BAN PROTESTS IN PLACES OF WORSHIP

I refer to the photograph showing Dato
Seri Najib Razak ,launching a programme to supply treated water
dispensers to the Al- Taqwa Mosque in Permas Jaya (NST 27 April)
I think the advice given by the Deputy
Prime Minister, that mosques should become the center of activities
for communities , and urged the people not to misuse mosques by sowing
hatred among the people against the government is timely, in view of
the fact that some mosques in the past and up to the 8th March
election have been used by not only the immams to lambaste
individuals and the government through their sermons, but also by
others who took the opportunity to hold protests in the mosques
compound, after the congregational Friday prayers
This unhealthy trend cause traffic jams
and hardships to the people living in the surrounding areas of the
mosques.In a demonstration insults might be uttered and inappropriate
behaviour might affect worshippers . Mosques belong to the Creator
and it is illogical to turn them into a place of protests.
Protesters usually chose mosque and other
places of worship as their venues for they can assemble swiftly
without police intervention as protests are illegal without police
permit. However not all the worshippers belong to the opposition
groups and it is feared that trouble might erupt and turn into a riot
resulting in death. This is happening in India, Pakistan, Afganistan
Iraq and many other Muslim countries.
I suggest that the government passed a law
that criminalises holding of protests and demonstration in places of
worship in order to safeguard the true worshippers and the sanctity
of places of worship.


NOR SHAHID MOHD NOR
PETALING JAYA

MUSLIM WOMEN IN MALAYSIA ARE NOT DISCRIMINATED

I refer to the letter,' Involve leaders in change process," (NST Feb.17) from Mariam Mokhtar.

I deeply regret that Islam has been receiving a bashing these days not only from Muslims but also from non Muslims. It is regrettable that their shallow and conflicting views and knowledge of the religion especially among some Malay women led them to believe that they are being discriminated against, and that according to her there are areas in Islam where they do not enjoy equality with males.
Why is it that she chose to blame and involved Islam to highlight all the setbacks or prejudice that causes hardship and resentment among some of them today?. Thats nothing to do with Islam, and I feel that the problems is with the Muslim men and women themselves, who are at loggerhead with one another each trying to compete as to who should wear the pants.
I think it is impossible in all respect for women to be equal with men. That was why Allah created men and then women as their partners. Men are supposed to be the protector and maintainer of women, and women were entrusted with motherhood and parenting .I am not a male chauvanist and neither am I a religious pigot, but what I have said above is an ayat from the Al Koran, which was revealed as a Manifest to show the Muslim Ummah the Right Path, the lawful and unlawful things and set boundaries of Islamic religion.
I am sorry I beg to defer from anyone who says that all religion are the same, NOT with Islam anyway. Islamic monoticem is the belief in the one and only God that is Allah. There is no other God but Allah and all Muslim must believe in Him, the Al Koran, and the Sunnah. All Muslim must hold on steadfast to the Islamic faith. Faith will be meaningful if it is practiced and followed in daily life,because Islam is a way of life. Wearing the hijab is a religious obligation for Muslim women, it is not about being pious or being faithful. Allah only calls on the Believers to oblige , the others can choose not to wear the hijab
not to pray five times a day,not to pay zakat, not to fast during Ramathan ,and not to believe in the Al Koran and Sunnah. There is no compalcion in Islam..

It is untrue when she said that, education, job opportunities scholarships, employment,sports,land and inheritance rights are but a few of the areas where women are prejudice..If we look at the statistics today, 60% of the students in colleges and institution of higher learning are women , 99 % of nurses are women, 80% of teachers are women and there are thousands of women.in the public sector from clerks to top management posts who are women and there are more in the armed forces, and other uniformed services. There are also thousands of women professionals to day than they were 25 years ago. To day women enjoy the same pay with men especially in government service. Thanks to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed the former Prime Minister and Pak Lah our prime Minister who are both strong supporters of women's rights
Since women are fighting for their equal rights, the homes are being left to the maids to take care of the children. ,and that is why juvenile delinquency is on the increase .Today there is not a day that we dont read news of children committing serious crime. Who are to be blame for this.


