M'sia's 'Arabisation' grows - leading to Islamisation.

Worries about M'sia's 'Arabisation' grow as Saudi ties strengthen

Published: 22 Dec 2017, 11:20 am     Modified: 22 Dec 2017, 6:43 pm

 

Malaysia's growing ties to Saudi Arabia - and its puritan Salafi-Wahhabi Islamic doctrines - are coming under new scrutiny as concerns grow over an
erosion of traditional religious practices and culture in the multi-ethnic nation.

A string of recent events has fuelled the concern. Hostility toward atheists, non-believers and the gay community has risen.

Two annual beer festivals were cancelled after Islamic leaders objected. A hardline preacher, accused of spreading hatred in India, has received official patronage.

The government has backed a parliamentary bill that would allow the shariah court wider criminal jurisdiction over Muslims in the state of Kelantan. And after religious officials supported a Muslim-only laundromat, Malaysia's mostly ceremonial royalty made a rare public intervention, calling for religious
harmony.

Marina Mahathir, the daughter of Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, publicly lashed out at the government for allowing the "Arabisation" of Malaysia.

Marina, who heads the civil rights group Sisters in Islam, told Reuters Saudi influence on Islam in Malaysia "has come at the expense of traditional Malay culture". Her father, 93, now heads the opposition alliance.

Saudi Arabia’s fundamentalist Wahhabi beliefs have strongly influenced Malaysia – and neighbouring Indonesia - for decades, but have strengthened considerably since Najib became prime minister in 2009 and began cosying up to the kingdom.

The relationship came under a harsh spotlight when nearly US$700 million wound up in Najib's bank account in 2013. Najib said it was a donation from the Saudi Royal family, rebutting allegations it was money siphoned from the 1MDB state investment fund he had founded and overseen. Malaysia's attorney-general cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The trend toward a politicised brand of Islam in Malaysia, a middle-income emerging market, has alarmed Malaysia’s non-Muslims, including ethnic Chinese who comprise a quarter of the population and dominate private sector commerce. It is also a concern for foreign investors, who account for nearly half the local bond market and have invested US$8.95 billion in project
investments in the first nine months of this year.

The government denies actively promoting Wahhabi-style Islamic conservatism.

Najib has been largely silent about the recent religious controversies. Critics have accused the prime minister, whose governing coalition lost the popular vote in the last general election but retained a simple majority in parliament, of
playing on fears that Islam and Malay political power will be eroded should the opposition win. An election is due by mid-2018.

Election calculations

Militancy has also been on the rise in Malaysia, which from 2013 to 2016 had arrested more than 250 people with alleged ties to Islamic State, many of whom were indoctrinated with hardline interpretations of Islam.

After the visit of the Saudi monarch this year, Malaysia announced plans to build the King Salman Centre for International Peace to bring together Islamic scholars and intelligence agencies in an effort to counter extremist interpretations of Islam.

The centre, which is being built on a 16-hectare (40-acre) plot in Putrajaya, will draw on the resources of the Saudi-financed Islamic Science University of Malaysia, and the Muslim World League, a Wahhabi Saudi religious body.

Saudi Arabia has long been funding mosques and schools in Malaysia, while providing scholarships for Malaysians to study in the kingdom. Many of them find employment in Malaysia's multitude of Islamic agencies, said Farouk Musa, chairman and director of the moderate think-tank, Islamic Renaissance Front.

One of the most worrisome doctrines they preach in multi-cultural Malaysia is 'al-w ala' wa-al-bara' or "allegiance and disavowal", Farouk said. "This doctrine basically means do not befriend the non-believers (al-kuffar), even if they are among the closest relatives.

"We have never heard of Islamic scholars forbidding Muslims to wish Merry Christmas before, for example. Now, this is a common phenomenon,” he said.

The adoption of Arab culture and interpretations of Islam is a result of greater exposure to Middle Eastern people and universities, said Abdul Aziz Kaprawi, a member of the Supreme Council of Najib’s party, Umno. 

"The extensive use of social media also accelerated the external influence on the locals," he told Reuters.

The government is not promoting Wahhabism but rather the doctrine of "wasatiyyah", or moderation and balance, to accommodate Malaysia's multi-cultural society, said Aziz, who is also a deputy minister.

Crown prince's reforms?

Karima Bennoune, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for cultural rights, expressed concern in a report after her September visit to Malaysia about the deepening involvement of religious authorities in policy decisions. She said this was influenced by “a hegemonic version of Islam imported from the Arabian Peninsula” that was “at odds with local forms of practice.”

