Fatwa on Yoga

The National Fatwa Council on Saturday banned Muslims from practising yoga, causing an uproar among certain quarters, including Muslims.

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism was however more concerned about the word "haram" that was used in the ruling then the ruling itself.

Datuk A. Vaithilingam, the Hindu Sangam President said that using the word "haram" in barring Muslims was uncalled for. He said that in a multiracial, multi-religious country, the fatwa council should be more sensitive in its choice of words. "Instead, they should used words like 'unsuitable' for Muslims. The word 'haram' should have been avoided", he said. (source NST).

Datuk A. Vaithilingam is right. The Fatwa Council could have been more sensitive in its choice of words. Perhaps the Fatwa Council saw a legal distinction between the word "haram' and 'unsuitable'. Maybe my Muslim friends can educate me on this.

Yoga is a treasure trove bequeathed to us by our Hindu ancestors and we are willing to share it with all. This is one the many ways where we Malaysians from different cultural and religious background can learn from and enrich one another. If the National Fatwa Council wishes to draw a line and rule that it is unsuitable for our Muslim Brothers and Sisters, we respect that edict and let our Muslim Brothers and Sisters to deal with it; if they have a problem with the fatwa.

Be that as it may, as a Hindu and a one time practitioner of yoga ( the real one under Divine Life Society, Petaling Jaya Sub-Branch - not the 'spiced-up' one currently making its round at our local gyms), this is what I have to say - Let them have their fatwa, its their loss, not ours.

The National Fatwa Council has the right to rule over what a Muslim should or should not do. Lets not get emotional about the fatwa without looking at it from their point of view as well.

We should look at look at the common traits that binds us as Malaysians instead of what separates us. We are after all a Nation that embrace our similarities and celebrate our differences.

Murugesan Sinnandavar

War in Sri Lanka - Round 2

BN Youth together with Youth NGOs have gathered peacefully at the Sri Lankan Embassy this afternoon to hand over a Memorandum of Protest to His Excellency the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Kuala Lumpur.

This is the second time we are gathered here to present the memorandum. We were here with a smaller crowd on the 5th of November, 2008 but the Sri Lankan Embassy only permitted representatives from MIC to present the Memorandum. NGO representatives were not allowed. We found the condition unacceptable and vowed to return with a bigger crowd. This is what we have done today.

Although MIC has taken the lead, our friends from UMNO, MCA, Gerakan, PPP, IPF and NGOs are here in full support of this cause. There are even members from the opposition parties here. It goes to show that this issue transcends race, religion or politics. It is an issue that binds us all together. It is a humanitarian issue.

The memorandum was presented to register our protest against the Sri Lankan Government’s continued air and ground attacks in recent weeks that has resulted in civilians being killed and maimed; hundreds of thousands of Tamils have been displaced, literally refugees in their own country!

Without taking sides as to who is fighting the ‘right war’, Malaysian Youths are deeply concerned with the alarmingly high rate of civilian casualties in the on going war.

On humanitarian grounds, we Malaysians cannot stand-by as mere spectators, as innocent civilians especially children, suffer the atrocities of war. Malaysians regardless of race or religion are deeply disturbed by the daily reports and graphic pictures of civilian casualties of the war. Malaysians, like our fellow citizens of this world do not wish to see more lives being sacrificed in the name of war.

It was due to this reason that MIC Youth had taken the initiative to present a Memorandum of Protest to the Sri Lankan Government through its embassy here. We have been joined in this cause by our fellow brothers from Barisan Nasional Youths and NGOs.

The purpose of delivering this Memorandum is to call upon the Sri Lankan Government, in the name of humanity, to:

stop forthwith the current military attack and take immediate steps to provide necessary aid to suffering civilians;allow international aid organizations back into the affected areas so as to enable humanitarian aid to reach those in need;respect the wishes of the International Community to stop fighting and resume negotiation with all the parties concerned with a view of finding lasting peace between the Brothers of Sri Lanka.

In addition to the presentation of this Memorandum, MIC Youth, in close co-operation with NGOs, will also pursue the following actions:

Forward a similar Memorandum to our Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Prime Minister in order for our government to express, on a government to government basis, the wishes of the Malaysian people for Peace in Sri Lanka.

To work closely with the local media to raise fund, food and medical supplies in order for the same to be delivered to the suffering people of Sri Lanka.

A detailed list of the toll the war had taken on civilians is set out in the Memorandum of Protest presented to His Excellency the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka and attached together with this Press Statement.

We would like to register our sincere thanks to the media, NGOs, BN Youth and all present here for this worthy cause.


Thank you.

Murugesan Sinnandavar
Organising Chairman
Youths for Peace in Sri Lanka

Raja Petra Released

It is good that the High Court in Shah Alam allowed Raja Petra's Habeas Corpus application and ruled that his detention under ISA unlawful. It gives us all a glimmer of hope that the courts will interpret the law in favour of a detainee where there is doubt.

