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Muslims told Valentine’s Day can invoke wrath of God KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — An invitation “to be my Valentine” on February 14 is against Islamic beliefs and would incur the wrath of Allah, Muslims were told today in the official Friday sermon prepared by the federal government. The sermon warned Muslims against celebrating Valentine’s Day, which the federal Islamic authorities claimed was in breach of the tenets of their religion. In the text of a sermon provided by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) titled “Awas jerat Valentine” (Beware Valentine’s trap), Muslims were told that asking someone to...

Interpol has been accused of abusing its powers after Saudi Arabia used the organisation's red notice system to get a journalist arrested in Malaysia for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Kashgari, a newspaper columnist, fled Saudi Arabia after posting a tweet on the prophet's birthday that sparked more than 30,000 responses and several death threats. The posting, which was later deleted, read: "I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don't understand about you … I will not pray for you." Clerics in Saudi Arabia called for him to be...

HONOLULU: Canada, Mexico and at least two other countries have expressed interest in joining US-led talks for a pan-Pacific trade pact, a US Republican lawmaker said on Friday after Japan asked to take part. “There’s a good deal of momentum for the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership),” Representative Kevin Brady said after meetings with members of President Barack Obama’s administration at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. That momentum was evidenced by Japan’s announcement earlier on Friday that it was interested in joining the talks “and what seem to be very solid inquiries from Canada, Mexico and a few others,” Brady...

Malaysian firm pledges $4 billion to build country's largest convention center in Queens. On Tuesday, the Cuomo administration quietly inked a letter of agreement for the project with the operator of the Aqueduct racino... the Malaysia-based casino operator pledged to invest $4 billion to build the 3.8 million-square-foot facility

You are my children of light , you are my children of light , you are my children of light , and in this season of lights , let MY Light shine through you , for MY SEASON NEVER ENDS ! Truly this is a season of lights , but we are to be lights for Christ Jesus in an open season and heaven for him ! Isaiah 60 The Gentiles Bless Zion 1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,...

For Catholic Malaysians, Putrajaya’s latest pick of a Malay-Muslim principal to head the prestigious SMK Convent Bukit Nanas (CBN) underscores a worrying trend to disregard the Church’s contribution and rights in the country. Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam waded this week into a growing row between the 112-year-old school’s Catholic owners and the Ministry of Education (MOE) after its new principal Datin Seri Zavirah Mohd Shaari’s surprise arrival at its doorstep. ... Christians say such issues are an attempt to erode their religious rights in Muslim-majority Malaysia.

“I’d rather go to war in a Typhoon than in a F-18 (Super) Hornet” an Aussie exchange pilot says December 5, 2011 “I’d rather go to war in a Typhoon than in a F-18 Hornet”. This alleged Australian exchange pilot’s statement is one of the most interesting outcomes (and marketing slogans) of BERSAMA LIMA 11 an exercise marking the 40th Anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement (FPDA) the only multilateral defence agreement in South East Asia with an operational element commitment undertaken by five nations (UK, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia) to consult in the event of an...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian-led activists will hold a symbolic trial this month for former President George W. Bush and British ex-leader Tony Blair on charges of committing crimes against peace in the Iraq war, the event’s organizers said Tuesday.

They include earlier calling on women to be "whores in bed" to prevent their men from straying and pursuing divorce. In a 115-page book titled "Islamic Sex, Fighting Jews to Return Islamic Sex to the World," the group calls on Muslim husbands to have sex with all their wives simultaneously, The Star daily reported. One chapter, "How Sex Becomes Worship," contains unusually explicit sexual descriptions for a Malaysian publication, such as a tutorial on breast-fondling. AFP was unable to immediately obtain a copy of the reported book, published by Global Ikhwan, the Malaysian Islamic group that formed the wives' club....

