Forward Magazine September 2009

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And yet there are some among mankind who argue about Allah without

knowledge, and follow every evil one obstinate in rebellion

(QS 22:3, Al-Quran)

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Forward September 2009

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SEPTEMBER 2009 I ISSUE 36

DepartmentsNEWSGAZA CITY - Less than 50m from a black, barrel-sized pipe pouring raw sewage directly into the sea, children are playing in the waves...................11

FOREIGN AFFAIRSShe was a daughter, a wife, a mother, a neighbour, an employee, an Egyptian, a Muslim and a hijabi. The last three got her into trouble and spelled her death as the hijabi martyr. She died in a courtroom in Germany.roblem for the world as a whole.

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COVER STORY

Despite modest and humble promotion since its existence in 1988, Malaysia’s homestay programme received a massive infl ux of more than 90,000 domestic and foreign tourists in 2008. Homestays generated RM6.4million in income, a huge increase from RM206,000 in 2006

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www.forwardmagazine.com.my

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POLITICS & SOCIETYAmerica as a Jihad State. Middle Eastern Perceptions of Modern American Theopolitics

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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]

Departments

Agenda

A Member of:

Nabeelah Naeem in YOUR SAY writes:Breaking into the 14-year-old Iraqi girl, Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi’s house, US soldier Dale Green took her mother, father, and six-year old sister into another room and shot them to death. Then, he and the other soldiers gang raped, brutally killed, and burned innocent Abeer.....................14

Dr. Mesut Idriz in GLOCAL SPECTRUM writes:From civilisational point of view, Obama’s speeches, fi rst in Ankara and Istanbul, the heartland of the Ottoman-Turkish-Non-Arab Muslim Empire, and then the major address in Cairo, the heartland of the last Arab Muslim ruling dynasty (i.e. the Mamluks), outlined his thoughts and policies on Islam and the Muslims as well as the relationship between the Muslim world and the West......................................................22

COMMENTARYProton has come a long way... because it has fi nally designed a long car that accommodates seven passengers.

52TRAVELBlood may be spilled if you choose Taman Negara as your next domestic holiday destination.

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Also this month Sprituality, Musings, Living Islam, Gadget

In 1979, while assistant to the conductor of the Marin County Youth Orchestra near San Francisco, the writer was invited to perform Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare to the Common Man”, taken from his Third Symphony.

REVIEW 69

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Assalamualaikum wwb.

Dear Readers,

It leaves a trail of death – 38 from 2,253 cases as of August 12th. Eight million Malaysians are expected to be infected by the known enemy, the influenza A (H1N1) according to one estimate.

The government must come up with a comprehensive plan to better handle the situation, with sufficient human resources, medical facilities, equipment and medica-tion as many Malaysians will be needing hospitalization and intensive care treatment.

Therefore, Malaysians cannot afford to be complacent of the current pandemic as this enemy is spreading rapidly, infecting thousands and killing many everyday.

But herein lies the challenge. We are under attack from an enemy that we

cannot see. How then do we fight an invisible enemy that manifest itself only by making a friend next to us sick and probably dying?

Do we not then seek the help of someone who can see the enemy, who can then, with a tin can spray in hand, shoot? Or better still, raise our hand and ask The One that creates the enemy in the first place?

Allah Most High says, “Allah, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Eternal One the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being Who governs (all His creation). Neither slumber seizes Him, nor sleep. To Him be-longs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. No one can act as an inter-cessor with Him except by His Leave. He knows what lies before men and what is hidden from them, whereas they can grasp only that part of His Knowledge, which He wills. His Throne of (Knowledge and Sovereignty) encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not weary Him. He is Most Exalted, Most Glorious” (QS 2:255).

It is clear that we need to seek His for-giveness for what we have done wrong, for all transgressions committed and for not being in remembrance of Him.

Allah Most High says, “Don’t you know that it is Allah to Whom belongs the do-minion of the heavens and the earth, and that you have none besides Allah any friend or helper?” (QS 2:107)

We must therefore repent in all humility to Him as slaves should be.

Zulkafly Baharuddin

from the editor letters

ALL praise is due to Allah The Exalted, and may Allah raise the rank of our beloved Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, his kind relatives and companions, and protect his nation from that which he feared for them thereafter.