She also expressed concern about "the banning of books, including some about moderate and progressive Islam, in the country when the government extols these very concepts abroad".

Marina Mahathir said religious departments, staffed with Saudi graduates, "are now consulted on absolutely everything, from movies to health and medicine to insurance, all sorts of things that they do not necessarily have any expertise in".

The kingdom also exerts leverage over Muslim-majority countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia through the quotas it gives to countries for the number of pilgrims they can send on the Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that all capable Muslims must perform at least once in their lives.

 

This could all start to change if Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman succeeds in returning the Saudi kingdom to “a moderate Islam,” which he says was practised before 1979.

He has already scaled back the role of religious police, permitted public concerts and announced women will be allowed to drive.

The kingdom has also set up an authority to scrutinize uses of the “hadith” – accounts of the sayings, actions or habits of the Prophet – to prevent them being used to justify violence or terrorism.

M'sia's 'Arabisation' grows - leading to Islamisation. A vote for Umno/BN is a vote for Islamisation of Malaysia. Reject Umno/BN now, before its too late!

Meryl Streep’s - Weinstein denial. Best for her to retire from showbiz for good!

Meryl Streep’s brand under threat over Weinstein denial

image: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/uploads/articles/2017/2017-01/mstreep0601.jpg

Meryl Streep at the unveiling of the star for actor Viola Davis on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles January 5, 2017. — Reuters picLOS ANGELES, Dec 22 — She started the year leading the chorus of opprobrium against President Donald Trump but 12 months on Meryl Streep, multiple Oscar-winner and doyenne of the liberal Hollywood elite, has become a target herself.

The 68-year-old is coming under fire over her denials that she knew about the misconduct of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who is alleged to have spent his career sexually assaulting, harassing and intimidating women.

Streep has worked on several Weinstein produced films and jokingly referred to him as “God” at the 2012 Golden Globes.

The pre-eminent actress of her generation, Streep has had a glittering 40-year career that has seen her play everything from a Nazi concentration camp survivor to an ABBA-singing mother.

She earned her first of a record 20 Oscar nominations in 1979 for the Vietnam war drama The Deer Hunter and has won the coveted golden statue three times, most recently in 2012 as Margaret Thatcher in the Weinstein-distributed The Iron Lady.

It was her political activism rather than her acting prowess that grabbed headlines during the last awards season, as she received widespread praise, and some criticism, for a speech at the Golden Globes denouncing Trump. 

All eyes turned to the actress again as the Weinstein controversy broke in early October, when Streep spoke out to say she was “appalled” by the “disgraceful” news and had no idea about the allegations.

Her denials over Weinstein have sparked incredulity, particularly among activists in the #MeToo social media movement against sexual misconduct who have concluded that those closest to the disgraced producer must have turned a blind eye.

‘Hypocrisy’

Rose McGowan, one of the campaign’s most prominent advocates and an alleged victim of Weinstein, criticised Streep in a since-deleted tweet over plans for actresses to wear black to the Golden Globes in a silent protest against sexual assault.

“YOUR SILENCE is THE problem. You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly & affect (sic) no real change. I despise your hypocrisy,” McGowan tweeted.

Streep responded in a lengthy statement to the Huffington Post on Monday that she “did not know about Weinstein’s crimes, not in the 90s when he attacked (McGowan), or through subsequent decades when he proceeded to attack others.”

The new denial has done little to silence her critics, however, and on Tuesday around a dozen posters appeared in Los Angeles, depicting Streep as an enabler of Weinstein, who has always denied nonconsensual sexual contact with any of his accusers.

Sabo, a 49-year-old rightwing guerilla artist and former US marine claimed responsibility for the posters, which show Streep with a red stripe across her face and the text, “She knew.”

He added that he had conceived the campaign as retaliation for Streep using her latest film “The Post” to attack Trump, who is facing accusations of his own by as many as 16 women who say he sexually assaulted them.

Entertainment writer Ira Madison III wrote in a commentary for the Daily Beast that Streep’s denials rang true, arguing that the rough ride she has had over Weinstein is nothing more than a manifestation of the sexism inherent in show business.

‘Viciously attacked’

“Here we are, attacking a woman for what she may or may not have known, when everyone seems to insist that everyone in the industry knew,” he said.

“Why then, have George Clooney or Brad Pitt, not been as viciously attacked as Streep? Why not Bob Weinstein, his own brother, who’s remained relatively unscathed from Harvey’s downfall?”

