Monday 8 August 2011

When Christian aid is viewed with suspicion

'But look at the calamity in Iran, such as the earthquake in Bam, or the tsunami in Aceh. The main donors are not from Muslim countries.'

If Muslims turn to others for help, who's to blame?

FairMind: If Muslims turn to others for help, who's to blame? Of course, blame the others.

How else to explain that after 50 years of rule by Umno, there are still so many poor Malays despite the affirmative policies? How else to explain but that the money goes to the pockets of Umno and its cronies? And how else to get the ignorant Malays to vote for Umno every time for over 50 years? Isn't it obvious?

If Mother Teresa is still alive and is here in Malaysia, she will get the blame too. It is only the mission schools in Malaysia that are not being blamed because Umno's own leaders and our royalty once studied in these schools.

Black Mamba: The reasons we are poor and have to resort to any religious body, whether Buddhist Kachana kitchen, Hindus, Christians soup kitchen, Sai Baba, Japanese Shinto, Taoist, Kuan Ying temple vegetarian or whatever for food to ease our burden is because the ruling party BN has been draining our coffers dry.

From PKFZ, Perwaja, Petronas, Mindef Scorpene and what not, have they not emptied. The woes of the Malays today are due to the corrupt ways of the Malaysian leadership.

Headwillroll: Everyone should help everyone in need irrespective of the religious background of the donor/recipient.

It is only human that we accord kindness to persons in need. If we are people belonging to a faith - Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc - it's even more important for us to quickly lend a helping hand.

If you are hungry and ask me for food, if you got into an accident, if you are sick, do I need to ask you what religion you belong to? Today it may be you rendering help, tomorrow you may be the one requiring help.

CHKS: If I am suffering, and my fellow brothers can't lift a finger to help and yet get zealous over religious issues to the iota in a pharisaical manner, this is called hypocrisy - be it in Christianity or Islam.

Maybe, Jais (Selangor Islamic Affairs Department) is 'jealous' over the extent of the compassion shown by DUMC (Damansara Utama Methodist Church). Well said, ex-Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin. I learned a lot from this article, even as a Christian.

Pasupathy Kanagasaby: I have helped a number of poor Malay families without batting an eyelid. I feel proud that as a Malaysian Christian, I am able to assist the poor and needy.

I think that more of us should help one another without worrying about religious bigots who are scared of their own shadow and wish to show that they are high and mighty just because they wear jackets flashing their names.

They should be ashamed of themselves for earning salaries paid for by all Malaysians of various religious denominations.

Anonymous_4031: Jais and those who are super religious, go to all the poor areas and set up centres for food distribution. Set up clinics and heal the AIDS/HIV sufferers.

Go to the prostitutes and help them. Go to the gambling dens and help the gamblers. Go to the poor slums and help them get shelter. Go to the weak students and teach them. Go to the poorest areas in Sarawak and Sabah, Perlis, Terengganu, etc, and help them in terms of food, shelter, education.

Yes, do all these as Christians have done so selflessly. Then you will earn brownie points in heaven.

Lover Boy: This problem only exists in Malaysia. Look at the calamity in Iran, such as the earthquake in Bam, or the tsunami in Aceh. Look at the international donations that the victims received and you will know that the main contributors are not from Muslim countries.

Onyourtoes: That is why I have always maintained that government-administrated welfare and charity programmes are jokes. Most of the time, people who administrate the programmes are the one who benefit the most.

Geronimo: In the early 70s, I was involved with one of our church movements, the St Vincent de Paul Society For the Poor.

We have monthly collections from the parishioners and these monies were then used to buy provisions for the poor, such as a packet of rice, sugar, salt, salted fish, a can of condensed milk, and biscuits, that would probably not last more than 10 days.

We distributed the rations on the first Saturday of each month in the church compound and the recipients were Chinese, Indians and Malays. Even though with such meagre handouts, some of these elderly folks were so grateful that they would cling onto your clothes and cry.

There was never at any one time when the thought of converting these poor folks to Christianity appeared in our minds. Now to be told by Hasan Ali that we give handouts to convert the Malays is really a low blow.

PAS to meet with Jais, DUMC over raid

Swipenter: Did Hasan Ali and Jais produce any concrete evidence of Christians proselytising Muslims? Yes or no? PAS, please don't pussyfoot on this matter and prolong it any longer than necessary.

Lover Boy: PAS president Hadi Awang, the place was raided by Jais and your party member, Hasan Ali, has made a serious allegation that the DUMC are proselytising Muslims. Hasan says that they have proof. Show it.

As for DUMC, I think you should not attend the meeting with PAS leaders until they show some prima facie proof.

Alan Goh: In all fairness to PAS, everyone should give time to Hadi Awang to get to the bottom of the Jais controversy. If Jais had acted wrongly by raiding the DUMC community party and failed to produce the evidence for the raid, Jais should apologise unreservedly to DUMC.

Hasan Ali should then resign from the Selangor exco immediately. Better still, 'lompat' to Umno.

Soapbox23: Now, now, let's take a step back and reflect. Both the Christians and Muslim faiths have preached to their flock that to convert a non-believer to their faiths would ultimately reward them in heaven.

Very often, you see destitute Hindus joining either faith and becoming very devout in the new religions they embrace, be it Christianity or Islam.

Look around and you will note that the Indian Muslims and the Indian Christians are very often pretty staunch in their beliefs, perhaps because of the initial help their forefathers received from the churches and mosques. I suspect that all parties in this little squabble are pretty much aware that there is nothing known as a free lunch, thus the suspicion.

I believe that both Jesus and the Prophet gave freely without any agenda, but his followers are having difficulty emulating their examples.

Black Mamba: The onus is not on DUMC to explain. Jais barging in without a search warrant - that is its first offence. Harassment of guests in a religious ground is the second offence.
Rummaging and trampling through a prayer sanctuary is the third offence.

Just show proof of proselytising and cut out the rest.

Ambiga thanks PSM 6 for taking the heat for Bersih

Inspektor Klueso: I'm very moved by these noble people who risked their personal well-being standing tall and firm against tyranny and oppression. Long live the rakyat, long live the PSM 6.
Show that you are men and women of action, not mere words.

Lexicon: Suaram director Kua Kia Soong knows better than most the long history of arbitrary imprisonment of dissidents in Malaysia. We look forward to all Malaysians building on the opening that Bersih has carved out in our political lives, so that the ISA and EO will simply be a shameful memory for Malaysians.

YellowSub: Oppressive governments always detain the weak and poor first as the rich have the means and connections to be free - but human spirit is such that money cannot buy freedom. I doubt PM Najib Razak and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein know anything being poor or bullied, having both been born with a silver spoon.

Anonymous_4031: If Najib says he has no fear of facing the voters in an open election, then just do it now with all the eight Bersih demands.

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