The month of Syaaban is the eighth month of the lunar year in the Islam-ic calendar and the month immediately preceding the month of Ramadan. For Muslims all around the world, the month of Syaaban is a special time in which they try to do more good deeds than usual and fast more optional fasts than they do in other months.

The Prophet used to fast a lot during this month. It is the habit of the Muslims to celebrate the 15th night of the month of Syaaban by praying, reciting the Qur’an, praising Allah, and making a great deal of supplication to Allah during that night.

Ibn Majah narrated that the Prophet said which means “Spend the night preceding the 15th day of Syaaban in acts of obedience, and fast the next day.”The acts of obedience meant in this Hadith are reciting the Qur’an, making supplication to Allah Most High, and praying optional prayers.

In conclusion, it is commendable to recite the Qur’an, pray, and make supplication during the 15th night of Syaaban.We humbly ask Allah to enlighten us with the light of Knowledge, and keep us steadfast to the path of truth and righteousness. Ameen.

DR SHEIKH SALIM ALWAN AL-HuSyANiChairman of Darul FatwaAustralia

The Month ofSyaaban

WITHOuT any doubt, relations between Muslims and non-Muslims used to be better.

Today, we are witnessing violence in many parts of the Muslim world. The conflicts in Iraq, Palestine, Kashmir and Afghanistan are perceived by many Muslims as legitimate resistance to the occupation of their home-lands by foreign invaders. Furthermore, there is disunity and sectarian strife even among Muslims themselves. On the other hand, when consid-ering inter-civilisational and inter-faith issues today, we should not focus entirely on problems between Muslims and non-Muslims. >>

Moving Toward Genuine Civilisational Dialogue

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Issues of religious freedom and tolerance are currently also arising elsewhere: in the Indian State of Orissa, Chris-tians see even their physical existence at stake in the wake of recent acts of terrorism by Hindu extremists – which was described quite recently as “national shame” by the Indian President.

Sincerity and dialogue: The role of IAIS MalaysiaAmong the prerequisites for a meaningful dialogue is a more comprehensive understanding of each other’s worldview, a truly “civilisational” dialogue that goes beyond invoking religious issues. The purely “religious approach” of the past often missed its direction because the place of religion in largely secular Western societies differs diametrically from what it enjoys in the Muslim mind.

True dialogue demands that each partner in the dialogue be allowed to draw from their own religious experience and cultural background. A sincere climate of dialogue that does not shun addressing points of difference is now more urgent than ever. Multicultural Malaysia may play a vital part in the dialogue industry. Although often an outspoken critic of cer-tain generalising attitudes exhibited by major Western pow-ers, Malaysia has shown that it is a serious partner in dialogue with these powers as well. Despite certain recent irritations, interfaith relations in this country can still compare favour-ably with other parts of the world – although vigilance is certainly not to be neglected.

The recent launching of the International Institute of Ad-vanced Islamic Studies (IAIS Malaysia), a think-tank run by leading Malaysian and international scholars and prac-titioners, can make a difference: IAIS seeks ways to bring Muslims and non-Muslims together in searching for com-mon ground and practical solutions of mutual benefit.

One of its main concerns is to address the current “conver-sion issue” and related problems. Concerning other issues, attention should be paid to concerted approaches – with IAIS serving as the forum of dialogue in Malaysia as well as the Muslim world.

Devout Christians, Muslims, and other people of faith could unite on a common stance when addressing ethical is-sues, such as “abortion versus life”, rules of combat in times of military confrontation, the rights of prisoners of war, hu-man rights, religious freedom and legally enforceable pro-tection of each other’s places of worship (minority-Muslims in the West; Christians in Muslim-majority countries) and other issues of common concern.

Recent international developments must not be overlooked. At the invitation of the Royal Academy of Jordan, the CEO and Founding Director of IAIS, Professor Mohammad Hashim Kamali, attended the 1st Vatican-Muslim Forum, (4-6 November 2008) at the Vatican.

This auspicious event (which included a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI) brought together the world’s foremost Muslim and Catholic scholars, twenty-four from each side. This 1st Vatican-Muslim Forum was a follow-up to the ear-lier Common Word Muslim initiative, itself a response by prominent Muslim authorities to recent misunderstandings caused by a speech of Pope Benedict in Germany in 2006.

