Change Your World

CYW City Invite – Kuching

January 13th, 2010 » No Comments » CYW BLOGS

Change Your World Kuching

Venue is : Inti College Auditorium, Kuching

Date/Time : 30th January 2010, 6pm  10pm

Doors open at 5:30pm

CYW KUCHING Event Passes are available from:

Tabuan Jaya Anglican Church
Elaine : +6016.882.1928

St Faith’s
Frank : +6014.685.2561
Ronald : +6013.810.9560

Good News Fellowship
Lydia : +6016.885.8911

SIB Kuching Youth
Sarah : +6012.891.0487

Calvary
Douglas : +016.808.4336

St. Basil’s
Duane : +019.858.9782

Elsewhere
Nai Lin : +6012.247.0387

CFM Strongly Condemns Fire-Bombing Of Churches

January 9th, 2010 » No Comments » CYW BLOGS

Posted on 08 January 2010 by Administrator

The Christian Federation of Malaysia strongly and unreservedly condemns the violent attacks and attempted ones of fire-bombing several churches in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya in the early hours of this morning (8 January 2010).

We are against such actions that seek to intimidate people and also to rend the fabric of peace and goodwill in our country.

Thus far this afternoon, we have been informed that there were three torching and attempted torching of churches. The administrative office of Metro Tabernacle in Desa Melawati was completely gutted. The Molotov cocktail thrown at the Church of the Assumption along Jalan Templer in Petaling Jaya did not explode. But The Life Chapel in Section 17 Petaling Jaya suffered some damage to the church’s front porch area.

We call on the Government and all peace-loving Malaysians to stand against such violence and not to give way to extremists in our midst who would want to throw our country into chaos.

We call on the police to continue to maintain the peace and security of our land in which all of us so cherish and love. May the police bring to justice quickly those who have been involved in such acts of torching churches which is a violation of the houses of God in our land.

Christians are a peace-loving people and so we will remain calm and rely on our police officers to investigate and to arrest the criminals involved and to protect all Malaysians against violence and criminal intimidation. We are concerned that the hacking of the judiciary website is an act of criminal intimidation against the judiciary and this shameful act along with the acts of violence against churches must not be condoned.

Let us as Christians and with our fellow Malaysians pray that despite such atrocious acts perpetrated upon the churches good sense will prevail in us. Let us not allow those who want to foment animosity among the peoples and the religious communities to triumph in their dastardly plans. May we stand together against the tide of violent people and their evil plans.

We will continue to pray for peace in Malaysia.

Bishop Ng Moon Hing,  Chairman and the Executive Committee of the
Christian Federation of Malaysia

NO ISA! Charge Them And Bring Them To Justice!

January 9th, 2010 » No Comments » CYW BLOGS

PRESS STATEMENT: 8 JANUARY 2010

NO ISA! Charge Them And Bring Them To Justice!

Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) expresses condemnation towards the statement by the Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein and Inspector General of the Police (IGP), Musa Hassan that the government and the police would not hesitate to use the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) against those who were responsible for the bombing of the 3 churches in Klang Valley which have been linked to protests against the recent “Allah” ruling.

GMI recognizes that irresponsible individuals and groups have and may further resort to violence, and that this might lead to chaos in the country. We understand the need to be tough against criminals. In fact, GMI urges the government to bring the culprits who have been trying to incite intolerance among the races in Malaysia to justice by not using the ISA or any form of detention without trial laws. Instead, proper investigation should be take place immediately. The use of the ISA and any other detention without trial acts will not resolve the real problem; instead it will only cause more fear and insecurity among the citizens in Malaysia.

Therefore, we strongly condemn the use of the draconian ISA in making the arrest as any form of detention without trial is in violation of basic human rights and blatantly circumvents the rule of law.

GMI would like to remind the government that the ISA makes a mockery of the principle of presumption of innocent until proven guilty; it unjustly denies our civil liberties; it allows for detention without trial and thus denies natural justice. Worse still, it creates conditions for torture and other degrading forms of treatment while under detention.

GMI calls upon the government to stop arresting people under the ISA , abolish the draconian law, and release all ISA detainees or to charge them in court.

Abolish ISA!

Release All The Detainees!

Close Down Kamunting!

Released By,

Nalini.E

Secretary GMI

MPF Statement On Church Torchings

January 9th, 2010 » No Comments » CYW BLOGS

Posted on 08 January 2010 by Administrator

THEMICAHMANDATE

The cowardly and utterly senseless act of a group of misguided, chauvinistic bigots in torching at least three churches in the Klang Valley this morning must be condemned in no uncertain terms by all peace loving Malaysians.

