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January 31, 2010

Biggest full moon of the year - China


The moon is seen in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 30, 2010. The moon seen on Saturday is the biggest full moon of the year. In average, the biggest full moon repeats every 14 synodic months


The moon is seen in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 30, 2010. The moon seen on Saturday is the biggest full moon of the year. In average, the biggest full moon repeats every 14 synodic months


The moon is seen in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jan. 30, 2010. The moon seen on Saturday is the biggest full moon of the year. In average, the biggest full moon repeats every 14 synodic months.


The moon is seen in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, Jan. 30, 2010. The moon seen on Saturday is the biggest full moon of the year. In average, the biggest full moon repeats every 14 synodic months.

Editor: Helen Mo
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/photo/2010-01/

January 29, 2010

Bookstall on head


An Angolan woman carries books for sale on her head in Luanda January 27, 2010.

Reading is the best Thing for Brain. More we read more we realized that we did not know many thing-rad

Photo: Xinhua/ Reuters Photo
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/photo/2010-01/28/c_13154160.htm

January 26, 2010

Name of Allah

After reading the news below, I started to think...

Malaysia court grants stay order on use of 'Allah'

January 6, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today allowed a stay of an earlier order to allow the use of "Allah" by Catholic weekly, Herald, following consent by the Home Ministry and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malaysia on the grounds of national interest.
Justice Datuk Lau Bee Lan, who had issued the earlier order on Dec 31 last year, made the ruling in chambers after meeting Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and counsel Derek J. Fernandez for Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam for 30 minutes...

Is it true Allah is the name of God in Christian
Is it true, the name of Christian God is Allah? Is it Jesus is really a God to Christian ? Was it clearly mentioned in the bible the name of God is Allah ? If Allah the God mentioned in bible then who is Jesus actually ? Is it in the trinity, name of Allah was mentioned as the God. Who is really the God now to the believer, Allah or Jesus ?

Or if Jesus is the son of God as always claimed by bible, why the son and the father have name from difference dialect ? The son have the english name and the father have an arabic name. Jesus is in english by adding the J in front of Iēsus and Allah is from arabic word.

Then, how can human translate a name into a pronoun ? Allah is a name and God is a Pronoun.

The Right

As stated in the last sermon of our beloved Prophet Muhammad pbuh (s.a.w)

This day the disbelievers despair of prevailing against your religion, so fear them not, but fear Me (Allah)! This day have I perfected for you your religion and fulfilled My favor unto you, and it hath been My good pleasure to choose Islam for you as your religion (Surah 5, Ayah 3).

The question is, how could a group of man in court changed what already stated by Allah through prophet Muhammad s.a.w and also changed what already stated in Al Quran ? Clearly stated " and it hath been My good pleasure to choose Islam for you as your religion ".

If Allah clearly informed Islam as the chosen religion, how can other religion claimed Allah is the name of the God in that religion ? Beside, in the religion's book itself never mentioned that the religion is the choice of Allah.
- http://islambrowser.blogspot.com/search/label/THE%20LAST%20SERMON

Are they knows Islam better than Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. ?

Same name but difference in feature
From another reading i have found the narration as below

Allah: Allah is the proper name in Arabic for The One and Only God, The Creator and Sustainer of the universe. It is used by the Arab Christians and Jews for the God (Eloh-im in Hebrew; 'Allaha' in Aramaic, the mother tongue of Jesus). The word Allah does not have a plural or gender. Allah does not have any associate or partner, and He does not beget nor was He begotten. SWT is an abbreviation of Arabic words that mean 'Glory Be To Him.'

The question is, is it Allah as the court approval to be used by Christian in Malaysia does not beget nor begotten. Jesus ( actually not the real name of the prophet) claimed for a long time as son of God by Christians. Is it the God here same as God as believed by muslim and as stated in Quran. Allah in Islam is the God who does not beget children and He is not begotten not as believed and stated in Bible which have the trinity concept (Jesus is the son of God) . So another question, How could the two difference features of God can share the same name ? ( Allah is a name in Islam, not a pronoun)

How about Christian in the Vatican city especially Pope John Paul
Let say because of the weak of the law here, all the christian here started to call their god as Allah, how about Pope John Paul and all the christian at the Vatican city. Do Pope too will call his God as Allah . If yes, at last will stated in history that the new name of god in christian is from Malaysia court decision. Not from God order, not from bible or from the mouth of Jesus.

How about Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, are the herald will accept Prophet Muhammad as the last Prophet too after taking the Prophet Muhammad's God's name as their god's name ?

Hopefully they will re think about this because Allah is the name of god and always used or mentioned in every page of Quran but never been used even in single page of Bible in English version.

Great Confusing & Wrong in translation
Another question, may be the last one. Is it the using of Allah name as translation for God by herald will create a great confusing to Christian too ?

When passed by in front of mosque, children hear calling for prayer saying Allahu Akbar.

Translation of Adhan ( call for prayer ) in English
Allahu Akbar - Allah the Almighty



Then when passed by in front of church, they can see a signboard as seen in the photo below.



What will the children think ?

Both mentioned the same name. Can it make them confuse ?

Another great confusing is the word God as can seen on the church signboard is translated to Allah. Is that the correct translation ? In dictionary God is translated as Tuhan in Malay not Allah. Allah is a name not a pronoun. Another great confusing not only to Muslim but to the Christian too.



Allah adalah Yesus, in english can be translated as Allah is my Yesus, appeared in a line of song by one of the top Indonesian singer. In Islam, Allah is the name of the Almighty God but in the song lyric mentioned as name of Jesus.

As stated in bible, Jesus is son of God, then the god called as Allah by Malaysian Christian but now in the lyric clearly written Allah is Jesus. Now the son is also a God actually, based on the song lyric. For info, the singer is a Christian.

A lot of confusing may occured if name of Allah is still going to be used by Christian in Malaysia. Not only to Muslim but to the Christian too.

Photo of the Mosque: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Putrajaya_Mosque.JPG
Photo of the Church: email receive

Note from Wikipedia for Jesus name:
The name Jesus is derived from the Latin Iēsus, which in turn comes from the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs). The Greek is a Hellenized form of the Aramaic name Yēšua (ישוע), a short form of Hebrew Yehōšua (יהושע). Yehōšua (יהושע) is the name by which Moses called his successor as leader of the Israelites, known in English as Joshua; it means 'the Lord is salvation', or literally 'Yahweh saves'. There is a major discrepancy between the Hebrew and Muslim Arabic forms of this name, since the original Hebrew form of this name has the voiced pharyngeal `Ayin or `Ayn consonant at the end of the name (as does Christian Arabic يسوع yasū`), while the Muslim Arabic form عيسى `īsā has the `Ayn at the beginning of the name. For this reason, some claim the Arabic name Isa is related to the Biblical name Esau (which begins with a pharyngeal), but it is also similar in the vowels to the Aramaic version of Jesus, viz. Eesho (Aramaic forms of the name, however, still have the voiced pharyngeal `Ayn consonant at the end of the name).
http://islambrowser.blogspot.com/search/label/Isa%20%28Jesus%29%20a.s

Note for One God in Islam
SURAH AL-IKHLAS سورة الإخلاص from Al-Quran
Comprised of four (4) ayahs.

The translation in English




بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

1. Say (O Muhammad) He is Allah, the One clear of partners and similars.



قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (1)

2. Allah is the One needed by all and He needs none.



اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ (2)

3. He does not beget children and He is not begotten.



لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (3

4. And there is none, in any way, similar to Him.



وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (4)
http://www.aicp.org/islamic-information

This all the question came into my mind after reading the news of the court decision.

World seek for peace but honesty is still something that unspoken.

(The question above related to the Malaysia court decision only, not to Christian friends as whole.)
-rb

Allah adalah Nama

Allah untuk Islam kata Sultan, baguslah kalau sultan pun kata gitu. Bagus sangat, Alhamdulillah..

Ketua ugama Islam di negeri Selangor, Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah menitahkan semua pihak di negeri ini berpegang teguh kepada pendirian mengharamkan pengunaan kalimah Allah oleh agama selain Islam.

Senang hati mendengarnya. Lapang dada rasanya. Syukran-syukran.

