Forward Magazine August 2009

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O mankind!Be conscious of your Lord Who created you from a single soul (Adam), and created from that soul its mate (his wife - Hawa),

and out of the two spread abroad a multitude of men and women. And remain conscious of Allah in Whose Name you demand (your rights) from one another and honour the ties of kinship

(silaturahim); for Allah is Ever Watchful over you.

(Verse 1, Surah An Nisaa’, Al-Quran)

2 Forward August 2009

August 2009 I Issue 38

DepartmentsNews: New free clinic to open oneafternoon per week: Muslim Free Clinic

CAIR-NY Welcomes City CouncilVote on Muslim Holidays in Schools

INDONESIA:Controversy over clean-upplans for Java’s biggest river

Burmese migrant children missingout on education

FEATURES: Are we on the brink of a nuclear free world? Perhaps not in my lifetime, says US President Barack Obama.

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COVER STORY

www.forwardmagazine.com.my

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AFRICA:CAMEL FARMINGCOULD BETHE ANSWER

10In May 2009, one of the columnists from The Sun brought up the infamous issue of personal liberties. In response to YB Khalid Ibrahim’s consideration to ban the sale of alcohol in 7-Eleven, the writer lashed out at Napoleans, big and small, who dare judge others with their ‘holier than thou’ attitude and have the audacity to actually ban the sale of a legal product, in this case, the alcohol.

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NATIONAL: There is much concern about the level of English proficiency at the workplace, which, if left unchecked could cause the country to lose its competitiveness especially in the industrial and technical fields.

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Tell us what you think. We promise to read everything you send, really. Write to: The Editor, Forward Magazine, No. 68-B, Jalan Kampung Attap, 50460 Kuala Lumpur or email us at [email protected]

Agenda

A Member of:

Science & Tech: The right way to electric cars

Foreign Affairs:Netanyahu’s BrilliantPeace Plan?

FOOD: Homst restaurant is a simple yet comfortable place to savour authentic Chinese dishes prepared by its Muslim owner.

64PURSUITS: Meet Dr Qaisar Shah, one of 20 practising neurointerventionalist and neurointensivist in the Untied States whose knowledge and mastery of innovative technology, through the help of Allah Most High, has saved more than 500 lives through the procedures.

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Other Departments: This Month, Gadget, Photo Essay, Other Dimensions,Monthly Notes, Nuance, Environment, Your Say, Books & Critics,Commentary, Spirituality.

LIVING ISLAM 43

Travels: Kg Stay Batu Kikir, Negeri SembilanLive the ultimate kampungexperience

UNITY’S BY PRODUCT-DISUNITY

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Apart from the olive trees threatened of being uprooted by the Israeli regime, the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent Al Aqsa Mosque has also long sat in the eye of a political storm and an issue that has raged for more than a quarter of a century around the most disputed piece of land in the disputed city of Jerusalem, the place Israelis call the Temple Mount, and the Muslims call Haram-esh-Sherif.


what’s newsfrom the editor

Zulkafly Baharuddin

The Creator of mankind, Allah the Most High, sent downds al-Quran for the benefit of the best of His creations, exemplified by His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), so that mean lead their lives well fully here in this life and in the hereafter.

The word alcohol refers to ethanol. Ethanol, in alcoholic beverages, has been consumed by humans since prehistoric times for a variety of reasons such as hygieneic, dietary, medicinal, religious, and recreational reasons.

The consumption of large doses of ethanol causes drunkenness (intoxication), which may lead to a hangover as its effects wear off.

Depending upon the dose and the regularity of its consumption, ethanol can cause acute respiratory failure or even death. Because ethanol impairs judgment in humans, it can be a catalyst for reckless or irresponsible behavior.

Enough reasons to understand why Allah the Most High has made alcohol forbidden for mankind.

Its bad for humans,you but yet drinking alcohol continues to be socially acceptable by in many cultures and even seen as a glamorous thing to do practice.

As there is no compulsion to subscribe to Islam and submit to Allah, the Most High, mankind hasve the choices to make – to drink or not to drink obey or disobey.

The choice is yours.

FLINT, Michigan -- A group of Flint-area physicians will band together to open the Muslim Outreach Free Clinic later this month, offering a half-day of free health care services each week to lower income people without health insurance.

