Article: Beheaded girls were Ramadan 'trophies'

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta correspondent
November 09, 2006

THREE Christian high school girls were beheaded as a Ramadan "trophy" by Indonesian militants who conceived the idea after a visit to Philippines jihadists, a court heard yesterday.

The girls' severed heads were dumped in plastic bags in their village in Indonesia's strife-torn Central Sulawesi province, along with a handwritten note threatening more such attacks.

The note read: "Wanted: 100 more Christian heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head."

Javanese trader Hasanuddin appeared in Jakarta Central Court yesterday charged with planning and directing the murders in October last year. He faces a death sentence if found guilty under anti-terrorism legislation.

Hasanuddin allegedly returned from a visit to members of Philippines Islamist group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front with tales of how that organisation regularly staged bombings to coincide with Lebaran, the festival that ends the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He later spoke with a preacher in Poso, Central Sulawesi, about whether such a plan could work in Indonesia, but expressed doubt about whether it was appropriate.

However, after further discussion with friends, he decided that beheading Christians could qualify as an act of Muslim charity.

Conscripting several accomplices at a local pesantren, or Islamic school, he directed one of them, Lilik Purnomo, to seek out "the head of a Christian", prosecutors alleged.

"It would be a great Lebaran trophy if we got a Christian. Go search for the best place for us to find one," Hasanuddin allegedly ordered his companion.

Lilik returned to say he had found an "excellent" target - a group of schoolgirls who travelled to and from class by foot in the Central Sulawesi village of Gebong Rejo. The village is in the district of Poso, where hundreds of people have died in sectarian violence in recent years.

Many observers worry that Central Sulawesi has become the latest battleground in a deadly jihad.

Three Christian men were executed there last month for their role in a massacre of Muslims in 2000 and there have been a series of deadly attacks in the province in recent months.

Prosecutors yesterday detailed how Hasanuddin, Lilik and co-accused Irwanto Irano planned the schoolgirl beheadings with six other men. They prepared six machetes and black plastic bags for carrying off the severed heads and spent several days surveying the area where the students regularly passed by.

The operation was called off on one occasion, when a woman spotted the attackers hiding by the roadside, waiting for their victims. On the night before the attack, Lilik told Hasanuddin: "I hope you are ready to receive your Lebaran gift."

The attack was launched the following morning, but only four of the six targeted girls appeared.

Lilik, directing the attack from a nearby hill, told his accomplices to act quickly so that the remaining two girls could still be killed should they appear behind their friends.

The attackers cleanly beheaded three of the students but a fourth, Noviana Malewa, escaped after a struggle and ran away screaming. Her attackers gave chase but were unable to catch her.

The bodies, dressed in school uniform, were left by the roadside near the execution site, but the heads were carried in a backpack to Hasanuddin.The trial of his two co-accomplices was adjourned until Wednesday, when Hasanuddin will also reappear.

Source:
Beheaded girls were Ramadan 'trophies', The Australian

Article: Black Leaders Blast Megachurches, Say They Ignore Social Justice

Prominent black leaders have denounced increasingly popular megachurches, saying many have abandoned Jesus' emphasis on social justice to preach a gospel of wealth and self-help.

By The Associated Press
Thu, Jun. 29, 2006 Posted: 07:38:38 AM EST

DALLAS (AP) – Prominent black leaders have denounced increasingly popular megachurches, saying many have abandoned Jesus' emphasis on social justice to preach a gospel of wealth and self-help.

"The message of many churches has been co-opted by American capitalism," said the Rev. Frederick Haynes III of the Friendship-West Baptist Church in South Dallas. "A megachurch should not just be known for the traffic jam it creates on Sunday, but for doing something more in the community."

The criticism came at a summit of about 100 black ministers – including the Revs. Joseph Lowery, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and scholar Cornel West – held this week at Haynes' church.

Several popular black megachurch leaders and televangelists, such as Bishop T.D. Jakes in Dallas and the Rev. Creflo Dollar of Georgia, openly back President Bush. They preach to stadium-sized congregations that worshippers receive health and prosperity through their faith – a belief system called Word of Faith, said Lawrence Mamiya, professor of religion and Africana studies at Vassar College. Leaders often speak proudly of their own wealth and success, he said.

Jakes, who claims 30,000 churchgoers, said in a written response Wednesday that his church, The Potter's House, and his ministries give people the tools and mind-set to be successful.

"Economic empowerment and family prosperity are crucial to our survival," he wrote. "The economic gulf that exists between people of color ... and European-Caucasians is a breach that remains too wide, a chasm that should and can be closed."