Bukan apa, kerana ada juga orang melayu yang dah mula setuju atau seperti bersetuju dengan pengunaan perkataan nama Allah oleh bukan Islam. Dalam sehari dua ni pula dah mula sibuk nak jaga gereja dari diganggu oleh orang Islam yang tidak tahu menyelesai masalah di meja rundingan. Isu utama tentang nama Tuhan telah bertukar kepada isu nak jaga gereja pula, peruntukan dah separuh juta pun di keluarkan untuk betulkan gereja, tapi macam mana pula kesahnya dengan perkataan Allah yang herald nak guna bagi merujuk perkataan tuhan bagi orang kristian.

Ada orang kata, di negara arab, biasa dia orang sebut Allah ni, tak kecoh pun. Orang arab kristian memang sebut Allah pun, ini orang katalah. Ada juga yang kata di Indonesia pun biasa orang kristian sana sebut Allah bagi merujuk kepada tuhan mereka. Jadi macam kita di sini terima sajalah, apa nak dipelikkan kalau herald nak guna nama Allah di sini. Aku tanya dalam bible ada ke di sebut perkataan Allah. Ada yang menyatakan ada di mana mereka sendiri katanya bertanya kepada kawan-kawan kristian. Ini adalah sebahagian dari hujah untuk menguatkan pandangan yang menyatakan tak salah pun kristian guna nama Allah sebagai ganti sebutan Tuhan.

Melalui laman blog pun begitu, berbagai hujah dan bukti dari bible berbahasa melayu ditunjukkan bagi membenarkan pengunaan nama Allah oleh herald. Malah ada juga gambar gereja yang mempamirkan papantanda berbahasa melayu yang mengunakan nama Allah sebagai gantinama Tuhan ditunjukkan.

Pertama aku paling tak setuju dengan alasan orang lain buat kita pun boleh buat. Kalau macam tu bolehlah orang melayu di Malaysia ni berkahwin dengan orang bukan Islam dan tinggal serumah kerana perkara sebegini biasa di Indonesia dan beberapa negara Arab. Sedangkan hakikatnya bersuami isteri antara seorang Islam dan seorang lagi bukan Islam itu bukan lah dibenarkan dalam ugama, mereka hanya hidup berzina sepanjang hayat kerana pernikahan itu tidak sah. Ahli kitab yang dibenarkan untuk lelaki Islam nikahi tidak ujud lagi hari ini kerana kitab Injil kini sudah tiada, yang ada cuma bible dengan isi kandungannya yang bukan lagi seperti yang terdapat dalam kitab injil asal yang di turunkan kepada Nabi Isa a.s (orang kristian panggil Jesus)

Ke duanya, ada juga terjumpa pengkomen dan penulis blog yang tunjukkah salinan helaian dari bible berbahasa melayu, aha memang betul pun dia tulis situ Allah. Son of God dari bible berbahasa Inggeris telah pun diterjemahkan ke bahasa melayu sebagai Anak Allah.

Pada aku senang je jawapannya, ini cuma terjemahan, bukan bukti untuk hati umat islam membenarkan apa yang mereka terjemahkan tu. Bukan kah God itu tuhan dalam bahasa melayu, kenapa pula di terjemahkan ke pada Allah. Penterjemah mereka yang telah melakukan kesalahan dan kita umat islam bersetuju pula. Ini lagi pelik. Carilah dalam mana-mana kamus God tu apa dalam bahasa melayu, tentunya di terjemahkan sebagai Tuhan, bukan Allah.

Kesalahan mereka ketara, menterjemahkan gantinama iaitu God (Tuhan) kepada nama. Allah adalah nama. Tanya sikit, ada sesiapa dari golongan umat islam yang bersetuju bahawa Allah itu ganti nama seperti manusia, orang, raja, presiden atau rakyat. Atau Allah itu sebenarnya nama seperti Ahmad, Muhammad, Malik dan Daud. Muhammmad itu sendiri membawa maksud yang terpuji, tapi kita tidak boleh menukar nama Nabi Muhammad s.a.w itu kepada yang terpuji. Nama rasulullah tetap Muhammad. Manusia tidak berhak untuk menukar nama manusia lain apatah lagi nama Tuhan umat Islam kepada terjemahan atau maksud dari nama itu sendiri. Menganti ganti nama dengan nama sebagai terjemahan itu pun sudah satu kesalahan besar dari segi bahasa, tak percaya tanya dewan bahasa dan pustaka.

Maka menerima terjemahan God sebagai Allah ke dalam bahasa melayu itu nyata salahnya dari segi bahasa juga salah dari segi hak.

Ke tiga Hak. Ini kerana di dalam khutbah terakhir Nabi Muhammad yang semua orang Islam patut tahu walaupun tak dapat menghafalnya, di beritahu oleh Nabi kita, sebagai sebahagian dari khutbah tersebut dengan membaca ayat bahagian dari surah Al-Maidah ayat 3. Berikut terjemahan dalam melayunya.

"Pada hari ini, orang-orang kafir telah putus asa (daripada memesongkan kamu) dari ugama kamu (setelah mereka melihat perkembangan Islam dan umatnya). Sebab itu janganlah kamu takut dan gentar kepada mereka, sebaliknya hendaklah kamu takut dan gentar kepadaKu. Pada hari ini, Aku telah sempurnakan bagi kamu ugama kamu, dan Aku telah cukupkan nikmatKu kepada kamu, dan Aku telah redakan Islam itu menjadi ugama untuk kamu. "

Kalau diteliti, bila mana pemilik nama Allah itu sendiri hanya meredakan Islam sebagai agama untuk mahkluknya, bagaimana pula mahkluknya yang beragama lain selain dari Islam hendak mengunakan nama Allah itu sebagai nama tuhan mereka. Tentunya pengunaan itu sendiri tidak diiktiraf oleh pemilik nama itu sendiri. Dari segi mantiknya pun kita boleh fikir.

Ke empatnya betul ke dalam bible tu ada tulis terang perkataan Allah. Aku pun tak pernah la tengok bible dalam bahasa inggeris ni, tapi lojik aku, macam mana perkataan arab ada dalam bible yang tulisannya dalam Inggeris. Aku tahu ada bible dalam bahasa melayu, ada dalam bahasa arab. Kata lah dalam arab tang tuhan tu dia tulis Allah, dalam bible versi inggeris dia tulis Allah juga ke. Yang aku tahu dari surfing di internet, dalam bible di sebut God tidak sekali-kali di sebut Allah. Maka satu sebut Allah satu sebut God, nampak sangatlah sebutan Allah sebagai ganti God berasaskan budaya setempat di mana penganut kristian tu berada, bukan lah dari tuntutan dalam agama kritian itu sendiri. Bukan dari kitab bible itu sendiri. Maka kalau orang kristian tahu pengunaan perkataan Allah itu bukan mesti atau wajib bagi mereka, demi menghormati kawan-kawan mereka orang Islam di Malaysia ni, elok lah mereka gugurkan sahaja pengunaan perkataan Allah tu dari gantinama perkataan Tuhan. Yang saya faham, herald bukanlah kata Allah tu tuhan mereka, Allah yang mereka nak gunakan tu, hanya sebagai ganti perkataan Tuhan. bagi mereka Allah tu maknanya Tuhan bukan nama Allah. Kalau mereka mengaku Allah tu tuhan mereka, payah juga mereka nak menjawab kepada pengikut mereka nanti. Andainya Allah tu nama tuhan mereka, kenapa pula Nabi Muhammad tak di terima sebagai nabi mereka.

Ke limanya, ikut yang kita semua tahu, orang kristian kata, Jesus tu anak Tuhan (son of God). Kalau benar begitu, kenapa anaknya di sebut dalam bahasa inggeris dan bapanya di sebut dalam bahasa arab. Kenapa tak di sebut dalam bible versi inggeris nabi Isa sebagai son of Allah. Jesus tu asalnya dari perkataan Iesus, I di buang dan digantikan dengan huruf J maka jadilah nama Jesus. Nabi Isa atau Jesus bukanlah berbangsa Inggeris. Bangsanya Yahudi dan sebutan Iesus itu dari bahasa hebrew yang kemudian di inggeriskan. Sepanjang yang saya tahu, tidak ada nabi mengunakan bahasa inggeris begitu juga dengan bahasa melayu. Kebanyakannya bahasa hebrew dan Arab. Nabi Musa berbangsa yahudi yang kemudian di inggeriskan namanya menjadi moses.

