" asked Thasleem.

Malaysian Indians Progressive Association (Mipas) sercretary-general S Barathidasan concurred that the MIB was BN's pre-election carrot.

It's a 'blur-print'

Barathidasan (photo) said that although he has not read the latest blueprint, news reports on its content sounded very similar to Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia's document.

"Why not implement the earlier blueprint then?" he asked.

"The prime minister won't even reveal the total amount needed in the 10-year plan," he said, while describing the MIB as a "blur-print".

Meanwhile, Persatuan Rapat Malaysia (Rapat) president A Rajaretinam said Indian NGOs will trust the government this time only if the blueprint is tabled and approved in Parliament.

This method would turn the blueprint into government policy.

Rajaretinam (photo) also proposed the establishment of a Minority Affairs Ministry with an annual budget to implement the policies.

"We need such a blueprint. A large number of Indians are urban poor who contribute to social problems, while gangsterism is a problem among the Indian youths," he said.

However, Rajaretinam said, the government's inability to achieve the 30 percent bumiputera equity target, even after 40 years, casts doubts on whether the MIB's 10-year target can be achieved.

Give it a chance

Meanwhile, Maha Hindu Vision 2020 spokeperson Arun Dorasamy, who was on the panel which drafted the MIC blueprint, said critics should give MIB a chance.

"This is much awaited effort from the government. Even though there is room for improvement, it is definitely a great start.

"This blueprint is a positive step forward. I would recommend that all the sceptics read the document first, and give a chance to the blueprint to take its course," Arun said.

He predicted that the biggest challenge for MIB would be the delivery system, which needed to be created under the Prime Minister's Department to implement the proposed policies.

'Deferment of law reforms further disrupts fate of spouses, children'

Gerakan has expressed disappointment that the federal government has decided to defer the tabling of the amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976.

The party’s law and human rights central bureau chief Baljit Singh said the bill was tabled last year and had been listed in the order paper for second reading at the just concluded Dewan Rakyat sitting.

“The fate of the spouses and children affected in cases of unilateral conversion and interfaith custody disputes remains uncertain following the bill being pushed back.

“The longstanding issues that have been hurting the society due to overlapping jurisdiction between civil and syariah courts must be addressed promptly and effectively to enable social recovery.

“The government had and must now reassure those seeking fairness and justice especially for non-Muslims, whose lives have been affected by unilateral conversions of their children,” Baljit said in a statement.

The state Gerakan Jelutong coordinator cited one of the most prominent cases involving M Indira Gandhi who is currently fighting a legal battle for custody of her youngest child. Her former husband had unilaterally converted their three children to Islam.

Baljit was referring to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who said the bill needs to be “refined” to ensure that it will not become polemical and affect the peace of the country.

Uphold and enforce 2009 decision

Baljit urged the government to uphold and enforce its decision on unilateral conversion made on April 22, 2009.

The decision states that there should be no unilateral conversion of children and that the children of parents where one parent chooses to convert to Islam must continue to be raised in the common religion at the time of the marriage, he said.

Baljit recalled in August last year, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had announced that the civil courts will have precedence in mediating divorce and child custody cases involving spouse who converts to Islam after marriage.

Najib had also reportedly said that it was a move in line with what Islam demands of Muslims.

“The amendments to the marriage law are the right thing to do and it is in line with the Federal Constitution. Changes to LRA will uphold Islam as a religion that advocates justice and fairness to all.

“All parties should understand that when observing the spirit of the amendment and refrain from any polemics,” said Baljit.

Datuk G sanggup ucap kalimah syahadah untuk tipu skim forex

KUALA LUMPUR – Sepasang suami isteri yang didakwa terlibat dalam sindiket penipuan sanggup ‘memeluk’ agama Islam semata-mata memperdaya pelanggannya melabur dalam skim dagangan mata wang asing.

Individu berketurunan India yang dikenali sebagai Datuk G dan isterinya ‘berlakon’ memeluk agama Islam semata-mata memujuk seorang lelaki Melayu berstatus haji melabur sebanyak RM20 juta ke syarikatnya.

