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Sure, I whack and insult those Malays who claim to be Muslims. But they are not of my religion. I am not of their religion. They and I do not share the same God. I whack and insult them because they have false Gods.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Call to media to stop portraying Islam, Muslims negatively
(Bernama, 30 July 2008) -- The media must give fair coverage and balanced representation on Islam and Muslims in reporting conflicts involving Islam and Muslims, said Dr Haja Mohideen Mohamed Ali, a lecturer from the Communications Department of International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).
He said distinctive choice of words, phrases and terminology used by the media in reporting on Islam and issues concerning Muslims could have a negative impact on the perception of Islam and its followers by the global public.
"Some of the media are responsible, they like to look things from a proper perspective but a lack of understanding of Islam and Muslims cause them to use negative terms when reporting on the religion and Muslims," he said when presenting his paper "Linguistic (MIS)Representation of Islam and Muslims in Conflicts Reporting in the Print Media" at the International Conference on the Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Media here, Tuesday.
Haja Mohideen said the misrepresentation of Muslims could also be found in the media from Muslim countries, although at a smaller scale compared to the media from the West.
His views was shared by another scholar, Dr Zulkarimein Nasution, a lecturer from the Communications Department of the University of Indonesia.
Zulkarimein said bias against an ethnic or religious group such as Muslims in the mass media had negative impacts on peoples beliefs and perceptions and that the best approach to minimise the effects was through education.
"The public, especially the younger generation, should be taught how to analyse the mass media. They should be made aware that the representations made by the media are not always appropriate, and that what they see or hear in the mass media is not always the reality," he said.
He said, when a negative act was done by non-Muslims, the media did not label their act by their religion but only focused on their act alone unlike Muslims' negative acts, where they are always associated with the religion they profess.
He said the media should give a neutral representation of Muslims by not giving any reference to the doers of the act, rather by referring to the act itself.
More than 27 communications scholars from Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Canada, Qatar, Indonesia, the United States and United Arab Emirates are participating in the two-day conference which ends tomorrow. The conference is organised by IIUM.
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Malaysia proposes setting up Research Centre to promote positive image of Islam
(Bernama, 30 July 2008) -- Malaysia has proposed the setting up of a research centre to provide positive representation of Islam and Muslims to the world through the media.
In disclosing this today, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said the proposed centre would likely be set up at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).
"The Malaysian government will only be too pleased to provide the necessary resources for such a research pursuit," he said in his opening speech at the International Conference on the Representation of Islam and Muslims in the Media, here, Tuesday.
Syed Hamid said more research efforts should be undertaken to help rectify the misrepresentation of Islam.
"A mass communication research centre can help to generate the requisite intelligence and scientific scholarship to salvage the situation," he said.
Syed Hamid said the proposed research centre should be tasked with conducting theory-driven research and thus would make the present discourse on Islam and Muslims more meaningful and substantive.
"The research output from the centre can be used by the media industry and practitioners to provide an alternative packaging on Islam and Muslims to the world.
"Islam, which depicts tolerance, harmony and goodwill, has been totally ignored by the western media.
"Stereotypical visions and conceptions on Islam and Muslims have given rise to a tremendous amount of confusion and distorted understanding in the minds of non-Muslims as to what true Islam is."
The situation, he added, was further worsened by the branding of Islam into negative labels through ignorance, and this negative branding was increasingly becoming a more popular description of Islam in both the mainstream and non- mainstream media, especially in the west.
More than 27 communication scholars from Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Canada, Qatar, Indonesia, the United States and United Arab Emirates present their papers on Islam and Muslims in the Media at the two-day conference which ends Wednesday.
The conference is organised by IIUM.
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Last night, I met up with somebody who was introduced to me by a mutual friend. I never met this person before, not until my friend introduced him to me last night. My friend did not tell me beforehand what the meeting was about and all I knew was that this man wanted to reveal some information and hand over some documents with regards to a corrupt act on the part of the current Minister of Works.
Ironically, this Minister is the same man who replied in Parliament that there is nothing wrong with a foreign supplier paying commission to their local Malaysian agent who helps them lobby for a Malaysian government contract. This is not corruption but commission, argued the Minister in his declaration to Parliament. He was of course referring to the more than half a billion Ringgit commission that Razak Baginda’s company earned on the purchase of the submarines and which today is the focus of the Altantuya murder trial.
The contact showed me the Agreement that the Minister of Works, Mohd Zin Bin Mohamed, had signed with a Bangladesh company. Mohd Zin is the Chairman and 49% shareholder of Silkway Cargo, the MAS GSA for Bangladesh, and the contract involves a kickback of RM25 million that his Bangladeshi partner paid him as commission for getting the MAS agency for Bangladesh.