Jakes, who was criticized in the past for appearing at the president's side in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, said the black community needs unity rather than divisive criticism.

But as elections approach, conflict is sharpening between traditional black churches, the crucible of the civil rights movement, and megachurches that tend to be more conservative, Mamiya said.

Sharpton said Monday the leaders at the summit would combat Christian conservatives – megachurches in particular – for focusing on the "bedroom morality" of gay marriage and abortion while ignoring what he called the immorality of the war, attacks on voting rights and the erosion of affirmative action.

Haynes called the megachurches' conservative teachings "prosperity gospel" and said it turns Christianity on its head. Those teachings blame the poor for their circumstances and praise the pursuit of earthly riches, he said.

Haynes, who ministers to about 8,000 people, said his megachurch differs because it focuses on eliminating poverty, making the justice system fairer to young black men and political activism.

While Jakes and many conservative pastors do charity work as well, they do not speak out politically, Haynes said.

Jakes has said he keeps politics out of his preaching in order to reach out to people of all races and political affiliations. Several churches, including Dollar's, did not return calls seeking comment.

Word of Faith emerged among white Pentecostal and evangelical churches and has more recently gained appeal among blacks, Mamiya said.

Black Word of Faith megachurches attract mostly middle-class blacks, who respond to their self-affirming message rather than more traditional churches' messages of guilt or obligation, Mamiya said.

"It is really a question of whether the black middle class will continue to support the black poor," Mamiya said. "If they don't, I would see in that a big influence from Word of Faith or prosperity gospel."

Source:
Black Leaders Blast Megachurches, Say They Ignore Social Justice, The Christian Post

Article: Newspaper Cartoons Lampooning Jesus Spark Outrage

By Dawn Rizzoni
CNSNews.com Correspondent
May 26, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - A pro-family organization is lashing out at a student-run newspaper at the University of Oregon for the publication of two cartoons, one showing Jesus in sexual arousal and the other showing him kissing another man.

It's "one of the strongest attacks on Christianity" that the American Family Association (AFA) claims it has ever seen. The AFA has launched a campaign to urge its members to speak out against the cartoons, which ran in The Student Insurgent newspaper.

Dan Goldman created the cover for the newspaper's March edition. "I did the one of Jesus with a boner," he said. Goldman told Cybercast News Service that Johnny Correa created the other "piece of art," the one portraying Jesus kissing another man. The two cartoons were among 12 overall that were published in the newspaper.

Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the AFA, said the group's members, especially those living in Oregon, are angry about the cartoons. "They want to do more than just send an email," Sharp said. "They want phone numbers so that they can make sure their voice is heard. The taxpayers of Oregon don't want their taxes being used this way."

According to Sharp, $191 of the mandatory semester student fees at the University of Oregon are set aside to fund the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO), which is the student body government for the university. ASUO then decides how much money is allocated to various events and publications at the school.

Sharp said ASUO directed that $18,349 go the student newspaper this year. This is money given "to a paper at a school that is on government property and is under the control of the state government," Sharp said.

An official grievance over the cartoons was filed by Students of Faith on April 21. But the University of Oregon ruled that, “The Student Insurgent did not practice discrimination.” The university also declared that the newspaper, “through its publication, continues to add to the cultural and physical development of The University Community.”

"There are no grounds for demanding an apology from The Student Insurgent," the university concluded.

The grievance quotes Insurgent editor Jessica Brown as allegedly saying that "it is really fun to offend people."

"It is fun to break the rules. If it pisses people off," Brown allegedly said, "good. That's the point!!!"

University President Dave Frohnmayer released a statement, indicating to Students of Faith that he shared their concern "about the offensive nature of the content contained within the publication."

"I understand why it may seem as if the University should have prevented publication or should take some action against those responsible for the publication. The Student Insurgent is not owned controlled or published by the University of Oregon and is funded with student fees. Therefore, the University cannot exercise editorial control over its content," Frohnmayer stated.

He also explained that the university, based on Supreme Court rulings, cannot "exercise control over content by using a threat of removal of fee support."

"Simply put, neither content nor viewpoint is a lawful basis for denying an allocation of incidental fees to a student group," Frohnmayer wrote.

Sharp agreed that Frohnmayer is unable to control the content of The Student Insurgent, but said the university president does have the authority "to make sure incidental fees are not used to spread hate-filled messages on his campus." If the Insurgent had run cartoons with messages disparaging other religions or homosexuals, Frohnmayer could have and would have done something in response, according to Sharp.

In an April 27 statement, Goldman and the other employees of the Insurgent claimed that the cartoons were a form of satire.

