http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-harshe...sia-1452748999
A Stricter Islam Displaces Old Ways in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR—Kelana Indra Sakti is one of Malaysia’s most successful shamans. Framed testimonials from his customers hang from his office walls. In the driveway of his house he keeps a stretch Mercedes-Benz limousine given to him by a grateful client. His name, meaning “Adventurer, Heavenly Magic,” was bestowed on him by one of Malaysia’s wealthy sultans.
Lately, though, Mr. Kelana has supplemented his consultations with readings from the Quran.
“People just expect it these days, so I do it,” said the 70-year-old shaman.
Islam in Malaysia, and Southeast Asia, is taking a more conservative turn. The Muslim faith, brought here by Arab traders hundreds of years ago, has coexisted for generations with Malay customs such as shamanism, other forms of traditional medicine and the country’s sizable Buddhist, Christian and Hindu communities.
But more recently, conservative Wahhabi doctrines, often spread by Saudi-financed imams, are redefining the way Islam is practiced and, for some, eroding the tolerance for which the country has been known.
Malaysian Drum Ceremonies Play On Despite Ban
In Malaysia, conservative Islamic authorities have banned drum ceremonies, used to help depression, because they are considered un-Islamic. But musicians say the drumming is a fundamental way of life.
Signs of change abound, from the Arab-inspired architecture of Malaysia’s administrative capital to the more widespread application of Shariah, the Islamic law code largely based on the Quran.
In the northeastern state of Kelantan, one of the most conservative parts of the country, lines in supermarkets are separated by gender, and men are banned from watching women’s netball tournaments. In December, Malaysia’s first Shariah-compliant airline began flying. The airline guarantees pork-free meals and bans alcohol, in line with Islamic teaching, and its flight attendants are required to cover their heads with the hijab.
Politicians, meanwhile, are now competing with each other to show off their Islamist credentials. The opposition Pan-Islamic Party strict adherence to Shariah has helped build its support in rural areas. And a government investment fund—under the control of the Muslim-oriented ruling party—was recently set up to pay for village leaders to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
The government’s recently established Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia writes sermons delivered in mosques nationwide each Friday, according to Malaysian analyst James Chin of the University of Tasmania.
Some Muslim academics and opinion leaders have begun to push back, saying the Arabization of Islam in the country has gone too far. Last year, Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, complained that Malaysians were being taught formal rituals over the substance of the faith.
Malaysian security officials now worry that the changed climate is encouraging younger Muslims to turn to less tolerant forms of the faith. Security forces have detained over 120 people for suspected ties to Islamic State in the Middle East; scores of others have traveled to Syria to join it.
The cultural shift is complicating life for Malaysians holding on to shamanism and other old Malay customs.
At a recent medical conference at the National University of Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur, doctors and psychologists gathered to hear how a variety of ailments can be helped with readings from the Quran.
“We’ve forgotten old Islamic treatments and how they can help,” said one of the participants, Hamidi Abdul Rahman, president of Professional Islamic Support and Nurture Group, a faith healing group.
In Kelantan state, the shift is more pronounced. The local Islamist government has outlawed traditional healing rituals, leaving musicians who lead them to practice under cover of darkness.
Performers such as 84-year-old Yar Daut shrug off what he says is a misplaced attempt to turn Malaysia into Arabia.
“What nonsense. We’ve been performing like this for over 200 years,” he said as he mopped sweat from his brow during a break from his band’s practice sessions.
Malaysian author Eddin Khoo says that in some cases traditional music and rituals are surviving precisely because they are being driven to the margins.
“The best way to make something appealing is to ban it,” Mr. Khoo said. “People are finding a way to keep it alive, whether the religious authorities go along with it or not.”
Mr. Kelana, who is Muslim, says he still has steady demand for his services, which usually involve counseling patients who have problems with their love lives or businesses.
“They still need my help, and it’s my job to assist them,” he said as two young women in Muslim head scarves waited for him at his clinic.
Some shamans, or bomohs in Malay, have gotten into trouble with the law, though. Religious authorities declared in April that a well-known bomoh, Ibrahim Mat Zin, deviated from Islamic teachings when he performed a rite to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with a pair of bamboo binoculars and a couple of coconuts.
Mr. Ibrahim, better known as Raja Bomoh Sedunia, or King of All the Bomohs in the World, denies doing anything wrong.
Mr. Kelana reckons it is better to bend with the wind, as he puts it. It helps that he doesn’t need to perform any special rituals to figure out what is wrong with his patients. He says he can see an aura surrounding a person, and this provides all the information he needs to suggest a course of treatment.
If his clients want him to perform some spells or incantations, as in the old days, or read from the Quran, well, he’s ready to do that.
“If it fits the part, why not?” Mr. Kelana said.
This pragmatic approach has won him a loyal following. He counts politicians on his client list. One patient, Nur Suzana, said she had traveled all over Indonesia and Thailand looking for shamans to deliver a cure when she said she was troubled by a jinn, or evil spirit.
“Only Kelana Indra Sakti could help me,” she said after her visit.
Some imams at Mr. Kelana’s local mosque are coming around to his methods, he said. They have begun referring worshipers to him for help with their problems. “I’ve become the last resort, but people are still coming,” he said.