The project is the brainchild of a group of Muslim physicians who hope to help address the health care crisis in the Flint community brought on by the current economic downturn. The free clinic will be housed in the after-hours urgent care clinic opened in February by Dr. Ahmed Arif at 1301 Flushing Road, next door to Arif ’s regular internal medicine and pediatrics practice.“The urgent care clinic is only open in the evenings so this facility was available during the day and it’s located close to the population that most needs these services,” said Arif. “Our main goal is to serve people who don’t qualify for any kind of health insurance and don’t have enough income to afford anything on their own.” The clinic’s first date is June 24. About 12-15 family care physicians will rotate at the half-day clinic every Wednesday afternoon from 1-4:30 p.m., providing free care to anyone who meets the qualification guidelines.

“They will be doing this when most physicians take off a half-day of work,” said Arif. “We’ve also contacted diagnostic facilities and labs who’ll provide us with free services. A lot of people have been very generous and forthcoming to help us provide all aspects of care for longterm and chronic illnesses.”

Patients who need diagnostic tests such as MRIs and cardiac stress tests will be referred to those facilities for services, which will also be provided free of charge to the clinic’s patients. Patients needing the care of a specialist will be referred to the appropriate specialist. They have also agreed to provide free services to any patients referred to them by the clinic. Eligibility guidelines: Age 18-65 years, without any form of health insurance. Income based on 200% of federal poverty level. Family size and maximum annual income:

$21,660 $44,100$29,140 $51,580$36,620

Patients must bring proof of income such as pay stubs, W-2 forms or tax returns, social security number, picture I.D., proof of Genesee County residence. Patients will be seen by appointment only. Flushing Road Urgent Care provides convenient care to people who might otherwise be forced to visit a hospital emergency room with non-life-threatening problems, and offers discounted rates to all uninsured patients through the end of 2009. Some of the comments to the Muslim free clinic;eastside32 says: Do I have to convert to get treatment?lazybones921 says: Right. It’s too late to comprehend such ambiguity. I have been to Dr. Arif ’s clinic. It’s nice and they were prompt in their care. lizshaw says: The clinic is open to anyone who meets the income/health insurance guidelines. The clinic’s title just refers to the fact this is a group of physicians of the Muslim faith who formed the non-profit. I’ve been to the clinic too, with my adult daughter who’s in nursing school and can’t afford health insurance right now. They were prompt, friendly and caring, and the clinic was extremely clean. I was very impressed!

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New free clinic to open one afternoon per week: MUSLIM FREE CLINIC

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what’s news

NEW YORK, NY - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today (June 18th 2009) joined a coalition of community organizations in welcoming the passage of a resolution by a committee of the city council that calls for adding Muslim holidays to the school calendar.

Resolution 1281, passed overwhelmingly by the New York City Council Education Committee, calls on the “New York City Department of Education to incorporate the Muslim holidays of Eid Ul-Fitr and Eid Ul-Adha as observed school holidays in the school calendar for the city school district of the city of New York” and also asks that the state legislature “pass, and the Governor to sign into law, A.8108/S.5837, an Act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring that Eid Ul-Fitr and Eid Ul-Adha be school holidays in the city school district of the city of New York.” The Coalition for Muslim School Holidays - a broad interfaith, inter-ethnic coalition of labour, community, civil rights, and religious organizations also urged the entire city council to support including Muslim holidays in the school calendar.

“Today marks a positive step forward in the effort to provide a more inclusive educational environment for all students,” said CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali, who sits on the steering committee of the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays. “This resolution advances religious liberty, recognizes the growing Muslim population in New York and promotes our great city’s values of diversity and inclusion.” She noted that the New York City area is home to some one million Muslims, one of the fastest growing and most diverse religious populations in the city. More than 90 percent of Muslim students attend public schools and one in eight public school students is Muslim. CAIR offers a booklet, called “An Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practises,” designed to promote diversity and accommodate Muslims students in educational institutions.

Ali also urged Speaker Christine Quinn and the entire city council to pass Resolution 1281: “Our community continues to face issues of harassment and discrimination in schools. The city now has an opportunity to help foster a better understanding of Islam and re-affirm that Muslims are a valued part of this city.”