"Our March issue, 17.4, satirizes and critiques Christianity, which has proved to be controversial," Goldman stated. "You may be aware that a Danish newspaper published 12 cartoons last fall depicting Islam in a way intended to be humorous. Muslims around the world found the cartoons offensive and blasphemous, provoking angry protest in many countries. Western media picked up this story. The Insurgent decided to present its own perspective."

The statement added that Christianity needs to be "lampooned."

"People have asked why we chose to target Christians. As the dominant religion in the US, Chrisitianity (sic) forces its morals on us all. Christian ideas pervade every aspect of our lives and government. We decided such a force needed to be lampooned, so we published 12 satirical cartoons, an art piece centerfold and some opinion pieces," Goldman explained.

"This has created a gathering storm of outrage from Christian groups who are claiming to be victimized." However, Goldman wrote, "Christianity in this country is NOT marginalized in any way and using their power to claim victim status is ridiculous.

"Fortunately we have the right to speak against this. We are attacking ideas, not people, and in no way did we promote violence or hatred, yet we are accused of hate speech. We anticipated these criticisms and dealt with them in our March issue and the cartoons are clearly intended as humor," he stated.

Source:
Newspaper Cartoons Lampooning Jesus Spark Outrage, Cybercast News Service

Article: Coded Lessons For Muslims

Thursday • May 25, 2006

Marina Mahathir
news@newstoday.com.sg

A FRIEND was relating how after her daughter had read The Da Vinci Code, she had wanted to read the Bible. Which is not in itself a bad thing, except that she was concerned that an impressionable young mind would not be able to differentiate fact from fiction.

Also it seemed that perhaps what was needed is a Da Vinci Code-type book for Muslims to spark off the same level of interest in young people in their own religion.

Except that if anyone tried to write a similar thriller based around Islam, they'd be hounded and pilloried and threatened with death, thousands would riot in protest and people who would never have been able to read the book, either because they are illiterate or can't afford it, would have died.

Such is the difference between our religions.

While there are many Christians who are upset about the book and movie, they are countering it with seminars and other educational events to balance what is being said in the book, even if the book is only fiction.

There have not been Da Vinci Code-related riots or deaths thus far. Which speaks volumes for the adherents of the faith.

It would be nice if everyone could brush off similar challenges and say "we are strong enough to withstand any attack".

Even if a book or a movie becomes a runaway hit, compared to the total number of any faith's followers, the numbers sold can never match it.

Books are by nature, in a world where illiteracy is still common, a luxury item. As are American movies, no matter what arguments people make about cultural imperialism.

I remember when there were riots over Salman Rushdie's book The Satanic Verses, then Pakistani-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto commented wryly that the people who were dying over the book were those who would never have read it, or possibly even heard of it if someone hadn't whipped them into a frenzy.

A similar situation arose with the cartoons. As insensitive as they were, they were still not worth dying over.

The point is that people's impressions of a religion are often related to the behaviour of its adherents.

Some religions are thought of as simply kooky because its followers behave strangely. Some are viewed as benign and peaceful because its followers resolutely will not harm a fly.

But when people, supposedly in the name of religion, riot, burn and kill, it can't help but give the impression of a religion that advocates this, no matter how much we point out that nowhere in religious texts itself does it say you should do this.

And unfortunately we get the whole spectrum, from men who publicly insult women on a daily basis without censure to the real crazies.

Recently in New York I had to suffer the embarrassment of having to listen to a Muslim man say to a non-Muslim woman at a forum, "Don't mess with Muslims, we have nuclear weapons!"

There I was trying to dispel stereotypes about violence-prone Muslims and in one fell swoop, this nutcase confirmed every stereotype there was.

I think the only people who can dispel stereotypes about Muslims are women.

While there are certainly some conservative women, even when these speak out they will naturally change perceptions because in a world where Muslim women are perceived to be perpetually hidden behind curtains, their sheer presence and articulateness will be noticed.

What more if they are able to argue rationally in a calm manner.

Thus far, there have been very few Muslim men in the international media who give a good impression. We might argue that the Western media selects who they interview in order to perpetuate stereotypes, which is true and that is a problem for all of us.

A man or woman who looks like the archetypal wild-eyed conservative is far more telegenic than someone who looks like everyone else.

Channel surfers are far more likely to stop at the sight of someone they think of as alien to their culture than if they see someone too similar to them.

To stop this means having to make a concerted effort to come together as one community and decide on a sophisticated media strategy. But sadly, coming together as one united community is a challenge in itself.

If we do manage as a global community to change other people's perceptions of us, the benefits would be many.

