Thursday, May 19, 2011

BOOK INFO - Can We Use Allah in the Bible @ Allah dalam Bible, Boleh atau Tidak

















Peace!

Latest news on the books availability as below:

For MPH Bookstores:

A) English book: Can We Use Allah In The Bible?

  1. MPH just finishes placing our English books in Klang Valley only.
  2. For the rest of MPH bookstores including Sabah and Sarawak, it’s by the end of next week.
B) Malay book: Allah Dalam Bible, Boleh Atau Tidak?

  1. Will be in the stores by next week in Klang Valley and the rest of the bookstores by the following week.
Other bookstores i.e. Kinokuniya, Popular, Borders, Times and etc.

1. Kinokuniya just placed an order yesterday. Books will be in stores earliest by end of next week.
2. For the rest of the bookstores, MPH is still waiting for their order on the book.


For those who are interested in purchasing the book, you may purchase it at your nearest MPH bookstores.


Click here for MPH store locator







Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Wesak Day Advert - Tomorrow in The Star

Have a meaningful WESAK


“ He knows the precepts by heart, but fails to practice them, is like one who lights a lamp, and then shuts his eyes,” – Nagarjuna (c. 150 AD – 250 AD)

Do It For Unity -
Support 1Malaysia Ideals



Yesterday we celebrated Wesak Day with a nationwide holiday. This is one of the most wonderful characteristics of Malaysia. We commemorate together the religious traditions of all our people, not just the majority.

Our Unity basis has been established from the very beginning. In 1957 we vowed out cooperation in the Constitution; in 1963 we grew even stronger as Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular combined as one. Since then we have built our country on Rukun Negara, Vision 2020, and now, we have 1 Malaysia.

Every government brings new spirit to how it promotes Unity. Yey. Many of us reject these efforts based on our auto-response of taking sides, rather than real understanding. Inste4ad of considering the merits of 1 Malaysia or CAT (Competency, Accountability and Transparency) governance, some judge it based on whether they like PM Najib and CM Lim Guan Eng.


Unfortunately, many talk about ‘Unity’ but instead of accepting 1Malaysia as a good Unity endeavor, they poke fun at it and use it as ransom to get their own agenda across.

When we fail to throw our support behind Unity ideals, we water down the cause of inclusivity. When we do not support 1Malaysia, inadvertently, we provide fuel for those who wish to be exclusice; we give power to 1Melayu, 1Chinese, 1Indian.
Slowly but surely, they will gain more ground and take bolder actions.

When we take 1Malaysia lightly, what are we really rejecting?

The ideals of 1Malaysia are for a nation developed on the foundations of unity, with core values of acceptance, fairness, humility and respect for all. It endorses high performance, punctuality, knowledge, loyalty and innovation as principles we all need to practice together.

There is no such thins as taking sides when it comes to Unity ideals. All calls for Unity are non-partisan. It does not matter whether it comes from the government, the opposition, non-governmental organizations or individuals; Unity ideals must be supported. All parties, organizations and individuals should take a pledge to stand by the ideals of 1Malaysia.


Let us show that we are serious about Unity. Let us show those who champion exclusiveness that the support of Unity will not be easily divided, that we will not allow any ground of exclusiveness or elitism or disunity, regardless of our political affiliation.

Let us be first and foremost Malaysians.

At zubedy, our programs and actions draw strength from shared values and traditions. We believe that at hears, all Malaysians want good things fro themselves and for their brother and sister Malaysians, simply because our nation cannot prosper as whole if some of us are left behind.


Let us add Value,


Have a meaningful Wesak Day
To know more about 1Malaysia ideals before making your decision, go to http://www.1malaysia.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/1MalaysiaBooklet.pdf

Saturday, May 14, 2011

The ADVERT that wouldn't be ...


Yes, our Recolor May 13th advertisement was not published as our usual media platform The Star and also the other English print media felt that the time is not right for the advert.

We must understand that many in the media want to carry the advert but they want to be cautious. They employ thousands of people, and support many families. That is why, I am not sore about their action and decision. It is just a little test from God, perhaps He wants me to work harder. All of us must work within the parameters that we are comfortable with.

I would be most happy if you could spread the message by reposting, tweeting, facebooking, emailing ,etc

Here's the advertising copy :)

“Let’s recolor May 13, breathe new spirit into the date, dilute and eventually erase the negative thoughts and replace them with positive meanings and values.”

In the incidents of May 13, 1969, 196 Malaysians perished.



