ALVIVI - CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD???

7/28/2019 ALVIVI - CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD???

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Monday, 22 July 2013 17:03

Alvivi are not "children of a lesser God' - Bishop slams govt'sdouble standards

Weighing on the case of two bloggers hauled to court on a charge of insulting Islam,

Bishop Paul Tan cautioned that double standards are immoral as this is an affront to

justice.

While retribution was swift in this case, the head of the Johor and Malacca Catholic

diocese lamented the lack of action when other faiths are derided.

Tan cited the controversies involving Perkasa leaders Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin.

Both had earned the wrath of the bishop when Ibrahim called for the torching of the Bible

carrying the word "Allah" and Zulkifli for belittling the Hindu faith.

"While we abhor the disparaging of any faith, the government must show that it workswithout fear or favour in acting against all those who do so.

"In the case of (bloggers) Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, retribution was swift, but I note with

regret that such action was never taken against Zulkifli and Ibrahim," Tan told

Malaysiakini.

Infamous for posting photos of their sexual romps online, the bloggers landed in hot

soup over a Facebook photo that was deemed offensive to Muslims.

The couple was slapped with three charges, including one under the Sedition Act, last

week and denied bail.

'Children of a lesser god'

The bishop said while Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak promoted his 1Malaysia

campaign nationwide, attempts to foster racial ties would come to naught if the law was

applied on an unequal basis.

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"To prove that all citizens are equal before the law, the authorities must charge Zulkifli

and Ibrahim, failing which it would create the impression that non-Muslims (in Malaysia)

are considered children of a lesser God.

"We cannot tolerate anyone belittling another's belief, for such action not only stokes

religious tension, it also transgresses the fundamentals of our beliefs, which stress onthe importance of according mutual respect," Tan added.

He also expressed regret that Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, or Alvivi as they are together

called, were denied bail, even after having apologised for their actions.

On the other hand, the vocal bishop said Ibrahim, who never apologised, still walked free

while in the case of Zulkifli, an apology was deemed sufficient.

Police last week revealed that investigations against Zulkifli were dropped on the

instructions of the attorney-general.

Najib later named Zulkifi as the BN candidate for the Shah Alam parliamentary seat in

the 13th general election, while Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in defending

the candidature, stressed that the Perkasa leader had apologised for his action.

As for Ibrahim, police have said there was no instruction from the AG for them to act.

- Malaysiakini

Bak kut teh, Bible burning and selfish politicsPosted on July 22, 2013 by mocsarawak

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By Nathaniel Tan

One of the most profound and admirable aspects of the holy month of Ramadan is the

idea that fasting helps us develop empathy for the suffering of others.

In learning to experience the hardship of others and developing self-denial, we areencouraged to direct our energies towards the betterment of our fellow human beings,

instead of focusing on more and more self-aggrandisement.

In Annie Dillards words: The life of sensation is the life of greed; it requires more and

more. The life of the spirit requires less and less.

Sadly, a dearth of these qualities has come to define those who lead our nation. It feels

like it is an excess of selfish politicking and a galling lack of principled statesmanship

that is behind a growing number of controversial issues of late.

The test to see whether this is true is to examine whether the actions of the authoritiesappear to reflect a genuine concern for the long term well being of the rakyat, or selfish

political aims.

Such assessments are of course subjective, but if we try to remain as unbiased as possible

and make suitable adjustments for those who seem to be arguing from a self-interestedperspective, perhaps we will be able to see what is really going on.

Bak kut teh vs Bible burning

The latest controversy started over an extremely distasteful Ramadan joke concerning

bak kut teh made by Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, collectively known as Alvivi.

Furore erupted, Alvivi removed their postings and apologised publicly, but Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail sought for blood anyway, and had the duo charged and

imprisoned without bail until their court hearing in late August.

Cyberspace and civil society were the next to erupt, crying discrimination and unfairness

that Alvivi should be treated so heavy handedly, whereas the likes of Ibrahim Ali andZulkifli Nordin still walk free. The former had called for the burning of the Bible

carrying the word Allah, whereas the latter insulted various aspects of Hinduism.

The burning question seems to be: is there a double standard?

Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Abdul Rahman Dahlanwas one of the most prominent representatives of the government to jump in the fray.