Our own people might think more kindly of each other so peace would reign within. And because within ourselves, we respect diversity, we can do the same with others.

Then peace would truly have a chance.

The writer is a Muslim, a newspaper columnist and social activist in Malaysia.

This article was first published in The Star newspaper.

Source:
Coded Lessons For Muslims, TODAYonline

Singapore Election 2006: Hurrah! I am going to Vote!

		Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman Brandon Siow Wei-Min Chia Ti Lik Eric Tan Heng Chong Perry Tong Tzee Kwang
		Abdullah Tarmugi Jaya Kumar Shunmugam Jessica Tan Soon Neo Lee Yi Shyan Raymond Lim Siang Keat

The Unalienable Rights of All Men

It is a pity, in the light of the case of the Afghan convert to Christianity, that the spirit of the following statement is not found in the constitutions of many countries. Even though I am not an American, I do find myself totally agreeing with it. That the government exists to protect and serve its citizens, not the other way around.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence indeed, will dictate, that Governments long established, should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security.

From the United States Declaration of Independence

Article: Afghan convert controversy mirrors cartoons row

Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:24 AM ET
By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor

ROME (Reuters) - The strong Western response to a threatened death sentence for an Afghan convert to Christianity looks something like a mirror image of the Muslim reaction to the Prophet Mohammad caricatures printed in the European press.

There have been no riots or sackings of Afghan embassies, unlike the violence that marked the uproar in Muslim countries after the Danish cartoons were published, but the shock and mutual incomprehension expressed in both cases are similar.

The difference lies in the issues at stake. In the cartoons row, Muslims stressed the sanctity of Mohammad, whom they say nobody -- even non-Muslims -- can criticize. The subtext was resentment against perceived Western prejudice against Islam.

Now, Western governments and societies are speaking out for religious freedom and against the death penalty. The fact many Western troops now help defend the Afghan government against al Qaeda and Taliban remnants heightened the outrage in the West.

Amin Farhang, the Afghan economy minister who lived in exile in Germany for 22 years before returning to Kabul in 2001, saw the parallels and warned against any escalation.

"Following the row about the cartoons, which has cost so many lives, we should look calmly at things and work for a fair solution," he told the German daily Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger.

But he stressed the gulf between western-style freedoms and traditional Muslim societies that consider conversion from Islam to be an insult punishable by death. "Afghanistan cannot switch suddenly from one extreme to the other," he said.

FREEDOM A NORM, NOT AN EXTREME

The uproar sparked off by the case of Abdur Rahman, now on trial in Kabul for renouncing Islam, showed that Westerners saw religious freedom as a norm and not an extreme.

"It is deeply troubling that a country we helped liberate would hold a person to account because they chose a particular religion over another," President George Bush said on Wednesday.

Some critics suggested NATO states withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. A few even suggested that Western troops kidnap Abdur Rahman and bring him along when they leave.

Among the strongest critics are evangelical Christians in the United States, a core constituency that has backed Bush so far on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"How can we congratulate ourselves for liberating Afghanistan from the rule of jihadists only to be ruled by Islamists who kill Christians?" Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council asked.

Another leading figure, Charles Colson, said: "If we can't guarantee fundamental religious freedoms in the countries where we establish democratic reforms, then the whole credibility of our foreign policy is thrown into serious question."

Canada's top Anglican prelate, Archbishop Andrew Hutchinson, said of the Islamic punishment for apostasy that Rahman faces: "I'm absolutely horrified to think that this kind of fanatical literalism would be applied in this day and age."

BITTER COMMENTARIES

European newspapers ran bitter commentaries. Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung said Kabul was "tolerant like the Taliban." Die Welt in Berlin wrote that Afghanistan faced "the dark ages of barbarity" if it executed Rahman.

"We have a duty not to cooperate in bringing back the burning of heretics at the stake," the Dutch daily Trouw wrote. Milan's Corriere della Sera said Western states helping Afghanistan should launch a movement to reform Islam there.

In Denmark, Jyllands-Posten, the daily that first ran the Mohammad cartoons, quoted Syrian-born member of parliament Naser Khader saying: "If necessary, Danish troops should liberate Abdur Rahman and Denmark should offer him asylum.

"This matter underlines that sharia (Islamic law) must be fought wherever it exists," he said.

France's Marianne magazine made clear Western critics might not be satisfied if the Kabul court arranges to avoid the death sentence by declaring Rahman insane and unfit for trial.

"If he is not tried, he will probably end up in a psychiatric hospital, which for a man of sound mind is sometimes worse than death," it commented.

Source:
Afghan convert controversy mirrors cartoons row, Reuters