Mohd Zin’s Bangladeshi partner, Sheikh Farid Ahmed Manik, has since been arrested by the Bangladesh government and has been charged for the crime of money laundering. It seems this RM25 million was illegally transferred from Bangladesh to Malaysia and some of it was paid into Mohd Zin’s secretary’s bank account at Maybank Shah Alam (account number 512101058235 in the name of Hasnita Binti Ahmad Bastaman) while part of it was collected in cash whenever the Minister makes a trip to Bangladesh.
Yes, this Minister with two Muhammad’s in his name is no different from the ex-Menteri Besar of Selangor who also has two Muhammad’s in his name. Why are these Muhammads son of Muhammads so corrupt? And they not only get away with all this corruption but also have the gall to declare in Parliament that commission received from foreign companies as kickbacks for awarding them Malaysian government contracts is not corruption.
No, it is no use setting up Research Centres or holding conferences to discuss the image of Muslims and Islam. It is also no use asking the media not to run down Muslims based on their religion, Islam. When leaders with two Muhammads in their name argue that corruption is okay and that corruption is not corruption if it is commission given as kickbacks for awarding foreign companies Malaysian government contracts how can that help the image of Islam or Muslims?
Malays are just so corrupt. The political leaders are even more corrupt. When the Police Force, Immigration Department, Customs Department, Anti-Corruption Agency, Ministries, Local Councils, etc., -- you name it -- are all extremely corrupt, how can that help the image of Islam and Muslims?
The chap last night told me that he brought this matter to the attention of the Anti-Corruption Agency and the ACA Deputy Director offered to ‘mediate’ in the matter. The ACA Deputy Director volunteered to play the ‘middleman’ role and help ‘negotiate’ a fee with the Deputy Minister to ‘settle’ the case. This is the Deputy Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency talking. Instead of pursuing a corruption case against the Minister, he instead offered to broker a deal so that the complainant can receive a kickback from the Minister concerned.
Later that same night, I went to meet a senior police officer who moves in the same circle as the IGP. He told me horror stories about the links between the IGP and the organised crime syndicate headed by BK Tan. I was so disgusted I cut the meeting short. Two stories of high-level corruption in the Police Force and the Anti-Corruption Agency were enough for one night. I did not want to hear more.
Yes, whether they carry the name of Moses (Musa) or have two Muhammads in their name, they are all the same. They are all corrupted to the core. But there is one difference between them and me. They worship money. I worship God. They pray to the Ringgit. I pray to the Lord. So they are not of my religion.
Sure, I whack and insult those Malays who claim to be Muslims. But they are not of my religion. I am not of their religion. They and I do not share the same God. I whack and insult them because they have false Gods. And worshiping false Gods is prohibited in all religions, not just in Islam.
Sure, set up your Research Centres. Organise conferences, seminars, forums and conventions. Ask the media to stop whacking and insulting Malays who pretend to be Muslims. But this will not change the image of the Malays who pretend to be Muslims. This will not convince non-Muslims that the Malays who pretend to be Muslims pray to the Lord. And even if you carry two Muhammads in your name the people will still remain unconvinced because they know that Malays who pretend to be Muslims, even those with two Muhammads in their name, pray to the Ringgit, not to the Lord. And that is why Malays who pretend to be Muslims are so corrupt. It is because they pray to the Ringgit, not to the Lord. Their God is money.
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The Blogs 
It is the behaviour of the Muslims that give them a bad name. For instance, on Friday, after prayers, having heard the sermon, and praising God in the mosque, as a religion of peace, why go and demonstrate, destroy cars or threaten others. This is not only happening in Malaysia, but in Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, etc etc, almost all muslims areas.
Secondly, in Malaysia, we meet Muslims friends who will not touch anything that is not halal, which show their religious piety, but wil not hesitate to accept bribes or be taken to massage parlours, sex joints for entertainment, especially when they are in position of power.
Also, with our next door neighbours who prays daily, dress in religious clothes and will not allow their daughter to wear jeans, but have tudung, but the father, man of the house, have a different standard. He can frequent massage parlours & girlie joints and have sex as long as his daughters does not know.
We can go on, & on, with all the stories, bear in mind, it is not the Media or press that give Islam a bad name but the behaviour of Muslim themselves that give islam a bad name. It is not about bombing in Iraq or Palestine, but the behaviour and actions of muslims to your neighbours, wherever he may be that give Islam a bad name. The personal action of muslims speak louder that the Media or Press.
Don't blame the Media, Press or others or non muslims for the negative image created. Muslims must behave themselves or worthy to be muslims tio earn respect for Islam.