NOR SHAHID MOHD NOR
PETALING JAYA

SMS ANY EVENTUALITIES

I refer to the letter from Moaz Yusof Ahmad of TRANSIT, "How about SMS alerts?", (nst Mac 5) I applaud the suggestion to give public transport users a better and greater access to information about services and disruption of services through SMS.
The twitter technology to send out free bursts of information to inform people of any eventualities , should be considered for use by the relevant authorities without further delay as the services are considered useful and helpful to all mobile phone users all over the country.

The Meteorological Department should also use the same technology to distribute weather information to the people especially fishermen and fishing enthusiast so that they can familiarise themselves with local weather conditions before venturing out to sea.
JAKIM ( Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia ) could distribute information on Muslim prayer time, Muslim date month and year, while the Police could provide updates with information on Highway conditions, traffic jam , floods , road closed, detours, etc.

Had there been such a service road users would not have been inconvenienced by being stranded on the Seremben/Kuala Pilah road, when a land slide occurred at Bukit Putus a few day, ago and the road was closed to all traffic.
Radio and television news take a longer time to reach the people while with SMS it is faster, and I feel that the authorities should go for it, as it will benefit all phone users throughout Malaysia.



NOR SHAHID MOHD NOR
PETALING JAYA

BE LOYAL TO KING AND COUNTRY

I refer to your report " Six charged with insulting Perak Ruler," (NST Mac.14)

It is regrettable that some young Malaysians to day have either forgotten the Principles of the RUKUN NEGARA, or just can't be bothered to respect and practice them, as all Malaysian should. Its their lackadaisical attitude that have driven them to be disloyal to King and Country, and instead insulted and posted vulgarities against the Sultan of Perak on the Internet, for all the world to read. It is disgusting, and as Malaysian I am ashamed of them.
This is a serious and sensitive public interest issue that could be blown out of proportion if the matter is not dealt with quickly. Malaysian of all races are expected to respect the Sultan and the King as Head of State, as enshrined in the State and the Federal Constitution.
When I was attending a course in London a couple of decades ago , I had the opportunity to visit the Speakers Corner in Hyde Park where I observed many foreigners , standing on soap boxes badmouthing their own country and its leaders. I was told by my British course mate that at the speakers corner everyone can talk on any subjects under the sun except on the Queen and the Royal Families of England. You could be arrested by the police and charged for insulting the Queen.
A couple of years ago an American was arrested for insulting the King of Thailand and he was sentenced to I think 8 Years imprisonment , and early this year he received the King's pardon and was released from prison and
deported.
Malaysia too has the law to punish such traitors, and as Malaysian let us live by the principles of the RUKUN NEGARA, and be loyal to King and country.


NOR SHAHID MOHD NOR
PETALING JAYA

SEND BULLIES TO REFORM SCHOOL

I refer to the letter from Jane Ooi," A police presence will help," (NST Mac.10 ), and your report," Call to set up auxiliary police unit to tackle bullies ," (NST MAC.7 ). While I have my reservation about the suggestion to set up such unit, what more a detention center in schools, I feel that the Ministry of Education , The Parent Teachers Associations,and the School Boards, should first study the legal aspects of the ideas, whether it is legal, practical or the need to implement such proposals in our schools.
People especially foreigners should not have the perception that our schools are akin to Juvenile Detention Centers . Besides I am sure the police does not have the manpower to provide such services to all schools in the country.
True indiscipline among some school children ,in some schools, are getting out of hands and the teachers seem helpless to tackle the complex problems themselves, for fear of reprisal from both parents and students, who are more daring and " KURANG AJAR " today, than we were before. They even dare to damage teachers' cars, abuse them with filthy language, and at times even assaulted them. So it is unfair to blame the teachers alone.

My suggestion which I think is more practical and the police presence is not to obvious, is to enlist
the school discipline teachers as trained auxiliary police officers. They should wear the police uniform while in schools, and with the help of the school police cadets or prefects, oversee to the school discipline. Its objective is to induce in students the respect for law and order , regard for property, love for their parents, teachers and fellows students.

