Ruslan Kassim: another Munafiq identified

So you see, Islam has already established the system of consensus and elections of leaders and committees and so on. So what the Penang government is doing is extremely Islamic. The people decide on their leaders and committees. And this is done through consensus and elections.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Perkasa tells Penang Malays to say no to mosque polls

Perkasa wants the Malays in Penang to oppose the state government’s plan of electing mosque committees, as the right-wing group believes that it will only divide the Muslim community here.

Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim said elections would adversely affect the sanctity of the mosques and unity among the Muslims due to power struggles, the creation of factions, and animosity.

“The action of the state government to have mosque committee elections is unwise and is only politically motivated,” Bernama quoted him as saying in a statement Monday.

The Penang government announced last week that the selection of mosque committees in the state would be made through elections this year to replace the previous method.

Ruslan said elections were implemented in Kelantan in the 1960s and 1970s, but were subsequently stopped as they had caused friction and divided the Muslim community there.

This report is dated 13th June 2011

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Now read this report on Ruslan Kassim dated September 1998

The days before the Umno general assembly of June 1998, a book-length poison pen letter entitled '50 reasons why Anwar cannot become the next prime minister' (50 Dalil mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM), made its debut in the Malaysian political scene.

But unlike most previous poison-pen letters, the 50 Dalil had an author as well as a publisher. It carried a by-line Khalid Jafri, ex-sports editor of Utusan Malaysia, editor-in-chief of the now defunct Harian National tabloid newspaper, an undischarged bankrupt.

Delegates arriving at the Umno general assembly had a copy of the poison book included in the party documentation handed over to them in the complimentary bag. This happened despite the passing of an interlocutory injunction by a high court judge only a day earlier, against the distribution and dissemination of the defamatory book. It was something quite odd and many at the assembly were trying to put two and two together.

The Umno Youth leader from Negri Sembilan, Ruslan Kassim, had done a little checking with the Registrar of Companies, which linked the book's publishers with the disgraced former Chief Minister of Malacca, Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik and his wife, Zabedah Abdullah.

Ruslan Kassim had also heard from the Federal Territory Umno that the party secretariat had been used to distribute the book. This pointed at the party secretary general, Sabaruddin Chik.

Who is actually behind this drama, asked Negri Sembilan Umno Youth leader (Ruslan Kassim). But none of the two Chiks were willing to admit to anything.

Impact International, Vol. 28 No. 9 (September 1998)

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Ruslan Kassim was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for this expose. Yes, he was punished by detention without trial for his allegation against the two Chiks -- the big Thambi whose small thambi got him into trouble, and Sabaruddin ‘tukang kasut’ (Malays would know why ‘tukang kasut’ so go ask a Malay what it means).

Ruslan Kassim swore that Anwar Ibrahim was a victim of fitnah. And when Parti Keadilan Nasional (now PKR) was launched he joined the party and became its Information Chief (Ketua Penerangan).

Yes, before he became the Information Chief of Perkasa, Ruslan Kassim was the Information Chief of what is now called PKR. But when he was the PKR Information Chief he sang a different tune and now, as the Information Chief of Perkasa, he sings a different tune.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, my dear readers, is what Islam calls a Munafiq.

Is Ruslan Kassim now telling us that he lied back in 1998 and that Anwar Ibrahim was not a victim of fitnah and that the ’50 Dahlil’ book was true? Or is he telling us that he did not lie back in 1998 but he can now accept that Anwar Ibrahim was a victim of fitnah and it no longer troubles him like it did back in 1998?

Either way, whichever the case may be, that makes Ruslan Kassim a Munafiq. He is opposed to the election of mosque committees because he just has the interest of Islam at heart, or so he tells us.

But then, if he is motivated purely by Islam and for no other reason, especially not for political reasons, how come what he is doing and saying does not demonstrate this?

From the Islam perspective, a Muslim who runs with the hare and hunts with the hounds is clearly a Munafiq. And this is what Ruslan Kassim is doing. He accuses Umno of defaming or fitnah Anwar. And he was detained for this allegation. But yet he is prepared to work with Umno in spite of what he thinks of Umno.

Anyway, Ruslan Kassim is either ignorant about Islam or is trying to misrepresent Islam. He is trying to suggest that electing mosque officials is counterproductive to Islam.

Actually the reverse is true. It was reported that it took three days for the people of Medina to bury Prophet Muhammad’s body after he died. And the reason is because the Medina people were locked in three days of debate (some like the Shiah say dispute) to decide on the successor or Khalif to the Prophet.

Finally it as agreed that Abu Bakar would be the successor and only then could they bury the Prophet’s body.

No, they did not have Umno or Jabatan Agama (religious department) then in Medina. And it was not Umno or the religious department who decided on the successor. It was the people. And the people voted on the matter to decide who should be the successor to the Prophet.

So you see, Islam has already established the system of consensus and elections of leaders and committees and so on. So what the Penang government is doing is extremely Islamic. The people decide on their leaders and committees. And this is done through consensus and elections.

To suggest that the Islamic system of consensus and elections is un-Islamic makes those who say so un-Islamic themselves. And if they propose something un-Islamic and pretend that it is Islamic this makes them into Munafiqs.

That is the bottom line.