YOURSAY | ‘How did he get a PR when there are so many who are still stateless?’

M'sians expect wise decision from PM on preacher, says Mat Hasan

Fair & Unbiased: Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan thinks Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has a tricky task on his hands balancing the need for national unity, political considerations and the human rights of controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik.

Ever heard of the saying look after your own backyard first, Mohamad? We, the true citizens, are being called “guests” and you are talking about Zakir’s rights.

Send the preacher back to where he is wanted for money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches.

Flamescanner: I only wish that all our politicians who have been standing up for the human rights of Zakir would stand up for the thousands of stateless persons in our country – people who have lived in this country for generations and yet unable to obtain the basic right of statehood, which will enable them to pursue basic education in our schools, obtain medical care at our government hospitals, register births of their children, to hold Malaysian identity cards, which then allows them to work and receive adequate protection... the list is endless.

These are such basic rights, and yet not one of these politicians are concerned. Why is that? It's really sad to see that we don't have a care in the world for the people who really need our help.

Blackwaterpumkin: Why such a big fuss over Zakir, involving so many important people in the country, including the prime minister?

In the first place, how did he get permanent resident status when there are so many eligible persons in the country who are still stateless? What contribution has he brought to the country?

Just send him out of the country and he will find a safe haven. We should not lose our sleep over him, let alone cause mistrust among us.

Anonymous 770241447347646: How did we come to the conclusion that Zakir, a ‘world-renowned’ preacher, will not be given a fair trial in India?

How can he be treated unjustly when the media will follow his trial closely? The preacher is a man of resources. He can hire the best lawyers – not one, but a dozen – to defend him.

But there is a definite risk of Zakir being a threat to our country. Other Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries realise this, which is why they are not coming forward to accept him.

The few statements made by him nearly cost us peace on our soil. What more to come? How long can you stop him from preaching or even meeting his followers?

At the present moment, he has become a cult figure. He will easily add more followers in time. What can stop him from raising more ‘junior Zakirs’ to carry out his work? Bangladesh is one example that shows how young believers were mesmerised by his teachings.

Malaysia cannot take that risk, as years of hard work have been put into building this nation. Sixty plus years of blood, sweat and tears and trillions of ringgit of investment are at risk if even a small sensitive issue goes out of control.

Can we take that risk?

Fair and Square: We should put aside religion and start taking care of our economy. Everybody is important, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Live and let live, respect each other’s customs. Don’t impose your beliefs on others either directly or indirectly.

We don’t need khat in our studies. Let the choice be individual, you can learn Tamil, Chinese, Arabic or whatever. Our education should be progressive, not regressive.

Black Thorn: I really wonder what our authorities and the prime minister are thinking when it comes to Zakir.

It is very obvious this charlatan preacher has broken the law and is causing racial issues in Malaysia, yet it seems that they have no intention to revoke his PR status nor mete out any real punishment other than gagging him.

Why are we giving this preacher so much human rights when he does not respect the rights of others in Malaysia? If he is a real holy man, he would have a compassionate heart and would promote harmony in Malaysia.

But he does not have those kinds of qualities at all. He has a glib tongue. This so-called intelligent figure is only good at theory. He does not practice what he reads or studies. His actions and speeches do not tally, yet many of us are so blinded by his so-called teachings.

I think many sound-minded Muslims and others have voiced out their displeasure about this controversial figure, yet it makes no difference to the prime minister’s decision about kicking him out.

Do Malaysians really have to resign to our fate to accept Zakir in our society? It just seems as if the prime minister wants to buy time to find ways to justify his decision to keep the preacher here.

Citizen: What if Zakir had been a Christian preacher and uttered these derogatory words? He would have been hauled up by his toenails with a one-way ticket to India.

Umno, PAS target 10k turnout to mark alliance after seven decades of enmity

Bright Morning Star: Umno and PAS will commemorate the sealing of their alliance with a gathering, expected to attract 10,000 people.

It will be an unholy alliance of crooks, liars, racists, religious fakes and political opportunists. It's never about serving the rakyat, it's always about grabbing power and abusing power for self-gain.

The Analyser: The joint charter between Umno and PAS to be inked on Sept 14 should be good for a laugh.

I can hardly wait to see how they avoid the confrontation between PAS who want Islam to dictate everything, and Umno who want to abuse Islam to stay in power.

The Fog of Life: @The Analyser, for the sake of success at the next general election, each will simply look the other way and pretend all is fine.

After all, neither subscribes to any values worth mentioning.

Annonymous: Poor Tok Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. The late PAS spiritual leader must be turning in his grave.

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