Berbeza dengan kritian, orang Islam, apa pun bangsa dan bahasa penganutnya, sebutan nama Tuhannya tetap Allah dan nabinya tetap Muhammad s.a.w. Kalau ada pun perbezaan pada sebutan hanya kerana lidahnya yang susah menyebut, bukan kerana dengan niat mengubah nama asal. Orang melayu suka mengelar orang yang namanya Muhammad dengan gelaran Mamat atau Mat. Namun belum pernah terdengar orang melayu memanggil nama nabi Muhammad s.a.w dengan panggilan nabi mamat atau Nabi mat.

Ke enamnya, adakah dengan perkataan yang terang di sebut dalam konsep trinity yang perkataan Allah tu salah satu dari Tuhan penganut kristian. Sepanjang yang saya tahu tidak ada. Kalau ada, orang kristian wajar menunjukan buktinya berdasarkan tulisan dari bible yang paling hampir dengan kitab injil yang asal.

Ke tujuhnya, dimulakan dengan sedikit keterangan tentang sebutan Allah di dalam bahasa inggeris : Allah is the proper name in Arabic for The One and Only God, The Creator and Sustainer of the universe. It is used by the Arab Christians and Jews for the God (Eloh-im in Hebrew; 'Allaha' in Aramaic, the mother tongue of Jesus). The word Allah does not have a plural or gender. Allah does not have any associate or partner, and He does not beget nor was He begotten. SWT is an abbreviation of Arabic words that mean 'Glory Be To Him.'

Jelas di sebut Allah yang disebut sebagai Tuhan tu esa sifatnya. Allah tuhan yang satu, tidak beranak dan tidak diberanakan. Bagaimana pula herald hendak mengunakan perkataan Allah bagi tuhan mereka yang punya anak bernama Jesus. Dua sifat tuhan yang berbeza mengunakan perkataan yang sama. Tidakkah ini hanya untuk mengelirukan penganut kritian itu sendiri dan kesan buruk pada orang Islam yang daif pelajaran agamanya. Apakah niat herald yang sebenarnya ?

Ke lapan, apabila dua agama yang berlainan konsep dan ajarannya mengunakan nama Tuhan dari agama yang satu lagi bagi dijadikan gantinama bagi sebutan perkataan Tuhan bagi agamanya tentu ini akan menimbulkan kekeliruan yang nyata terutama bagi kanak-kanak yang baru hendak mengenal kehidupan.

Apabila melintasi di hadapan masjid kanak-kanak ini mendengar suara azan yang dilaungkan menandakan masuk waktu solat bagi umat Islam.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Terjemahannya di dalam bahasa melayu Allah maha besar, Allah maha besar



Kemudian apabila melintasi di hadapan gereja, mereka terlihat perkataan Allah seperti di papan tanda gambar di bawah. Gereja kristus Domba Allah iaitu terjemahan dari ayat di dalam bahasa inggeris church of christ the lamb of god di mana God yang sepatutnya diterjemahkan sebagai tuhan telah diganti dengan perkataan nama Allah.
Apa agaknya akan terlintas di hati dan terfikir di akal kanak-kanak itu tadi ?

Kedua-dua tempat ibadah menyebut nama Allah, perkataan yang sama walaupun pada hakikatnya berbeza maksud. Tidak kah ini akan mengelirukan mereka ?

Namun kekeliruan yang paling besar ialah perkataan God seperti yang dapat kita lihat di papantanda gereja itu dialih bahasa atau diterjemahkan kepada Allah. Adakah ini terjemahan yang betul ? Menurut terjemahan yang betul, perkataan God semestinya diterjemahkan sebagai Tuhan di dalam bahasa melayu, bukannya Allah. Allah adalah nama Tuhan, bukan gantinama (pronoun). Satu lagi kekeliruan yang amat besar, bukan sahaja kepada orang Islam tetapi kepada penganut kristian itu sendiri.



Allah adalah Yesus, lirik dari lagu oleh penyanyi yang terkenal di Indonesia. Di dalam Islam. Allah adalah nama khas bagi Tuhan. Nama lain bagi Tuhan antaranya As-Salam, Ar-Rahman dan Ar-Rahim. Allah juga salah satu dari nama Tuhan tetapi di dalam lirik lagi ini Allah dikatakan sebagai Yesus atau pun biasa disebut juga dengan nama Jesus.

Seperti yang tercatat di dalam bible. Jesus adalah anak Tuhan ( Jesus son of God). Kemudiannya perkataan God atau tuhan itu cuba digantikan dengan nama Allah oleh kristian di Malaysia. Tetapi sekarang lirik lagu ini menyatakan dengan nyata Allah itu Jesus. Mulanya Jesus itu anak kepada Tuhan sekarang rupanya anak itu tadi rupanya Tuhan juga, berdasarkan lirik lagu ini.

Terlalu banyak kekeliruan akan timbul dan telah pun timbul jika nama Allah Tuhan di dalam agama Islam digunakan sebagai gantinama bagi perkataan Tuhan oleh orang kristian di Malaysia. Bukan sahaja kepada orang Islam malah kepada penganut kristian juga.

Terakhir, soalan saya, katalah dengan kelemahan undang-undang melindungi nama Allah di Malaysia, maka selepas ini herald pun sebutlah perkataan tuhan dengan sebutan Allah. Bagaimana dengan Pope John Paul dan semua orang kristian di Vatican city. Adakah Pope juga akan panggil tuhannya Allah juga selepas ini. Kalau ya, akan tercatatlah dalam sejarah nama panggilan bagi tuhan orang krisitan berasal dari keputusan mahkamah di Malaysia, bukannya dari arahan bible atau dari mulut Jesus sendiri.

Bagaimana dengan nabi Muhammad, tidak kah mereka ingin menukar nama Jesus kepada Muhammad pula. Nama Tuhan Muhammad s.a.w telah mereka ambil, tidak teringinkah mereka menukar panggilan bagi jesus pula.

Fikir-fikirlah herald.. dan orang melayu yang bersetuju dengan keputusan mahkamah tersebut. Syabas tuanku Sultan Selangor.

Sedikit nota dalam bahasa inggeris tentang asal nama jesus dan bukti dari ayat Quran tentang Allah itu bersifat Esa.

Note from Wikipedia for Jesus name:
The name Jesus is derived from the Latin Iēsus, which in turn comes from the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs). The Greek is a Hellenized form of the Aramaic name Yēšua (ישוע), a short form of Hebrew Yehōšua (יהושע). Yehōšua (יהושע) is the name by which Moses called his successor as leader of the Israelites, known in English as Joshua; it means 'the Lord is salvation', or literally 'Yahweh saves'. There is a major discrepancy between the Hebrew and Muslim Arabic forms of this name, since the original Hebrew form of this name has the voiced pharyngeal `Ayin or `Ayn consonant at the end of the name (as does Christian Arabic يسوع yasū`), while the Muslim Arabic form عيسى `īsā has the `Ayn at the beginning of the name. For this reason, some claim the Arabic name Isa is related to the Biblical name Esau (which begins with a pharyngeal), but it is also similar in the vowels to the Aramaic version of Jesus, viz. Eesho (Aramaic forms of the name, however, still have the voiced pharyngeal `Ayn consonant at the end of the name).
http://islambrowser.blogspot.com/search/label/Isa%20%28Jesus%29%20a.s

Note for One God in Islam
SURAH AL-IKHLAS سورة الإخلاص from Al-Quran
Comprised of four (4) ayahs.

The translation in English




بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

1. Say (O Muhammad) He is Allah, the One clear of partners and similars.



قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (1)

2. Allah is the One needed by all and He needs none.



اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ (2)

3. He does not beget children and He is not begotten.



لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (3

4. And there is none, in any way, similar to Him.



وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (4)
http://www.aicp.org/islamic-information

World seek for peace but honesty is still something that unspoken.

(The question above related to the Malaysia court decision only, not to Christian friends as whole.)

Posting ini di ubahasuai dari posting di http://islambrowser.blogspot.com/
Jan 3, 2010 12:54 PM

Sedutan dari Utusan Malaysia

Allah untuk Islam – Sultan

SHAH ALAM 11 Jan. – Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah menitahkan semua pihak di negeri ini berpegang teguh kepada pendirian mengharamkan pengunaan kalimah Allah oleh agama selain Islam.

Pengerusi Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS), Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd. Isa hari ini memberitahu, titah itu dinyatakan dalam pertemuan beliau dengan baginda pada 5 Januari lalu.

