Yes, but what do you mean by ‘vices’?

And I am only talking about just one issue. I am not even yet talking about abuse of power, corruption, police brutality, deaths in custody, fraudulent elections, racism, exploiting Islam for political gain, and much, much more.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Shun vices to gain respect, Shafie tells Malays

(Bernama) - Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has called upon Muslims and Malays in the country to avoid conflict among themselves to earn the respect of other religions and races.

He said in order to preserve the image of Muslims and Malays, they need to stay away from social ills that they are frequently associated with.

“Others will respect us if the country’s Muslims, Malays and Bumiputeras show good behaviour instead of being involved in street racing and baby dumping.”

“Innocent babies are abandoned because of our actions. It seems like others aren’t involved in this ... we are the ones street racing, smoking ganja (marijuana) and even syabu.”

“These acts are linked to our youths and can bring about negative perceptions among others that we are not noble people and our people cannot set good examples,” he said during a breaking fast function with the community in Semporna here today.

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Most of you have certainly heard of Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam. But have you ever heard of Chaplain Yusuf Estes (photograph above) now known as Sheikh Yusuf Estes? If not then go to these links and read about the man.

http://www.famousmuslims.com/Yusuf%20Estes.htm

http://islamtomorrow.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yusuf-Estes/9209579703

Now, why are we talking about Yusuf Estes? Simple, because Yusuf Estes once said, “I love Islam but I hate Muslims.” He also said that if you want to see good Muslims then you have to go to the Christian world. In other words, the Christians conduct themselves the way Islam asks Muslims to conduct themselves -- but unfortunately they don’t.

This is exactly what I have been saying for years but when I say it they detain me without trial under the Internal Security Act.

And with that opening statement I would now like to refer to the Bernama report above about what the Umno VP, Mohd Shafie Apdal, said.

Shafie has asked the Malays-Muslims to shun vices so that the non-Malays/non-Muslims would have more respect for the Malays-Muslims. While that is a good and noble appeal, what concerns me is that ‘vices’, according to Shafie, is merely premarital sex (abandoning illegitimate babies or baby dumping), street racing and smoking pot (marijuana, ganja or syabu).

What about the other vices? There are worse things than premarital sex, street racing and smoking illegal substances. Should Shafie not be more concerned about the other more serious vices? Why has he not mentioned these as well? These are more damaging than premarital sex, street racing and getting high on weed.

I remember, back in the 1970s, at the height of the Vietnamese refugee problem, Terengganu was flooded with ‘boat people’. And what did the Malays-Muslims do? They 'kidnapped' the good-looking Vietnamese girls and women and raped them.

I personally knew the OCPD of Kuala Terengganu who headed the operation to round up the Vietnamese boat people. He would point to the girls and women who met his fancy and order his police officers to separate them from the rest and transfer them to his ‘harem’.

Sometimes the Vietnamese refugee boats were intercepted on the high seas and the girls/women were removed from the boats. One week later you will find these girls/women clinging to the oil rigs about 200 kilometers offshore. They would be dumped there after the men have had their fill of them.

Is this the way Malays-Muslims should treat unfortunate refugee girls and women? And can you imagine how the children, brothers, husbands or fathers feel when they see their kin taken away and used as ‘sex toys’?

Most Vietnamese refugees came with gold strapped to their bodies. Do I need to add that in many instances they would be ‘relieved’ of their gold?

Then they would be dumped on Pulau Bidong, the refugee island. Then they would be charged ten times or more the market price for the food they bought. A loaf of bread or packet of Maggi Mee would cost a king’s ransom. These poor refugees would be exploited and they either pay the exorbitant cost for their food or starve.

You may say that this was back in the 1970s and today we no longer have any Vietnamese refugees landing on Malaysia’s shores. Maybe so, but we still do have many refugees coming to Malaysia, although not ‘boat people’ from Vietnam, and they still suffer exploitation.

In fact, it is now worse. Today, they are rounded up and sold to the slave traders while the beautiful girls and women are sold to the pimps and forced into prostitution.

Can you imagine your daughter, wife, sister or mother being sold to the slave traders and turned into prostitutes? Can you live with that? And what would the non-Muslims think of the Muslims when it is Muslims who are behind this foul act?

Can Shafie also please condemn this? Don’t confine the condemnation to just street racing, baby dumping and smoking pot. In my book, slave trading and the flesh trade (prostitution) is worse.

I raise this matter because of what Shafie said: that Muslims must shun vices to avoid non-Muslims having a poor opinion of Muslims.

And I am only talking about just one issue. I am not even yet talking about abuse of power, corruption, police brutality, deaths in custody, fraudulent elections, racism, exploiting Islam for political gain, and much, much more. And don’t let me even start on those issues or else this piece is going to be 30 pages rather then three pages long. These are all vices committed by Malays-Muslims, which Shafie avoided and did not mention.

So there is more that Malays-Muslims need to do to clean up their image. Street racing, baby dumping and smoking pot does not even scratch the surface. Those are merely the tip of the iceberg.

Why do Malay-Muslim ministers like Shafie not dare call a spade a spade? If they are really concerned about the image of the Malays-Muslims and are concerned about what the non-Malays/non-Muslims think about the Malays-Muslims then there is much that needs to be done. And eradicating street racing, baby dumping and smoking ganja will not achieve that.

I think I have made my point so shall I stop here before my piece becomes too cheong hei?