Pak Lah wrong on 'secular' human rights

'Please point out to at least one country in the world which is Islamic that has a record of good behaviour and conduct in human rights objectives.'

Abandon secular human rights, urges Pak Lah

Ida Bakar: This is very sad indeed. Secularism is simply the belief that religion should not be involved with the ordinary social and political activities of a country. However, in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's understanding, secularism (and humanism) is the enemy of religion.

As for his gripe that secular humanism is a construct of Western society, little does he know that those ideas too were put forward by none other than Ibn Rushd/Averroes from the rationalist school. While the scholars of Medieval West were willing to explore the socio-political zeitgeist of the Arabs and the Muslims, our 'religious intellectuals' of today are scrabbling under the claustrophobic ethno-religious ‘tempurung'.

Abdullah's pronoucement at Ikim (Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding) is the epitome of what is wrong with the understanding of Islam in Malaysia.

Christopher: Pak Lah, you may be correct in what you said that "Islam promotes freedom" and "Islam is not against the culture and religion of other religions", but the Islam that is practised by Umno is totally contrary to what you stated.

The ‘Allah' issue is clear example that while the Muslim world allows its term to be used by some other faiths, Umno disallows this in Malaysia. Can you explain what Umno is up to?

Don't Play God: My only knowledge of Islam is what I see around me in this country and in the rest of the world. I read, see, and hear a lot of ‘jihad', suicide bombings and killings of dozens and hundreds of innocent people, body-snatching, stoning people to death (such cruelty), catching people for ‘khalwat', caning people for drinking beer, etc.

So, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, you were saying secular human rights should be abolished and Islamic human rights should be implemented? I am sorry, I totally disagree. There is no greater evil than men trying to play God.

Satinah Osman: Are we to take it that all the secular democratic countries in the world - that do not depend on the Internal Security Act, detention in Kamunting and other human rights restrictions - are stupid and ignorant, and that what goes on in most of the Islamic countries and Malaysia are heaven-sent ways of freedom and human rights?

Please point out to at least one country in the world which is Islamic that has a record of good behaviour and conduct in human rights objectives, if any such one exists. The elite, as in the years and centuries past, have used the religion for their own ends. They didn't care a hoot for what was happening to the land or its people.

Threats of hand cutting, leg cutting, honour killing, stoning to death, etc, have kept the citizens at imbecile levels and the game is now fully embraced by Zimbabwe and Burma. Which country is next?

Anonymous: Religion is about beliefs, but politics especially democratic politics is the art and science of managing the people's resources for the people, of the people and by the people. So Mr Islam Hadhari, please don't mix both and screw up things for the people.

Apply the art and science of managing by understanding the principles of management, finance, laws, democracy, etc, which has been built up by man over the ages through becoming more and more knowledgable and practical on what is best for mankind and has been proven to be successful over time.

PAS: Prove JI threat or we'll tell all

KayKay: It's very difficult to accept that our university students, who don't seem to have the energy to even open their mouths and ask questions during lectures, would support terrorist activities. This is probably a scam by Umno to move against university students supporting PAS or the other opposition parties.

CPL: Just like in the Al-Arqam case - Dr Mahathir Mohamad was afraid this massive group would turn to support PAS at that time, so everybody was rounded up on some pretext that Al-Arqam had the Badar Army. Then they said Al-Arqam are Muslim deviants, because they couldn't find evidence of the Badar Army.

DOC: I think PM Najib Abdul Razak and Umno had learned this "terrorists in our mist" scare tactic from George W Bush. Bush stoked fear among the American people and into believing that their country was under treat by Muslim militants and he was the only one able to protect them. He had also managed to use the same scare tactics to divert the American people from the economic turmoil that the country was facing during that time.

The diversion worked and he was elected into his second term. But after that, the mess caused by his administration started to unfold, which led to a financial disaster for his nation. He had to literally run from the White House towards his last days in office and we've hardly heard of him since.

Enter Najib and Umno trying to use this failed tactic. Not very smart, I say.


Zahid slams Anwar for dismissing JI's threat

Kama Mustaffa Umno, Najib and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, after all the lies spewed at the people, you still expect the people to believe in you? We only heard of Jemaah Islamiah from you, and not from anyone else. Umno has never showed evidence that JI exists, other than showing a list of names but without any proof of their involvement (in terrorist activities).

David: Umno & Co are making all sorts of claims without showing proper evidence. Who is going to believe their claims? It's not like they had any credibility to begin with.

JI briefing: 'Asri, Hadi linked to Wahhabism'

Siva: I would rather take this threat very seriously. JI can destroy anything. They have no mercy,mindless, no direction and are guided by a very powerful destructive force. it is better to nip it in the bud than to regret it later.

Habib RAK: The government is getting desperate by the day. Paranoia of losing power has set in. They are having sleepless night. Imaginary threats are being concocted. When control via ignorance and subsidy/money addiction stops working, chaos and force is the next step that will be invoked.

Hopium: Reads like the bells of ISA are getting ready to sound.