Katanya, turut menghadap baginda ekoran isu pengunaan kalimah Allah oleh akhbar Herald-The Catholic Weekly ialah Mufti Selangor, Datuk Mohd. Tamyes Abdul Wahid; Ahli MAIS, Datuk Salehuddin Saidin; Setiausaha MAIS, Abdul Halem Hapiz Salihin serta Penasihat Undang-undang MAIS, Nurhani Salwa Jamaluddin di Istana Mestika di sini.

Menurut beliau, baginda memaklumkan pendiriannya mengenai perkara itu bertujuan memelihara akidah umat Islam serta menjaga keharmonian beragama setiap rakyat di Selangor.

“Dalam pertemuan itu, baginda menitahkan supaya isu penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh bukan Islam dibincangkan dengan teliti oleh ahli-ahli MAIS.

“Sebagai Ketua Agama Islam negeri, baginda mahu semua peringkat berpegang teguh dengan pendirian mengharamkan penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh agama lain,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas majlis taklimat dan perbincangan dengan 38 pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Islam di masjid negeri di sini hari ini.

Mohamad Adzib berkata, Sultan Selangor turut meminta MAIS memaklumkan kepada rakyat tentang wujudnya undang-undang menghalang pengunaan kalimah Allah dalam agama bukan Islam.

Menurutnya, larangan itu termaktub dalam Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam (Kawalan dan Perkembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) yang diwartakan sejak 1988.

Malah, jelas beliau, larangan juga diputuskan Jawatankuasa Fatwa negeri pada 10 Jun 2008 yang memutuskan kalimah Allah khusus untuk umat Islam dan tidak boleh digunakan atau dimasukkan dalam agama lain.

Ekoran keputusan jawatankuasa itu serta Jawatankuasa Fatwa Kebangsaan yang memutuskan larangan tersebut pada Mei 2008, beliau menegaskan, MAIS membuat 14 ketetapan berhubung isu tersebut.

Menurutnya, antara ketetapan itu ialah istilah Allah bermaksud Tuhan Yang Maha Esa dan berlainan dengan maksud God dalam agama Kristian yang berkonsepkan Triniti (tuhan bapa, tuhan anak dan roh kudus).

“Jika kalimah Allah dibenar digunakan dalam ajaran Kristian, ia mendatangkan pelbagai implikasi membahayakan umat Islam pada masa depan kerana ia mengelirukan,” katanya.

Selain itu, Mohamad Adzib berkata, MAIS berpendirian keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur pada 31 Disember lalu membenarkan Herald-The Catholic Weekly menggunakan kalimah Allah tidak selaras dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Perlembagaan menetapkan Islam agama rasmi Persekutuan dan keputusan itu juga bertentangan dengan Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam (Kawalan dan Perkembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) 1988 yang digubal berasaskan Perkara 11(4) Perlembagaan negara, katanya.

Beliau menegaskan, penggunaan kalimah Allah bagi merujuk agama bukan Islam tidak wajar dibicarakan di mahkamah kerana institusi itu bukan forum sesuai membincangkannya memandangkan ia perkara ‘non-justiciable’ di bawah bidang kuasa raja-raja Melayu.

Beliau turut memohon campur tangan Majlis Raja-raja selaku Ketua Agama Islam negeri-negeri selaras sumpah raja-raja Melayu untuk mempertahankan Islam pada setiap masa.

“Selain itu ialah mendesak Kerajaan Persekutuan menetapkan kes-kes berkaitan agama Islam tidak lagi dibicarakan di Mahkamah Sivil terutama melibatkan Hakim bukan Islam,” katanya.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/
Photo of the Mosque: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Putrajaya_Mosque.JPG
Photo of the Church: email receive

Sea of Love


Love makes life full of flowers. Love also can make life full of tears.
In a family, love is very important. Without love, there is no family.




A father busy with his own affairs and job while a mother busy with her friends and her own business. They going out early in the morning and come back in tired in the evening, some times until late night. They will feel too tired even to have a chat with their own children. As a result, the children started to find another source of love. Someone they can talk and make them happy. If their friend good, they are lucky. If not, the family already in a great trouble because the duty of teaching and showing way already transferred to some else.


There are people having a heart full with love but member of their family or their friends saw them like a stranger. Some peoples feel that they are not being loved because they can't understand the attitude showing by us. Sometimes even wife and husband, our mother and father or our children feel being ignorance by us. Our attitude can be the cause. Showing your love.
We need to show it to make members of our family or our friend can feel that their life is surrounding with the sea of love.

http://radbrowser.blogspot.com/



January 25, 2010

Walk the thought

THE closest we can get to sustainable (today’s buzz word ) living is by walking.
Literally walking with our two feet.


When we walk the walk, we wander into topics such as philosophy and spirituality, the urban landscape, health and heart. Most of the time, we think that walking is merely for moving from one place to another.


Let us briefly delve into an intellectual history of walking. In doing so, we engage ourselves in the linkage between architecture and language.


When Aristotle was setting up a school in Athens, he was assigned a plot of land. On the land stood shrines to Apollo and the Muses. Connected to a shrine was a covered colonnade or walk (per ipatos), which gave Aristotle’s school its name, and its lecturers theirs — the peripatetic philosophers.


It was along the colonnade that Aristotle lectured while walking up and down. So began the Peripatetic School where “Aristotle and teachers walked habitually and extensively while teaching” — uniting walking with thinking.


Walk the thought if you like.


Accounts about the meaning of walking have been personal, descriptive and, I must stress, they embody some form of alienation.


Rebecca Solnit in Wanderlust: A History of Walking notes that its meaning cannot be found in philosophy; but in poetry, novels, letters, diaries, traveller s’ accounts and first-person e s s ay s.


William Wordsworth made walking central to his life and an art to a degree almost unparalleled before or since. He seemed to have gone walking nearly every day of his long life, and through the activity he encountered the world, which influenced his poetry.


A road is a sight on perspective — something that I enjoy while walking — lined with trees or buildings. Roads have long conditioned my sense of perspectival space. But then, Wordsworth described it better: I love a public road; few sights there are That please me more — such object had had power O’er my imagination since the dawn Of childhood, when its disappearing line Seen daily afar off, on one bare steep Beyond the limits which my feet had trod Was like a guide into eternity, At least to things unknown and without bound.

Walking has created trade routes and generated local and cross-continental senses of place.
Walking has created trade routes and generated local and cross-continental senses of place.

In my schooldays, I used to walk for miles (before the kilometre disrupted our sense of distance).


The field fronting Penang Free School at leafy Green Lane was space for walking — along and across. We walked, thought and talked. I remember Azman Zain and M. Vijayandran.


The school compound was huge by t o d ay ’s standards, lined on one side by mature angsana trees and at the other end of the field, a pavilion.


The walks were an education in themselves. Walking was the school’s hidden curriculum, even to the teachers.


I must not forget to mention the road along Green Lane and Scotland Road which provided a pleasant walk then.


Walking has long sustained man’s sanity. It is an institution. Walking, ideally, is a state in which the mind, the body and the world are aligned, as though they were a trio of characters finally in conversation together, three notes suddenly making a chord, wrote Solnit, an author and essayist with more than five books and articles on visual art, public space, landscape and environmental issues.


She argued for the necessity of preserving time and space in which to walk in a world built for the motor car and other machines. Indeed, much can be learnt from walking.


But we hardly walk (or learn) anymore. We build communities and cities for motorised vehicles. There is little, or no space to walk. We design our built environment without the pedestrian in mind. There is little or no connectivity.


Our cityscapes are machine-dominated.


Even small towns, such as Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak, where I am staying, are not spared.


You need some form of a motorised transportation to move around. We reside in our private comfort zone of the vehicle, perhaps deliberately hiding ourselves from others behind the tinted glass of the vehicle and not necessarily the glare of the sun. We alienate wa l k i n g .


We cannot even walk safely — there are not enough five-foot ways for walking. We share the same space with cars and buses, making our environment not pedestrian-friendly. And being people-friendly is also Earth-friendly.


This was expressed by Japanese architect and urban planner Shunya Susuki, an advocate of life at walking speed (See Learning Curve, March 8 2009 and pages H22 and 23 for more).


Fukuoka-based Susuki, former coordinating officer for UN Habitat Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, believes in matching the pace of life with walking speed, which will reduce traffic accidents and crime, and engage people at pedestrian level. This does mean that we do not need other modes of transportation. There are bicycles and “green vehicles”.


Walking is at the same time History and Geography. It evokes the complexity of time, space and place. Modern man lives in compressed time — g l o b a l i s at i o n and the death of distance.