The writer of these lines, too, has tried to provide such a dialogue platform in his recently published book, The Islam-ic World and the West: Managing Religious and Cultural Identities in the Age of Globalisation (Zurich: LIT Verlag, 2009), which contains 14 articles by distinguished Muslim and non-Muslim scholars.

In addition to its journal and other publications, IAIS in-tends to connect directly with other stakeholders, including the Christian, Buddhist and Hindu communities, as well as NGO’s. Nation-building and establishing a new climate of trust by engaging in sincere and open dialogue are at the top of its agenda, efforts that gain in importance in the light of the current strained interfaith and interracial relations.

Within the context of Malaysia, IAIS hopes to offer a plat-form for Muslims and non-Muslims to exchange views in an open, mutually respectful manner on recent controversies.

In Malaysia as elsewhere in the world, interfaith and in-tercultural issues are part of a broader picture, and there are bright spots that give reason for hope. One of them is IAIS and its new, open approach toward dialogue.

Dr Christoph Marcinkowski, a German scholar, is Principal Research Fellow at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS Malaysia) and until recently has mul-ticulturalism and interfaith relations with the Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) in the university of Malaya.

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SuNDAy

MONDAy

TuESDAy

WEDNESDAy

THuRSDAy

FRIDAy

SATuRDAy

8

September 5-6

1972: Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic Team were killed during an attack on the Olympic Village in Munich by members of the Black September faction of the Palestinian Liberation Army. Israeli jets then bombed Palestinian positions in Lebanon and Syria in retaliation on September 8, 1972.

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Wednesday, Sept 16

The Sabah fl ag was adopted on 16 September 1988. It is red, white and three different shades of blue. The mountain is in the canton as in the 1963 fl ag, but now in dark blue on a light blue background. The fi eld is medium blue over white over red.

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Saturday, Sept 12

The Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy arose from a lecture delivered on 12 September 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI at the University of Regensburg in Germany. The pope, speaking in German, quoted an unfavourable remark about Islam made in the 14th century by Manuel II Palaiologos, a Byzantine emperor. As the English translation of the pope's lecture disseminated across the world, many Islamic politicians and religious leaders protested irately against what they said was an insulting mischaracterization of Islam.

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Th ursday, Sept 10

2008:Anwar Ibrahim said he will topple Malaysia's government by early next week despite a trip abroad by ruling coalition lawmakers that he claims is aimed at thwarting his plans. Anwar Ibrahim said Tuesday 15 September, 2008 that he has pledges of support from more ruling coalition lawmakers than he needs to topple the government, and he urged then Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to give up power voluntarily and peacefully.

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1963: The establishment of Malaysian federation on September 16 in 1963. It marked the joining together of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore to form Malaysia.

Wednesday, Sept 16

this month

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2

Th ursday, September 3

1833: The New York Sun newspaper fi rst appeared, marking the beginning of the ‘penny press,’ inexpensive newspapers sold on sidewalks by newspaper boys. The paper focused on human interest stories and sensationalism and by 1836 was the largest seller in America with a circulation of 30,000.

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Quotes“Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.”— Francis Bacon

“The danger of the past was that men became slaves. The danger of the future is that man may become robots.”—Erich Fromm “To travel is not to change your surround-ings but to change how you see your sur-roundings”—Anonymous

“Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.”—G.M Trevelyan

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” —St. Augustine

A traveller without observation is a bird without wings.” —Moslih Eddin Saadi

Datuk Jamaluddin Mansor [email protected]

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER/GROUP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITOR RELIGION RAFLIS SABIRINrafl [email protected]

MMP Communications Sdn Bhd (I46938-W)68-B, Jalan Kampung Attap, 50460 Kuala Lumpur.Tel: +603-2273 5426 Faks: +603-2273 5425

PUBLISHER

PRINTER Times Off set (M) Sdn. Bhd.Bangunan Times Publishing, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park,Batu Tiga 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION MANAGER

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

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FARIZA UZMAT, SHAHFIZAL MUSA, HARIZ KAMALJOURNALISTS

DATO IR DR A.BAKAR JAAFAR, DR MESUT IDRIZ, DR SULAIMAN DUFFORD, KURAIS ABDULLAHKARIM, SHAMSUL AKMAR, MUHAMMAD FIRDAUS ARIF,NABEELA NAEEM (WASHINGTON D.C)

CONTRIBUTORS

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Sunday, May 22

The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the fi rst Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations (34 of which collected medals) supplied 3638 athletes.