This act of arson, committed presumably in the name of Islam desecrates the very religion it purports to protect. The Holy Quran unequivocally prohibits destroying the houses of worship of all religions, as warned in Surah Al-Hajj, Verse 40.

“… Had not Allah checked the excesses and aggression of one set of people by means of another, surely would be destroyed monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated …”

During the reign of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second righteous caliph, the religious freedom of the citizens of Ilya (Jerusalem) and the sanctity of their synagogues and places of worship were confirmed: “This is the protection which the slave-servant of Allah, Umar, the Commander of the Believers, extends to the people of Ilya: The safeguarding of their lives, properties, churches, crosses, and of their entire community. Their churches cannot be occupied, demolished, or damaged, nor are their crosses or anything belonging to them to be touched. They will never be forced to abandon their religion, nor will they be oppressed …” (At-Tabari, Tarikh, Vol III, p. 609, ed. Dar Al-Ma`arif, Egypt.)

In the light of these tragic turn of events, the Muslim Professionals Forum:

1. Demand the authorities to immediately conduct an impartial and thorough investigation to identify , apprehend and punish the perpetrators of this despicable violence lest the country spirals into a vicious cycle of retaliatory acts which would fracture the very fabric of Malaysian civil society.
2. Urge the authorities to either refuse or revoke the permit for the planned demonstration in order to contain the heightened emotions and sensitivities from among the Muslim quarters, angered by the recent high court decision on the usage of the word Allah.
3. Urge individuals, organisations and political parties to refrain from further issuing provocative and inflammatory statements related to the high court verdict.
4. Urge all Malaysians to emphatise and stand in solidarity with our Christian community in their hour of grief and need.
5. Urge all peace loving Malaysians to maintain composure and let cool heads prevail.

May Allah guide us all in this most troubling times.

Board of Directors
Muslim Professionals Forum

Dr. Mazeni Alwi,  Dr. Shaikh Johari Bux
Haji Mohamed Ali Ghazali
Dr. Jeffrey Abu Hassan
Dato’ Dr. Musa Mohd. Nordin

PM, you have failed me – Stephanie Sta Maria

January 9th, 2010 » No Comments » CYW BLOGS

JAN 8  2010   Malaysian Insider

Dear Mr Prime Minister, you have failed me.

This is not a letter to tell you where you went wrong. You should already know that by now and if you don’t, many will gladly bring you up to speed.

But this is a letter to tell you what you have done to an ordinary Malaysian like me.

I voted against your government in the last elections but when you came into power, I allowed myself a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, I was wrong about you.

That, just maybe, this time, the perceived enemy would be an ally in disguise. That, just maybe, 1 Malaysia wouldn’t be the joke at which everyone laughed.

Change needs time and maybe, just maybe, that was what was necessary. So, against my better judgement, I let myself believe in possibilities.

Then racism reared its head and the moment of truth arrived in the form of cow-head protestors, BTN and the “Allah” issue.

You couldn’t have asked for more perfect opportunity to prove that you are more than just a string of clever words. It was your chance to leave a legacy by uniting the nation to stand up against the real enemies – ignorance and fear.

Instead you did nothing, and by doing that, you turned us against each other.

I’m sure you have your litany of reasons for acting the way you have but those reasons don’t interest me. All I know is that, when it really mattered, you made me feel like I didn’t.

When it came to delivering on your “People First” promise, you chose who those people would be.

When it came to “Performance Now”, you failed to see the sense of urgency.

You became everything you told us not to be. To me, you are nothing more than the wizard of Oz.

There was a time when I believed in this country. When I couldn’t imagine making a home anywhere else. When I was proud to hold a Malaysian passport. When I felt warmth each time I heard the pilot announce, “Welcome to Kuala Lumpur International Airport”. When I took pride in showing off my country to foreign friends who marvelled at how Malaysians lived so peacefully in diversity. Those days are gone.

So forget about how this will affect tourism and FDIs, and think instead about the damage it has done to an ordinary Malaysian like me.

You have made a mockery out of my trust, patriotism and faith. You have made me feel unwelcome in my own home. You have made me feel ashamed to be Malaysian.

My heart breaks at what you have done to my country. Then again, I’m not even sure if I can still call it my country anymore.

* Stephanie Sta Maria is a reader of The Malaysian Insider.

‘I am surprised that we suddenly have a PM who is unable to stop protests when all this while the cops and FRU units are able to stand guard when it concerns the opposition parties.’