Beneath the rarified air of the Hollywood Hills, the public seems less willing to give Streep the benefit of the doubt. 

Celebrity branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev solicits opinions twice a year about the rich and famous from 2,000 randomly-selected adults across America as part of an ongoing study established in 2012.

He said 58 per cent of those surveyed in October on attitudes to the Weinstein controversy “now feel negatively towards the once beloved Streep” following her initial denials.

“Streep’s claims that she didn’t know are ludicrous and the kiss of death for her image in Hollywood,” the bestselling author of The Kim Kardashian Principle told AFP.

He accused Streep of underestimating the intelligence of the public and the courage of female peers who had spoken out against Weinstein, adding that Clooney also had questions to answer over his response to the scandal.

“Streep needs to apologise to her fans for not telling the truth. And perhaps explain what pressures she was feeling to make such a public statement to begin with,” Sehdev said. 

“Many people assume that Weinstein reaches out to his close friends to see if they could speak out on his behalf and try to damage control. Were Streep and Clooney part of this pact?” — AFP

What a piece of CRAP, Streep is. First attacked D. Tump with baseless allegations, then now having worked for so long with Harvey Weinstein, claims ignorance. Best for her to retire from showbiz for good!

Food allergies have tripled in 10 years Western diet the cause?

Food allergies have tripled in 10 years: Is the Western diet the cause?

 

(Natural News) Cases of food allergies have tripled in the past 10 years, and the Western diet could be the cause, according to new research published in The Daily Mail.

Researchers from the non-profit organization FAIR Health carried out an analysis of private health insurance claims records from 2007 to 2016. Their study showed that individuals who are 18 years old and above accounted for over a third of allergy insurance claims.

The researchers also found that there is an overall 377 percent spike in allergies reported in the past 10 years and that one-third of the food allergies were caused by “other specific foods” — a category where foods were unknown. Meanwhile, the main foods that trigger severe allergic reactions, known as anaphylaxis, were peanuts and tree nuts and seeds. The highest increase was noted in tree nuts and seeds with 603 percent, while allergy in peanuts increased by 445 percent.

They also found that the diagnoses were more common in young boys compared to girls, but in adulthood, more women develop food allergies than men. (Related: Are your food allergies a result of lifestyle choices? Nearly half of people experience their first reactions after reaching adulthood.)

The results made researchers believe that changes to the contents of food or the Western diet, which is high in red meat, over-refined sugars, preservatives, and calories found in junk food, may be a contributing factor to the surge in food allergies.

The cause of the surge in allergies can be associated with genetics, environment, and changes in food manufacturing, according to the researchers.

“We think this shows definitive evidence for a dramatic rise in the number of severe, systemic, and life-threatening food-allergic reactions that children and adults across the country experience every day,” James Baker, CEO of the non-profit organization Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), told Allergic Living, as cited by The Daily Mail.

They also found that food allergy diagnoses both increased in urban and rural areas, but the fastest increase in food allergies was observed in urban regions than in rural ones. Furthermore, insurance claims with food allergy diagnoses increased by 110 percent in rural communities, in comparison with the 70 percent increase in urban areas.

“People around the world, as incomes go up, choose more calories and meat in their diet,” David Tilman, a University of Minnesota professor, told CNN, as cited by The Daily Mail.

More on food allergy

Food allergy is defined as an abnormal response to a food triggered by the immune system. The symptoms of food allergy include itching or swelling in the mouth, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal cramps and pain, hives or eczema, tightening of the throat and difficulty in breathing, and drop in blood pressure. It can be deadly and may need the attention of a healthcare professional, but there are cases when its symptoms can be treated at home. Here are some remedies for food allergies.

• Bananas – Bananas are helpful for reducing the symptoms of allergic reactions to food, such as skin rashes and stomach discomfort.
• Castor oil – Castor oil is known for enhancing the strength and resistance of the stomach to different food items. It helps reduces the severe effects of an allergic reaction as it coats the stomach.
• Limes – This citrus fruit’s juice, when mixed with water and honey, can detoxify the body. This can avoid confusion in the immune system and prevent problems with protein digestion.
• Acupuncture – Acupuncture can help the body restore the natural balance of the body, metabolic functions, and immune system responses.

PAS keeping Kelantan backward to maintain grip and power

PAS keeping Kelantan backward to maintain grip and power 

DECEMBER 22 — Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Haji Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah was dishonest in claiming that development in the East Coast state has been kept deliberately slow (Malaysiakini, December 22, 2017) with the bizarre excuse that “kampung folk cannot keep up with development” and the oft-abused excuse of “causing social ills.”