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Tuesday, September 29

Anwar was fi red from the Cabinet in September, amid police reports that he was under investigation. The following day, he was expelled from UMNO. Dr. Munawar Anees, Anwar's former speechwriter, and Sukma Darmawan Sasmita Atmadja, Anwar's adoptive brother, were arrested under suspicion of engaging in homosexual acts. On September 29, 1998 Anwar appeared in court and pleaded innocent to charges of corruption and sodomy. A photo of Anwar with a black eye and one hand raised became a symbol of the political opposition in many reformasi posters.

ACCOUNT SALES EXECUTIVE NORIZAD MUHAMAD ZAIN

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your say

What I felt after reading the news story about a former uS soldier, Steven Dale

Green and his fellow soldiers, could not be described in words. Breaking into the 14-year-old Iraqi girl, Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi’s house, Green took her mother, father, and six-year old sis-ter into another room and shot them to death. Then, he and the other soldiers

gang raped, brutally killed, and burned innocent Abeer.

The legal system, which boasts itself as being founded on democracy and justice, consequently gave Green life in prison and the other soldiers between 5 to 100 years for their inhumane crimes.

Nevertheless, good behaviour and conduct may grant them earlier parole.

The crime committed near Baghdad,

Patriotism

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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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22


’sNext Speech in Kuala lumpur?

OBAmA

From civilisational point of view, Obama’s speeches, fi rst in Ankara and Istanbul, the heartland of the

Ottoman-Turkish-Non-Arab Muslim Empire, and then the major address in Cairo, the heartland of the last Arab Muslim ruling dynasty (i.e. the Mam-luks), outlined his thoughts and policies on Islam and the Muslims as well as the relationship between the Muslim world and the West.

Of course, both were Muslim heart-lands, before becoming modern nation states. Turkey’s nationhood took place at the end of the fi rst quarter of the 20th century and Egypt, during the fi rst half of the 19th century.

Obama’s speeches were described as “his-toric”, “tangible”, “soft-spoken”, “eloquent”, “carefully crafted” and “defi nitely diff erent from those other u.S. presidents”.

Some believe that Obama’s addresses in Ankara, Istanbul and particularly Cairo on the relationship between the West, with special reference to the u.S., and the Muslim world, lay the founda-tion for a radical change in Western at-titudes towards Muslims and vice-versa.

Th is is clearly sensed in the President’s two signifi cant propositions: >>

By Dr mesut Idriz

glocal spectrum

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36


cover story

By Fariza uzmat

Despite modest and humble promotion since its ex-istence in 1988, Malaysia’s homestay programme received a massive infl ux of more than 90,000 do-

mestic and foreign tourists in 2008. Homestays generated RM6.4million in income, a huge increase from RM206,000 in 2006.

However, this fi gure is minute compared to the achieve-ments of established and international hotel chains, resorts and chalets. In fact, these establishments place tourism as one of the largest contributors to the nation’s income.

Hotels and chalets off er luxurious services with scenic views of sandy white beaches at RM300 to RM800 per night, pro-viding customers personal time and space but not the oppor-tunity to get to know the people and culture of the country.

In contrast, a homestay is an accommodation set in tradi-tional Malaysian villages where tourists can lodge with a cho-sen host family and experience the simple daily ways of kam-

pung life. It is not often that urbanites

experience activities like chas-ing chickens around the house; bathing in cold mountain water; enjoying waterfalls amidst unpol-luted environment; plucking and eating seasonal fruits like rambu-tan and durian for free; tapping rubber trees and helping at a ba-nana farm.

Th ough the small industry performs quite well at a micro level, renting out homes and sharing the family’s daily activi-ties will not make the kampung folks become millionaires. But the business model is helping

& Unnecessary Politicseconomic Advantages

pung life.

ing chickens around the house; bathing in cold mountain water;

luted environment; plucking and

tan and durian for free; tapping

nana farm.

performs quite well at a micro level, renting out homes and sharing the family’s daily activi-

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foreign affairs

She was a daughter, a wife, a moth-er, a neighbour, an employee, an Egyptian, a Muslim and a hijabi.

