Say a Muslim man worked in the gambling den of Genting.
What would other Muslims say? Better yet, what should other Muslims say.
You know what?
I'm not sure how it works with other religions, so i won't comment.
But for Islam, it seems that the standard response to something (usually something "new") that our learned Muslim clerics disagree with is to ban it, usually under the provisions of "enjoining the good and forbidding evil" or hisbah.
Could that be linked somehow to our obsession in Malaysia of banning this and that?
We don't like racism, let's ban it.
We don't like xxx political party, let's ban it.
We don't like xxx person, let's ban him (throw him into detention without trial).
We don't like xxx newspaper, let's ban it (or not renew its license).
We don't like anyone talking about Article 153, let's ban discussion (easy solution right?).
Ban this, ban that. Seems like a terribly lazy way of building a nation.
Back to point. Islam bans stuff to protect its followers from bad things. Malaysian Government bans stuff to protect its citizens from bad things. Malaysian Government is predominantly a Muslim government (majority of the civil service and elected leaders are Muslims?). Therefore, since Muslims are taught that banning stuff is a good way to deal with undesirable elements, Malaysian policies follow suit.
I'm just speculating, of course. A wild stretch of the imagination perhaps. But, maybe, just enough of a fetch to make you go "Hhhhmmm..."
This is a racist video? Not even close. Watch it. This is what Khairy had to say on the matter:
"We have tolerated a lot of things but when the insult is too blatant, the time has come for those who did so to be taken a stern action," he told reporters after visiting Kota Baharu Umno Youth chief Rosmadi Ismail here Tuesday night."The Malays are not being overly sensitive. We have in fact tolerated a lot of things," he said.
Really? Khairy, your definition of racism seems to be quite selective. When your ex-boss said this, did you agree with him? You were sitting just a few feet away. Maybe you even helped him write the speech. Let me refresh your memory:
EDIT: Khairy Jamaluddin blogs about Namewee on Rembau.net. Will read it and respond shortly.
EDIT2: After reading KJ's blog, the part of Namewee's video that he has a problem with deals with Namewee's assertion that Malaysia is rich because of the Chinese.
In the 'song', which begins with him colourfully expressing his disdain for racists, Namewee exposes himself as the racist when he says "You tak baca? Siapa buat Malaysia kaya?", the implication being that the Chinese are the reason for Malaysia's prosperity and as such Malays like Siti Inshah have no business asking the Chinese to 'return' to China.
First of all, i would suggest that KJ and anyone else who finds this offensive, read up on a particularly seminal piece of work called "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith. Perhaps as an Oxford graduate, KJ has heard of this.
In it, Adam Smith defines the wealth of a nation as "the annual produce of the land and the labour of the society". In popular terms, wealth thus defined refers to how much of something of value that is owned -- and the accumulation of this value, aggregated across the people of a country, determines it wealth or its "kekayaan".
Its arguable, of course, who controls the wealth of Malaysia. While everyone contributed to the creation of wealth and/or relative prosperity of the nation, the question we need to ask is who owns a majority of it. The fact that Malay ultras such as PERKASA, and even UMNO Youth, have argued that the 30% equity quota needs to be retained in the hands of Malays begs the argument that if the Malays need help to "own" their own country, then the wealth of the nation is not necessarily controlled by them.
So while, as a Malay, its stinging to hear that "You tak baca? Siapa buat Malaysia kaya?", i'm realistic enough to realize that if left to the devices of the Malays alone, the nation could very well be a much poorer place. Of course, that's speculatory, but reverse engineer the results of what we see in today's economy and its hard to see how the Malays, perhaps due to our own cultural values, would be able to compensate for the effort of the other races. As it is, we can't even compete with them on a pure merit basis (or at least this is what my Malay leaders are telling me).
Secondly, unlike KJ and the other sensitive Malays out there, why take offence (if offence was meant) when you can draw motivation from it all. So what, a Chinese rapper makes fun of me and my Malay brothers and sisters? I'll show you what we can really do! The suggestion that the Malays were carried to prosperity on the backs of the Chinese should not offend me -- it should give me pause to realize that if i haven't done enough, perhaps i need to try harder.
That's the real message our Malay leaders should be spreading -- appeal to our sense of shame, stoke our pride, push us to be better citizens, more productive citizens, save more of our money rather than spend it on lavish Hari Raya gatherings, generate wealth through real investments and not fall prey to silly get-rich-quick schemes.
And, while we're at it, grow a thicker skin.
Lastly, most importantly, and let this be an eye-opener to those who haven't considered it before -- racism is an ideology. Its bad, nasty and unwanted. But if history has thought us anything, fighting ideologies with threats of "punishment" or physical distress such as imprisonment or fines, is just counter-productive and ineffective.