Wahhabism and Shia Islam are key threats to Malaysia’s security and should be kept under close watch to ensure they do not lead to extremism, a Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) official has said. The National Security Council (NSC) put a group of clerics on its terror watch-list last week for preaching Wahhabism, a puritanical strain of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia ... Zamihan stressed that, if left alone, Wahhabism and Shia Islam could “sow the seeds of extremism as seen in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia and Chechnya”. He said certain parties were now actively promoting both teachings with financial...

The Seven(7) thunders are coming into view , As Isaiah( Seer) witnessed (coals of testimony of Jesus Christ) and Ezekiel (Intercessor) Knew , The voices speaking together "AS ONE" , The Head of The Menorah , JESUS God's one and only Son , For The table has been set for the feast , The Bride entreated to come and take a peek , A look at what is about is about to be whole , The Bells of righteousness are about to sound, Raining down Heaven all around , The Coals of Testimony plainly in view , Burning with a...

Southeast Asia’s underwater bazaar Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto, Singapore A scan of recent naval procurement by Southeast Asian navies points to the fact that submarines top their shopping lists. Thailand and the Philippines have been talking the talk to add submarines to their fleets. Thailand plans to buy six ex-German Navy Type-206 submarines. Despite facing domestic criticisms against the plan, Bangkok believes the US$257 million purchase will be money well-spent. The Thai Navy argues that the underwater warships are needed to patrol the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand and catch up with neighboring navies’ modernization. The Philippines, too, has recently...

China’s omnivorous energy requirements have been attracting increasing attention as of late, as Beijing attempts to secure any and all sources of power for its growing industrial base. Nowhere is this more noticeable than Beijing’s policies in the South China Sea, where Chinese assertions of sovereignty are unsettling the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, all of whom have counter claims on the various shoals and islets. China’s landward neighbors are also feeling the hot breath of Beijing’s mandarins, however, most notably its economic rival India, with whom China fought a brief war in 1962 in the Himalayas over...

As I watched the video and the telephone interview with of Malaysia's former information minister Zainuddin Maidin concerning the brutal government crackdown of the recent protests in Malaysia for freedom and democratic reform, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Laugh because it reminded me of Iraq's past information minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf who came to prominence during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Nicknamed "Baghdad Bob" he is best known for his grandiose and grossly unrealistic propaganda broadcasts prior to and during the war, extolling the invincibility of the Iraqi Army and the permanence of Saddam's rule. Cry because,...

The over abundance of My Kingdom comes from the riches of your intimacy with Me(JESUS) in Glory , for I AM The Kingdom , The Glory and the Power and your Godhead ! So "BE" within My breath for My fullness to pour out of you and as you abide in "This" Holy Place I "shall" do the exceeding and manifest where you stand for I shall " BE " . For You can not practice what is "TRUE" , "ETERNAL" and "FLOWING" ! Matthew 6:13 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil...

Very interesting journey of Chinese guy from China to India and back via Malaysia.......

Bullets and government repression might have stalled the youthful push for an Arab Spring, but  the Arab Spring has now  led to a Malaysian summer here in Southeast Asia and the heat and humidity is leaving many here thirsting for freedom and democratic reform. In 2007 then-Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi brought the calls for reform to an abrupt end using the old tried and true methods of repressing the media and then quelling the peaceful  protesters with chemical-laced water cannons and teargas.    It's questionable whether such old-school tactics will work this time and quite possibly they could backfire. Not...

Skip to next paragraph Recent posts 06.29.11 Google Ideas's new 'think-do' tank takes on violent extremism 06.29.11 The Himalayas' Little Tel Aviv 06.29.11 Airline baby ban: Why Malaysia Airlines says no babies in first class 06.24.11 Q&A: Germany and the Greek debt crisis 06.24.11 In the West Bank, passport stamps come before statehood .Related stories TSA defends searches of children, elderly, amid fresh complaints PBS and JetBlue partner up to keep kids reading all summer long Southwest Airlines sale: More $40 flights ahead? Topics Consumer Protection •Consumer Complaints •Aircraft Manufacturing •Aerospace and Defense Sector •Transportation •Air Travel •Industrials Sector •.That's...