We have evolved, so we think. But life at walking speed advocates the decompression of time, space, habits, thoughts and language. Modern society measures itself against its ability to evolve in tandem with technology.


Walking is devolution — back to the source of sustainability.

I did not have to wrestle with vehicles at Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I studied for three years. Daily, I walked for 20 to 25 minutes, crossing the Mississippi River to the Twin Cities campus from my apartment on the East Bank at University Avenue. I enjoyed my walks all year round — winter, spring, summer and fall. Along the way, I engaged myself with the trees, falling leaves, sun, snow and the sights and sounds of squirrels and birds.


And I delightfully absorbed the different colours of the changing seasons.


In the history of mankind, walking engages us to look for something. Walking is as sacred as the pilgrimage. It is premised on the idea that the sacred is not entirely immaterial. There is a geography of spiritual power. The travel and arrival is fundamental.

I encountered Wanderlust some years ago. It prompted a response to my frustration of not being able to enjoy long walks any more — one due to work (except during lectures — I do not teach sitting down) and the other, the apathy and hostility towards walking by our planners and policy makers. I may have succumbed to that.


Even our universities do not generally promote walking on campus. They are turning into city centres, choked with traffic and pollution. We do not teach students to walk. We cannot blame them because many campuses were not conceived, designed and constructed with sustainability in mind.


But we must not allow walking to be taken for granted. Our environment has both shaped and been shaped by the imagination through spaces passed by our two feet.


Solnit waxed eloquent that walking has created paths, roads and trade routes; generated local and cross-continental senses of place, shaped cities and parks; created maps, guidebooks and gear; and further afield, a vast library of walking stories and poems, pilg r images, mountaineering expeditions, meanders and summer picnics.


“The landscapes, urban and rural, gestate the stories, and the stories bring us back to the sites of this history.” Walking affects everybody. The history of walking is an amateur one. It is ever yone’s experience. “I like walking because it is slow, and I suspect that the mind, like the feet, works at about three miles an hour. If this is so, then modern life is moving faster than the speed of thought, or thoughtfulness,” Solnit r e l at e d . That sounds much like life at walking speed.


To recall Wordsworth, walking is being, not becoming. It is about space and place.


If you observe our cities — and I mean places that we have built that we call “t ow n s ”, urban centres, suburban neighbourhoods and the like, there is an absence of public space where one can consume the walk.


I used to stay in USJ Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya and commute to my workplace in Shah Alam where public space in both townships has not been well c o n c e i ve d .


We build modern houses, compar tmentalise our area, and the only “public space” is the road fronting our houses. The roads in our neighbourhoods do not have pavements. Most sections are now gated. The pedestrian is looked upon with suspicion.


We live in an architecture of fear — of machines and motorised vehicles, s n at c h thefts, muggers and burglars. We are the nemesis of sustainability.


University campuses are ideal places to advocate walking and should be promoted as such — perhaps a day in a week to celebrate bipedalism. We miss exploring the walk, the thought and the terrain.


I fear that the erosion of ethics (both in the sociological and technological sense) in our society will kill the simple pleasures of the pedestrian, and bury (the sustainability of) the thought.


n The writer is a professor at the Department of Management and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak. Email him at amurad_ noormerican@petronas.com.my

2010/01/23

A. MURAD MERICAN

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20100123185740/Article/index_html

January 24, 2010

Clean toilets, please !

Ipoh biscuits factory now complying with council directive
Friday, January 22nd, 2010 11:18:00
biscuit

ACTION TAKEN: A biscuit factory in Ipoh was ordered to close down for seven days to clean up and repair its toilets — Filepic

TAM and his friends from Petaling Jaya visited the Soon Ann Biscuit and Confectionery Sdn Bhd factory in Ipoh, Perak, on Jan 16 to buy some delicacies there but were put off by the unclean toilets at the factory.

"This company definitely produces world-class foodstuff but the condition of their factory toilets was terrible and the water flushing system was not user-friendly and also barely functioning," he says.

"If the company does not rectify such unhygienic conditions, their reputation will be affected and so, too, will
the image of the country."

● When contacted, the factory owner says the Ipoh City Council checked their premises on Jan 18 and her
company was ordered to shut down the factory for seven days to improve the condition of the toilets and repair or replace the flushing system.

"We did as told from Jan 18. On Jan 21, the council enforcement officers came again and told us to make further improvements and we will comply. We hope to reopen by Jan 25," she says.

"Outstation and foreign tourists sometimes arrive in up to five buses at the same time, so the toilets are overused. For instance, the flush tanks are not able to fill up in time before the next user."

The owner, who declined not to be named, says they previously tried to solve that problem by installing a water
hose. "Some tourists neglect to turn off the water , causing the toilet floor to become wet. And some do not flush the toilet after using it."

Nonetheless, she says, her company will strive to keep the toilets and premises clean as they want a good reputation.

Submitted by Izat on Friday, January 22nd, 2010
http://www.mmail.com.my/content/25527-clean-toilets-please

Johor Darul Takzim

Johor (Jawi script: جوهر ; also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ta'zim, or "Abode of Dignity"), also known as Johore by the British, is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most well developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri (Malay for Princess' Cliff). The old state capital is Johor Lama.

Johor is surrounded by Pahang to the north, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest, and the Straits of Johor to the south which separates Johor and the Republic of Singapore.

Etymology

The name "Johor" originated from the Arabic word Jauhar, 'gem/precious stone' . However the word johor is also the name of a tree shrub. Malays tend to name a place after natural objects in great abundance or having visual dominance (eg Melaka is named after a type of tree). Before the name Johor was adopted, the area south of the Muar River to Singapore island was known as Ujong Tanah or 'land's end' in Malay, due to its location at the end of the Malay Peninsula. Coincidentally, Johor is the most southern point of the Asian continental mainland.[1]

History

The history of Modern Johor was began in the early 16th century with the foundation of the Sultanate of Johor by the Alauddin Riayat Shah II, the son of Mahmud Shah, the last Sultan of Malacca who fled from the invading Portuguese in Malacca.His former name, however, was Raja Ali. Johor sultanate is one of the two successor states of the Melaka empire. Upon Malacca's defeat to the Portuguese in 1511, Alauddin Riayat Shah II had established a monarchy in Johor which posed a constant threat to the Portuguese. The Sultanate of Perak was the other successor state of Malacca and was established by Mahmud Shah's other son, Muzaffar Shah I. Johor is the only state, apart from Melaka, that has grown into an empire. During its peak, the whole of Pahang and the present day Indonesian territories of the Riau archipelago and part of Sumatra Island was under Johor's rule.

Modern Johor's establishment was characterised by a series of succession struggles interspersed with strategic alliances struck with regional clans and foreign powers to maintain its political and economic hold in the Straits. In competition with the Acehnese of northern Sumatra and the port-kingdom of Malacca under Portuguese rule, Johor engaged in prolonged warfare with their rivals, often striking alliances with friendly Malay states and with the Dutch. In 1641, Johor in cooperation with the Dutch succeeded in capturing Malacca. By 1660, Johor had become a flourishing entrepôt, although weakening and splintering of the empire in the late seventeenth and eighteenth century reduced its sovereignty.

In the 18th century, the Bugis of Sulawesi and the Minangkabau of Sumatra controlled the political powers in the Johor-Riau Empire. However, in the early 19th century, Malay and Bugis rivalry commanded the scene. In 1819, the Johor-Riau Empire was divided up into the mainland Johor, controlled by the Temenggong, and the Sultanate of Riau-Lingga, controlled by the Bugis. This is when the history of modern Johor began. In 1855, under the terms of a treaty between the British in Singapore and Sultan Ali of Johor, control of the State was formally ceded to Dato' Temenggong Daing Ibrahim, with the exception of the Kesang area (Muar), which was finally handed over in 1877. Temenggong Ibrahim opened up Bandar Tanjung Puteri (later to become Johor's present-day capital) in south Johor as a major town.

Flag of Johor. The colour blue represents the State Government, the colour red for warriors defending the state, the white crescent and 5-sided star represent the monarchy and Islam.

Temenggong Ibrahim was succeeded by his son, Dato' Temenggong Abu Bakar, who later took the title Seri Maharaja Johor. In 1886, he was formally crowned the Sultan of Johor. Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor (1864-1895) was the one who implemented the state constitution and developed a British-style administration system and constructed the Istana Besar, the official residence of the Sultan. For his achievements, Sultan Abu Bakar is known by the title "Father of Modern Johor".