PAS Kelantan should just be truthful that it wants to ape the Talibans or the IS regimes in Syria and Iraq by being dogmatic, retrogressive and narrow minded in the name of religion.

Mohd Amar insults the entire Kelantanese communities by stereotyping them as backward people incapable of innovation nor enterprise. He should just admit that PAS state Excos, like the Talibans and IS warlords, are chieftains in their mini kingdom who just want to maintain themselves in power via PREVENTING Kelantese folks from progress and development.

As progress and liberation of the rural folks pose a threat to the PAS leadership, the Kelantan PAS Excos realise the need to keep them backward and trapped in poverty, with the seriously flawed logic that “kampung folk cannot keep up with development (Malaysiakini, December 21, 2017).

The truth is PAS failed in their administration of the Kelantan state after decades in power. None of their policies or products are benefiting or liberating the rural folks from the vicious circle of poverty. PAS leadership has failed and is unable to bring progress and development to the state.

Mohd Amar should admit it like a God-fearing soul instead of spinning lies like a “lousy” politician. They should stop being lame and superficial and admit that they have failed the rakyat.

Enough has been written about the paradoxes of PAS’ claims of “social ills” arising from concerts, sports and in this case “development.” Not only is Kelantan state among the highest with HIV, pil kuda (methamphetamine) abuse, let us not forget Kelantan’s very high ranking for sexual violations, incest cases, pornography viewership and mat rempit menace among all states in Malaysia.

Kelantan is richly endowed with culture and heritage e.g. batik, silver and wood carving, and the now state-prohibited mak yong dances, and wayang kulit puppet plays. Similar to Langkawi, Kelantan too is blessed with pristine beaches.

These are value added points which Kelantan can leverage on to propel the state but the PAS-helm administrators are just killing off these positive attributes in the name of religion and “social ills.”

Yet, for all the so-called “social ills” which Mohd Amar claims Langkawi is struck with, why do so many youths attempt entrepreneurship, seek employment in the hotel and hospitality industry in Langkawi, or tourists make a beeline for this Kedah island, as opposed to unemployed youth in Kelantan who idle away as drug addicts or mat rempits?

Likewise, Kelantan is not a sought-after tourist destination. The PAS state government should recognise that responsible development of the state and enterprise will attract tourists and investors, thus benefit its people, especially kampung folks who could leverage on homestay programmes.

Micro-managing people’s live, giving misinformation to keep its citizens in regressive mode, MCA urges Kelantanese folks to ditch PAS and vote BN, so that advancement can be conceived in this East Coast state.

PAS keeping Kelantan backward to maintain grip and power - Taliban /ISIS style. Wake up you Kelantanese communities and vote these Taliban /ISIS out of power, before you all end up far behind the rest of other Malaysians, and probably be poor and ignorant to what happening around the country and abroad. Keep all these turbaned headed folks in their mosques and suraus and not let them rule. Otherwise you face worse than the 2914 floods that were caused by their administration - in granting licenses to timber and mining businesses that caused the Great Flood of 2014. Floods caused by soil erosion and siltation of rivers and estuaries that up till today probably worseed the flood conditions as they have not desilted the rivers and estuaries   

Statins EXPOSED: 10 dangers of cholesterol-lowering drugs

Statins EXPOSED: 10 dangers of cholesterol-lowering drugs they don’t want you to know about

 

One out of four Americans over the age of 45 currently takes statin drugs, intended to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. With $29 billion worth of sales in 2013 alone, drugs like Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Zocor (simvastatin) are a virtual cash cow for big pharma.

Yet, a growing number of researchers, doctors, natural health experts and consumers are sounding the alarm on statin drugs – pointing to the very real health dangers. Today, we’ll take a closer look at 10 different ways in which statin drugs can endanger your life.

Could Western medicine be all wrong about statins?

Most conventionally-trained physicians believe that cholesterol is a ‘primary risk factor’ for heart disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) insists that that there are two kinds of cholesterol – one “bad” (LDL, or low-density lipoprotein) and one “good” (HDL, or high-density lipoprotein). It is LDL cholesterol, according to the agency, that can cause heart disease – a potentially deadly condition that claims over 610,000 lives a year in the United States.