A social activist in Malaysia attempting to shine a spotlight on a magazine publisher that allegedly mistreated an employee has been reprimanded in a most unusual way. In punishment for Fahmi Fadzil's offenses, which include defaming Blu Inc. Media, a judge has sentenced him to apologize to the company 100 times on Twitter. The charge initially stemmed from a claim Fadzil made that a female friend of his was being mistreated by the employer, which he posted on Twitter a few days earlier. The tweets, which Fadzil has 3 days to complete, read as follows: "I've DEFAMED Blu Inc Media...

SEPANG: The special meeting or muzakarah of the National Fatwa Council has decided not to put a ban on the "poco-poco" dance among Muslims in the country as long as it is practised according to the stipulated regulations. The National Fatwa Council would remain respectful of the decision made by the Perak Fatwa Council to ban the dance in the state as their research showed that it had elements of Christianity and soul worshipping. National Fatwa Council chairman Tan Sri Dr Abdul Shukor Husin said the regulations referred to the guidelines issued by the council in 2007, which reminded the...

Islamic clerics in Malaysia are firm on their ban on 'poco-poco' a popular dance form, claimed of having Christian roots, despite the country's National Fatwa Council's decision to allow the dance. ... Zakaria had announced that the dance was 'haram'. He further said that research showed the cross-shaped movement, normally associated with Christianity, could clearly be seen in the dance. Zakaria said that this dance form has been originated from a ritual dance often practiced in Jamaica while the word "poco" referred to a kind of wild dance performed while possessed by "ancestral spirits".

CULIACAN, Mexico — From age 6, each of the Gonzalez brothers learned to make bricks, trudging like nine little chicks behind their father every day before dawn to work in his dusty hilltop brickyard. Three years ago, three of them in their 30s and 40s quit the backbreaking work, saying they had a better opportunity abroad. Now, having escaped the Mexican drug war that leaves dead bodies on the streets of their city of Culiacan almost daily, the brothers face the gallows in Malaysia, standing trial on Wednesday for allegedly working in a factory where police found $15 million in...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysian radio stations worry some lyrics in Lady Gaga's gay anthem "Born This Way" are on the wrong track, baby. Broadcasters in this Muslim-majority nation have refused to play lines in the hit song that encourage public acceptance of gays, claiming Thursday they are being cautious because the government forbids offensive content. Malaysians who tune in to popular stations hear edited versions of "Born This Way" that use indecipherable garble to replace the lyrics: "No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track, baby."

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Islamic morality police in Malaysia have detained 40 unmarried Muslim couples in hotel rooms during Operation Valentine, aimed at curbing illegal premarital sex. Mohamad Rais Rashid with the Islamic Department of the central Malaysian state of Selangor says scores of officers raided budget hotels Monday evening, detaining unmarried Muslim couples who were sharing rooms.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A woman in a jungle region of northern Malaysia rescued her husband from a tiger attack by clubbing the beast on its head with a large wooden soup ladle and chasing it away, police said Monday. The tiger pounced on Tambun Gediu while he was hunting squirrels Saturday near his home in a jungle settlement of the Jahai tribe, a police official in Malaysia's Perak state said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – As couples around the world ready for Valentine's Day, Islamic officials in Malaysia have warned Muslims against celebrating something "synonymous with vice activities." The warning follows plans announced last week by several Malaysian states who are planning a crackdown on "immoral acts" during Valentine's Day as part of a campaign to encourage a sin-free lifestyle. "In reality, as well as historically, the celebration of Valentine's Day is synonymous with vice activities," Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz, head of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM), which oversees the country's Islamic policies, told state media. "Islam would reject...