We must make sure their deaths were not for nothing. Their sacrifices must be made a deeply rooted lesson so that nothing like that ever happens again.

How?

First, we need to clearly define what actually took place.

Acknowledge that May 13 occurred, a grave day in which riots and killings happened among us. Many lives were lost. We need to accept that we, as a nation, made a mistake. We let our differences escalate into violence. We need to take collective responsibility.

At the same time, we must also take it to heart that while it was an event of national interest, it was not nationwide turmoil. Only a marginal few got violent while the rest were more concerned for their safety and the safety of others. This was the majority Malaysians; Malaysians who would not hurt their neighbors but instead protected each other from the madness. There are many uplifting stories of Malaysians from all races who kept each other safe from violent rioters. Malaysians with good hearts, people like you and I. Malaysia did not fail in the face of threats.

The lesson we must learn is to stop taking the racial angle. Many, even among the intelligentsia, are still talking about who started it and comparing how many Malays or Chinese or Indians died. Is one life worth less than another? Would you grieve less for a Malaysian from a different race as you? Why then do we try to pin the blame on others, if we all suffered losses? Stop pointing fingers. If we still hold on to racial mentality, we fail to be real Malaysians.

Second, let’s recolor May 13.

Each year, we at zubedy Recolor May 13 through publishing books to unite Malaysians. In 2009 we launched ‘Have a meaningful Malaysia’, a collection of our full-page ads that invite people to consider our shared values through highlighting Malaysian beliefs. In 2010, we released two books, ‘A Plea for Empathy’ by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, and ‘The Quran and I’ by Anas Zubedy.

This year, we are happy to share ‘Can we use Allah in the Bible? A Quranic perspective’ and ‘Allah dalam Bible, boleh atau tidak? Satu sudut Al-Quran’. The purpose of this book is to bring two groups of Malaysians, the Christians and the Muslims, closer. With this book, it is our hope that we will find a way to reconcile with each other.

Please join us and make May 13 a day of Unity. Find ways to understand each other better, bring to light our Unity in diversity and share your stories with children and young people. Organize gatherings and discussions, Unity parties and kenduris. Or simply take a moment and reflect on where we are today and give thanks; we have much to be grateful for.

At zubedy, our programs and actions draw strength from shared values and traditions. We believe that at heart, all Malaysians want good things for themselves and for their brother and sister Malaysians, simply because our nation cannot prosper as a whole if some of us are left behind.

THE BOOK LAUNCH

This book is a call for peace and reconciliation. Recently we have seen how religion can become a fault line that divides our society. But this is ironic because the Christians and Muslims are both people of the Book who believe in a Good god.

In discussing the issue of using the term ‘Allah’ to refer to God in the Bible, this book focuses on two propositions: what the Quran has to say about this issue; and a call for Muslims to be more Muhammad-like and Christians to be more Christ-like in their relations with others, according to the true spirit of their faith.

“Let us resolve this issue and reconcile with one another. Let us do this in ways that do not go against our faith, but ironically, require us to be more true to our calling.”

“Allah willing, this book will play a role in helping to calm down the situation and encourage us to reconcile with one another. Allah willing, this book will open our eharts. Allah willing, this book will serve to unite us!”



Thursday, May 12, 2011

Equilibrium In Malaysian Society by Dr. CM

by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar

“What do the Chinese want?” is a question that is being asked in certain political circles and within the media in the wake of the recently concluded Sarawak state election. The question and its likely answers have profound implications for inter-ethnic relations and the quest for 1Malaysia.

If the pattern of voting in elections is a barometer of the ethnic sentiments that prevail within a community, it appears that from a certain perspective, Chinese Malaysians are no different from Malaysians of other ethnic affiliations. For instance, in the 1964 General Election, the fear that Indonesia would attack Malaysia as part of its belligerent Konfrantasi policy was uppermost in the minds of the electorate, and the Chinese like the other communities, voted overwhelmingly for security, stability and national sovereignty. In the 2004 General Election, the Chinese, together with the other Malaysians, gave a ringing endorsement to the new Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in the hope that much desired change would take place.

Since the majority of Chinese live in urban areas, a certain urban consciousness also informs their voting. Like urbanites in most other parts of the world, they are concerned about issues pertaining to good governance, public integrity, political freedom, individual liberties, and economic progress. The erosion of support for the Barisan Nasional among all communities in urban constituencies in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur in the 2008 General Election testifies to this. Even in the Sarawak election in the middle of this month, it was obvious that Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s over-extended stewardship, allegedly riddled with corruption and nepotism, evoked a negative reaction from a segment of the non-Chinese electorate as well in some of the cities.

