And this is what is going to determine the outcome of the next general election. The Malay vote is going to decide the government. And Malay here means Islam, both culturally and constitutionally. Hence to win the hearts and minds of the Malays you will need to do it via Islam. And those who are seen as more Islamic will be the ones to win the hearts and minds of the Malays.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
In the past, we would hear a lot of talk about the arms race between the USSR and the US, especially during the Cold War period. Now that the Cold War has ended, the USSR no longer exists, the Berlin Wall has been brought down, and so on, there is no longer much talk about the arms race.
Nevertheless, the arms race still exists. It is just not discussed as often as before, that’s all. And it exists in the Muslim world.
Political Islam is viewed as a threat to the western world. Why then do they arm the Muslim countries at an alarming rate? Today, Iraq is seen as a problem, as is Iran. But was it not the west that armed both these countries? And was it not the west that created the Taliban so that Russia can be kept in check during the Cold War?
All the problems from the Muslim world were western creations. And they knew that one day these monsters they created would come back to haunt them. Why create these monsters in the first place then?
I suppose this is for two reasons. One would be that arms and wars are big money. And the west controls the arms industry so they can make a lot of money selling their arms to countries that have plenty of money. And countries that have deep pockets and can waste billions on arms they may never use in the end would be the oil producing Muslim countries.
Secondly would be about a balance of power. If the west arms the Muslim countries and these countries were constantly on war footing then they would not be such a nuisance or a threat to the west. They would be so busy watching each other they would not have any time to disturb the west.
Furthermore, the west sells arms to only those who are friendly to them. So Muslim countries need to be friends of the west to get approval to buy arms. And if your neighbour is arming itself, then you, too, need to arm yourself. And you can only do this if you are a friend to the country that is supplying the arms.
One thing I have talked about in the past -- which was not well received -- is that other than the arms race there is also the Islamic race. And the Islamic race exists not only in the Middle East but in Malaysia as well.
Of course, when I first raised the issue of the 3Rs it was pooh-poohed by most people. Some even accused me of playing the race card. It is something they would rather not hear about and they resented the fact that I raised it because then it reminded them that the 3R issue does exist, and that it is a problem, and that it is going to become a bigger problem as time goes on.
Over the last week or so we have been swamped with news regarding the Shia issue, especially regarding Mat Sabu of PAS. Now there is talk about creating a Sharia Police that is going to enforce Islamic laws on ‘deviants’. Islam appears to have just become the flavour of the day for Malaysia. And it is going to get worse before it becomes better, trust me on this.
Zurairi AR’s article in The Malay Mail (In religious contest, PAS Youth chief sees a win for Malaysians), quoting PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat, explains it quite well (READ HERE). PAS and Umno are involved in an Islamic race to see who can be more Islamic than the other. And PAS sees this as healthy and beneficial to Islam.
I have said this many times before and I will say it again. Islam is not just a religion. Islam is a political system, the administration of the ummah or community, in short, a government.
Anwar Ibrahim is fond of saying that Islam is an adeen or way of life. And Anwar is right. In fact, the Quran refers to Islam as the way of Abraham and further says that all those who follow the way of Abraham, whether they are Yahudi (people of Judea or Yahuda) or Nasrani (people of Nazareth) -- meaning Jews and Christians -- are the true submitters.
We must remember that Judaism and Christianity, at the time of Prophet Muhammad, were political and administrative in nature. Today maybe these two religions are merely ritualistic but back in the year 600 this was not so. When Islam first emerged, Judaism and Christianity were a form of government.
In a way, Judaism and Christianity have deviated from what the founders of these religions had originally intended. Judaism and Christianity are no longer a form of government like how they were when they first emerged. Islam, however, has held true to its course. And this is what non-Muslims cannot seem to comprehend.
It is not that Islam has become more militant. It is that Judaism and Christianity have become less militant. And this is not the fault of Islam but the fault of the Jews and Christians who have abandoned their true faith and have allowed their religion to become watered down so to speak.
There is no such thing as liberal Islam. That is a concept created by the liberals who would like to see Islam run the same course as Judaism and Christianity -- meaning deviate from what was intended by the founders of these religions. There is only one Islam. And Islam is certainly far from liberal because in Islam there are strict rules you need to follow to qualify calling yourself a Muslim.
I have warned you about the Islamic race between PAS and Umno a long time ago. No doubt, at that time, you thought I was hallucinating or was probably on some illegal substance or smoking weed. Today, we can see the truth in what I said back then. PAS and Umno are trying to outdo each other to see who can be more Islamic than the other.
And this is what is going to determine the outcome of the next general election. The Malay vote is going to decide the government. And Malay here means Islam, both culturally and constitutionally. Hence to win the hearts and minds of the Malays you will need to do it via Islam. And those who are seen as more Islamic will be the ones to win the hearts and minds of the Malays.
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Why is Saudi Arabia buying 15,000 U.S. anti-tank missiles for a war it will never fight?
No one is expecting a tank invasion of Saudi Arabia anytime soon, but the kingdom just put in a huge order for U.S.-made anti-tank missiles that has Saudi-watchers scratching their heads and wondering whether the deal is related to Riyadh's support for the Syrian rebels.
The proposed weapons deal, which the Pentagon notified Congress of in early December, would provide Riyadh with more than 15,000 Raytheon anti-tank missiles at a cost of over US$1 billion.
Regardless of how this purchase of anti-tank missiles relates to Syria, it's undoubtedly part of a larger Saudi arms build up that has been going on for nearly a decade. From 2004 to 2011, according to a 2012 report by the Congressional Research Service, Riyadh signed US$75.7 billion worth of arms transfer agreements -- by far the most of any developing nation. The United States was the major benefactor of this Saudi largesse, as the deals bumped up U.S. arms sales to a record US$66 billion in 2011 alone.
How the Saudis plan to use many of these weapons is a mystery. And it's not just the anti-tank missiles whose purpose remains unclear. Riyadh recently bought advanced fighter jets from the United States for a whopping US$30 billion -- but the Saudis' lack of pilots and ability to maintain them means that it's an open question how long they can keep them airborne, said William Hartung, the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy.
But purchasing the weapons, rather than any intent to use them, may be the point for the Saudis. At a time when they are at odds with Washington over the Obama administration's diplomacy with Iran and non-intervention in Syria, the kingdom's deep pockets can at least make sure their ties to the Pentagon remain as strong as ever.
"There was a [Washington] lobbyist who used to say, 'When you buy U.S. weapons, you're not just buying the weapon -- you're buying a relationship with the United States,'" said Hartung. "I think that's kind of the concept."
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