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin was Monday flown on a Sukhoi SU-30MKM fighter jet in conjunction with his visit at the air force base here. The aircraft, piloted by Squadron Commanding Officer II Lt-Col Mohd Asghar Khan Gauriman Khan, flew in a supersonic speed over Langkawi, Kedah and Penang and landed back 45 minutes later. It was accompanied by another fighter jet, the FA/18D Hornet. Royal Malaysian Air Force commander Gen Tan Sri Rodzali Daud told reporters Tuanku Mizan was happy and thrilled by the experience. Earlier, Tuanku Mizan arrived at the base and greeted by Yang Dipertua...

Malaysia says its navy commandos have foiled an attempted hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Aden, rescuing 23 crew and capturing seven Somali pirates. It says the commandos injured three pirates during a gun battle on board the Malaysian-flagged MT Bung Laurel chemical tanker on Friday. The navy was alerted by a distress signal from the vessel's crew. Kuala Lumpur is now considering whether the pirates should face trial in Malaysia. "We will determine what we should do, whether we are going to bring them here to be tried or take any other appropriate action," Malaysian Prime Minister...

Recent events in Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt spell a dangerous new trend in the region. There have been major developments in Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt, each of which is of tremendous importance. In Tunisia, a popular uprising fueled by unemployment, economic suffering and long-term discontent has overthrown the dictator, but not necessarily the dictatorship. In 55 years of independence, the country has been governed by two dictators, the current one being Zine al-Abedin Ben Ali, who has been president for 23 years and was a key power in the regime even before that. Is this going to spread? Does it...

WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda's Internet communications system has suddenly gone dark to American intelligence after the leak of Osama bin Laden's September 11 speech inadvertently disclosed the fact that we had penetrated the enemy's system. The intelligence blunder started with what appeared at the time as an American intelligence victory, namely that the federal government had intercepted, a full four days before it was to be aired, a video of Osama bin Laden's first appearance in three years in a video address marking the sixth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. On the morning of September 7, the...

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was speaking after fans and players complained about the Suzuki Cup final match. [snip] Trouble began in Sunday's match in the second half when the Indonesian team claimed that Malaysian supporters had shone lasers directly into players' faces, including the captain, at several corner kicks, and the goalkeeper. The game was halted for eight minutes as Indonesia's players left the pitch. [snip] The Jakarta Post said that lasers reportedly also troubled the Vietnamese national team during a semi-final match against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

Super Hornet Represents Natural Progression From Hornets, Says Boeing By Mikhail Raj Abdullah KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- Boeing's combat-proven multi-role Super Hornet fighter aircraft represents a natural progression for Malaysia's current aircraft fleet given its enhanced inter-operability with the existing eight Hornets plus its ability to provide support for ground forces. "The Super Hornet has the capability, flexibility and performance necessary to modernise the air or naval aviation forces of any country," said Dennis Muilenburg, the Executive Vice-President of The Boeing Company and President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, which is a unit...

Kota Kinabalu (AsiaNews) - Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah, is growing where the faithful are now more than 180 thousand, nearly 10% of the population. Sabah is one of 13 states of Malaysia and is situated in the northern part of Borneo.Many churches have increased the number of Sunday Masses, to cope with the influx of the faithful. The church of Stella Maris, for example, decided to celebrate on Sunday a third function in Bahasa Melayu, the local language, along with two others in English.Leonard Chin, faithful of the parish, told AsiaNews that "the...

[Story about politicians in Malaysia] SIBU: The application to strike out a lawsuit filed by Sarikei MP Ding Kwong Hiing against Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarikei branch chairman Wong Hua Seh was dismissed by the High Court yesterday afternoon. Justice Yew Jen Kie made her ruling via video conference. On June 25, Wong filed an application to strike out the lawsuit. In Ding’ suit filed on May 27, he claimed RM15 million from Wong for the damage in reputation that Wong had caused him by an allegedly false statement. According to the statement of claim, on Dec 29 last year,...

