Taking a break from packing my stuff. Surprisingly I got quite a lot of them. Books, documents, old clothes as well as other this and that from office. I am going to send them over to my new place in three trips. Hopefully by the third trip I'm all done with my last business in JB.
Can't write much tonight. Need to finish packing as much as I can for the first trip tomorrow.
Ok, here is the news report by AFP via Singapore's Channel News Asia on today's Pas demonstration in front of the US embassy. Little bit of my comments at the end of it.
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KUALA LUMPUR: About 3,000 Muslims marched on the US embassy in Malaysia on Friday, burning an American flag, over a US-made film that has sparked anger in the Islamic world.
Although there was no violence, angry demonstrators declared their willingness to sacrifice their lives to defend the honour of Prophet Mohammed and warned "there will be consequences" over the film.
"We will not allow the prophet to be insulted. We are willing to sacrifice
our lives and property," said Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, an official with
the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which spearheaded
the march.
About 60 percent of Malaysia's 28 million people are Malay-Muslims.
Protesters shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) and held up signs
denouncing the film, America and Jews.
One placard read: "Obama, our patience has its limit. Don't blame us
if your citizens die. Blame yourself. U started it!"
Demonstrators handed a memo to an American embassy official,
demanding a US apology, "maximum sentences" for the movie-makers
and an investigation into whether there was a "planned agenda to provoke
hatred and anger towards Muslims".
However, PAS officials said they were not behind the flag burning,
and condemned it.
The protest forced the closure of a busy main road in the heavily
congested capital Kuala Lumpur for nearly two hours.
The low-budget "Innocence of Muslims", produced by a US Christian
activist, mocks Muslims and Prophet Mohammed.
Western, and particularly US, diplomatic missions have been under
siege around the world since a trailer for the movie gained attention
this month on YouTube.
This week France also found itself in the firing line after the French
satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo printed a batch of cartoons caricaturing
Prophet Mohammed.
On Friday, hundreds of protesters also condemned the film at a
separate demonstration nearby, organised by the youth wing of
Malaysia's ruling party.
The US embassy in Malaysia had closed for a half-day on Friday
ahead of the planned protest, while the nearby French embassy
closed for the entire day.
Anti-French and anti-American protests also erupted in Indonesia on Friday.
Protesters gathered outside US and French missions, which were
closed across the country on the Muslim holy day amid fears of violence,
targeted American fast food outlets and scuffled with police.
In Medan, North Sumatra province, dozens of protesters from the Islamic
Defenders Front (FPI) burnt an American flag outside the US consulate.
Outside the French consulate in Surabaya, capital of East Java province,
some 200 protesters from another
Islamic group chanted "crush America, crush France".
They earlier scuffled with several hundred policemen in riot gear outside a nearby
McDonalds. They sealed the entrance to the restaurant with tape, which carried
the slogans "death to the filmmakers" and "boycott American products".
About 50 protesters demonstrated outside the US embassy in Jakarta after
Friday prayers, where some 200 policemen were stationed.
Some 50 demonstrators gathered at the French embassy in the capital, where
they chanted "death to France", "France is evil" and "crush France".
- AFP/a
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Alhamdulillah that no one was hurt at the demonstration here today. Probably once Pakatan takes over the government, we can have these sorts of threat to life and flag burning demonstrations in front of embassies more often.
With Pas in the new ruling coalition, who are going to stop them? DAP? Hmmmm.... I doubt la.
Never mind. If the rakyat want these sorts of people in power, who am I to say no? Maybe we do need these macho self-proclaimed Islamic warrior type to be in charge. More glamour than those sissy Umno type who only peacefully voiced their protest at the mosques.
You know what.
ReplyDeleteWhile I won't cast my vote for a Barisan Nasional candidate in the next GE, I have been mulling to selectively vote for a Pakatan Rakyat candidate - i.e. only vote Pakatan if the parliamentary or state candidate is from PAS.
Hi Big Cat, what is your point. Is it - you are saying these PAS guys are bad, because they chose to demo; or you are saying UMNO Pemudas are sissy because their numbers were very much smaller? In any case, i think somebody have to do that - voicing our displeasure to the Americans. The Americans may not be bothered, but at least we made our displeasure known. It is just that 1 group chose to voice right in front of the American's embassy - and another group chose a few kilometres away.
ReplyDeleteGuess I'm too vague here. Sorry. It's actually about the choice of how to voice our displeasure. Is it to be rationally or irrationally ? Threatening American lives and burning their flags in front of their embassies or keeping cool and show the world that we are better than those bigots who insulted our faith. I think Khairy and the gang did the right thing, even though their Pas counterparts may accused them of being less heroic for not acting like monkeys in front of the US embassy this time around.
DeleteNo need to apologize. You want readers to think ma. Insightful last para. Love it.
DeleteKhairy did the right thing..meh.. the right thing for what? To show that he has some policitcal stand? Fighting the Americans is the last thing on his mind. He was just making some monkey like noise.
DeleteThe right thing to do is like me, do nothing. The film was not directed to the Malays. It was in english before it was translated to Egyptian viewers.
We are Malays, speak malay and practice Malay culture. I dont feel insulted. Hell I dont even understand arabic. Have you seen the french cartoons? If a leave fall in the forests do you know it.
Time to grow up. Religions have their proponents for their own benefits. You cannot control people thoughts. But allowing people to provoke you to act as they thing they know you will act in that particular way is letting them control you.
Buat blur jela.. PAS tu Melayu bodoh. Nak lawan US kafir. cina kafir kat depan mata tak nampak. dont take religion seriously. We must compartmentalised our life.
Football, tennis, olympics woow beautiful men and women aurat.
Sembahyang pakai tudung..see you get best of both worlds..