The last three got her into trouble and spelled her death as the hijabi martyr. She died in a courtroom in Germany.roblem for the world as a whole. “She was our sister in Islam and she was from Egypt, as my husband,” relates Inna Ghaleb, a German revert of Russian descent. She took the news badly. “I cried for days,” says the mother of a young daughter.

The hijab has always been controver-sial in Europe. An iconic ban took place a few years ago in France, where Mus-lim girls wearing headcover were pro-hibited from attending public school. The trend spread to other countries such as Holland and Germany – some more aggressive than others - leaving Mus-lims in a continuous struggle to abide by the Qur’anic dress code while living in Muslim minority nations.

Personal attacks have escalated, too, with school children being yanked at the neck, some by teachers who disap-prove of the headscarf. It was even re-ported in the uK, that a female student had sustained injury as the pin fasten-ing her shawl penetrated her skin while being assaulted by her class teacher in front of her peers.

But The Murder of Marwa Sherbini Tops It All“With time I discovered, that many of my friends knew her personally!” says Inna, “It was a tragic death.” To make matters worse, Marwa’s murderer is also a German of Russian origin.

The feud began in 2008 where a one Alex W harassed Marwa in a neighbour-hood playground, calling her a terrorist due to her Islamic appearance. Marwa had pressed charges and the former was convicted of harassment and fined an insignificant fee – insignificant as com-

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By maria Zain

Honouring the

and the Veil that got her

Martyr,

Killed

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�2


Proton has come a long way... be-cause it has finally designed a long car that accommodates sev-

en passengers. How lame. But not very far from the

truth! When the first national car maker finally launched Proton Exora, car fans were suddenly absorbed by the sudden sensitivity to market demands in Malay-sia: a large car, to lug around a large fam-ily, up and down our uneven roads and highways at a fairly economical price. The last spike pushes the Toyota and Nissan MPVs out of spectrum, as those income earners who could only dream of own-ing a seven-seater now has the courage to line up at show rooms with the standard booking amount in Ringgit.

So how long did Proton take to finally come of puberty to come up with such a grand project like the Exora? The answer is, long enough to be the butt of as many lame jokes as possible about their mar-keting, cost and technological insights.

Users have described it as an

affordable vehicle with expensive

features.

Puberty at Age 26?

Proton

By maria Zain

commentary

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�6


politics & society

The present time of slackening is a helpful moment to examine Muslim perceptions of Western

religious intention. A kind of seven-year itch following 9/11 seems to have thrown up some possible resolutions of the polarity which look beyond the clearly fruitless ‘security agenda’.

The publication, two years ago, of the Common Word marked perhaps the clearest and most remarkable sign of this, a genuine shift in the Muslim-Christian equation: David Burrell, one of the most seasoned Catholic specialists of Islam, has spoken of a dramatic turn-about unparalleled in recent history.

Even more recently, the fall of the Bush administration has allowed a more measured and less histrionic assessment of America’s engagement with political Islam and political Christianity over the past eight years.

The Obama victory was followed within days by the death of Samuel Huntington, most notorious of advo-cates of the thesis of the mutual allergy of Islam and Christendom.

It is a good time to take stock.Many are deeply concerned about the

By Abdal Hakim murad

Middle Eastern Perceptions of Modern American Theopolitics

America as a ihad State

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6�

In 1979, while assistant to the con-ductor of the Marin County youth Orchestra near San Francisco, I was

invited to perform with that talented or-chestra a few times. My piece was Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare to the Common Man”, taken from his Third Symphony.

And again, I was asked to prepare the Shostakovitch 12th Symphony, subti-tled “1917” in remembrance of the Rus-sian revolution of that year.

The Cold War was not yet over, so no-body thought much about remembering that particular revolution. It still seemed to have some power.

Recently, this same piece was per-formed here in Kuala Lumpur by the Malaysian Philharmonic, and it taught me something. First, let it be said that the audience ended up cheering wildly at the grand climax, and I have to admit it was one of the most exciting musical performances I have ever heard. Where did all this power come from?

I had been conflicted in the beginning. Why would we want to hear music writ-ten to commemorate a revolution that had so thoroughly and obviously failed, i.e., Lenin’s “Bolshevik” revolution, and was blatantly atheistic after all?