The AHA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plus the American College of Cardiologists all stand squarely behind statin use. In fact, the CDC says we are not taking enough of them – in 2015, a CDC study predicted that getting 65 percent of Americans to manage their high LDL cholesterol levels by 2017 could prevent over a million heart attacks and strokes.

But: an increasing number of scientific researchers and integrative healthcare providers point out that even “harmful” LDL cholesterol is necessary – and that it is really a lack of physical activity and a diet high in unhealthy (toxic) foods (which lead to excessive amounts of oxidative stress) that trigger heart disease.

Some studies indicate low – not high – cholesterol levels as a risk for premature death

Too little cholesterol, some experts maintain, can be just as harmful as too much.

A review of 68,000 deaths conducted by the Division of Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota revealed that low cholesterol predicted an increased risk of dying from gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases.

And, a 2005 study from Columbia University found that people with the very lowest cholesterol and LDL levels were twice as likely to die within three years – compared to those with the highest levels.

In addition, statin drugs have been linked with specific, serious consequences and side effects.

Watch the video below – to hear noted surgeon Sharif Sultan, president of the International Society for Vascular Surgery, reveal the explosive truth about the link between statins and diabetes – along with other potentially life-threatening diseases.

The following side effects have been linked with statin drugs …

Mood changes and concentration problems

Statin drugs have been associated with depression, confusion, impaired concentration and impaired ability to remember words. (In fact, the FDA has updated its safety information to include memory loss, forgetfulness and confusion as possible risks).

Dr. Beatrice Golomb, associate professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego, maintains that as many as 30 percent of statin drug users report experiencing mood changes such as anxiety, irritability and depression.

Increased risk of diabetes

Statin drugs interfere with the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids by raising the production of omega-6 fatty acids – some of which promote inflammation. These can increase the risk of insulin resistance – and raise the odds of developing diabetes.

Higher cancer risk

In an extensive review of studies published in BMC Cancer, the authors reported that prolonged use of statins (over 4 years) was associated with a significantly increased risk of colorectal, bladder and lung cancers. This finding is especially significant because statins are prescribed to large numbers of patients for extended periods of time.

Liver damage

Statin drugs Increase the liver’s production of digestive enzymes, which can cause liver damage and inflammation. Mayo Clinic warns statin drugs users to be on the lookout for signs of liver damage such as yellowing of the skin, dark-colored urine and fatigue.

Reduced mitochondria after exercise

One of the normal biological benefits of exercise is to increase the quantity and function of mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of the cells. However, statin use appears to cause mitochondria to decrease with exercise – meaning these drugs not only neutralize an important benefit of exercise, but actually reverse it.

Decreased levels of important disease-fighting nutrients

Research has shown that statin drugs decrease levels of carotenoids, beneficial antioxidant plant pigments that protect against cell damage and chronic degenerative diseases. In a study published in 2015 in Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers found that statins inhibited the synthesis of vitamin K, which has a protective effect on arteries.

Decreased levels of natural antioxidants

Studies show that statins also inhibit the production of glutathione – the body’s primary antioxidant and vital weapon for protecting against oxidative stress.  Statins also interfere with production of coenzyme Q-10, a vitamin-like substance essential for heart health and normal blood pressure.

Overeating and weight gain

For some unknown reason, statins seem to trigger overeating. This is troubling, because obesity is a primary risk factor of heart disease – and two thirds of American adults are currently overweight or obese.

According to a 12-year study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, statin users increased their calorie intake by 9 percent, their fat consumption by 14.1 percent and their body mass by 1.3 – as compared to non-statin users.

Nerve and muscle damage

Statin use is associated with higher incidence of nerve degeneration, muscle damage and pain – with one animal study showing that animals that exercised on statins had 226 percent more muscle damage than those not receiving statins. Statins also increase levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Increased dangerous arterial plaque

Statins are intended to have a protective effect on arteries. Yet, some research doesn’t bear this out.

In a study of 6,673 subjects published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Atherosclerosis, researchers found that statin drugs increased calcified plaque in coronary arteries, causing coronary atherosclerosis and raising risk of coronary heart disease. Significantly, the participants had no prior history of heart disease.

The evidence is mounting: statins drugs not only may fail to protect against the condition they are prescribed to combat – but can cause depression, pain and increased susceptibility to deadly diseases. It may be time to take a second look at these medications.

(Although Western medicine acknowledges some of the adverse effects of statins, many doctors insist that the benefits of statins outweigh the risks. If you take statin drugs, it might be wise to discuss the matter with a knowledgeable integrative medical doctor).