Known for his admirably active engagement with the public, especially via Twitter,

Abdul Rahman argued thus: no action was taken against Ibrahim Ali because he later

explained that all he meant with regard to Bible burning was that given using Allah

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was a misprint, the error-filled Bible should be disposed of via burning, as is done with

the Quran. Ibrahim Alis intent was thus sanguine, and no further action was therefore

necessary.

Such an argument stands in quite stark contrast to the words Ibrahim Ali actually used, as

quoted in Free Malaysia Today on Jan 19.

Muslims must unite to protect their religion. They must seize those Bibles, including the

Malay editions, which contained the term Allah and other Arabic religious terms, andburn them. This is the way to show our anger against disrespect to our sensitivity.

Ibrahim Ali has never contested the accuracy of this report by filing a lawsuit of any

kind.

So, the public is left asking: did Ibrahim Ali make a friendly suggestion as to how one

might employ the proper Muslim method of disposing of holy books, or did he call upon

Muslims to seize those Bibles to show our anger?

The comments defending Ibrahim Ali were made by no less than a full cabinet minister

(one would be hard pressed to find a higher ranking representative of the Malaysiangovernment), while the rest of the cabinet seem to remain mostly silent a state of affairs

which has been the case for the prime minister for months now.

The public deserves to know: what is the governments official stance? Is it all right to

condone burning the Bible, or is it not? Are people jailed only if Muslims are perceivedto be offended, or are people jailed if people of other religions are offended too?

A just government must, above all, be consistent in its application of the law. Is there1Malaysia for all? Or one Malaysia for one group, and another Malaysia for the rest?

This issue may have been almost academic, except for the fact that Alvivi will be

spending more than a month in prison (a place we must never forget is, in Malaysia, oneof extreme inhumane trauma), and face the prospect of many, many more.

Application of the law must be consistent

We cannot punish people based on whether we like them or not, we can punish them only

in accordance with a transparent application of the law that is consistent across the board.

Maybe Alvivis future may not be as bright as that of the young bowler who committedstatutory rape on a 13-year-old girl, but as the AG and judiciary play God with Alvivis

lives, we must ask: did their actions really cause more harm or set a worse precedent than

the bowlers?

Perhaps most importantly, let us compare levels of contrition. Abdul Rahman argues that

theres nothing wrong with Ibrahim Alis actions because he has explained himself. Of

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course, an explanation is not an apology, and Ibrahim Ali once famously remarked on

another issue, I wont apologise even with a gun to my head.

Compare this with the thorough and unreservedapology that Alvivi made in their video.

So, the government forgives the man who provides an explanation that does not tally withhis actual words, while imprisoning the duo who offer humble contrition? Maybe Alvivi

should indeed have gone the it was actually Chikuteh route after all.

I for one am perfectly happy for no one to be jailed, because just as I believe that non-

Muslims are not stupid enough to go waving pork in the faces of Muslims at dusk simplybecause of something a sex blogging duo posted on the Internet, I also believe that

Muslims are not stupid enough to heed a madmans call to go on a Bible burning

rampage.

The points above have been made and repeated ad nauseum. More important are the very

disturbing trends over these last few months that I believe will bear further reflection andexposition if we want to make any actual progress in Malaysia.

Where Abdul Rahman is concerned, I confess I generally dislike the man. However, I amnot so stupid or blinded by hate as to believe that he is some Christian hating bigot.

Ultimately, alongside some dashes of commonplace arrogance and pettiness, Abdul

Rahmans ridiculous decision to defend Ibrahim Ali was ultimately defined by politics.

He saw someone who was (relatively) on his side being attacked vigorously by peoplehe perceived to be on the other side, and reacted in his usual thoughtless, hack and

slash manner.

More and more, as GE 13 fades away, we see people trying to make their name at the

expense of others. Lost as the man is, I do not believe for a moment that Gani (of allpeople) believes he is somehow defending the sanctity of Islam (an institution, Zurairi

AR eloquently argues, that is in itself perfect and therefore in fact impossible to insult.

All he has done is found a scapegoat that he can sacrifice at the altar in the hopes of

appearing like a big bad wolf to the Umno base that will determine the next president ofUmno in the coming party elections.

We see this behaviour at play everywhere, especially in the way that issues are not really

issues just abused pawns on a rotten political chessboard.