In a similar effort to promote religious inclusion in New York, CAIR-NY yesterday joined the Sikh Coalition in its request to end a Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) uniform policy that requi-res Sikh and Muslim transit workers to brand their religious head covering with MTA logos. CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CAIR-NY Welcomes City Council Vote on Muslim Holidays in Schools


this month

QuotesWe all have big changes in our lives that are

more or less a second chance. -Harrison Ford

Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.

-William Shakespeare

If you wanna make the world a better place,Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

-Michael Jackson

The great art of giving consists in this: the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted, so that it may

be the more highly appreciated. -Baltasar Gracian

Forward August 20096

August RevolutionEdinburgh Festival

National Women’s Day

19 August 1945August

9 August 1956

On August 19, 1945, the Viet Minh under Ho Chí Minh began the August General Uprising , which was soon renamed the August Revolution. Whe-ther or not this series of events should be called a “revolution” is disputable; what is clear is that, from August 19th onwards, demonstrations and upris-ings against French colonial rule broke out in cities and towns throughout Vietnam. Given that Japan had surrendered to the allies at the end of World War II, the Japanese forces in Indochina stepped aside and allowed nationalist groups to take over public buildings in most of the major cities. While the Japanese allowed the nationalist groups free run of the country, they kept former French officials imprisoned.

National Women’s Day is an annual public holiday in South Africa on August 9. This commemorates the national march of women on this day in 1956 to petition against legislation that required African persons to carry the “pass”, special identification documents which curtailed an African’s freedom of movement during the apartheid era.On August 9, 1956, 20,000 women staged a march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against the proposed amendments to the Urban Areas Act (commonly known as the pass laws) of 1950. They left bundles of petitions containing more than 100,000 signatures at prime minister J.G. Strijdom’s office door. The march was led by Lilian Ngoyi, Hel-en Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn. Since 1994 August 9 is commemorated annually and is known as Women’s Day in South Africa. In 2006 a reenactment of the march was staged for its 50th anniversary, with many of the 1956 march veterans attending.

Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for several simultaneous arts and cultural festivals that take place during August each year in Edinburgh, Scot-land. These festivals are arranged by a number of formally unrelated organizations, meaning there is no single event officially termed the Edinburgh Festival.

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this month

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First Team To Abseil PETRONAS Twin Tower Malaysia Independence Day28 August 1997 31 August 1957

On August 28, 1997, the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department staged a ‘Snatch Rescue’ operation when 21 firemen and a female squad member, scaled down the PETRONAS Twin Towers. The personnel descended from the 88th floor, at 451.9 m high, by using a 9,840-m long rope. The entire operation took 20 minutes.

Oldest To Climb Mount Kilimanjaro 31 August 2003

On August 31, 2003, the TNB 2003 National Day Kilimanjaro Expedition team ascended Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro when they scaled the 5,895 m Uruhu Peak after a 5-day trek. In the team was Tan Sri Dato’ Chan Chong Tak, aged 70, who is the oldest person to reach Uruhu Peak.

On August 29, 2004, Tan Sri Dato’ Chan Chong Tak, at the age of 71, created an-other record for having climbed the 4,062.6 m King George Peak and Eastern Plateau of Mount. Kinabalu, Sabah, making him the oldest person to conquer King George Peak.

Malaysia as a unified state did not exist until 1963. Previously, a set of colonies were established by the United Kingdom from the late-18th century, and the western half of modern Malaysia was composed of several separate kingdoms. This group of colonies was known as British Malaya until its dissolution in 1946, when it was reorganized as the Malayan Union. Due to widespread opposition, it was reorganized again as the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and later gained independence on 31 August 1957.

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The poorest paid 85 percent out-of-pocket for their health care costs in 2006. More than 60 percent of medication in low-income countries is only available through the private sector, where the cost is more than six times the international market price. Two doctors tended to every 10,000 residents in Africa, while 32 did that same job in Europe. There are 112 million underweight children worldwide; nine million died before age five. More than half a million women die every year in pregnancy or in childbirth complications, 99 percent of them in developing countries. This rate barely changed from 1990 to 2005, the most recent year in which data was collected. The maternal mortality rate in Afghanistan and Niger in 2005 was 1,800/100,000 live births; births attended by skilled health personnel in those countries were 14 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

news

WHO Snapshot Of World Health

DAKAR - A newborn in Africa in 2007 would have lived on average 52 years. That baby would have lived an additional 25 years if born in the Americas. Below are other highlights from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Health Statistics 2009, which compiled the most recent data available from 130 countries. Unless otherwise noted, the below statistics are from 2007.