Was this piece another example of the “haram” music that turns up every now and then in the Malaysian orchestra’s repertoire, celebrating something we Muslims cannot really accept? Commu-nists are largely gone from this world, aren’t they?

In Music

The

evolutionussian

By Dr Sulaiman Dufford

review

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7�n Compiled by Syahlia Albina Sari

We all love gadgets, in fact gadgets make life

a little bit more interesting. Here are some

interesting and outrageous gadgets that are

just out.

GREAT thing about HD-25 is probable the isolation abilities. The sound isolation is excellent; it’s not totally 100% bulletproof, But while playing it’s a blast. Very comfortable wearing; note in mind, those cans comfort only compared for sealed cans. There is some pressure on the ears while using (they fastened on the ears), and long playing period may strain the ears.

Build for last, as expecting from Sennheiser. The cans weight is ridiculously light, but make no mistakes – they rough like no others. Replacement parts available for all worn out parts.

The Sound is balanced and precise. If details are what you looking for, that’s the cans for you. Don’t bother playing mp3’s on it - all defects revealed. Good base proportion. Treble & midrange dominated in the overall sound quality, makes it natural as possible. Very loud and easily drive almost any kind of portable player.

BANG & OlUFSEN, one of the world’s best home entertainment maker have come out with latest addition into their superb product line-up. BeoSound 9000 is perfectly designed with few mind-blowing features. Photoelectric sensors protect curious fingers from the accelerating clamper. The CDs come to rest the way you loaded them, so the text is never upside down, using patented Bang & Olufsen technology. And the hidden buttons and the display can be adjusted according to how you choose to hang or stand the system, so they are never upside down either. Now that’s a mind-blowing idea!

BeOSOUnD �000

OAKlEy combined a premium sunglass and a state-of-the-art MP3 player to create the ultimate training tool. THUMP Pro fuels your game with the pulse of your favorite songs. From running to cycling, you can now achieve peak performance with the music that moves you.

THUMP Pro brings out the athlete in you. It’s so comfortably lightweight, you’ll forget you have it on. The sport-inspired frame is sweat resistant, so you can push past your limits without worrying about your equipment. And with up to 1GB of storage space, it can power you through a marathon session.

OAKLeY - THUMP PRO

SennHeISeR HD2� HeADPHOne

THE Bell & Ross BR 01-92 Phantom watch is an exciting, limited edition sport’s timepiece. Based upon the highly sought after BeThe Bell & Ross BR 01-92 Phantom watch is an exciting, limited edition sport’s timepiece. Based upon the highly sought after Bell & Ross BR 01-92 Automatic watch collection, this new timepiece is certain to become a Bell & Ross cult classic.

The bold, 46mm case of the Bell & Ross BR 01-92 Phantom watch is crafted from 316l stainless steel, which is then given a rich carbon powder coating; this remarkable technique produces a matte black finish which is truly the ultimate in stealth, with zero reflection.

THe PHAnTOM

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72


Blood may be spilled if you choose Taman Negara as your next do-mestic holiday destination.

It’s a jungle retreat that will cost you blood, sweat, tears and, of course, mon-ey, too. But then, besides paying the toll for the highway route that branches off at the Temerloh or Bentong toll exits and filling up your tank at Raub or Jerantut, all that’s left to pay for is accommoda-tion and food. The rest are negligible and will not cost you an arm or a leg.

It will be the blood you ‘donate’ to leeches, sweat- lots of it from the humidi-ty and sweltering heat within this glorious pristine forest enclave and tears of pain as you trudge through the jungle tracks.

But it’s all worth the effort.

By Yusof Ahmad Shariff

Blood Letting in

Nothing can accurately describe the feeling. It’s a sense of accomplishment as you find yourself ensconced within the heart of Taman Negara – a jungle frontier that has been there for more than 130 million years. Taman Negara is probably the most attractive travel proposition among western visitors to peninsular Malaysia. The park offers a real immersion experience that hits right at the core of the back-to-nature swing.

yes, it is indeed one of the country’s proudest landmarks. The towering gi-ants of the forest that are often dwarfed by the mountainous terrain of the inte-rior, comprise trees that began sprouting as saplings as far back as 200 years ago.

These trees are but a microcosm of

travel

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Documents

Forward Magazine September 2009