Church Burnings-Bloody Idiots!

I don’t usually use strong words on this blog but bloody idiots! 3 churches in KL were subject to arson attacks by irresponsible and idiotic people. As a Muslim, and a Malaysian, I condemn these attacks and I am heartened to read that the BN government and the Opposition parties including PAS have condemned the perpetrators. The government must use what ever means necessary, including the ISA to quickly find and prosecute the perpetrators. We must not let the actions of a few idiots, whose brains are smaller than rodents to ruin what took our forefathers 52 years to build. As a Muslim, I disagree that the Malaysian Catholic church should use “Allah” as the synonym to Jesus but this is not the way to solve the issue. Let us all unite in our condemnation of these attacks and present a united front against idiots bent on destroying the nation. We must reassure non-Malaysians who will assuredly ask us about these attacks, that the perpetrators in no way represent the majority of Muslims or even Malaysians and are universally condemned by all the political parties in Malaysia. Cooler heads must prevail. Protect our peace and the safety of Malaysians.

Let us all make this supplication together:

“O Allah, I beseech thee to keep the peace among the various races and religions in Malaysia.  Help the government find the evil doers who went against your teachings so that they may be brought to justice. Protect the safety of Malaysians of all races, their families and their belongings from harm. Soften the hearts of those bent on destruction and revenge so that Malaysia will continue to prosper.” Amin.

Update:

A Good Muslim Helped Warn a Chapel

A Good Muslim went to a chapel in Kuala Selangor and warned the caretaker to be wary of possible attacks. According to the Star, the unidentified Muslim man told the caretaker to lock  their gates and windows. I am very heartened to hear this good news amidst all the bad news about the actions of a few idiots. May Allah reward the actions of this anonymous Muslim man.

Invitation to a Kenduri in Te Aroha

Salam and greetings to all. No, I’m not dead and yes, the website is still alive. I was just snowed under with lab work, as usual. Saiful and Rina is inviting all members of our community (Muslims and non-Muslims) to attend a Kenduri Kesyukuran at his brother in law’s house, Razif, in Te Aroha. The details are shown below:

Date: Saturday, 2 January 2010

Time: 2:00 pm till night

Location: Razif’s house at 4C Longfellow Street, Te Aroha

Note: Yaasin reading will start at 2:30 pm and should finish by 3:00 pm. Please park along Longfellow Street to ease access to Razif’s house. All members of the community, Muslims and non-Muslims are invited.

Introducing Jamli and Family

Jamli and Family

Most of us here have gotten to know Azilawati who came here a few months back. Azilawati initially came here alone and now her husband and family have finally arrived in mid November. Her husband’s name is Jamli who is a school teacher back in Malaysia and they are blessed with 3 beatiful children named Anas Jazli (6), Anisah Fatin (4) and Ayuni Faezah (2). Azilawati’s mother, puan Jamilah Sujal  is also here in Hamilton. Jamli and family has just moved into a house on Silverdale Road and I would like to wish them a great stay in Hamilton and welcome to the community.

Sambutan Hari Raya Aidiladha 2009 di Hamilton

Ahli komuniti sibuk melapah daging korban

Sempena sambutan Raya Haji 2009, rakyat Malaysia beragama Islam di Hammilton and Morrisville telah selamat menyempurnakan ibadat korban. Setelah selesai solat sunat Aildiladha di Hamilton Gardens, seekor lembu telah dikorbankan dan daging korban telah diagih-agihkan mengikut tuntutan agama. Lembu tersebut telah disembelih di Cambridge and kemudian dilapah dan diagihkan di rumah Hisyam di Morrisville. Sebanyak 210 kg daging dan tulang telah diperolehi. Sebahagian dari hasil ini telah digunakan untuk jamuan hari raya haji.

Pada keesokan harinya, satu jamuan raya haji telah diadakan di rumah Dr.Sazali dan keluarga di Hamilton. Sebahagian dari daging korban telah dimasak dan dijamu kepada ahli komuniti yang beragama Islam. Majlis ini disambut baik dan berjalan lancar. Tetamu kemudian beredar ke rumah Jamli dan Azilawati untuk satu lagi sambutan hari raya haji. Saya megucapkan terima kasih kepada semua ahli komuniti yang terlibat dalam sambutan raya haji tahun ini, terutamanya Saiful, Izhar dan Hisyam sebagai penganjur aktiviti korban dan Dr. Sazali dan Jamli sebagai tuan rumah sambutan hari raya.