More than three billion people were at risk of malaria in 2006;27 countries reported having malaria infection and/or deaths from 1990 to 2006. Thirty-three million people were living with HIV Less than one-third requiring HIV treatment in Africa is receiving medicines. More than one billion were affected by neglected tropical disease. Thirty-six countries reported more than 25 percent of their youth smoked.

Fifty-four countries reported less than half their populations used safe sanitation facilities. People living in Southeast Asia spent US$31 each on health while those in the Americas spent on average more than $2600 each in 2006. Forty percent of children’s deaths in Africa occurred within

Source IRIN

the first 28 days in 2004, most in the first week.


your say

OUTSOURCING:

Partnership orSCAPEGOATSLAUGHTERING?by Maria Zain

Outsourcing is the pique of the salad, the sizzle on the steak and the door to escapism in today’s adverse economy. It is the ultimate cost-savings, strategic managerial best practices and a great way to capitalise on unfounded technology beyond the boundaries of

just one company. In our country, there is another feature at large – the disbursement of contracts from outsourcing-friendly clients to vendors. Contracts are what run our economy. Corporate players are allowed to get in touch with other corporate players, assess their skills and values and in turn, churn out services for the other in return for compensation. It sounds like a wonderful economic driver for the country and source of incentives that continually develop the k-economy. But besides ‘contracts’ there is also the other c-word: cronyism. The two C’s go hand in hand, especially in light of the rocky political landscape and the need for continuous economic survival amongst those few who lavish in the political/economic limelight.

So as much as outsourcing has been applauded as an innovative dimension of managerial progression, much is still to be said about whether they truly exist as smart partnerships in Malaysia or are just

a scheme for scapegoat slaughtering, whereby the ‘client’ flexes their power over those who haggle for contracts and struggle to maintain an amicable relationship with the client despite the risks of being slaughtered over for a crony.

The Skinny on Outsourcing

By all means, one of the advantages of outsourcing is the hefty cost savings for end users. But even with cost savings, the stigma of a client-vendor relationship might surface. In this case, the client looks past the cost savings and view their contract as part of their expenditure that could otherwise be done in-house. The advantages of client servicing are quickly disregarded. The vendor suddenly becomes a massive cost centre and their services in return have to be impeccable, no matter how much the compensation is. Granted, compensation varies, and for those with financial foresight do choose vendors who are cheap (labour) and expect the better results compared to an in house developed team, who can take the ‘relationship’ for granted, knowing they do not have a contract to lose.

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Nor can a soul die except by Allah’s leave, the term being fixed as by

writing. If any do desire a reward in this life, We shall give it to him; and

if any do desire a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give it to him. And

swiftly shall We reward those that (serve us with) gratitude.

(Verse 145, Surah Aali-Imran, Al-Quran)

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cover story

In May 2009, one of the columnists from The Sun brought up the infamous issue of personal liberties. In response to YB Khalid Ibrahim’s consideration to ban the sale of alcohol in 7-Eleven, the writer lashed out at Napoleans, big and small, who dare

judge others with their ‘holier than thou’ attitude and have the audacity to actually ban the sale of a legal product, in this case, the alcohol.

The article cascades into one that concerns personal liberties (of consuming alcohol) and its sorry state of being trampled upon by the Selangor Sate Government.

These types of articles are nothing new. There are always controversial issues when alcohol bobs to the surface of personal favour. However, the disappointment of reading such an opinion, by an obviously educated man, was quite overwhelming. For a self-professed beer drinker who consumes alcohol responsibly, for and at his own pleasure, it is surprising that he does not support the idea of banning the sale of alcohol, especially when he sees alcohol as a leisurely part of life. He obviously truly believes that his consumption of such a beverage does not infringe upon the rights of others. There are a few issues to address in this subject. Apparently, the article has nothing to do with religious views, which is something new. Normally, when a rant about personal liberties surfaces, it almost always develops into a religious issue. Religion comes under attack, usually criticised as a medieval faith that sidelines modernisation and stunts progress.

And when talking about the ban of the sale of alcohol in any state of Malaysia, it surely has something to do with Islam and Muslims. In this case, the ban was proposed by a member of PAS, the Islamic party that supports the transformation of Malaysia into an Islamic state.