Very often I have read with distress judgments where judges rule in favour of the government or prosecution where there is ambiguity. I am a firm believer that where there is grey area in law, judges should interpret the law in such a way that it advances freedom and protection of human rights.

Judges in India are famed for such inclinations and that is one of the reasons why India is able to maintain a robust democracy despite having a very corrupt political and civil service system. Good for RPK. He is a free man once more, free to speak his mind. Good for our democracy too.

Touching on the subject of ISA, MIC Youth met with Indian based NGOs again yesterday ( 7th November, 2008) to discuss what could we as a group do in order to secure the release of the Hindraf 5. The first meeting was held just before Hari Raya.

After much discussion, it was decided that demonstration will be counter-productive in this instance. It was agreed that MIC Youth together with NGOs will meet with either the Prime Minister or the Home Affairs Minister to make further representations as to why we think the Hindraf 5 are not a security threat and why their continued detention untenable.

For the nay-sayers, I have stated earlier and reiterate it here again, that we are doing this with full knowledge that we will still be criticized for taking this effort; but we are doing this on human rights ground and with the realization that it is the only right thing to do. Nothing less, nothing more.

For those that genuinely feel that the Hindraf 5 should be released, this is all I ask of you, let us do our job and you do yours. We can fight and find faults on other issues. Enough finger pointing has been going on whilst the 5 have been detained without trial and their families suffer. Lets move on.

Murugesan Sinnandavar

War in Sri Lanka - Press Report

Source http://pemudamic.org

Greetings to all, updates from the Sri Lankan Embassy Demonstration earlier today.

Photos at :- http://pemudamic.org/index.php?ind=gallery&op=section_view&idev=15

More than 200 people from MIC Youth and several non-governmental organizations staged a peaceful demonstration in front of the Sri Lankan High Commission here yesterday.
They were protesting against the Sri Lankan government's continued air and ground attacks against Sri Lankan Tamils resulting in innocent men, women and children being killed and maimed.

The demonstration which was led by MIC Youth deputy coordinator S. Murugesan and MIC Youth advisory council chairman S. Ramis. MIC Youth coordinator T. Mohan and S. Vell Paari were present to give their moral support.

All the members wore black armbands while some carried placards depicting the pictures of the affected women, children and damaged houses.

However they decided not to submit a memorandum of protest to the High Commission after their officials insisted on only allowing MIC Youth officials to present it.

Murugesan said that it was unacceptable as MIC Youth had already informed the High Commission that they were coming together to hand over the memorandum.

"It seems that the High Commission wants to divide the MIC Youth and the ngos. Their condition is unacceptable," he told reporters later.

Earlier a High Commission official only wanted to allow two people to go into their premises to submit their memorandum but later relented to allow five of them.

The official requested for the identification cards of the five representatives including three ngo representatives which he took into the premises but later came back and said that only the MIC Youth representatives would be allowed in.

Murugesan said that they would initiate a campaign to urge Malaysians to boycott Sri Lanka products as well as the Sri Lanka airlines.

"We would be having another demonstration with a much bigger crowd in the near future. We will show our strength," he said.

War in Sri Lanka - Press Statement

PRESS STATEMENT

5th November, 2008

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MIC Youth together with Youth NGOs have gathered peacefully at the Sri Lankan Embassy this morning to hand over a Memorandum of Protest to His Excellency the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Kuala Lumpur.

The memorandum was presented to register our protest against the Sri Lankan Government’s continued air and ground attacks in recent weeks that has resulted in civilians being killed and maimed; hundreds of thousands of Tamils have been displaced, literally refugees in their own country!

Without taking sides as to who is fighting the ‘right war’, Malaysian Youths are deeply concerned with the alarmingly high rate of civilian casualties in the on going war.

On humanitarian grounds, we Malaysians cannot stand-by as mere spectators, as innocent civilians especially children, suffer the atrocities of war. Malaysians and in particular, Tamil speaking Malaysians, are deeply disturbed by the daily reports and graphic pictures of civilian casualties of the war. Malaysians, like our fellow citizens of this world do not wish to see more lives being sacrificed in the name of war.

It was due to this reason that MIC Youth had taken the initiative to present a Memorandum of Protest to the Sri Lankan Government through its embassy here. We have been joined in this cause by our fellow brothers from NGOs.

The purpose of delivering this Memorandum is three-fold:
1. To call upon the Sri Lankan Government to stop forthwith the current military attack on civilian areas and to take immediate steps to provide necessary assistance to suffering civilians.
2. To call upon the all parties in the armed conflict to respect the call of the International Community to stop fighting and resume negotiation with a view to finding lasting peace between the brothers of Sri Lanka.
3. To bring awareness to all Malaysians on the atrocities of war in Sri Lanka and do our part in giving a helping hand to our fellow brothers who are suffering from the ravages of war.