The increased demand for black pepper and gambier in the nineteenth century lead to the opening up of farmlands to the influx of Chinese immigrants, creating Johor's initial economic base. The Kangchu system was put in place with the first settlement of Kangkar Tebrau established in 1844.[2] The decline of the Kangchu economy at the end of the 19th century coincided with the opening of the railway line connecting Johor Bahru and the Federated Malay States in 1909 and the emergence of rubber plantations throughout the state.[3] Under the British Resident system, Sultan Ibrahim, Sultan Abu Bakar's successor, was forced to accept a British adviser in 1904. D.G. Campbell was dispatched as the first British adviser to Johor. From the 1910s to the 1940s, Johor emerged as Malaya's top rubber producing state, a position it has held until recently. Johor was also until recently the largest oil palm producer in Malaysia.

During World War II, Johor Bahru became the last city on the Malay peninsula to fall to the Japanese. General Yamashita Tomoyuki had his headquarters on top of Bukit Serene and coordinated the downfall of Singapore.

Johor gave birth to the Malay opposition which derailed the Malayan Union plan. Malays under Dato' Onn Jaafar's leadership formed the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in Johor on 11 May 1946. (UMNO is currently the main component party of Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.) In 1948, Johor joined the Federation of Malaya, which gained Independence in 1957.

State Anthem

The Johor state anthem is called "Lagu Bangsa Johor".

Allah peliharakan Sultan
'Nugerahkan dia
Segala kehormatan
Sihat dan ria
Kekal dan makmur
Luaskan kuasa
Naungkan kami
Rakyat dipimpini
Berzaman lagi
Dengan merdeka bersatu hati
Allah berkati Johor
Allah selamatkan Sultan.

Geography

Johor is the 5th largest state by land area and 3rd most populated state in Malaysia, with a total land area and estimated population of 19,984 km2 and 3,300,000 respectively.

In the official census of 2000, the population of Johor was 2.75 million with 54% Malays, 35% Chinese, 7% Indians and 4% others. It is the southernmost state in Peninsular Malaysia, and is located between the 1°20"N and 2°35"N latitudes. The highest point in Johor is Gunung Ledang (1276 m). Gunung Ledang is also known as Mount Ophir. Johor also has a 400 km coastline on both the East and the West coasts.

Johor has 8 large islands with numerous smaller ones, namely Pulau Aur, Pulau Besar, Pulau Dayang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Pemanggil, Pulau Rawa, Pulau Sibu, Pulau Tengah and Pulau Tinggi.

Climate

Johor has a wet equatorial climate with monsoon rain from November until February blowing from the South China Sea. The average annual rainfall is 1778 mm with average temperatures ranging between 25.5 °C (78 °F) and 27.8 °C (82 °F). Humidity is between 82 and 86%.

On 19 December 2006, a continuous heavy downpour occurred in Johor, which led to the 2006-2007 Malaysian floods. Many towns such as Muar, Kota Tinggi and Segamat were seriously flooded with water levels as high as 10 feet (3.0 m) above ground level recorded in some areas. 15 lives were lost and many possessions destroyed, and this resulted in huge financial losses in Johor. More than 100,000 victims were evacuated to flood relief centres.[4]

Links to Singapore

Malaysia's new Customs Complex (Sultan Iskandar Complex) at Johor Bahru
The water pipeline at the causeway which provides much of Singapore's water supply.

Johor is linked to Singapore via two road connections: the Johor-Singapore Causeway and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link. The Causeway also carries a railway line, which is now part of the main rail route linking Singapore with Thailand via Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Butterworth.

The Johor-Singapore Causeway (length: 1038 m) was designed by Messrs Coode, Fizmaurice, Wilson and Mitchell of Westminster, while the construction contract was awarded to Topham, Jones & Railton Ltd of London. It started in 1909 as a railway link by Johor State Railway to connect Johor Bahru to Singapore, then the administrative headquarters of British interests in South-East Asia. Construction of the road section started in 1919 and was completed in 1923.

The causeway has been a source of contention ever since Singapore seceded from Malaysia in 1965. Stagnating water caused by the Causeway has raised health concerns in Johor. Malaysia proposed to replace the causeway with a bridge, allowing water, tide movement and ship movement from Pasir Gudang, the older port in Johor to the new port in Gelang Patah through the Straits of Johor. Singapore rejected this proposal, after which Malaysia came up with the idea of what became known as "the crooked half-bridge", 25m above water level, and descending halfway to link up with the low-level causeway. The railway was to have a swing bridge. The scheme was part of the Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu project. It had been previously announced that the bridge project would go ahead, even without the agreement of the Singaporean government. The bridge would become a straight bridge if the Singaporean government accepted the project. Construction work on the bridge stopped, however, on the orders of the former Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who cited the unwillingness of Malaysia to sell sand and allow the use of Malaysian airspace by Singapore as a return for Singaporean consent to the bridge's construction.

Animosity between previous leaders of both countries has abated with the rise of new leaders, Abdullah Badawi as Malaysian Prime Minister replacing Mahathir Mohamad and Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore replacing Goh Chok Tong. It has renewed talks and improved relations between countries.

Some analysts have concluded that replacing the causeway with a bridge would allow a creation of a comprehensive port system linking Johor Port and Tanjung Pelepas Port in Johor; some go on to suggest that this presents a threat to Singapore's port activity, thus explaining the initial reluctance of Singapore to agree to the causeway's replacement.

The second road connection, the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link, was completed in October 1997; the link consists of a 1920 m twin-deck bridge supporting a dual-three lane carriageway linking Kampong Ladang in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, to Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim in Tuas, Singapore.

Government and politics

Monarchy

Sultan's Palace in Johor Bahru

Johor is a constitutional monarchy. Johor was the first state in Malaysia to adopt the constitutional monarchy system via Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Johor (Johor State Establishment Constitution) written by Sultan Abu Bakar. The constitutional head of Johor is the Sultan. This hereditary position can only be held by a member of the Johor Royal Family, who is descended from Sultan Abu Bakar. The State's Sultan since 1981 has been Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj.

Johor was the first state and currently the only state in Malaysia that has its own military force called Johor Military Force or 'Timbalan Setia Negeri'. It is a private army of the Sultan of Johor located at Johor Bahru City.[5]

State government

See also: Breakdown of State Seats Representatives, elected in 2008

The state government is headed by the Chief Minister or Menteri Besar. The current Chief Minister is Dato' Abdul Ghani Othman, a former civil servant. The Chief Minister is assisted by 10 members executive council (exco), whose members are selected from the state assembly members.

The legislative branch of Johor's government is the Johor State Assembly. The state assembly makes laws in matters regarding the state. Members of the Assembly are elected by citizens every five years by universal suffrage.

Districts

The State of Johor is divided into the districts of:

  • Johor Bahru 1817.8 km², population 1,370,738 (2005)
    • Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (Abbreviation as MBJB or City Hall of Johor Bahru. It is includes area of Johor Bahru Downtown, Tampoi, Pelangi, Pasir Pelangi, Rinting, Tasek Utara, Pandan, Permas Jaya, Kangkar Tebrau, Kempas, Larkin, Majidee, Mount Austin, Kawasan Tebrau) (website: http://www.mbjb.gov.my)
  • Pontian 919.5 km², population: 160,722 (2005)
    • Majlis Daerah Pontian
  • Kota Tinggi 3488.7 km², population: 212,558 (2005)
    • Majlis Daerah Kota Tinggi
  • Kluang 2851.8 km², population: 295,373 (2005)
    • Majlis Perbandaran Kluang (previously known as Majlis Daerah Kluang Utara)
    • Majlis Daerah Simpang Renggam (previously known as Majlis Daerah Kluang Selatan)
  • Segamat 2851.26 km², population: 198,142 (2005)
    • Majlis Daerah Segamat (Majlis Daerah Segamat Utara) (Covered area of Jementah, Buloh Kasap, Batu Enam and Gemas Baharu)
    • Majlis Daerah Labis (previously known as Majlis Daerah Segamat Selatan) (Covered area of Tenang Station, Chaah, Bekok and Pekan Air Panas)
  • Muar 2346.12 km², population: 373,587 (2005)
    • Majlis Perbandaran Muar (previously known as Majlis Daerah Muar Selatan) (Covered area of Bukit Pasir, Bukit Bakri, Parit Jawa, others)
  • Ledang 970.24 km², population: 58,501 (2005)
    • Majlis Daerah Tangkak (previously known as Majlis Daerah Muar Utara)(Covered area of Bukit Gambir, Sagil, Serom, Kesang, others)
  • Batu Pahat 1878 km², population: 382,175 (2005)
    • Majlis Perbandaran Batu Pahat (previously known as Majlis Daerah Batu Pahat Barat)(The capital of the district is Batu Pahat (city),also known as Bandar Penggaram)
    • Majlis Daerah Yong Peng (previously known as Majlis Daerah Batu Pahat Timur)
  • Mersing 2838.6 km², population: 73,920 (2005)
    • Majlis Daerah Mersing

Economy

Iskandar Malaysia

The Iskandar, Johor (also known as Iskandar Development Region and South Johor Economic Region), encompassing Johor Bahru,Johor Bahru Tengah, Kulaijaya, Pasir Gudang and Nusajaya is a major development zone in Johor. It is named after the sultan, Iskandar Al-haj. At 2215 km², it is two-and-a-half times bigger than Singapore and 48 times the size of Putrajaya. It is intended to draw investment and business to Johor and will be among the biggest development projects in Malaysia. As part of the project, the state administrative capital will be moved to Nusajaya.