Khairy Jamaluddin is a senior Malay leader. When such a person calls for the punishment of a Chinese boy on the grounds of racism, how do you think the Chinese are going to think (especially among them who share or are at least sympathetic to Namewee's views)? By fighting an ideology with fire, you're just stoking the flames ever higher. You're validating their claims that the Malays are indeed racist, do indeed have thin skins.
The battle of ideologies was never won through the persecution of its bishops. Nelson Mandela and Robben Island. Gandhi in 1922. The Prophet Muhammad. You don't put down an idea through the use of heavy handed tactics. You do it through the fostering of a competitive idea.
If i was in KJ's shoes this is what i'd do.
I'd invite Namewee to engage in a dialogue with me. In private, if being in public is too much. I'd let the people know that i wanted to meet him, but i won't tell them exactly we talked about. During this meeting, sans lawyers or any fear mongers (he can bring his friends with him if he wants), i'll talk to him to understand where he's coming from. Why did he say the things he did. Does he understand that what he did could inflame the sentiments of the people? If he is as much as a patriot as he says he is, what does he think we should do to fight racism.
Take their bishop and turn him to your side, if possible. If not, then engage him in dialogue and, though disagreeing with him, respect his right to opinion.
If nothing else, this gesture will show the nation that a modern, moderate Malay leader isn't like all the rest -- not the ultras like PERKASA, not even the knee-jerk Malay on the street.
For centuries, Afghan men have taken boys, roughly 9 to 15 years old, as lovers. Some research suggests that half the Pashtun tribal members in Kandahar and other southern towns are bacha baz, the term for an older man with a boy lover. Literally it means "boy player." The men like to boast about it.Islamic law also forbids homosexuality. But the pedophiles explain that away. It's not homosexuality, they aver, because they aren't in love with their boys.
Again, i struggle with myself. These are Muslims just like me, but its obvious that our understanding of the religion is remarkably different. Their version of Islam allows, perhaps even encourages (according to them) this behaviour, mine doesn't.
During Friday prayers, the imam asks us to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world where Muslims are having a tough time. He often cites Afghanistan as being one of those places. Can i insert a disclaimer in my prayers? I pray for all Afghans except the ones who rape little boys.
Amen.
More reading on the bacha baz phenomenon here:
About 3,000 people joined a rally in Gaza to celebrate the attack. Hamas military wing spokesman Abu Obeida was among them and told The Associated Press: "The Qassam Brigades announces its full responsibility for the heroic operation in Hebron."
One of the women killed was pregnant. 3,000 people came out to cheer for the murder of a pregnant woman. Islam is a violent religion, that's what the court of public opinion will say.
No doubt, the "infidels" have murdered and killed many Muslims too. Wikileaks is full of reports where innocent civilians in Afghanistan have been blown up by accident, "collateral damage". The difference is that they don't come out and proudly cheer the fact. In fact, they own up to the errors, and do their best to minimize it.
It's frustrating for me, and perhaps for other peace-loving Muslims. I have a hard time reconciling the actions of my "brothers", and i struggle to believe that we even belong to the same faith. No faith of mine will cheer for the killing of civilians.
I'm comparing the speech to Najib's speech delivered on the eve of our national day celebrations. There are several key differences.
Najib's speech provides very few soundbites -- while some may scoff at their value, i think they can't be underestimated in their role to ensure the message sticks in the minds of the listener. Compare this to what Obama gave us:
"Our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to Iraq's future is not.""Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page.""And we must project a vision of the future that is based not just on our fears, but also on our hopes -a vision that recognizes the real dangers that exist around the world, but also the limitless possibility of our time."
Najib's speech didn't connect with the man-on-the-ground. A good speech does this by using "real" examples, such as when Obama told us the story of the final combat brigade driving out of Iraq. The imagery of the cowboy riding victoriously into the sunset is incredibly strong.
Two weeks ago, America's final combat brigade in Iraq -the Army's Fourth Stryker Brigade -journeyed home in the pre-dawn darkness. Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles made the trip from Baghdad, the last of them passing into Kuwait in the early morning hours. Over seven years before, American troops and coalition partners had fought their way across similar highways, but this time no shots were fired. It was just a convoy of brave Americans, making their way home.
Najib's speech, while alluding to a lot of "bird's eye changes" doesn't make any specific promises. When a leader speaks to his people, he needs to take the opportunity to tell them what, how and when he is doing things that matter to the country. This is the closest he came to it:
6. Justeru, cabaran sebenar kita hari ini adalah untuk mentransformasikan Malaysia supaya menjadi sebuah negara maju berpendapatan tinggi menjelang tahun 2020. Ke arah itu, kita telah pun memasakkan asas-asas yang kukuh dalam bentuk pelan transformasi kerajaan atau GTP dan pelan transformasi ekonomi yakni ETP sebagai pelan hala tuju yang jelas ke arah matlamat mulia tersebut.