It is quite expected to hear complaints against the ban and some of them might even be Muslims. These are the type of Muslims who made the personal choice to consume something that is harmful and forbidden to them like alcohol and cigarettes. Dealing with this consumption responsibly surely weighs upon the shoulders, given the possible consequences of such a habit like addiction.

But look at the bigger picture. What if these personal liberties trample on the rights of others? For a society to be treated ‘fairly’ as many of the ‘oppressed’ alcohol drinkers claim, every single member of every single community has a correlative duty to be a responsible member towards the next person in stone throw range.

Let’s imagine that it is the right of every drinker, Muslim or non-Muslim, to consume alcohol and the law shows no hindrance against their personal liberties to enjoy a glass of champagne or take a swig at a beer bottle during a football match.

This would bring us to the question, what about the personal liberties of others? What are the personal liberties of non-drinkers who actively refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages? What is the personal liberty of someone walking to his car after closing a late-night sales

Alcohol& Liberty

by Maria Zain

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foreign affairs

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed a peace plan so ingenious it is a wonder that for six decades of bloodshed no one thought of it. Some people might have missed the true brilliance of his ideas presented in a speech at Bar Ilan University on 14 June, so we are pleased to offer this analysis.

First, Netanyahu wants Palestinians to become committed Zionists. They can prove this by declaring, “We recognize the right of the Jewish people to a state of their own in this land.” As he pointed out, it is only the failure of Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular to commit themselves to the Zionist dream that has caused conflict, but once “they say those words to our people and to their people, then a path will be opened to resolving all the problems between our peoples.” It is of course perfectly natural that Netanyahu would be “yearning for that moment.”

Mere heartfelt commitment to Zionism will not be enough, however. For the Palestinians’ conversion to have “practical meaning,” Netanyahu explained, “there must also be a clear understanding that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside Israel’s borders.” In other words, Palestinians must agree to help Israel complete the ethnic cleansing it began in 1947-48, by abandoning the right of return. This is indeed logical because as Zionists, Palestinians would share the Zionist ambition that Palestine be emptied of Palestinians to the greatest extent possible.

Netanyahu is smart enough to recognize that even the self-ethnic-cleansing of refugees may not be sufficient to secure “peace”: there will still remain millions of Palestinians living inconveniently in

The Har Homa settlement in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu defied calls for a halt to settlement

expansion in his speech on Monday.

Netanyahu’sBRILLIANT Peace Plan?

by Hasan Abu Nimah and Ali Abunimah

their native land, or in the heart of what Netanyahu insisted was the “historic homeland” of the Jews.

For these Palestinians, the peace plan involves what Netanyahu calls “demilitarization,” but what should be properly understood as unconditional surrender followed by disarmament. Disarmament, though necessary, cannot be immediate, however. Some recalcitrant Palestinians may not wish to become Zionists. Therefore, the newly pledged Zionist Palestinians would have to launch a civil war to defeat those who foolishly insist on resisting Zionism. Or as Netanyahu put it, the “Palestinian Authority will have to establish the rule of law in Gaza and overcome Hamas.” (In fact, this civil war has already been underway for several years as the American and Israeli-backed Palestinian “security forces,” led by US Lt. General Keith Dayton, have escalated their attacks on Hamas).

Once anti-Zionist Palestinians are crushed, the remaining Palestinians -- whose number equals that of Jews in historic Palestine -- will be able to get on with life as good Zionists, according to Netanyahu’s vision. They will not mind being squeezed into ever smaller ghettos and enclaves in order to allow for the continued expansion of Jewish colonies, whose inhabitants Netanyahu described as “an integral part of our people, a principled, pioneering and Zionist public.” And, in line with their heartfelt Zionism, Palestinians will naturally agree that “Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.” These are only the Palestinian-Israeli aspects of the Netanyahu plan. The regional elements include full, Arab endorsement of Palestinian Zionism and normalization of ties with Israel and even Arab Gulf money to pay for

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features

ARE WE ON THE BRINK OF A

FREE WORLD?

“I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” said U.S. President Barack Obama recently in Prague. One would question the

significance of the statement made by Obama. Will this statement be quantified? Or will it just vanish once Obama administration comes to its end?

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Forward Magazine August 2009