Sacking of students from schools is not going to help them reform, and I still feel that the schooling and home aspect should never be neglected, and if these fail, they should be recommended to be sent to reform school such as the Henry Gurney Schools for being beyond parental control.The teachers and officers of the schools are trained to break even the hardest of gangsters and bullies. Believe me I was the Officer in charge of Henry Gurney School II, Bandar Hilir, Melaka from 1960 to l970.Students who are committed to the schools will be able to continue their education till form five or even six.

NOR SHAHID MOHD NOR
PETALING JAYA

WAYS TO FIGHT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

NEWSPAPER reports of the continuing rise in juvenile delinquency, especially in schools is cause for concern. In the 1960s and 1970s most juvenile delinquents were school dropouts, but this trend has changed as more schoolchildren, are now turning to crime . There is certainly an urgent need to recognise the problem and take positive steps to arrest this unhealthy trend
Offences committed by students these days include assaulting their teachers and fellow students,bullying, theft, housebreaking,robbery,extortion,dadah abuse,sexual crimes, smoking, drinking,truancy, vandalism and illegal racing. Smoking among students of both sexes is also reported to be on the rise, in spite of the no smoking campaign launched by the Government.
It has now been established that most juvenile delinquents are schoolchildren, especially those who come from broken homes in the slum areas and also from urban areas., and as such I strongly believe that in the prevention of juvenile delinquency , the home and the schooling aspect should never be neglected , but then there are more than 40,000 single mothers who are living below poverty line, and with so many children to take care,they are often neglected , and something must be done about this.

I think the weakest link lies in the absence of a policy on crime prevention in schools to evaluate the impact of home environment ,truancy ,indiscipline ,dadah abuse, smoking, drinking etc on child behaviour and in particular its relation to juvenile delinquency.
I hope the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation ,and others instead of just prescribing antidotes play an active role not only in preventing crime, but also to determine ways in which the public, parent-teacher associations,the mass media, Government departments, non Governmental Organizations , can contribute to the reduction of crimes especially in schools.
Public response has been encouraging as seen by the number of people writing to this column, giving their ideas and suggestions, and I feel that MCPF should take the initiative to gather all the ideas ,informations,and suggestions and call upon all the relevant authorities to have a seminar and come out with a solution that could be implemented in our schools system.There should be a referendum on the issue.
The following suggestions could be of help:

.School social work should be introduced to help students modify their attitudes towards
schooling and their teachers and to enhance adjustment to the school enviro0nment.

. Build up their sense of belonging and loyalty to the school through sports academic excellence, and co curricular activities.

Better communication between parents students and teachers through the PTAs to discuss and solve problems

The mass media should promote the appreciation of the intrinsic value of education. It is very important for parent and the community to realise the importance of education as a positive step towards the prevention of crime and delinquency

Students should be guided on the useful occupation of their leisure hours. More playing fi elds should be developed ,instead of golf course and cyber cafes

Students should be compelled to be members of disciplined uniform groups. They could help discipline teachers enforce discipline. School discipline teachers should be members of the police volunteer reserve with powers to arrest and detain, and they should be in police uniform while teaching in schools. Its objective is to induce in students the respect for law and order, regard for property, love for their parents, teachers, fellow students and elders, and a sense of pride in themselves and to foster in them the awareness of their abilities.
.
They should also be encouraged to take up vocational training, hobbies,or socializing ,like biking, hiking picnic canoeing and other organized activities.

Religious groups, clubs like the Lion and Rotary Club , PTAs, NGOs and private sectors companies should take an active part in organizing various activities for students so that they would not be left on their own

Re introduce the post of Probation officers,besides handling probation reports, they should also be responsible for handling schoolchildren who play truant and to report the matter to the schools and their parents as it is done in the United Kingdom..They should work closely with the police in all matters regarding juvenile delinquency.

There is no easy way to fight juvenile delinquency . I realise also that it is not an easy task to implement all suggestions put forward by everyone as there are a lot of obstacles to be overcome such as funds.

However we must realize that it is better to spend on preventive measures rather than see our schools turned into ganglands, which will not benefit future generations.


NOR SHAHID MOHD NOR
PETALING JAYA