In In addition to the presentation of this Memorandum, MIC Youth, in close co-operation with NGOs, will also pursue the following actions:
a. Forward a similar Memorandum to our Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Prime Minister in order for our government to express, on a government to government basis, the wishes of the Malaysian people for Peace in Sri Lanka.
b. To work closely with the local media to raise fund, food and medical supplies in order for the same to be delivered to the suffering people of Sri Lanka.

A detailed list of the toll the war had taken on civilians is set out in the Memorandum of Protest presented to His Excellency the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka and attached together with this Press Statement.

Thank you.

Murugesan Sinnandavar
Organising Chairman
Youths for Peace in Sri Lanka

P/S The Memorandum was not delivered to the High Commissioner because of the conditions set by the Embassy. Follow up story on the Press Release by MIC Youth in the next post

War in Sri Lanka - Memorandum of Protest

Memorandum of Protest

5^th November 2008

His Excellency the High Commissioner,
The High Commission of Sri Lanka,
Kuala Lumpur.

Your Excellency,

We, the representatives of members of Malaysian Indian Congress Youth Wing and Malaysian Youth NGOs, hereby submit our memorandum registering our vehement protest against the Sri Lankan Government’s continued air and ground attacks in recent weeks against the Sri Lankan Tamils resulting in innocent men, women and children being killed and maimed; hundreds of thousands of Tamils have been displaced, literally refugees in their own country!

Without taking sides as to who is fighting the ‘right war’, Malaysian Youths are deeply concerned with the alarmingly high rate of civilian casualties in the on going war.

Humanitarian Crisis

Relentless aerial bombardment and artillery shelling by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces have forced more than 310,000 people to become internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Vanni District, more than 160,000 in Mullaitivu and 150,000 more in and around Kilinochi.

These displacements of civilians have in turn brought hardships such as:

· Malnutrition and it is increasing - 60% of children in the Vanni District are suffering from malnourishment or a lack of proper nutrition.

· Lack of nutritional food or food supplements for pregnant women and lactating mothers.

· Premature births and miscarriages due to the stress of displacement.

· 90% of families have lost their livelihoods and livelihood equipment – which has created high levels of stress and depression in the heads of households as they are unable to provide for their families and have no hope for their future.

· The yearly monsoon rains has led to serious health issues due to the lack of adequate water and sanitation facilities.

· Lack or non-availability of transport facilities have made the displaced persons’ mobility totally hampered.

· Costs of petrol, diesel and kerosene have become beyond the reach of the people.

· Food prices have multiplied a hundred times.

Agricultural Production

The current displacement has produced a disastrous effect on agricultural production. Farmers have been forced to abandon their paddy fields when they are displaced.

24,500 hectares have been abandoned in the following areas:

· 9,500 hectares in Mannar District.

· 4,000 hectares in Mullaitivu District.

· 5,000 hectares in Vavuniya District.

· 6,000 hectares in Kilinochi District.

Medicine and Hospitals

Only very limited supply of medicine is available and even that is becoming difficult to come by.

Lack of fuel supply restricts generation of electricity and the movement of ambulance service.

Shelter

Approximately 15,000 families are currently living under trees, while the remainder of the internally displaced persons are sheltered in public buildings or in makeshift shelters made of tarpaulin sheets.

Water, Sanitation and Health

These important requirements have become the most difficult items to reach the displaced persons.

Education

Displacement has very drastically affected the school going children. 114 schools with 36,272 students have been displaced. Examinations have been suspended.

Primary and pre-school students have stopped attending classes regularly due to shelling and air attacks.

Attack on Civilians

Civilian areas are regularly bombed and shelled by the Armed Forces. This bombing and shelling has the effect terrorising the civilian population. Many of these attacks occur at night and in the early morning and in close proximity to civilian settlements.

Our Request

We believe that the conflict between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities must be resolved peacefully, and therefore:

We, the members of the Malaysian Indian Congress of Malaysia, in the name humanity call upon the Sri Lankan Government to stop forthwith the current military attack on the Tamils and take immediate steps to provide necessary aids to suffering Tamils.

We, also call upon the Sri Lankan Government to respect the wishes of the International Community’s to stop fighting and resume negotiation with all the parties concerned with a view of finding lasting peace between the Brothers of Sri Lanka.

We, most respectfully, request His Excellency the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Kuala Lumpur to submit our Memorandum of Protest to the Government of Sri Lanka for its attention and action. We on our part will forward a copy of this Memorandum to our Foreign Affairs Ministry for their action.

We remain,
Yours truly,

Murugesan Sinnandavar
Organising Chairman
Youths for Peace in Sri Lanka