Compare that to the bulk of Obama's speech outlining in quite a bit of detail how the US is withdrawing from Iraq, and how the US will support Iraq in the future.
Lastly, perhaps i'm being judgemental, but the delivery of Najib's speech was awful. It was too obvious that he was reading a teleprompter (of course, Obama does too), intonation was dull and uninspired, and he had this droopy sleepy look on his face the whole time. Maybe i'm wrong, but you're my Prime Minister, the first amongst us -- where was the passion, the commanding presence, the charisma? Could it be that i'm setting the bar too high? Obama is an amazing speaker, able to inspire a response from a corpse. Would it be much to hope for our PM to have a stronger personality?
Perhaps the purposes of the speeches were very different. Obama's needed to be convincing and at the same time respectful to the lives already lost in Iraq -- its a painful part of American history the last 7 years, and thus requiring very careful words and verbal positioning.
Najib's was a "feel good" speech meant to remind and unite the nation on the eve of her 53rd anniversary celebrations. No need to get into specifics, no need to burden the listeners with heavy thoughts. However, i do feel that it was an opportunity lost. Perhaps now more than ever, Najib needs the country united and strong. Addressing the nation, its a chance to speak to everyone, to remind them of where they came from, how far we've traveled, and the exact direction of our future. At the very least, the use of verbal imagery should have been stronger.
There aren't many occasions when the PM will address the nation directly. While i can't say the speech was disappointing, i must say i was hoping for more.
I came back from Las Vacas with a couple of prime cuts today, one being a lovely little sirloin. About 300grams (10oz) of loving, juicy meat. The hours to iftar seemed like a long haul. But the wait was worth it in the end.
This is a pictorial of what i did.
Continue reading Steak porn: a sirloin odyssey.
After the horror show that was TGIF, it got me thinking how hard would it be to find, cook and eat that "perfect steak". Two things came to me:
- A good steak in KL is expensive (but oh so worth it when the cravings hit)
- If you want a good steak affordably, you've got to do-it-yourself
I've done #1, now its time to do #2.
With suggestions from friends, i went in search of Las Vacas, a shop specializing in the retail of good halal meat. If you want, they'll even cook it for you too. But for today, i was looking for a good cut of meat to cook for myself tonight.
Its not an easy shop to find, and without iPhone Maps, i would have been lost. But as it turns out, the shop is literally just around the corner (well, 17.3km around the corner).
The shop itself is quite nice. A nice display for the meats it has on sale (its quite seasonal apparently, they don't always have the same cuts and meats available). A freezer in the corner for their burger patties (which are hugely generous), and another display for fresh sausages and lamb cuts. The other half of the store holds tables for patrons who want to "eat in".
When i arrived, there was one table occupied, a father and son, and the steaks they had on their plates looked really good. I'll have to come back one day soon to try them out myself.
I was lucky enough to meet Freddy Azman, on of the Directors of the business. He talked me through some of the cuts of meat they had for sale -- grainfed Australian sirloin and rib-eye and Angus rib-eyes were prominently displayed. I told him what i wanted to do (i have an electric steak griller at home) and he patiently walked me through which cuts of meat i should use. They didn't have any tenderloin available, so i settled on a cut each of the grainfed sirloin and rib-eye.
I asked him how they cook the meat in the shop -- "Salt, pepper, olive oil, that's it. Over a gas fired grill at the back." That's just the way i like my meat, simplicity. I liked him already.
I also picked up a packet of their famous beef pies that i've heard so much about. Just a couple of minutes in the oven and those would be ready to go.
Total bill: RM48.80, for 2 prime cuts of meat and a large packet of beef pies. Not exactly cheap, but considering a good steak in good KL restaurant is about RM60+, i think its reasonable.
During Ramadhan, Freddy told me that they do an all-you-can eat BBQ steak buffet for RM60 a person. Sirloins, tenderloins, lamb cuts -- as much as your cholesterol levels will allow you to eat. For the BBQ, they use a charcoal fire pit outside instead, tables inside the store and al fresco as well. I'll have to come back to check that out before the month is out.
Las Vacas has been around for 3 years, and besides retail meats, they also do distribution and wholesaling. Finally, a place where i can get the right meats to satisfy the carnivore in me? Amen.
Las Vacas - Beef It UpNo.23, Jalan SS 5A/11, Kelana Jaya47301 Petaling Jaya, SelangorTel: 03 78740711 Fax: 03 78740655
This Ramadhan i've had cravings for simple meat dishes for iftar. So despite the fact that my wallet can't really support this type of indulgence, i've had steaks at TGIF Bandar Utama and also Tony Romas @ The Curve.
The experiences i had at both places were like night and day.
Continue reading A tale of two steaks.
Would you rather live a long life with 30% less happiness than a short life with 100% happiness?
Exactly the experiment being done on a couple of rhesus monkeys in the University of Wisconsin. Op-Ed written by the legendary Roger Cohen.
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