Education

Kolej Matrikulasi Johor campus in Tangkak

Johor has several institutions of higher learning. It has three universities, namely Universiti Teknologi Malaysia situated in Skudai, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat (UTHM), Universiti Teknologi MARA Johor ( UiTM) in Segamat and several polytechnics. Johor also has a teaching college called Maktab Perguruan Temenggung Ibrahim. It has one non-profit community college called Southern College situated in Skudai. Southern College was established in 1990 owing to the generous support from the communities. It is the first non-profit community college in the country wholly funded by public donation and is open to Malaysian students of all races.[6]

Johor Education Foundation (Yayasan Pelajaran Johor) also establish tertiary education oppurtunity in Johor state. It offers studies from various field such as engineering, business, economics & hospitality for all Malaysian as well as qualified students from anywhere around the world.

At the primary level, Muslim Johorean students are required to attend Islamic religious school in addition to national school. Many Malay Johoreans have competent skills in Jawi script, the official script in Johor since 1885, which is still used in Islamic religious and Malay cultural matters.

Transportation hubs

Ports

Johor has three ports, the Pasir Gudang Port, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and the Tanjung Langsat Port.

Airports

Johor has one international airport (30 km away from JB city centre), The Sultan Ismail International Airport in Senai (01’38’26’ N, 103’40’13’ E). It was opened on 6 June 1974 and has been expanded several times since. Currently, it has a 5-million passenger capacity, with a parallel taxiway under construction.

The airport is a regional hub of AirAsia, a regional low-cost no-frills airline. Malaysia Airlines also operate flights from Senai airport to some local and international destinations.

Tourism

Major tourist attractions

Among the popular tourist destinations in Johor are:

  • Tebrau - Arulmigu Sri RajaKaliamman Glass Temple- The Worlds first Hindu Glass Temple
  • Desaru - beaches & golf courses along the South China Sea
  • Johor Bahru - shopping, night market, colonial/royal district
  • Endau Rompin National Park - pristine jungle
  • Kota Tinggi 34 meter waterfall.
  • Kukup - a fishing village with seafood restaurants built over water
  • Muar - picturesque riverside town
  • Seribuat Archipelago - islands with beautiful beaches, coral reefs
  • Tanjung Piai - the southernmost tip of mainland Asia
  • Danga Bay - The new waterfront city
  • Pekan Air Panas - hot springs, waterfall, local fruits available
  • Bandar Nusajaya - new administration of Johor Government
  • Pulau Dayang - major diving attraction, snorkeling, fishing
  • Gunung Ledang - legendary mountain/highest peak in South of Peninsula Malaysia, famous of mountain hiking
  • Ayer Panas Waterfall - Malaysian "Jiu Zai Kou" with crystal clear water from the peak of Gunung Ledang
  • Tangkak - hometown of famous "Tangkak Beef Noodle", shopping paradise for fabric, served best handmade noodle in the world
  • Pulau Kukus - This island is close to Pulau Sibu Tengah and popular for snorkeling activity

National parks and forest reserves

Johor is also noted for its national parks. Johor currently has five national parks, with a combined area of more than 700 km² and several smaller recreational forest. Almost all recreational parks are based around a mountain. Johor also has the third largest mangrove forest reserve in Peninsular Malaysia (167 km²).

Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang

Culture

The culture of Johor is influenced by visitors and traders throughout history. A major influence was the Bugis - who first set foot in Malaysia in Johor before continuing on to Melaka, Linggi, Selangor, Pahang and Terengganu - Javanese and the Arabs. They had a powerful impact on the politics of Johor, Pahang, Terengganu and Selangor. The strong Arab influence is apparent in art performances like Zapin and Hamdolok, musical instruments like gambus.[7] Other visible legacies in Johor Bahru are the Arabic names of places such as Wadi Hana and Wadi Hassan in areas populated by the Arab community from Hadhramaut in the southeast of Yemen. Wadi means valley in Arabic.

Johor's Souvenir

Johor's souvenir items are available from Heritage Crafts . Heritage Crafts sells various types of local souvenirs like T-shirts, handicrafts,pewter keychains and others.Heritage Crafts located at Senai Airport is a popular shop to get local souvenirs.

Language

The Johorean' s Malay, also known as Johor-Riau Malay and originally spoken in Johor, Riau, Malacca and Singapore, has been adopted as the basis for both the Malaysian and Indonesian national languages, Malay and Indonesian, respectively. Due to Johor's location at the confluence of trade routes within and without the Malay Archipelago, as well as the former economic might and influence of Malacca and Johor, the dialect spread as the region's lingua franca since the 15th century; hence the adoption of the dialect as the basis for the national languages.

Clothing

  • Cekak Musang and Teluk Belanga are types of collar design for the male garment 'baju melayu'. It is said that Teluk Belanga was designed by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1866 to commemorate the shift of Johor's capital from Teluk Belanga to Johor Bahru. The Teluk Belanga design is a simple hemmed round collar with a stiff stitching called 'tulang belut' or 'eel's spine', with a loop at the end to fit a 'kancing'. This collar design creates an exposed neck in contrast to the neck-covering Cekak Musang design that is a raised stiff collar of about 1-2 cm with an opening down to the chest. The collar ends have matching holes to fit buttons.[8]
  • Kurung Johor
  • Kurung Riau
  • Belah kebaya panjang

Songs

Tanjung Puteri is the song most commonly associated with Johor.

Tanjung Puteri

Tambak Johor Tanjung Puteri

Selat Tebrau airnya biru

Di Pantai Lido tepian mandi

Sepanjang masa di hari minggu

Atas bukit Tanjung Puteri

Taman hiburan indah berseri

Pemandangan menawan hati

Jalan tambak hubungan negeri

(chorus)

Tanjung Sekijang nun di kuala

Tempat nelayan mengail gelama

Istana Hinggap di Kuala Danga

Pantai berkelah keluarga diRaja

Dari Tebrau orang berakit

Singgah Stulang membeli kopi

Pusara si Bongkok di lereng bukit

Di tepi pantai Tanjung Puteri

Dances

Zapin dance

Zapin is a dance form which is popular in Malaysia, especially in the state of Johor. It is believed to have been introduced by Muslim missionaries from the Middle East in the 14th century.

In the old days only males were allowed to perform it, but nowadays female dancers are included. It used to be performed exclusively for religious ceremonies but through the years it has become a form of traditional entertainment.

The dancers usually perform in pairs and are accompanied by a traditional music ensemble normally consisting of the gambus, accordion, violin, marwas (bongos), rebana (drum) and dok.

There are various types of Zapin in Johore namely Zapin Melayu, Zapin Pekajang, Zapin Tenglu, Zapin Pulau, Zapin Parit Mastar, Zapin Lenga and so on. These variants are caused by the districts and on how the dance is performed.

Kuda Kepang

Kuda kepang is a dance or game performed by Johoreans, especially of Javanese descent. Kuda kepang is a legless horse-shaped puppet that is straddled by the performers. Usually, a troupe of performers consists of 10 to 15 people. It is performed at wedding ceremonies and cultural celebrations. There are several possible origins of Kuda Kepang. It is said to derive from the struggles of “Wali Songo”, a group of nine Islamic preachers in Java. Others said it originated from the movement of horses commanded by Ali, the fourth Muslim Caliph. There are several dance rhythms or patterns: the 'Sola', 'Selendang', 'Pak Tani', 'Pucuk Rebung', 'Perjuangan', and 'Mempertahankan Diri'. The bobbing movement of the performers and their horse puppet is called 'Lenggang Kiprah'.