If you’re like me, you’re pretty sick of the biased, left-leaning, mainstream media which goes way out of its way to paint a very negative picture of a world that hates and despises the United States for everything we are. Our global image is said to be that of a nation driven by greed and power. It is reported that the world perceives us as a nation who exploits the people and the resources of the world purely for selfish, greedy desires. We are told that the world’s citizens suffer under the power and might of the United States military...

A ProPublica investigation published Tuesday raises concerns about a biotech laboratory being built in Malaysia that will handle deadly pathogens such as anthrax, plague, SARS and the Ebola virus. The stated mission of lab, developed by the Malaysian government with the Maryland-based firm Emergent BioSolutions, is to produce vaccines against fatal and contagious agents that could be used in terrorist attacks. But critics worry that the facility could be used for offensive, instead of defensive, purposes in a country that has been tied to several terrorist plots over the past decade. They question "the security, safety and wisdom of building...

"...Imam Rauf’s project is better known here now as the “Ground Zero mosque,” after the term for the World Trade Center site. Families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and conservative politicians have mounted an emotional campaign to block it, claiming that locating it only two blocks north of the site was a provocation. “We repeatedly say we are neither a mosque nor within Ground Zero, but they just shout back ‘Ground Zero mosque,’ ‘Ground Zero mosque,’” Imam Rauf, 61, told Reuters in an interview. The planned building will have a prayer room for Muslims, he said, but...

A high school teacher who assigned her class to plan a terrorist attack that would kill as many innocent Australians as possible had no intent to promote terrorism, education officials said Wednesday. The Year 10 students at Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community High School in the state of Western Australia were given the assignment last week in a class on contemporary conflict and terrorism. Principal Terry Martino said he withdrew the assignment as soon as he heard of it. But after news of the assignment was published in Wednesday's West Australian newspaper, talk radio and online forums began a busy debate and some...

WEBTODAY EXCLUSIVE (August 24, 2010)-- QUESTION: Who really was speaking on that historic day of June 4th 2009 in Cairo, Egypt? President Obama or the Imam of the proposed Ground Zero Mosque, Feisal Abdul Rauf? ANSWER: Feisal Abdul Rauf! Link to audio of Rauf's admission The Shoebat Foundation obtained this shocking audio recording of Rauf's own voice boasting in Arabic that Obama’s historic Cairo speech was provided by the Imam and the Cordova Initiative in what the Imam called “The Blue Print” which he said was the solution to the Islamic-American divide. Rauf claimed Chapter 6 of the Imam’s work...

Why? Did the panderer in chief want to let the jihadists know that the Alabama shooting, the Ft. Hood massacre, the Christmas Day bombing, the subway and Times Square plots, and the many other attacks by Muslims on America won’t be held against them? Again from GMBDR – Obama surrounding himself with IslamistsMPAC Attends White House Meeting To Announce Obama Supreme Court Nominee: The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) has announced that is participated in a White House meeting with President Obama and cabinet officials to announce the President’s nomination to the Supreme Court. According to the MPAC announcement: This...

Where exactly is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the $100 million Ground Zero mosque project? I keep asking because weeks after he stopped answering any questions about his “Cordoba House� plans, there is still no answer. By now, there is information in Rauf’s silence. He launched his Ground Zero mosque and Islamic center project in the name of “dialogue,� “outreach� and “bridge-building� in lower Manhattan. In doing so, he trampled on raw feelings, and set off a divisive debate. Rauf’s apparent dismissal of public questions as not worth his time, while he travels to the Middle East on U.S. taxpayer money, suggests enormous contempt for the American public.Rauf dropped out of sight...

It is time for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to step up to the plate and investigate Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf, who is currently touring the Middle East at the expense of American Taxpayers as an envoy of her Department of State. Claudia Rossett, one of America's premier journalists, today reveals several disturbing facts that more than warrant an official investigation: ...what's going on with the web site of his Cordoba Initiative? Last week, after someone in his Malaysia office referred all questions back to his office in New York, the phone number and address of his office in Malaysia...