On the other side, we see Lim Guan Engs recent public criticism of Khalid Ibrahim amove calculated perhaps to bolster one Pakatan Rakyat party at the expense of another

while having a negative nett impact, as well as the somewhat personal, heated exchange

between Rafizi Ramli and Lim Teck Ghee over the Titas issue.

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Meanwhile, in apparent agreement with Ibrahim Ali instead of PAS, the rabidly pro-

Azmin Ali account @PecatFaekah tweeted: Malaysian Christian group shows lack of

tolerance. Pushing Cabinet to use Allah instead of Tuhan. Allah is the one and only Godin Quran. Some might even argue this very article is proof of its own arguments.

The few darlings in politics stay silent

Fast fading (or long gone) is the intra-coalition unity we saw in GE 13. Are we seeing it

give way to a gabble of individuals and factions, viciously trying to climb over oneanothers heads, while using and abusing all manners of issues to get one step higher on

the rung?

We look to those few darlings in politics that progressives love to praise to provide the

voice of reason, and are met with only silence and a fear of saying what might bepolitically incorrect.

There are unmistakable signs that our worst fears may be unfolding slowly before us: thatwe are regressing back to the very worst aspects of Malaysian politics endless

infighting, fermenting social division for political gain, and putting selfish interests abovenational ones.

Clawing our way out of the problems we now face together as a nation (the full how of

which is a story for another time) is only possible if we return to having sound principles

as our anchor and moral compass.

This may also require radical rethinking, as well as more direct, long-term political

involvement than most of us have been historically inclined to. The changes we must

begin to ponder now may seem drastic, but those may be the only ways to affect thedrastic improvements we hunger and thirst for.

Many Malaysians worked desperately hard for change in the last general election. It turns

out that once in five years is not enough. Ramadan is not after all, I humbly believe, a

month to act holier than we act in other months, but rather, a month to remind us of howwe should act every month. - Malaysiakini

NATHANIEL TAN is in a state of transition. He tweets @NatAsasi.

Beauty today, brains tomorrow

Posted on July 22, 2013 by mocsarawak

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7/10

By Mariam Mokhtar

The latest sacrificial lambs in Malaysian society are Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, aka

Alvivi; but anyone who thinks that Umno Baru wants to subjugate only the non-Muslims,

is wrong.

Umno Baru is desperately trying to give the impression that they wield control and one ofthe ways of keeping Malay women in check is to stop them from entering beauty

pageants. Malay girls are easy prey for the Malay man, and that is why he has to

completely dominate her body and mind.

Why does Umno Baru belittle the Malays and treat them as imbeciles? In 2009, TourismMalaysia tried to promote Malaysian dishes including halal bak kut teh, but the Islamic

Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) deputy director-general Lokman Abdul

Rahman claimed that Muslims would be confused. Today, Umno Baru insists that the useof the word Allah by Christians would also confuse Muslims.

The ban, by the Federal Territories mufti Wan Zahidi Wan Teh, of four Muslim girls

from the Miss Malaysia 2013 contest is a perfect example of the arrogance of some

Muslim men. The insecure Malay man demands respect but gives very little. He demandsthat people be sensitive to his needs, but is himself intolerant and unforgiving when he

bulldozes into others.

Many Malaysians, of all races, share the frustrations of Malay girls. This writer is aware

of some smart Malay women who are prevented from pursuing careers which are thoughtof exclusively to be male oriented, or are stopped from taking up ballet as a hobby.

The usual excuse preventing Muslim women from participating in beauty contests is the

claim that it is a sin for Muslim women to reveal their bodies.

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If a Malay girl were to be an Olympic contender for beach volleyball, diving,

synchronised swimming or gymnastics, would the mufti seek to ban her from

participating in these sports?

Has the mufti been to any of the high-school proms, organised by the secondary schools

in the more affluent areas of Kuala Lumpur, which are held in five-star hotels? Has heattended any of the parties hosted by Malay socialites? The dresses of these elite Malays

are risqu in comparison with the costumes worn by the beauty contestants.