Muslim Prostitute Marries Her Clients Just To Have Sex
https://www.naij.com/409369-muslim-p...-have-sex.html
The Sun UK reports that the 25-year-old belly dancer and prostitute, Fairuza, is raking in cash by marrying randy British Muslims for hour-long sex sessions then divorcing them straight afterwards so they can “avoid sinning”.
Fairuza performs the quickie service by reading a religious text in Arabic and takes the money as a “dowry”. Then once the deed is done, she divorces the two of them from their temporary marriage – “nikah mut’ah” – arrangement.
However, she told an undercover reporter that once the marriage is up the client must wait three months to request the service again. In a secret video filmed by the newspaper, she revealed:
“I married myself to you for one hour and agreed upon the money you’ve given me. It’s £300 and £50 for the marriage. If you want to renew it we can do it within three months. “Even though we do mut’ah, you must still use a condom. I don’t do it without condom. Some people think that if you do mut’ah you don’t have to use a condom.”
She is believed to be one of many Muslim women now offering the guilt-free service. On a hidden escort advertising website, Fairuza boasts to have “very beautiful natural 34DD breasts” and a “very pretty face with juicy lips”. Her Twitter account, which was recently deleted, had more than 85,000 followers, with which every follower could see her raunchy topless posts.
In the video she explains that some men are converting to Shia Islam to take advantage of the sin-free sex. She explains:
“I did it with one Saudi who converted to Shia Islam only so he could do mut’ah. He was in London for two months. I was his wife for the two months. I lived with him and I wasn’t allowed to be with any other man. He paid very good money. He is coming back next year and we’ll do it again.”
Malaysia to set up registry for child abusers, paedophiles
A sex registry for those who commit offences against children will be set up under the amendments of the Child Act 2001. Women, Family and Community Development Ministry policy division under-secretary Dr Waithcalla R. R. V. Suppiah said the list, to be supervised by the Welfare Department, will have details of pedophiles and convicts of various offences including rape. “Employers may refer to the list before hiring prospective staff, for instance, those running a nursery. “We will know if the person if found to have a clean record without having any offences against children,” she told a media briefing at the National Social Institute, here. She said members of the public will also be able to check with the department if they have any suspicions over some individuals on social media in order to protect them from pedophiles. Minister Datuk Seri Rohani
Abdul Karim said the briefing was to gather feedback from media practitioners after an engagement process with various parties including parents, teachers, non-governmental organisations and even children. “The amendments, which cover about 60 to 70 per cent, were tabled for the first reading on Dec 2 and we hope to table and debate in the next session in March,” said Rohani. If passed by Parliament, the Act will see a hefty fine of up to RM50,000 and a prison sentence of 20 years meted out to those found guilty of child abuse. Under the present Act, child abuse is punishable with a fine of no more than RM10,000 and imprisonment of up to 10 years.
The amendments also include provisions for Community Service Order (CSO) for those found guilty of abuse, neglect and abandonment of children as well as those leaving a child without appropriate supervision. The amendment included a section dealing with the establishment of a National Council for Children to advise and make recommendations to the government on issues relating to the care, protection, rehabilitation, development and participation of children at the national, regional and international levels. The council’s role include developing programmes and strategies to educate society on the rights and dignity of children.
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Islamic Fatwa Says It’s Okay To Wipe Your Butt With Toilet Paper
Read more:
http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/08/20…#ixzz3xa8IEVkB
The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey, among the wealthiest and most advanced Muslim countries, has issued a fatwa declaring that Muslims can, in fact, use toilet paper without violating the commands of Allah.
However, the Islamic legal pronouncement underscores, adherents of the religion should use primarily use water as opposed to any specialized paper product to cleanse their private parts.
“If water cannot be found for cleansing, other cleaning materials can be used,” the fatwa from this week reads, according to the Hurriyet Daily News, an English-language newspaper out of Istanbul.
“Even though some sources deem paper to be unsuitable as a cleaning material, as it is an apparatus for writing, there is no problem in using toilet paper,” the document explains
The broader religious issue has to do with the definition of “clean” and “unclean” for prayer purposes under Islam.
Traditional Islamic doctrine holds that adherents must use water to purify themselves after using the bathroom, notes the Daily Mail.
Also, no talking or reading while you sit on the toilet, and faithful Muslims should arrive in the bathroom using the left foot. They should exit using the right foot while expressing this prayer: “Praise be to Allah who relieved me of the filth and gave me relief.”
Turkey’s religious bureaucracy also issued another fatwa allowing hand sanitizers and other hygiene products containing alcohol as an ingredient.
Consuming alcohol remains forbidden for dedicated Muslims.
Devout, practicing Muslims — both male and female — should strive to sit down when they urinate under centuries-old Islamic law.
It is not forbidden for men to stand up to pee, explains IslamQA. At the same time, it is “Sunnah” — the right and desirable way of life — for both men and women and to pee sitting down.
Aisha, one of Muhammad’s wives, was reported to have said: “Whoever tells you that the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] used to urinate standing up, do not believe him. He only ever used to urinate sitting down.”
The reason was a practical one: “it reduces the risk of any drops of urine splashing up onto him.”
Under an Islamic code known as Qadaahul Haajah, devout Muslims should also relieve themselves in private, not facing the direction of Mecca and never looking at their genitals.
Also, for all bathroom usage, adherents are supposed to use their left hands and plenty of water to clean themselves. They can also use stones for wiping. Three stones for wiping is ideal.
Read more:
http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/08/20…#ixzz3xa8yOMo8
