For Those Who Make Fun Of Other Religions; The Jewish Hag Pilgrimage

 Here is a story about some morons. Perhaps the morons will read this as well. 

https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/other/report-former-air-steward-files-complaint-to-prosecute-two-for-insulting-the-hindu-faith/ar-BB1dARxR?ocid=msedgntp

• KL Feb 11 — former air steward filed complaint with magistrate 
• private prosecution against two converts for insulting non-Islamic faiths 

insulted Hindu faith on Youtube, Facebook  
insulting Hinduism on  Facebook account which had gone viral

• Shashi Kumar lodged police report  2018
• many others had also made similar reports
• contents given rise to hatred toward non-Muslims in Malaysia
• likely to cause breach of peace
• FMT reported Shashi Kumar will appear on March 12 at 2.30pm

initiated action  (against two converts))
Both associated with controversial Zakir 
accused of denigrating other faiths 
threat to multicultural harmony

• Shashi’s lawyer T. Gunaseelan said complaint under Section 133 of CPC 
• (magistrate) serve notice to DPP informing that complaint received
• posting likely to cause hatred, upset religious harmony 

should magistrate find basis for reports 
(possible) charges under Sedition Act, Penal Code, Multimedia Act
magistrates have allowed individuals to conduct prosecution for certain offences
would leave to DPP to take it up
Otherwise will ask magistrate to give authority to prosecute 

My comments: This is the story of two converts who said somethings which have upset people of the Hindu faith. They made Police reports in 2018. Now they have filed a complaint with the Magistrates Court to prosecute their complaints. This is called a private prosecution.

To the credit of the Malaysian judiciary, the Magistrates Court has set a time and date, March 12th at 2:30 PM, to hear the complaint. 

If the magistrate feels that there is reason to prosecute then the Magistrate will order a prosecution. The Prosecution can be either by the DPP or by private counsel. 

Quite interesting. Lets see what happens.

Meantime here is something I dug up about the Jewish pilgrimage. 

The Jews also call their pilgrimage the 'hag' in Hebrew.  But it is pronounced 'haj'. Some Jewish references simply spell it as 'haj'. 

The Jewish Hag Pilgrimage 

Here are some Jewish references:

The Bible stresses the religious importance of pilgrimage (Hag in Hebrew) to a sacred location. 

The Hebrew Bible refers to ḥag ha-sukkot (“Feast of Booths,” Leviticus 23:34), recalling the days when the Israelites lived in huts (sukkot) during their years of wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. 

As part of the Jewish celebration, a sevenfold circuit (circumambulation) of the synagogue is made on the seventh day of the festival, called by the special name Hossana Rabba. 

Hossanna means a deliverance, an arrival in front of the “Lord” (Rabba / Rabb).

The Torah declares, “Celebrate Haj Sukkot for seven days after you have harvested the (fall) produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. For seven days celebrate the (pilgrimage) festival to the Lord your God.

The Haj of Sukkot was chosen by Prophet Solomon to dedicate the First Temple in Jerusalem (1Kings 8:2). 

Haj Sukkot was so important during the centuries when Solomon's Temple stood that the holy day week of Sukkot was often called simply "the Haj” (1 Kings 8:3; 8:65; 12:62; 2 Chronicles 5:3; 7:8) because of the very large numbers of Jews who came up to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Here is a quick listing of some of the rituals in the Jewish hag:

• Three times a year Jews were commanded to make a Hag pilgrimage (hag ha-matzot, hag ha-sukkot, hag ha-shavuot) to Jerusalem.
• Only those capable of traveling to the Temple were obligated to go.
• Purify the body with water before going on Hag

Circle the Temple seven times anti-clockwise.
Hag pilgrims obligated to offer “korban” (Hebrew) animal sacrifice

Women in menses should refrain from circling the Temple.

It is preferable to enter the Temple complex barefoot.

Above : A model of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem during the Jewish Hag pilgrimage. The Jewish Holy of Holies is that squarish / cube shaped structure in the middle.

Circumambulating the holy of holies seven times anti clockwise

On the seventh day of the Haj Sukkot the Jewish rites required the Jewish pilgrims to circle (circumambulate) the ‘holy of holies’ within the huge Temple courtyard seven times (Mishnah Sukkah 4:5) in an anti clockwise direction.

Each of the seven circumambulations on the seventh day of the Haj Sukkot was done in honor of the seven “Jewish prophets”: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David.

(OSTB : So the Jews circumambulate their holy of holies SEVEN times in an anti-clockwise direction to honor seven famous Jewish prophets.)

Animal sacrifice: The Hebrew korban 

In Judaism, the korban (קָרְבָּן qorbān), also spelled qorban or corban, is any of a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah. 

The plural form is korbanot, korbanoth or korbans.

Korban (Hebrew) is the Jewish ritual sacrifice of kosher animals toward the end of most Jewish ritual reenactments including the Hag Sukkot and other hag festivals.

The term Korban primarily refers to sacrificial offerings given from humans to God for the purpose of doing homage, winning favor, or securing pardon. 

The object sacrificed was usually an animal that was ritually slaughtered 

(OSTB : As part of the Jewish Hag rituals they sacrificed animals which in Hebrew is called Korban.) 

References:

1. http://www.judaism-islam.com/similarities-between-masjid-al-haram-and-the-jewish-temple/
2. https://www.islamicity.org/10724/islamic-hajj-jewish-haj-and-near-east-peace/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korban
4. https://muslimvillage.com/2015/09/21/113432/jewish-hajj-sukkot

(OSTB : Judaism is over 4,000 years old. So does anyone feel like making fun of the Jewish Hag rituals? I hope not.)

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.