Seorang bekas guru agama, Amy Salmiah Dahlan yang mewakili mangsa-mangsa penipuan Datuk G dan isteri rasa terkilan kerana mereka sanggup menipu sampai tahap menukar agama.

“Saya terkilan dan tidak sangka mereka berdua sanggup pergi ke tahap begitu untuk memujuk ‘haji’ itu yang kemudian mengambil RM20 juta dalam sekali transaksi kononnya mahu membantu sahabat-sahabat Islam yang memerlukan menerusi orang kenamaan tertinggi yang dikenali,” katanya dalam sidang media di sini hari ini.

Sidang media itu dilakukan oleh bekas Bendahari Agung MIC, Datuk R. Ramanan.

Menurut Amy, aksi masuk Islam itu yang dirakam pada tahun 2013 di mana pasangan suami dan isteri berkenaan melafazkan kalimah syahadah di hadapan seorang bergelar haji dengan mengangkat satu jari dan duduk bersila sambil berjabat tangan dengan individu terbabit.

“Perbuatan mereka berdua sebenarnya bermaksud sudah memeluk Islam tetapi masih beragama Hindu sekaligus menghina kedua-dua agama.

“Rabu depan saya dan rakan-rakan lain akan membuat laporan kepada jabatan agama Islam berkaitan sebagai menggesa siasatan ke atas tindakan pasangan itu,” katanya lagi.

Amy merupakan antara 22,000 mangsa penipuan pasangan berkenaan yang didakwa melibatkan pelaburan wang sebanyak RM80 hingga RM100 juta.

Amy sendiri telah melabur sebanyak RM36,000 pada tahun lalu bersama 700 rakan-rakannya yang melibatkan wang sebanyak RM6 juta namun ia lesap tanpa sebarang keuntungan seperti yang dijanjikan.

Pada hujung Mac lalu, Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial Bukit Aman, Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani mendedahkan tangkapan enam suspek termasuk seorang wanita berusia antara 28 hingga 38 tahun selama 21 hari untuk disiasat bawah Seksyen 3(1) Akta Pencegahan Jenayah 1959 (POCA) melibatkan penipuan wang pelaburan mata wang asing berjumlah antara RM80 hingga RM100 juta di bawah syarikat VenusFX.

Sementara itu, Ramanan dalam sidang media yang sama turut menyifatkan tindakan pasangan India itu sebagai menghina Islam dan Hindu selain mencemar reputasi dan menjual nama pemimpin tertinggi Barisan Nasional untuk ‘memancing’ mangsa-mangsanya.

“Saya terkejut apabila sudahlah tipu mangsa pelaburan dengan wang berjumlah RM55 juta, kini pasangan Datuk G terus mencalar nama dan imej pemimpin kita Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, isterinya, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor dan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“Dia bukan sahaja ambil RM20 juta sekali transaksi malah wang berjuta-juta ringgit lagi dari individu sama yang dipercayai diambil sedikit demi sedikit oleh pasangan itu.

“Saya tidak boleh memaafkan suami isteri berkenaan yang melampaui batasan sehingga memperdaya mangsa kononnya dia mempunyai reputasi dan kenal rapat Najib, Rosmah dan Ahmad Zahid.

“Saya bangga dengan kecekapan polis khususnya Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial yang berjaya mencekup enam suspek isu ini dibawah POCA tetapi pasangan ini yang merupakan suspek utama masih bebas.

“Apakah mereka ini dilindungi oleh seseorang? Polis harus bertindak cepat sebagai menghalang mereka berdua daripasa terus menjual dan mencalarkan nama pemimpin negara.

“Saya akan membuat laporan polis pada Ahad ini bersama semua mangsa-mangsa pelaburn forexDatuk G ini dan menggesa pihak berkuasa bertindak segera selain akan melaporkan kepada Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia,” tegasnya lagi. – MalaysiaGazette