Germany enjoyed an unexpectedly strong second quarter as the economy grew at the fastest pace in 23 years.Gross domestic product in Europe's largest economy increased by 2.2pc compared with the first quarter, far exceeding forecasts of a 1.3pc gain. The sharp rise was driven predominantly by growth in exports. "Such a quarter-on-quarter growth has never been recorded before in reunified Germany," said the German statistics office. "The recovery of the German economy, which lost momentum at the turn of 2009/2010s, is really back on track."

Malaysia Introduces New Islamic Alternate Currency -- GOLD Gus Lubin Aug. 13, 2010, 12:36 PM Here's one reason for a gold currency you might have missed: the Sharia commands it. That's why Malaysian Muslims are celebrating plans by the state government of Kelantan to introduce an alternate gold currency. FT Beyond BRICs: About 1,000 shops and restaurants in the state have said they will accept the new currency, which follows an earlier issue of gold dinars in 2006. The coins comply with traditional Islamic teaching on the use of coins with intrinsic value as a medium of exchange, rather than...

Mysterious Group Buys Building Next to Ground Zero For Mosque Wednesday, December 16, 2009 Jim Hoft A mysterous Muslim group with unknown sponsors has purchased a building steps away from Ground Zero. Hudson New York reported: An identified group with unknown sponsors has purchased building steps away from where the WorldTrade Center once stood — to turn it into potentially one of the largest New York City mosques. At the moment the building, the old Burlington Coat Factory, already serves as a mini-mosque: an iron grill lifts every Friday afternoon for a little known Imam leading prayers a few yards...

For a man whom one would hope has nothing to hide, the imam behind the Ground Zero mosque project sure has dropped out of sight. Having triggered an uproar in the U.S., Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf ducked out of the country weeks ago and, apart from a potted statement last week praising his own project, has pretty much clammed up. In New York Rauf has become a sort of phantom celebrity. His name is plastered all over the public debate, but Rauf himself has been absent and oddly unavailable, even by phone or e-mail, to answer questions. From his New...

A VEGETABLE farmer who lived a life of luxury after winning almost RM1mil in a lottery five years ago torched himself when his “pot of gold” became empty. The 63-year-old from Serian, Sarawak, known only as Khoo, was reported to have dug a “grave” at the back of his house before splashing petrol on his body and lighting it, reported Berita Minggu. The man had won more than RM750,000 five years ago and then reportedly spent up to RM1,800 on a single bet over the years, hoping to strike it big again, the weekly said. Serian OCPD Deputy Supt Jamali...

Ex-Pat FReepers, Please sound off about what you like and dislike about living overseas. I'm retired and need to stretch my retirement dollar. Let me know why you would come back to the USA also.Need a fourth for bridge? I might just become your neighbor and friend. Who knows? Thank You for your kind responses.DrMike

HOW do you pray facing Mecca five times a day when you are circling the Earth 16 times every 24 hours? This is one of the problems facing Malaysian authorities as they prepare to send their first man into space. There are others: how to hold the prayer position in zero gravity, ensure that only halal freeze-dried food is in your space cupboard and perform your ritual ablutions before worship? They have all been answered by a team of Islamic scholars and scientists that has spent more than a year working on guidelines for the astronaut.

It's a 3.5 million-square kilometer stretch of ocean, speckled with some 200 coral atolls, some submerged or so tiny they hardly deserve to be called islands. Welcome to the South China Sea, an obscure patch of global real estate that you're likely to hear more about in coming years. Six Asian countries have long had competing — at times comical — claims to various islands here, sending token military forces to occupy barren rocks at great expense in the name of national pride. What's new is China's muscle-flexing, which, if trends continue, could make the South China Sea one of...