Ahli komuniti sibuk melapah daging korban

Tarikh Hari Raya AidilAdha

FIANZ telah mengumumkan tarikh hari raya Aidiladha bagi 2009 adalah pada hari Sabtu, 28 November 2009. Solat sunat aidiladha akan diadakan di Hamilton Gardens tetapi kali ini di kawasan luar, bukan didalam dewan seperti tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Oleh yang demikian, anda dinasihatkan membawa tikar dan sejadah masing-masing dan mungkin juga payung jika diramalkan hujan. Sekian, terima kasih.

Suggestion to WUMA: Emergency Fund

Yesterday, Shira passed to my wife some money from UiTM to reimburse some costs incurred by Malaysians who helped the UiTM fatal accident victims. I wish to thank UiTM for this kind gesture but I had made the niah (intention) to be ikhlas (sincere) and have no intention of ever claiming any compensation and thus I don’t want to keep this money. My only wish is that I had made a difference, however small in alleviating the burden on the victims and their families. I am sure that most of the other community members who had sacrificed their time, money, effort and sleep also share my sentiments.

Therefore, I have this suggestion to Mr. Izhar, the President of WUMA: Please set up an Emergency Fund where Malaysians here could donate money. This fund should be made available for emergencies where cash is needed in short notice such as burial/undertaker costs, plane tickets to Malaysia to attend to funerals/terminally ill family members, etc. I remember that one of the problems that we faced during the UiTM accident crisis was that we initially didn’t have the funds needed to pay the undertakers to prepare the bodies for transport to Malaysia. In most cases, people who use the fund must make the effort to repay the amount used but the WUMA Committee Members should have the power to waive this requirement in exceptional cases. All Malaysians here, especially new comers who had just arrived should be encouraged to contribute to this fund. If this fund is set up, I will deposit the money given to me by UiTM and insyaAllah, a little bit more. In time, the amount will accumulate and it will become our safety net.

Not News: Chicken Invasion

Fat Delicious Chickens

Latest Not News: I woke up this morning to find that there are 7 chickens in my front yard. I’ve had rabbits and tui birds (not to mention rats) at my rented house before, but not chickens. I asked the neighbours and it turns out that the chickens belong to another neighbour right next door. The novelty wore off quickly when I saw that there are a lot of chicken droppings everywhere, so I decided to lure the chickens back to their  own house.

Marching Chickens

Having watched many cartoons as a kid, I dropped a trail of rice to lead the chicken back next door. It was a funny sight seeing the chicken marching in single file like a troop of soldiers. I finally managed to get them next door only to find that I missed one straggler. This particular one is very stubborn and skittish and won’t take the bait. I tried to catch it with a towel but the last time I caught chikens was when I was 6 years old back in Ipoh, so I was a bit rusty. After a few futile tries, I gave up and let this particular chook find its way back on its own. I left a note at the neighbour’s house informing them of this breach of my sovereignty and warned them that I’m not responsible if the chicken got run over by my car and possibly end up fried in batter and bread crumbs.

Fat Delicious Chickens

Marching Chickens

Norzana’s Father has Passed Away

Assalamualaikum & Salam Sejahtera,

Norzana bt. Mustafa (Nana)’s father has passed away last night. A tahlil was done at her house in Cameron Road at 1:30 pm today and another one for women will be done tonight after Maghrib. On behalf of the community, I wish to extend my condolences to Norzana and her family.  “Inna lillah wa inna ‘ilayhi raji’un”, To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.

Kak Ton and David’s Garage Sale This Weekend

Hello everyone. Sorry for the slow updates as I am busy with lab work. I just got a new scientific equipment to use and it has been very hectic. Kak Ton and David will be holding a garage sale on the 6th and 7th of November, 2009. This garage sale will be held at David’s mother’s house. I won’t put the address of the house here due to security concerns so please contact Kak Ton for the address and confirmation.

Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement

Malaysia and New Zealand just signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that continues the good ties between the 2 countries. According to the New Zeland Herald, Malaysians are the 10th largest source of international students to New Zealand and suprisingly to me, the second largest source of PhD. students. As the increasing numbers of new arrivals here in Hamilton shows, there is an increase of 70% in the number of Malaysian students here since 2003. This bodes well for the vibrancy of our Malaysian community here. One of the aspects of the FTA is the “equivalency clause” where Malaysia will formally approve New Zealand academic qualifications and though I am not sure, could probably be reciprocal on New Zealand’s part too. This will mean more Malaysian students coming here to New Zealand and they would not have any problems with having their degrees recognized in Malaysia. I am happy to see that both countries have reaffirmed our friendship which dates back to the Battle of Malaya in WWII, the Malayan Emergency and the Konfrontasi with Indonesia.