The musical instruments used in kuda kepang performance are 'angklong', 'gendang', 'gong', 'kinong', 'jidor', 'soron kecil' and 'bonang'.

Legends

Legend of Badang

This is a story of Badang, a slave who gained super human strength by eating the vomitous of a river spirit. He used this to win his release from his master. Contrary to popular belief, Badang was born in Sayong Pinang, Johor, not Singapore or Temasik as it was known then. Upon hearing his strength, he was summoned by the Seri Rama Wira Kerma of Temasik where he displayed his skills. Challengers were sent by foreign kingdoms to defeat him. Among them were King of Kalinga I from India who sent Nadi Bijaya Pikrama, a fierce wrestler, and the noblemen of Perlak who sent Benderang. Badang emerged victorious from both fights and eventually stayed in Temasik until his death.

Legend of Malim Deman

Malim Deman is a king in Segamat who was in love with Princess Santan Bertapis. The princess was kidnapped by a spirit and Malim Deman swore that as long as the princess is not returned, the Segamat area shall experience floods for all eternity. However, with modern town planning and irrigation, flooding is now a rare occurrence in Segamat.

Legend of Gunung Ledang

See main article Legend of Gunung Ledang

Awang's spear returned to Dayang

Lembing Awang Pulang ke Dayang (Awang's spear Returned to Dayang) is an incident that occurred in Parit Raja, Muar.

It occurred in 1776 when a man called Awang returned to Padang (now known as Parit Raja, Muar) after more than 3 years abroad to marry his fiancee Dayang. Upon his return, he found out that another man called Bachok @ Pa'achok had told Dayang of Awang's death and she was to be married to him the next day. Awang showed up at the wedding and using a twin spear given by Raja Bugis, he speared Bachok in the stomach. Bachok, fatally injured, grabbed the spear in his stomach and speared his best man. The man then speared the next man he saw and this was repeated until the 99th person was speared. It was Dayang's father who was protecting Dayang. He did not continue the repeated spearing and died. Awang ran away to Endau and Dayang did not marry another until she died.

Black Tongue Warrior

Panglima Lidah Hitam (the Black Tongue Warrior) ia a lagendary warrior in Johor state.

Hamdolok

Hamdolok originated from the exposure of Middle East culture introduced by Arabs in Johor. It is a traditional theatre performed during weddings and festivals. It is a blend of artistic characters of both the Middle-East and local Malay communities. Instruments used include the gambus, tambourine, maracas and conga drums. It was also inspired by the Bedouin celebrating the birth of Islamic prophet Muhammad playing musical instruments and reciting poetry.

Cuisine

Dishes and cuisine in Johor are influenced by Arabs and the surrounding Malay archipelago. Some of the dishes are a unique blend of ingredients not found anywhere else in Malaysia. Due to their difficult and sometimes complicated recipes, some can only be sampled during celebrations and state banquets.

  • Laksa Johor is a cuisine originated from Johor. It differs from Laksa Penang by having coconut milk added during cooking. It also differs from other laksas by using spaghetti instead of rice-based noodles.
  • Mee Bandung Muar is also a dish originated from Johor, specifically from Muar. The term 'bandung' is not derived from Bandung, Indonesia but is a term for anything that is mixed from many ingredients. One of the most important ingredient is dried shrimp.
  • Penganan Kacau keledek is a dessert normally reserved for the Johor monarch and elites. It is made from sweet potatoes, a lot of eggs (at least 40), fresh coconut milk (not instant ones) and huge amounts of sugar. It is mixed together and stirred on a simmering heat for at least 4 hours.
  • Mee rebus is the famous noodle dish which consists of Mee (a spaghetti like mixture of flour, salt and egg) and is served with a tangy, spicy brown sauce. Usually crumbs and boiled eggs are added.
  • Arisa - A unique chicken dish that is very rare nowadays, and is normally served to the royalties and social elites of Johor at formal functions and celebrations.
  • Satay - is a popular food in Malaysia. Made from marinated meat or chicken and burnt on charcoal grill. Cooked satay is dipped in special peanut sauce. A favourite Malay food in Johor, mostly found in Johor Bahru and Muar.
  • Telur pindang - Eggs boiled together with herbs and spices, popular during wedding feasts in Johor.
  • Roti Jala or Roti Kirai(Wendy Li) - The name is derived from the Malay word 'roti' (bread) and 'jala' (net). A special ladle with a five-hole perforation used to make the bread looks like a fish net (picture in the works). It is usually eaten spicy with curry or sweet with 'serawa'. Serawa is made from a mixture of boiled coconut milk, brown sugar and pandan leaf.
  • Nasi Beriani Gam - A biryani rice dish originating from India with a cooking method very similar to Hyderabad biryani but with spices adjusted to suit the Malay palate. This dish is very popular in Batu Pahat District.
  • Kacang Pol- This dish is influenced by Arab Culture where special baked bread was served with special sauce and a 'sunny side up' egg.
  • Pisang Salai or Gimpi smoked banana cooked into perfection
  • Otak-otak - Steamed/Grilled fish cake usually served wrapped in sticks of coconut leaves. Two of the most popular varieties are Otak-otak Muar (spicy) and Otak-otak Gelang Patah (sweet).
  • Mee Soto[9] - This Indonesian origin food is very popular in Johor. People may have change noodles with rice or vermicelli rice according to their preference. Combination of either noodle, rice or vermicelli rice is added with peanut, beansprout and chicken meat. These combination then is poured with special soup. This soup was made from chicken stock and some other spice. Enjoy it while its hot.
  • Mee Bakso - This is almost identical with soto, only this dish have meatball instead of slices of chicken meat.
  • Lontong - Dish using combination of pressed rice and special coconut soup with vegtables. Enjoy it with boiled egg and chili.
  • Burasak - It is a type of Buginese food.
  • Halwa Maskat This dessert type food may be originated from muscat, Oman.
  • Kerutup ikan - Fish is steamed with variety of local fragrant leaves.
  • Pecal - It is a Javanese traditional cuisine which consists of long beans, slice of cucumber, beansprout, tauhu, tempe mix with special peanut sauce.
  • Tauhu bakar- it is made from soybean where it is burnt on a grill and cut into cubes and dip with special sauce.
  • Pendaram
  • Mee Siput - It is a mixture of flour that will expand in term of size when deep fried.
  • Rojak Petis - It is a combination of local vegetables mix with special black colored sauce made mostly from shrimp(Otak Udang).
  • ABC - ABC is abbreviation of 'Air Batu Campur' or known as Ice Kacang Johor. It is a special desserts created from shaved ice added with corn, jelly, redbeans, groundnut, syrup, pasteurized milk, and liquid chocolate.

Javanese-influenced cuisine

There are a few Johorean dishes with Javanese influences. These include lontong, nasi ambeng and bontrot or berkat - both traditionally served after feasts like wedding ceremonies, Yasinan and others; and ungkep.[10]

References

  1. ^ Ancient names of Johor, 2 March 2009, JohorBuzz, New Straits Times
  2. ^ Roads to fame, Fauziah Ismail, Johor Buzz, New Straits Times
  3. ^ Ancient temple steeped in history, Peggy Loh, JohorBuzz, New Straits Times
  4. ^ Mother Nature hits back, December 29, 2006, The Star (Malaysia)
  5. ^ An army of its own, Fauziah Ismail, JohorBuzz, New Straits Times
  6. ^ About Southern College, Message from the Executive Advisor, retrieved February 21, 2009
  7. ^ Folk dance with religious origin, 14 April 2005, Peggy Loh, Travel Times, New Straits Times
  8. ^ Kenali Gaya: Mata lalat, tulang belut bezakan baju Melayu, Berita Harian Online, September 2008
  9. ^ Little touches for unique dishes, GEETHA KRISHNAN, June 26, 2006, The Star (Malaysia)
  10. ^ Hidangan dan Masakan Johor, 11 December 2006, Official Portal of the Johor State Government

Bibliography

  • Trocki, Carl A., Prince of Pirates: the Temenggongs and the Development of Johor and Singapore, 1784-1885, University of Hawaii Press, 1979, ISBN 9789971693763 ISBN 9971693763



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