If Wan Zahidi is so vociferous about the sinfulness of Malay girls entering beauty

contests, why is he silent on issues such as brutal deaths in police custody? Why the

silence over corruption? Why the silence over girls as young as 13 or 14 marrying mucholder men? Why is it not a sin to marry girls off to the men who have raped them? Why

do Malay men threaten to marry a younger wife, if their present wives complain about

any aspect of the marriage?

Nowadays, more Malay girls take up professional courses at university than their malecounterparts. Many Malay men tend to enrol for subjects which have no commercial

utility, such as religious studies. These same men then become polygamists and live off

the earnings of their wives.

Malaysians are discontented, and so they are happy to see that the Alvivi saga hasdegenerated into a reality TV show. This scandal has become a spectacle like the

gladiatorial games of ancient Rome, where prisoners become objects of entertainment for

the masses. The victims were ruthlessly punished to keep the disaffected masses happy.

Perceived as cheap commodities

People are perceived as cheap commodities and their pain and suffering is seen asentertainment. Weak leaders keep the disgruntled population entertained because they

have nothing better to offer.

The blame for the latest Alvivi imbroglio lies squarely with the authorities theMalaysian education system, the Malaysian muftis, the Umno Baru politicians who

dictate BN policies and former PM Mahathir Mohamad.

Alvivi may be sexual voyeurs and attention-seekers, but their behaviour is not as

despicable as the people who are baying for their blood and wanting to exact the most

severe form of punishment on them.

Why over-react and blame Alvivi for insensitivity and for disrespecting Muslims when

politicians, professors and newspaper editors are guilty of far more heinous and

calculated disrespect?

If Ridhuan Tee Abdullah is allowed to upset Malaysians, then why should Alvivi bepunished? If Ibrahim Ali, Zulkifli Noordin, and the Utusan Malaysia editors are not

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censured, then Alvivi should not be mercilessly hounded. Alvivi have at least apologised;

did any of the others show remorse?

Many decades ago, schoolchildren used to mix and mingle freely. Children from varioussocial backgrounds and ethnicities used to study, socialise, have their breaks, practice

sports, go on weekend school outings and do their extra-curricular activities, together.

The classroom and playground were perfect training grounds to prepare them for life in

society. Children learnt about the way beliefs affect a persons behaviour. Children had agood understanding of how their own, and their friends beliefs and values, defined their

moral code.

When Mahathir became PM and felt threatened by PAS, he decided to Islamicise

Malaysia and that meant that Umno Baru had to be more radical than PAS. That was thestart of the Malay mind being stultified, in other words di perbodohkan. The use of

English was eroded. Women had to dress more conservatively and those who did not,

believed that they were denied promotions or career advancement.

With Islamicisation, children of different ethnic groups started to view one another withsuspicion. Malay teachers admonished Muslim children from making friends with non-

Malay children during break. Malay parents who complained to the headmaster about

racial segregation soon found that their own children were victimised; these same parentslearnt not to speak out, thus perpetuating the vicious cycle.

Politicians and muftis in Malaysia are not trying to be good rulers or policy-makers; they

are only concerned with power and controlling the masses. They have ruled that the

Alvivi duo must be severely persecuted.

Umno Barus Khairy Jamaluddin said that the Alvivi couple should be made an example;but does he recall the various insults made by Muslims against people of other faiths? Is

Khairy, like the other Umno Baru politicians, pandering to the Malay masses and keeping

various factions happy for the forthcoming 2013 Umno general assembly?

In Malaysian society, the Malay male is desperate to dominate. It is all about control.

Umno-Baru politicians know that rich Malays are free to escape to the play grounds of

the south of France to enjoy their excesses. That is why Umno Baru only seeks to control

the minds of poor Malaysians, especially the poor Malays because Umno Barus power

lies in the control of the masses.

Today, Umno-Baru is trying to control the beauty of the Malay girls; tomorrow, their

minds.

One day, the Malay woman will find that she is powerless to do things that her non-

Muslim counterparts take for granted. Is it any wonder many Malays grow defiant andattempt to shake off their shackles?

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The wealthy Malay will always be able to drink and gamble to their hearts content in the

casinos of the world. Losing a million ringgit at the poker tables is nothing, if one knows

that the coffers will be replenished. Malaysiakini

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemistand an armchair eco-warrior. In real-speak, this translates into that she comes from

Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an

environmental pollution-control scientist.

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ALVIVI - CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD???

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