There are also of course issues which are viewed from an ethnic perspective within the Chinese community which have caused electoral setbacks to the BN. Business opportunities for the community, mobility for its members in the public services and the dearth of Chinese in senior management positions in public universities are among some of the issues that have rankled this crucial minority for a long while. These are legitimate grievances that need to be addressed.

Some of them are being given serious attention since Dato’ Sri Najib Razak became Prime Minister in April 2009. It is a task that will take time as there are entrenched interests that are opposed to any accommodation of non-Malay aspirations, however just they maybe. These vested interests refuse to acknowledge that making the upper echelons of the public services less mono-ethnic for instance helps to restore a degree of equilibrium to an institution which at one time was more ethnically balanced.

Indeed, maintaining the equilibrium in important spheres of society is a fundamental prerequisite for inter-ethnic harmony in Malaysia. While some Malay groups do not seem to appreciate the significance of this, there are also non-Malay elements that do not value the principle of equilibrium.

Just two years after Merdeka, in 1959, the late Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu, then MCA President, demanded a quantum of seats for his party in the parliamentary election and a status for Chinese education that transgressed the balance in political power that Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman sought to maintain, on the one hand, and the reasonable accommodation of vernacular schools that the Razak Report pledged to uphold, on the other. Lim failed partly because of the Tunku’s firmness and partly because there were MCA leaders like Tun Tan Siew Sin and Tun Ong Yoke Lin who understood the need for equilibrium.

However, the most organised and aggressive challenge to the principle of equilibrium emanated from Lee Kuan Yew when Singapore was part of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965. While swearing allegiance to the Constitution, he espoused a four official language policy and a notion of equality and meritocracy that had little empathy for the gross economic and social inequalities that burdened the Malays and indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak. His ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ was an ahistorical idea that attempted to repudiate an irrefutable fact: that the core of the Malaysian Federation had evolved from a Malay polity.

Lee’s antagonistic attitude towards Malay history and the cultural character of the land became even more apparent after Singapore’s separation from Malaysia. Ignoring the weight of Singapore’s pre-colonial Malay history--- it was part of the Johor-Riau Sultanate--- he legitimised the colonial view that Stamford Raffles was the founder of Singapore. It was his way of telling his people that Singapore need not regard itself as part of the Malay world.

This reluctance to come to terms with historical reality and all that it implies persists to this day in Malaysia. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) continued to pursue some of Lee’s policies on language, culture, and other aspects of Malaysian Malaysia for a period of time. Though it claims to honour the Malaysian Constitution, the party has failed to explain to its constituency that there is an unambiguous Malay basis to the Constitution, embodied in the Malay Sultanates, the Malay language, and Islam, the appreciation of which is fundamental to the maintenance of that equilibrium that recognises the rights of the non-Malays to use their languages and to practise their religions. Similarly, the party has made no attempt to elucidate to its supporters that the protection of the Special Position of the Malays and the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak had become imperative because of the unprecedented accommodation of huge Chinese and Indian communities through the liberalisation of citizenship rules which in some ways is the essence of the equilibrium that permeates Malaysian politics and society.

What is worrying is that the DAP’s antipathy towards the first half of the equilibrium has become much more pervasive in recent years and now transcends party lines. As proof of this, while the entire Chinese community is wholeheartedly committed to Chinese education, it has adopted a lukewarm attitude towards the strengthening of the Malay language based national school system. And yet there are Chinese political leaders who proclaim loudly that they are Malaysian first and Chinese second but are not prepared to support Malaysia’s first language in the sphere of education. Is this negative attitude towards one of the most important channels for fostering national integration a subtle attempt to alter the equilibrium itself? Is this what the Chinese community wants--- to set aside the history, memory and identity of a people who have to a great extent defined the nation’s past and present?

If this is its objective, the consequences will be simply catastrophic just as any attempt to deny justice and fairness to the Chinese and other non-Malay communities as envisaged in the Malaysian Constitution will only lead to a colossal disaster. It is to balance the interests and aspirations of all communities in an equitable manner in an increasingly polarised environment that the idea of 1Malaysia was formally introduced two years ago.

1Malaysia, there is no need to emphasise, aims to sustain and strengthen the equilibrium in Malaysian society.

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Yayasan 1Malaysia and Professor of Global Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

29 April 2011.